Page 24 - CTB n4 - 2013/4

WINTER TYRES
Pirelli FW:01 and TW:01
The Pirelli FW:01 and TW:01 winter tyres for steer axle and drive axle respectively were developed by Pirelli’s Research and Development department with a view to assuring top performance and safety on wet, snow-covered, or icy roads with temperatures
below 4° centigrade, for medium and long range haulage.
These features are largely based on the fundamental role played by the structure, the tread patterns and the special formulation of the rubber compounds, which have high silica contents, both in the tread and under tread compounds.
The tread patterns of the W:01 line tyres play a key role in determining performance of the product. The deep siping, the innovative pitch sequence, and the block geometry makes it possible to obtain exceptionally well-balanced
performance in terms of traction, handling on snow, reduced stopping distances on wet roads, high acoustic comfort and high mileage.
The FW:01 tyre was developed with a Pirelli patent (RSR – Rotated Shoulder Rib) that ensures even wear and therefore high mileage. The dense and thin siping, together with high levels of acoustic comfort are claimed to make the FW:01 ideal for fitment to coaches.
The tread pattern of model TW:01, meanwhile, is designed to capture large quantities of snow, thereby ensuring excellent "snow-to- snow" grip, guaranteeing excellent road holding of the rear tyres and hence the whole vehicle.
Lancashire County Council: Winning in Winter
Goodyear has teamed up with Lancashire County Council's highways maintenance department to test a range of winter tyres in some of the
removing a lot of the difficulty associated with winter driving.” Winter tyres ensure that vehicle performance is optimised when temperatures are low and when
“There was some treacherous weather conditions in the early part of 2013, which kept Lancashire’s gritters busy and out on the roads most nights. The wagon drivers fed back that they were surprised by the difference in grip and stability the UltraGrip tyres provided, some even commenting that it was like driving a 4x4.”
As a result of the successful
trial last winter Lancashire County Council is extending its relationship with Goodyear. The County Council is now looking to introduce a winter tyre policy for its gritting vehicles in a bid to ensure it is able to continue servicing the public to the best of its ability, through all the hazardous conditions that the Lancashire winter has to offer.
coldest and slippiest conditions to be found on UK roads. Goodyear's UltraGrip winter tyres were fitted to the council's winter gritting vehicles in late 2012 to see if they could improve safety and stability during the vital task of applying salt to the 2,500km network of Lancashire's roads, which are treated within 4 hours of a freeze being forecast.
Chris Grime, Principal Fleet Engineer from Lancashire County Council said: “For us it was a logical step to try winter tyres on our winter service vehicles. The conditions these vehicles operate in offer extremely low grip. The road conditions in a week can often change between wet, dry, snow and ice, so it is important we have tyres that can cope with the changeable conditions. Before last winter we had never looked at the option of using winter tyres, but since testing them we have been really impressed with the performance they have delivered. Although we have always previously fitted an M + S [Mud + Snow] marked tyre, we have found the specifically designed winter tyre to be better. It took the steering and stability to the next level,
road conditions are affected by snow and ice in particular. Tyres react differently according to temperature, so specific compounds and tread patterns are necessary for such conditions. It is not just for safety reasons either; although good grip is of course essential for steering and braking control, at lower temperatures non-winter tyres do not have the same efficiency as they provide in their normal temperature range. Winter tyres are designed for optimum performance below 7 degrees celsius. A more aggressive tread pattern is also necessary, not only for good grip in snow, but also on ice and to more efficiently clear surface water. Adam Stanton, Product Marketing Manager at Goodyear said: “We began the trial with Lancashire County Council last winter, using the Goodyear UltraGrip winter tyre. All of our tyres go through extensive testing at our specialist test centres around the world, where the products are pushed to their ver y limits. However we really valued the opportunity to conduct this trial with Lancashire County Council – as it really gives a real world, day- to-day view.
24 Commercial Tyre Business