Kraiburg Recommends Winter Tread Designs

The trend of changing to special winter tyres in the cold season is also increasing in the European commercial vehicle sector, according to Kraiburg Austria. According to demand from the retreading material supplier, it is not just the experienced winter users that now recognise the advantages of a powerful traction tyre, with which they can safely travel through deep snow. In addition to customers in the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria and Switzerland and even Scandinavia, the so-called “lowlanders” are changing more and more from all-season tyres to “genuine” winter tyres. One reason for this is the recent change in German law (StVO (German Road Traffic Regulations) § 2, para. 3a), which could put the insurance cover at risk or make it necessary to bear potential expenses, should the tyres be seen as the cause of accidents or traffic-jams when used under winter road conditions.

Naturally, Kraiburg’s response is to introduce some new products in order to satisfy demand. The latest is the premium design KDW Scan for long-distance and local trucks. Kplus 30, will be available in mid-October. The new Kraiburg design is manufactured from a natural rubber compound and is especially characterised by a deeply siped pattern as well as a relatively open tread design. According to the manufacturer, this makes the KDW Scan “an absolute professional in snow and recommended for use from October to April.”

Tips for selecting the right winter pattern

Kraiburg and its partners, the retreaders, recommend changing to winter tyres before the first frost appears. Only tread designs that have been optimised for winter road conditions guarantee a good overall performance with regard to mileage and tyre wear. Crucial in this respect is the relevant tread design, which has to show a well-balanced ratio from positive to negative pattern structure, as well as a high quantity of traction-efficient edges because of the number of its tread blocks.

Furthermore, a winter pattern requires good self-cleaning properties, which can be achieved with a relatively open shoulder design and the lead angle of the tread blocks. The rubber compound used also has a very important influence. It provides good grip on winter roads and, first and foremost, the necessary safety in road traffic.