No-Nonsense

‘No-nonsense rubber’ is a catchphrase adopted by Maxxis in the UK a short time ago, and given the company’s plans to expand the profile of its passenger car and light commercial lines here through its new Centres of Excellence program, it appears that Maxxis are taking a no-nonsense approach to giving their brand the same level of recognition in mainstream tyre segments as it currently enjoys with motorcycle and atv users.

This year the Taiwan based tyremaker brings to the table five tyres featuring tread and compound specifically designed for winter conditions. For passenger car drivers Maxxis has the MA-W1 Wintermaxx, a high performance tyre the manufacturer claims both offers a quiet ride and comes into its own in snowy weather. The tread is a unidirectional design featuring a zigzag pattern with multiple grooves for effective water drainage and snow removal. In keeping with winter tyre practice the footprint on the MA-W1 been optimised for as sure footed a ride and braking as possible on wet, icy or snow covered roads. The MA-W1 is available in many size configurations from 13-inches up to a V rated 17-inch variation.

Motorists whose driving takes them to frostier parts may prefer the MA-PW Presa Snow. Maxxis has designed this tyre with a unidirectional zigzag tread pattern, a design acknowledged for its efficacy in removing water and snow from the contact area, thus improving straight line stability and maximising grip and traction on snow surfaces as well as wet conditions. Additional deep grooving laid out in a slightly askew circumferential ring on either side of the arrow-shaped centre tread is embedded to further improve water dispersal. And while road noise is always of greater concern in the design of winter tyres due to the blockier tread and greater number of sipes present in a tyre designed for cold weather conditions, Maxxis are confident that the pitch sequence generated by the MA-PW Presa Snow tread pattern will provide an ultra-quiet ride. The Presa Snow can be fitted to vehicles running on a range of 13 to 17-inch rims and is available in H, T and V speed ratings.

A more dedicated winter offering is the studable MA-SPW Presa Wintermaxx. The high degree of siping provides effective water dispersal and the zigzag multi-pitched tread blocks are just what the doctor ordered for traction in snowy conditions. And of course the provision of stud pin holes gives drivers the option of adding extra grip if road conditions make this necessary. As with the Presa Snow, Maxxis claims that the random pitch arrangement of the MA-SPW Presa Wintermaxx tread allows for a quiet and comfortable ride. The T speed rated Presa Wintermaxx is available in sizes from 13-inches right up to 18-inches.

Business doesn’t stop when the weather turns nasty, and van drivers often find themselves on the road even during the harshest of winter weather. Maxxis provides for the light commercial vehicle segment with its MA-W2 Wintermaxx line up. The MA-W2 features a symmetrical tread which, according to Maxxis, offers braking, water dispersal and snow removal capabilities that are second to none. A high degree of siping provides biting edges, enabling acceleration and braking performance on icy roads to remain comparable with those encountered in more favourable conditions. Sizes for the MA-W2 start at 13-inches and go up to 16-inches.

The final tyre in the Maxxis winter line up is the MA-SW Victra Snow, a snow terrain tyre specifically for 4×4 vehicles. The unidirectional Victra Snow is designed with grooves both in the centre tread and shoulder area, and tread blocks are arranged in a zigzag pattern for steering stability. An abundance of lateral sipes are built into the tyre. The MA-SW Victra Snow can be obtained in H, T or V speed ratings, depending on rim size; the Victra Snow is suitable for 4x4s with 15 to 16-inch rims, however not all speed rating combinations are available for each diameter.

The Maxxis cold weather tyre range has a well established presence in Europe, and the tyremaker is confident its success on the continent, especially in Germany – Europe’s largest winter tyre market – are strong credentials that will put Maxxis winter tyres on the shopping list of UK motorists looking for no-nonsense cold season rubber.