Tires for snow Articles

Big O Tires, Inc. is North America’s largest franchiser of tire retailers. It is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, and has more than 540 franchises in 21 U.S. states and Canada. It sells its own Big O private brand tires and other brands. In addition to selling and servicing tires, wheels, and alignments, Big O Tires provides basic maintenance and replacement services such as oil changes, battery replacement, struts installation, and brake service. Because Big O Tires is a wholly owned subsidiary of TBC Corporation, its franchisees are located in markets that not served by the corporately-owned Tire Kingdom, NTB, and Merchant Tire chains.

History

The company was founded in 1962, when it split from OK Tires. In 1996, it was acquired by TBC Corporation, which also owns Tire Kingdom, NTB, and Merchant Tire.”TBC to Buy Outstanding Shares of Big O Tires” The New York Times. 1996-05-03. URL retrieved 2006-12-02 In 2006, TBC was acquired by Sumitomo Corporation of America”Sumitomo Corporation of America Completes Acquisition of TBC Corporation”. Business Wire. 2005-11-17. URL retrieved 2006-12-02.. Big O Tires remains a wholly owned subsidiary of TBC Corporation.

In a landmark case in 1977, Big O Tires was awarded $19.6 million from Goodyear over Goodyear’s use of the name “bigfoot” tires. The amount equaled 25% of Goodyear’s advertising budget in the states where Big O operated. The amount was cut on appeal and later settled.Doan, Amy. “Xbox Name May Cost Microsoft”. Forbes. 2001-02-05. URL last retrieved 2006-12-02.

References

Tire load sensitivity describes the behaviour of tires under load. Conventional pneumatic tires do not behave as classical friction theory would suggest. Friction theory says that the maximum horizontal force developed should be proportional to the vertical load on the tire. In practice, the maximum horizontal force Fy that can be generated is proportional, roughly, to the vertical load Fz raised to the power of somewhere between 0.7 and 0.9, typically.

Production car tires typically develop this maximum lateral force at a slip angle of 6-10 degrees, although this angle increases as the vertical load on the tire increases. Milliken, W.F., Milliken, D.L., 1995, “Race Car Vehicle Dynamics”, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Warrendale, PA. page 27. Formula 1 car tires may reach a peak sideforce at 3 degrees Wright P., 2001, “Formula 1 Technology”, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Warrendale, PA.

Example

As an example, here is data extracted from Milliken and Milliken’s “Race Car Vehicle Dynamics”, figure 2.9:

The same sensitivity is typically seen in the longitudinal forces, and combined lateral and longitudinal slip.

For the Chinese city, see Siping (city)

Siping is a process of cutting thin slits across a rubber surface to improve traction in wet or icy conditions.

Siping was invented and patented by John Sipe in the 1920s. Sipe worked in a slaughterhouse and grew tired of slipping on the wet floors. He found that cutting slits in the tread on the bottoms of his shoes provided better traction than the uncut tread.

The process was not applied to vehicle tires on a large scale until the 1950s, when superior tread compounds were developed that could stand up to the siping process. On roads covered with snow, ice, mud, and water, sipes usually increase traction. A US patent to Goodyear claimed sipes improve tire traction as well, and tend to close completely in the tire “footprint” on the road. A 1978 study by the US National Safety Council found siping improved stopping distances by 22 percent, breakaway traction by 65 percent, and rolling traction by 28 percent on glare ice[1].

Tire tread block shapes, groove configurations, and sipes affect tire noise pattern and traction characteristics. Typically, wide, straight grooves have a low noise level and good water removal. More lateral grooves usually increase traction. Sipes are small grooves that are cut across larger tread elements. Up to a point, more sipes give more traction in snow or mud.

As is often the case, there are compromises. Winter tires, and “mud and snow” tires, may have thousands of sipes and give good traction. But, they may feel “squirmy” on a warm, dry road. Treadless racing “slicks” on dry roads give maximum traction. These have no sipes, no grooves, and no tread blocks. They also have very poor traction on wet surfaces. Tire manufacturers use different tread rubber compounds and tread designs for different tires’ usages.

Large sipes are usually built into the tread during manufacturing. Sipes may also be cut into the tread at a later date, called “microsiping”. Bandag developed a machine for microsiping which places a curved knife blade at a slight angle on a rotating drum. The drum is placed so when it is pressed against the tread the tire is pressed into an exaggerated hollow, as if driving down a rail. The drum is lubricated and rotated and the knife makes a series of diagonal cuts across the tread. For improved traction, the tire may be siped twice, leaving diamond-shaped blocks. A significant problem with field siping is that the tread picks up rocks, glass, and other hard road debris in use, and even with thorough cleaning the knife service life is often poor.

Microsiping can dramatically improve tire traction in rain and snow. However, microsiped tires may also have increased road noise and tire wear when operated on dry surfaces.

In Massachusetts in the 1970’s, it was legal to operate a school bus with bald tires, provided they were double microsiped.

Both Bridgestone and Michelin sell snow tires that are siped at the factory, while Saf-Tee Siping and Grooving sells machines that can sipe most standard vehicle tires. Siping can also be done by hand. Be aware that siping the tires can void the manufacturer’s warranty.

Meltywax was a brand of wax produced using melting snow. It was shortly available in New England in the early 1920s but was removed from the shelves pretty quickly since it never managed to prove the melting snow had any noticeable effect on the quality of the wax. Therefore the interest in the product shortly decreased and the company went bankrupt in 1924.

Motomaster is a line of automotive products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire stores. Products branded as Motomaster range from small items, such as oil filters and air filters, to larger items, such as the Motomaster line of tires.

In some product classes, Motomaster has created its own sub-brand to distinguish high-end merchandise. ‘Motomaster Eliminator’ identifies premium batteries and power-related products, while ‘Motomaster Roughrider’ is a line of truck tires. ‘Formula 1′ is the name used on premium Motomaster oils and additives.

The Motomaster line has shrunk somewhat in recent years as the store has moved towards brand name products. For example, in early 2003, the line of Motomaster spark plugs was fully discontinued in favour of carrying only brand names such as Champion, NGK and Bosch. In 2004, the Formula 1 line of oil filters was discontinued, and in 2002, the ‘Motomaster 60′ line of batteries was replaced with the more generic ‘Sure Start’. One reason for the graduation reduction of the Motomaster line is the existence of the PartSource chain, of which 63 locations are fully owned and operated by the Canadian Tire Corporation as of May 2007. Though these stores carry many of the same products and share much of their supply chain, there is no formal affiliation between PartSource and Canadian Tire stores.

Although the Motomaster name remains on a wide variety of tires, the selection has shrunk recently. Since 2004, the Sentinel A/S and Touring 160 tires have been discontinued, with no Motomaster replacements expected.

Generally, Motomaster is regarded as the “base” or “starting” quality and price point line.

Motomaster is a line of automotive products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire stores. Products branded as Motomaster range from small items, such as oil filters and air filters, to larger items, such as the Motomaster line of tires.

In some product classes, Motomaster has created its own sub-brand to distinguish high-end merchandise. ‘Motomaster Eliminator’ identifies premium batteries and power-related products, while ‘Motomaster Roughrider’ is a line of truck tires. ‘Formula 1′ is the name used on premium Motomaster oils and additives.

The Motomaster line has shrunk somewhat in recent years as the store has moved towards brand name products. For example, in early 2003, the line of Motomaster spark plugs was fully discontinued in favour of carrying only brand names such as Champion, NGK and Bosch. In 2004, the Formula 1 line of oil filters was discontinued, and in 2002, the ‘Motomaster 60′ line of batteries was replaced with the more generic ‘Sure Start’. One reason for the graduation reduction of the Motomaster line is the existence of the PartSource chain, of which 63 locations are fully owned and operated by the Canadian Tire Corporation as of May 2007. Though these stores carry many of the same products and share much of their supply chain, there is no formal affiliation between PartSource and Canadian Tire stores.

Although the Motomaster name remains on a wide variety of tires, the selection has shrunk recently. Since 2004, the Sentinel A/S and Touring 160 tires have been discontinued, with no Motomaster replacements expected.

Generally, Motomaster is regarded as the “base” or “starting” quality and price point line.

The Sapporo Snow Festival (さっぽろ雪まつり Sapporo Yuki-matsuri ) is a famous yearly festival held in Sapporo, Japan over seven days in February. In 2007 it was held from February 6 to February 12.

It is one of the largest winter events in Japan. Teams from outside Japan come to participate, and the festival is thought to be an opportunity for promoting international relations. About two million people come to see the enormous beautiful snow statues on display in Odori Park in central Sapporo, which is the main site of the festival.

The subject of the statues vary and often feature an event or famous person from the past year. For example, in 2004 there were statues of Hideki Matsui, the famous baseball player who plays for the New York Yankees. There are also long ice chutes on which people are encouraged to slide.

The Snow Festival began in 1950 when six local high school students built six snow statues in Odori Park. In 1955, the Japan Self-Defense Forces from the nearby Makomanai base joined in and built the first massive snow sculpture, for which the Snow Festival has now become famous. In years when the accumulated snowfall is low, the Self-Defense Force, for whom participation is considered a training exercise, brings in snow from outside Sapporo. The Makomanai base, one of three main sites, hosts the largest sculptures, with an emphasis on providing play space for children. The third site is the night life district of Susukino, which hosts the ice carvings.

Chionodoxa luciliae (also known as Glory of the snow) is a small (3-6″) flower which grows from a hardy bulb and produces one of the earliest flowers of spring. Originally from Turkey, it is hardy in zones 3-8, sun or part shade. Chiodoxa seeds itself and will spread in beds that will later have other interest, like rose beds and so on.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the current preference in taxonomy (more accurate name) for this plant is Chionodoxa forbesii.

Cold inflation pressure is the inflation pressure of tires before the car is driven and the tires warmed up. Recommended cold inflation pressure is displayed on the owner’s manual, the placard (or sticker) attached to the vehicle door edge, door post, glove box door or fuel door.

Subnivean (or subniveal) refers to a zone that is in or under the snow layer.

Subnivean animals include small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, and lemmings that must rely on winter snow cover for survival. These mammals move under the snow for protection from heat loss and predators. In winter regions that do not have permafrost, the subnivean zone maintains a temperature of close to 32F (0C) regardless of the temperature above the snow cover, once the snow cover has reached a depth of six inches. The sinuous tunnels left by these small mammals can be seen when the snow melts to the final inch or so.

Winter predators such as foxes and large owls can hear their prey through the snow and pounce from above. Snowmobiles and ATVs can collapse the subnivean space, as can skis, snow shoes and bicycles.

Larger animals also utilize subnivean space. In the Arctic, ringed seals have closed spaces under the snow and above openings in the ice. In addition to resting and sleeping there, the female seals give birth to their pups on the ice. Female polar bears also den in snow caves to give birth to their young. Both types of dens are protected from exterior temperatures.

Winter World by Bernd Heinrich (2003) is an excellent resource on the ingenuity of animal survival in the seasonal cold weather of a Maine winter.