The 96v-Groove All Season Tire
Asymmetric tread design
The asymmetric tread design of this tire is a key component in its impressive all-season traction. It features large tread blocks on the outer side of the tire, which boost traction and handling for a smooth and comfortable ride. The inner side of the tire contains more grooves and sipes that enhance wet weather performance by evacuating water to resist hydroplaning.
This design also promotes even wear and helps the tire retain its tread life longer. This feature is especially important for high-performance tires that see frequent use in track days and autocross events. Repeated, high-stress cornering takes its toll on the outside shoulder of the tire and 96v-groove can cause uneven or chunky tread wear, which can significantly reduce the tire’s lifespan.
Asymmetric tread patterns can help prevent this by focusing attention on the most critical point of contact. By distributing pressure across the tire, asymmetric tread designs prevent heat and stress buildup in one location. This improves tire performance and durability, while also reducing road noise and vibrations.
Although the asymmetric tread pattern is a good choice for drivers of luxury cars and crossovers, it may not be suitable for all vehicles. While this variable shouldn’t drive your tire selection decision, it is important to understand what type of tread pattern you’re getting so that you can choose the right one for your car or SUV.
Circumferential grooves
The circumferential grooves of the 96v-groove are designed in the form of trapezoidal waves and are composed of axially inner circumferential segments 6, axially outer circumferential segments 7, and oblique segments 8. These segments are alternately arranged and extend parallel to the tire circumferential direction. The groove width WY is in the range of 8 to 25% of the pitch length Py between axially adjacent grooves. This value is determined based on previous research and consideration of practical engineering applications. The diameter of the axial groove is also a design variable, which affects the wet-skid resistance of the casing treatment.
In order to improve traction performance and reduce noise, the height of the groove fence portion is preferably data center less than 70% of the depth of the groove. However, the groove fence portion should not be too high or the shearing force of the mud cannot be utilized. Otherwise, the mud can easily block the groove, causing a noise problem.
The oblique segments of the circumferential grooves help to increase the shearing force by ejecting mud from the tire’s ground contact area. This prevents the mud from clogging the tire’s tread block and improving the traction performance of the 96v-groove. In addition, the oblique segments can be connected to axial grooves to improve mud performance. They can also be connected to the zig-zag circumferential grooves to enhance the self-ejection of mud in the tread blocks.
High-density compound
The asymmetric tread pattern and the all season compound improve all weather traction by offering additional biting edges that grip the road surface firmly. This allows the tire to maintain traction in dry, wet and winter driving conditions. The asymmetric pattern also enhances the tire’s rubber flexibility all year round.
The researchers used laser-engraved micro grooves in silicone with a lift-off mask of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to produce a high-resolution liquid metal (LM) pattern without the etch steps required for other masked depositions. The microscale LM core-shell particles merged and adhered to the engraved grooves when the insulating PVA layer was lifted. The resulting high-resolution LM patterns enabled multilayer connectivity and the integration of components simultaneously, realizing HDI technology. The technique was applied to a stretchable 0201 LED display, which demonstrated high-density integration of six leads per mm2. It also worked for a cochlear implant electrode array. This was a significant accomplishment, because HDI technology could enable the next generation of neuroprobes and ultrasonic and sensor arrays.
Enhanced traction
The lateral grooves and chamfer sipes provide a void within the tread area to consume water and snow and aid in wet and snow traction. The chamfer sipes also give the tire extra biting edges which are very important in wet conditions. This feature makes it possible to achieve higher grip on wet and dry pavement without sacrificing a smooth ride and good gas mileage.
The optimal width WLG of a lateral groove with chamfers is 2 to 4 mm, and preferably in the range of 2.6 to 3.6 mm. This enables the lateral grooves to trap snow and prevent it from clogging the tread. It is also preferable that the lateral grooves have an angle b with the lateral direction L of the tire which falls within the range of 30 and 60 degrees. This is the most effective angle for allowing snow to enter and exit the groove as the tire rolls into and out of contact with the road.
The Applicant has found that when the lateral grooves have the correct width and angle, they improve snow traction and dry braking performance simultaneously. This is illustrated in FIG. 5, which shows a curve 118 that represents the typical relationship between snow and dry traction. The data point 120 located above and to the right of the curve 118 indicates that the lateral grooves with chamfers optimize both dry braking and snow traction.
