- The Hakkapeliitta 01 tire can automatically deploy studs
- Temperature sensing technology adds grip in freezing conditions
- The tire tech has been 12 years in the making
Finnish brand Nokian (not to be confused with the Scandi phone company) has just released details of a new tire technology that can automatically sense freezing conditions and deploy metal studs to improve grip on ice and in snow.
According to the company, the technology that underpins the new Hakkapeliitta 01 tire has been 12 years in the making, progressing its initial research into a deployment system that required a trigger to something where the driver doesn’t have to lift a finger.
The on-demand grip technology is made possible through the brand’s Adaptive Base Construction, which sees the innermost layer of the tire stiffen in low temperatures to push the studs beyond the tire’s surface.
At higher temperatures, this layer softens and the studs retract, which means owners don’t have to change tires between the seasons, or worry about having to fit snow chains when traversing snowy passes. You can see how the company did it in the short video above.
Analysis: Tires are getting smarter
According to the company, the Hakkapeliitta 01 tire reduces road wear by up to 30 percent compared to its predecessor. Ice grip improves by up to 10 percent and wet grip up to 5 percent, while noise levels are drastically reduced for greater driving comfort.
In addition to the clever stud technology, Nokian has also included an optimized tread pattern for better traction on ice, Aramid sidewalls for impact protection and a rubber compound that consists partly of renewable materials, such as natural rubber, bio resin and bio-based oils, including materials derived from pine resin and canola oil.
Although Nokian hasn’t revealed pricing of the tire just yet, it has said that it will go on sale in the Fall of this year (so sometime between September and November) and will mainly be available in Nordic countries and North America in a wide variety of sizes.
The announcement comes at a time when tire technology is generally getting smarter, with Pirelli’s ‘Cyber Tire’, for example, that includes tiny chips embedded into the tread surface so it can analyze its own state of health.
In addition to this, the constant flow of data from the tire to the car can also create a more sensitive ABS, ESP and traction control system, according to Top Gear.
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