Tire Sipeing ?
Tire Sipeing ?
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,929
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City
Siping can be performed on brand new tires, as well as used tires which have at least 50% of the original tread left. Our Saf-Tee siping machines cut thousands of slits across the facing of the tire tread, from 5/32" to 11/32" deep. These slits create thousands of sharp, gripping edges to provide extra traction and safer braking under wet, icy, and snowy conditions. The slits are so thin, no loss of rubber occurs and the results are similar to studding your tires.
<A HREF="http://www.americastire.com/discount.splash.html" TARGET=_blank> [img]//www.americastire.com/sebring/dtcweb/image/newgraphic/siping.gif[/img] </A>
Tests conducted by the National Safety Council on the performance of siped vs. unsiped tires on ice resulted in a 64% increase in breakaway traction and an increase of 28% spinning traction. In stopping distance tests, the reduction was from 200 feet to 155.6 feet - a 22% improvement.
United Airlines engineers tested the use of siping on ground equipment vehicles at O'Hare Field. They recorded a 25.72% increase in drawbar pull on a wet ramp flooded with glycol from deicer. They also show a 33.96% increase in braking under the same conditions. Tests were made before and after siping. As a result of these tests, they have saved thousands of dollars by reducing the need for chains on all vehicles.
The winning car in a Uniroyal One Lap of America auto rally was equipped with siped B.F. Goodrich tires. The 8,800 mile, eight day endurance race began in Detroit, traveled through 28 states, and ended back at Detroit. Even though the driver encountered near blizzard conditions with snow and ice in the mountains, he had no trouble with traction. After the rally, the siped tires were just like new.
<A HREF="http://www.americastire.com/discount.splash.html" TARGET=_blank> [img]//www.americastire.com/sebring/dtcweb/image/newgraphic/siping.gif[/img] </A>
Tests conducted by the National Safety Council on the performance of siped vs. unsiped tires on ice resulted in a 64% increase in breakaway traction and an increase of 28% spinning traction. In stopping distance tests, the reduction was from 200 feet to 155.6 feet - a 22% improvement.
United Airlines engineers tested the use of siping on ground equipment vehicles at O'Hare Field. They recorded a 25.72% increase in drawbar pull on a wet ramp flooded with glycol from deicer. They also show a 33.96% increase in braking under the same conditions. Tests were made before and after siping. As a result of these tests, they have saved thousands of dollars by reducing the need for chains on all vehicles.
The winning car in a Uniroyal One Lap of America auto rally was equipped with siped B.F. Goodrich tires. The 8,800 mile, eight day endurance race began in Detroit, traveled through 28 states, and ended back at Detroit. Even though the driver encountered near blizzard conditions with snow and ice in the mountains, he had no trouble with traction. After the rally, the siped tires were just like new.
[This message has been edited by 54regcab (edited 04-07-2000).]
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 397
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From: Jackson, NJ usa
Siping is illegal. You are modifying a DOT approved tire, therefore it is no longer DOT approved. Your tire will also wear out quicker, since it is allowed to "move around" more. It does add a considerable amount of traction though. Race cars do it to improve traction even more. But they also sipe tires differently for different tracks. I have a buddy of mine who races a Modified at a local dirt track. Everybody sipes their tires for extra traction, but some "designs" work better than others in increasing traction.
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1997 F-150, 4.6, automatic, Dark Toreador Red, Supercab, Flareside, 4X4 Off-Road, Towing Package, Ford hvy dty rubber floor mats, Kenwood 10-disk cd changer, Kenwood am/fm cassette head unit, Ford bugshield, Chrome Grizzly Wrap Around Push Bar with 2 KC 100w Daylighters, Ventshades, Ford bedliner, Lund Premier tonneau cover, cab and bed professionally undercoated, Code Alarm Sure Start RVS remote starter, Ford alarm, Realistic CB with Wilson Little Wil antenna and Astatic power mic, ported MAF sensor, and Lots of TLC!! (Besides being an F-150 nut, I am a Ford auto technician.)
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1997 F-150, 4.6, automatic, Dark Toreador Red, Supercab, Flareside, 4X4 Off-Road, Towing Package, Ford hvy dty rubber floor mats, Kenwood 10-disk cd changer, Kenwood am/fm cassette head unit, Ford bugshield, Chrome Grizzly Wrap Around Push Bar with 2 KC 100w Daylighters, Ventshades, Ford bedliner, Lund Premier tonneau cover, cab and bed professionally undercoated, Code Alarm Sure Start RVS remote starter, Ford alarm, Realistic CB with Wilson Little Wil antenna and Astatic power mic, ported MAF sensor, and Lots of TLC!! (Besides being an F-150 nut, I am a Ford auto technician.)
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Oklahoma City
If it's illegal how is a major tire chain able to do it?
http://www.americastire.com/discount.splash.html
Also wouldn't this make the tire SAFER by allowing it to grip in the rain instead of sliding all over the place?
http://www.americastire.com/discount.splash.html
Also wouldn't this make the tire SAFER by allowing it to grip in the rain instead of sliding all over the place?
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 264
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From: Riverside, CA --- USA
I had my POS Goodyear RTSs siped at Americas Tires...it helped tremendously! Cost was only $10 each tire, and that included rebalacing each tire/wheel combo! I cant say much as to the wear argument, except that I have 30K on my tires and still have alot of tread left. The tires still break loose in the rain when taking off from a dead stop, but they dont break nearly as bad as they used to. Also, breaking performance was greatly enhanced!
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1998 Pacific Green 4x4 XLT, Xtra cab, Short bed, ORP, Willow Green interior, tinted windows, Superchip, K&N FIPK, Custom 3" aluminum tubing catback exhaust system with MagnaFlow Race Magnum muffler, Jacobs Electronics plug wires, Superior Transmissions Police Shift Kit, Eclipse Head Unit, Xtant 200W Amp, MB Quart 6.5", JL Audio 10" woofer, Alarm, and other goodies
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1998 Pacific Green 4x4 XLT, Xtra cab, Short bed, ORP, Willow Green interior, tinted windows, Superchip, K&N FIPK, Custom 3" aluminum tubing catback exhaust system with MagnaFlow Race Magnum muffler, Jacobs Electronics plug wires, Superior Transmissions Police Shift Kit, Eclipse Head Unit, Xtant 200W Amp, MB Quart 6.5", JL Audio 10" woofer, Alarm, and other goodies
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,506
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From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Seems like you would get worse gas mileage if the tires are really adding that much more friction. I suspect the tires would wear out faster, too, but I bet they do work better in the rain and on ice/snow.
If the Michelins are siped from the factory and are approved by the DOT for road use, they would be legal. But that doesn't mean it is legal to modify other tires for road use.
Your local police would probably never notice or enforce anyways. But if it is illegal and you cause an accident, just hope you don't get your butt sued in today's litigious environment.
If the Michelins are siped from the factory and are approved by the DOT for road use, they would be legal. But that doesn't mean it is legal to modify other tires for road use.
Your local police would probably never notice or enforce anyways. But if it is illegal and you cause an accident, just hope you don't get your butt sued in today's litigious environment.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4
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From: Bellevue, Wa.
The local Les Schwab store (they are a Northwest tire store chain) offer siping on all tires (new, used, yours or theirs). They claim only goodness (increased wear, lower tire running temps, better traction under all conditions) and no badness (drop in mileage, etc.) resulting from the proceedure.
Siping is legal in Oregon and Washington.
I have had no real traction problems with my stock 17" Goodyear ART's with the right tire pressure. But I will probably get the siped anyway just because I can.
Siping is legal in Oregon and Washington.
I have had no real traction problems with my stock 17" Goodyear ART's with the right tire pressure. But I will probably get the siped anyway just because I can.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 743
Likes: 1
From: Wylie, Texas
Discount Tire (who sells more tires than anyone in the country) does it aswell, so again, I'd emagine it's perfectly legal. A good friend of mine has been sipeing his tires for the last few years on BFGoodrich All Terains, and claims he could tell quite a bit of difference in traction especially in the rain. The only negative he's noticed atleast, as that small rocks get caught up in all the grooves that get cut in when you sipe the tires really bad.
Also, on the shorter tread life, they claim atleast that it increases tread wear by as much as 20%. - No idea if this claim is true.
Also, on the shorter tread life, they claim atleast that it increases tread wear by as much as 20%. - No idea if this claim is true.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 208
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From: Palm Coast, FL, USA
I have to disagree with most of you. I read in a couple mags that sipeing is the worst thing you can do to a tire. They did tests that prove that it offers no performance gains nor any life added to the tire. These comments are from both Sport Truck and Truckin' magazine. But in my opinion i think its dumb, im sure not gonna go up to someone and say, hey i just bought $900 tires but i want to give them to a mechanic so he take a knife to the rubber as to say to the manufacturer that he can come up with a better traction idea than what the engineers at the plant came up with when they designed the tread pattern. Ok, vent over.
