The Physics Behind Winter Tires

With the recent snow accumulation, I noticed a large amount of cars struggling to exit their parking spaces which were significantly blocked with a pile of snow. Most of these struggling vehicles were smaller sedans that appeared to have regular all-season tires instead of winter tires. In a place like Hamilton, NY it's definitely beneficial to have winter tires.



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In all-season tires, the tread in the tires creates a higher force of friction on the road than a smooth tire but during the winter water and slush can remain in the straight tread and freeze, resulting in a decrease coefficient of friction. In winter tires, however, there are deeper grooves with variable and nonuniform edges which helps with wicking away water and slush from the tread. Additionally, the winter tires are made of a softer rubber than all-season tires which actually increases the coefficient of friction because the rubber is able to mold more to the shape of the ground, increasing overall traction on ice or snow.