Snow Tyres

Since 1985 the Camberwell store of Roof Carrier Systems Pty Ltd has become well known as a supplier of quality roof carrier systems and RUD snow chains. During the 2004 ski season, Roof Carrier Systems expanded the business to include Nokian winter tyres.

Nokian has manufactured winter tyres in Finland since 1934 and offer the market’s widest and most comprehensive range of winter tyres especially designed for SUVs and AWD vehicles. Thanks to their special compound, Nokian winter tyres offer the elasticity to ensure maximum grip throughout the snow season, regardless of the road conditions.

Nokian snow tyres features include special silica compounds, arrowhead tread pattern and dense tread siping to give a higher level of safety. Summer tyres become like hard plastic when the temperature falls below 7° thereby losing the flexibility needed to build up sufficient grip for braking, for starting traction and for cornering. Nokian winter tyres have the snowflake on the mountain peak symbol on the sidewall that indicates that they passed an industry test for severe snow use.

Where Safety Begins

Nokian winter tyres are marked with the severe service emblem - the logo of a peaked mountain with a snow flake - meet the specific snow traction required performance standards of the RMA in the USA and Canada.

High Performances tyres in Cold conditions

High performance, high speed rated tyres and cold winter alpine temperatures, snow and icy roads are not compatible. An increasing number of AWD vehicles are supplied with high performance summer tyres that are not fitted with appropriate tyres for snow season driving.

High performance speed rated tyres such…

• V (240km/h)
• W (270km/h)
• Y (300 km/h)

…were never designed by the tyre maker to be driven in low ambient temperatures or in snow and icy conditions. Only when these vehicles are fitted with correct winter/snow tyres can a vehicle owner can warrant that the vehicle will be fitted with appropriate tyres for snow season driving.

Understand your tyres

To fully understand the issue you should read the section on tyres in the vehicle hand book and check the letters at the end of the tyre size marking as this will show the speed rating of your tyres.

If you have had a traction problem when driving up to your lodge or apartment at your resort or have had a driving safety issue on mountain roads it will often be because these type of tyres are fitted to your vehicle. Due to their width, rubber compound and tread pattern, high performance summer tyres provide unacceptable grip for low temperature snow driving.

It is also important to note that the recent advancements in electronic driver aids, such as ABS and traction control do not provide more traction. These electronic aids only prevent drivers from over braking or overpowering the available traction of their tyres. The only thing the driver can do to increase traction, to actually get more grip and safer control, is to install snow tyres.

The benefits of Nokian Tyres

Nokian snow tyres have a very low noise level, give excellent grip in the rain, wear well and provide good handling in the dry. The tyres can be changed over by your local tyre service at the start and at the end of each snow season. By purchasing a set of snow tyres and using them for 3 months of the snow season you will make the vehicle safer, your vehicle will perform as the manufacturer intended and the bonus is you will effectively extend the life of your original tyres by 3 months a year. If there is a snow chain clearance problem with the tyres supplied with your vehicle an alternative is to have another set of wheels for your snow tyres that can easily be changed at the start and at the end of each ski season.

By upgrading your vehicle, with the fitting of snow tyres for the ski season, your family and other road users will be safer as you will dramatically improve the driving, traction and braking of your vehicle whether snow chains are fitted or not.