White Velvet: Russia has developed a new studded tire
On the eve of the winter season, a new studded model developed by Russian engineers entered the Russian tire market. To compare Gislaved One W with analogues from other brands, Izvestia traveled to the Chelyabinsk region.
Own development
The Gislaved One W is the first winter model developed by the domestic engineering center of the Cordiant Holding. Previously, the brand's product range used solutions related to Continental technologies, but the One W was created independently — from scratch and with the expectation of high-end cars.
Gislaved One W is the first studded Cordiant tire of its own design
The development was carried out by the scientific and technical center "Intair", which today unites about 400 engineers and technologists. After the transfer of the Continental plants in Kaluga and Bridgestone in Ulyanovsk under the control of Cordiant, the team gained additional experience from the specialists of these enterprises. One W production was organized at both plants.
The One W range is designed for 75 standard sizes from 16 to 22 inches. Moreover, the 22-inch size was the debut for the Cordiant — the tire was originally designed for heavy and powerful cars, including large crossovers and expensive sedans like the Aurus. The name of the tire stands for "first winter".
The 22-inch tire is suitable for both Aurus and Rolls-Royce
At the same time, One W cannot be called a product that is completely independent of foreign technologies. For example, complex spikes are supplied by a Finnish manufacturer. But the tread design itself, the composition of the rubber and the characteristics of the tire are the result of the work of the Russian team.
Does it stick?
A notable feature of the One W is revealed when looking at the protector. An approximately four-centimeter zone without spikes has been left in its central part. The solution is unusual, but the logic is clear. On clean asphalt, spikes in the center of the contact patch do not provide a noticeable advantage, but they add noise and can worsen behavior on a hard surface. Therefore, Russian engineers relied on tighter contact of rubber with the road, and the studded areas were concentrated on the shoulder areas. It turned out to be a kind of studded "Velcro".
The tread has 18 rows of spikes with a density of 110 pieces per running meter.
In total, the tread has 18 rows of spikes, their density reaches 110 pieces per running meter of the tread pattern. There are 16-17 spikes working simultaneously in the contact spot. The development of winter tires is so complex that special attention is paid to the spikes — they have a special design with a tapering carbide tip, a calculated body geometry to increase the support area and lateral faces working under transverse loads, as well as a complex shaped core that optimizes the distribution of forces. The "flower"-shaped element around the thorn, according to Cordiant, is not decorative, but increases the efficiency of removing ice chips.
The spikes are made by a Finnish company
The spike itself is light — about 70 g. It protrudes only 1 mm from the tire, and compared to competing models, this is a conscious compromise. According to the developers, a higher spike can improve grip on clear ice, but at the same time increases noise and the impact of spikes on asphalt. To what extent this compromise was justified, it was necessary to check on the frozen Lake Kaldy, an hour's drive from Chelyabinsk.
Slam on the brakes
For comparison, four-wheel drive BMW 5 series and two competitors have been prepared — this is the Ikon Autograph Ice 10 developed by Russian engineers in Vsevolozhsk and the Ice Zero 2 created by Milan specialists Pirelli. We perform a simple exercise — accelerate four times on each set of tires to 50 km / h on clear ice and sharply hit the brake pedal to a complete stop.
Check-in is performed on the same site in all cases. The results of individual passes significantly depended on the condition of the pavement, which changed after dozens of passes. In my three best attempts, the braking distance of One W was 32.6–33.7 m. Ikon showed about 32.5–35 m, that is, almost identical results. Pirelli lost to both competitors in similar conditions, with braking distances of about 37-39 m or more in the best races.
In braking, One W proved to be on a par with its competitor from Ikon
We are discussing the results with colleagues who took part in the test. For some, Gislaved worked a little better, for others, Aikon worked a little better, but Pirelli was consistently noticeably inferior to them.
Let's move on to other exercises that are measured not by numbers, but subjectively. We go slalom, spin "donuts", perform a "police U-turn". On the Bavarian all-wheel drive "five", the One W allows you to precisely dose traction, and when the clutch level is exceeded, the transition to sliding occurs clearly and predictably. The car does not suddenly change its trajectory, and there is enough time to correct the situation.
On ice, the One W made it possible to precisely dose traction without uncontrollable loss of grip.
With all—wheel drive, this is especially noticeable in cornering - with the stabilization system turned off, you can work with the throttle, gradually increasing the slide and returning the car to the trajectory, feeling like a professional drifter on a gymkhana. I get behind the wheel of another 5-series, but with rear-wheel drive and active ESP, and I discover something else — the tandem of tenacious tires and German electronics absolutely does not allow me to turn the "eights" around the cones, "strangling" the car at any attempt to enter a skid. There is zero fun at the training ground, but in real operation it is a big plus. I note that it is not recommended to turn off the "staba" in such conditions, especially on a rear-wheel drive car.
Now — on the asphalt
For trips on asphalt public roads, we got a BMW X5. The One W spike distribution solution seems to have paid off. It is after the transition to asphalt that it becomes clearer why a central studless zone was needed. Its task is not to turn a studded tire into a friction tire, but to shift the balance slightly towards normal winter operation.
Behind the wheel of a BMW X5 at highway speeds, the noise from the spikes was barely audible
Even at highway speeds, the noise from the spikes is barely audible, it is quite uniform and does not turn into an intrusive low-frequency hum. This merit, of course, largely belongs to the well-soundproofed "x-five". According to colleagues who managed to ride on asphalt in a 5-series sedan, it is easier to notice noise in it, although it is not annoying. It would be interesting to compare the sensations of the One W in daily use with tires of other brands, but we were not given this opportunity.
On packed snow and mixed surfaces, One W behaves predictably. The directional tread pattern with a system of diagonally expanding drainage grooves is designed to drain water and wet snow from the contact spot, and the rigid bridges between the blocks provide handling and stability on dry ground.
There were no problems on the roads outside the asphalt.
Separately, it is worth noting the composition of the rubber. If you do not go into chemical details, the developers used a combination of four types of polymers, a combination of two types of fillers and the composition of a softening group of three components. Simply put, we tried to make sure that the properties of the tire did not change much during the transition from frost to milder weather and back. Attention to aesthetics was also paid to the so—called velvet sidewall, a special textured area on which the tire name is located.
Results
It is clear that tire manufacturers organize tire tests so that their model looks exactly in the best light. However, One W fought on equal terms and was not inferior to its competitors. On clear ice, braking proved to be on par with Ikon, but Pirelli looked weaker in the same conditions.
The Gislaved One W is available in 75 standard sizes from 16 to 22 inches, and production is organized at Gislaved plants in Kaluga and Ulyanovsk.
The main advantage of the new Gislaved model is the combination of several qualities — it is a full-fledged studded tire that provides good grip on ice, but at the same time allows you to feel comfortable both on asphalt and on mixed surfaces. The second point is an important step for Russian development, which is gradually moving away from adapting foreign models and developing its competencies.
The price bites. As of the beginning of October, the One W R17 kit costs about 64-68 thousand rubles, and the R19 — 84-97 thousand rubles. Comparable Ikon Autograph Ice 10 models will cost about the same amount of money, and Pirelli can be found a little cheaper, although much depends on the sizes, availability and promotions from distributors.
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