It’s been a bad week for driving just about everywhere but Alaska, it seems. And we turned to our tire guru Jeff Zurschmiede for advice on what winter tires he’d recommend. By chance he just had a chance to check out Nokian’s new ultra-high performance wet weather tire, the Surpass AS01. Here’s more.
The Nokian Surpass 01 is designed for wet, snowy and dry pavement.
Nokian Tyres virtually invented specialty winter tires 90 years ago in Finland, a place where good cold-weather tires are esserntial.
Over the decades Nokian has been a leader in winter tire technology, but lately the Finnish company has expanded to four-season and now performance tires, without losing the cold weather performance that defined the brand.
Nokian has recently announced a new ultra-high performance tire designed for the needs of modern sports cars, sport SUVs, EVs, and hybrids. The new Surpass AS01 is intended to be a year-round tire for cars that see plenty of dry and wet weather and occasional winter weather.
Silica Sense
Sidewall design is as critical to a winter tire as its treads.
Consumers should note that the Surpass AS01 does not carry the “3-Peak Mountain Snowflake” of a true winter tire, and so does not count as a traction tire for roads where chains or traction devices are required. This is not a true winter tire – but if you’re not looking for something that will get you through blizzard conditions on mountain passes in Colorado – or Finland, for that matter – it’s a tire that performs well in more common snowy conditions.
The special construction of the Surpass AS01 includes what Nokian calls its “Silica Sense” tread compound, which incorporates silica (basically, sand) in the rubber.
The Surpass AS01 features more silica than any other Nokian tire. The silica helps the tire grip the road in dry or wet weather, and provides traction on snow. Then, the sidewall and belt construction of the tire uses Aramid (Kevlar) belts, which provide toughness on rough roads and over potholes and road debris. Nokian covers the Surpass with a pothole protection warranty as part of the tire’s general 55,000-mile treadwear warranty.
Designed to dig in
The Nokian Surpass tire uses a high level of silica – basically sand – to enhance grip.
The tire’s wet and dry performance comes from the tread material, and also from the tread design, which pushes water out and provides 3D siping slices into the tread blocks to allow the rubber to grab on to the road surface, even when it’s wet or snowy.
The Surpass AS01 comes in 65 different sizes accommodating 16-inch to 21-inch wheels, including the most popular sizes for modern sports cars and SUVs, and EVs. Nokian has tested the AS01 on many popular EVs and the tire offers weight-bearing characteristics that allow it to achieve low rolling resistance under the increased weight of electric vehicles.
Finally, Nokian has increased its use of recycled materials in the Surpass AS01, helping to minimize the environmental impact of production. The Surpass AS01 will be available by the end of February at Nokian tire dealers, so you can step up to this new tire for the rainy Spring driving season.
You can find out more about the Nokian Surpass AS01, and find your closest Nokian dealers by visiting https://na.nokiantyres.com/.
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