From Tire Business, Mar 29, 2021 edition:
Marked for winter driving
Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol makes things easier for consumers
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Key points:
There is a symbol which designates tires that pass a snow traction test. It's abbreviation is 3PMSF.
Canada considers tires that pass this test to be "Winter Tires".
Quebec requires Winter Tires from Dec 1 to Mar 15.
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NORTH CANTON, Ohio
Winter tires are easy to spot thanks to the well-known 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) logo.
The aim of the logo is to help consumers easily identify winter tires.
The symbol was adopted two decades ago to set winter tires apart from the rest of the growing crowd of tires, which included the all-season and all-weather categories.
“The symbol means the tire has been tested by the manufacturer to perform in severe snow conditions,” according to a Michelin official.
“Any Michelin tire with 3PMSF has undergone severe snow traction testing and has been determined worthy of the designation.”
The symbol — a snowflake inside of a three-peaked mountain — indicates the tire meets performance-based standards for safety in severe snow conditions by testing wheel slippage.
Tires are tested for acceleration on an average snow-pack and, basically, must accelerate 10% faster than an all-season tire. The tests do not measure braking or turning in snow, deep snow response or ice traction.
The 3PMSF symbol is in addition to the M+S (mud and snow) symbols used on snow and all-season tires. The M+S definition is geometric-based, while the 3PMSF definition covers tires that attain a traction index equal to or greater than 110% during the American Standard Test Method (ASTM) F-1805 snow traction test devised by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
The voluntary initiative was announced Feb. 1, 1999, by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (now the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, or USTMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (now the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, or TRAC).
“This new standard will ensure that Canadian consumers can identify and purchase tires designed to provide a higher level of traction in Canada’s harsh winter conditions,’’ then-Transport Canada Minister David Collenette said in 1999.
The RMA and RAC worked on the new definition for about 2 1/2 years, after Transport Canada (Canada’s counterpart to the U.S. Department of Transportation) requested it.
The ASTM standard spells out how to set up ice and snow surfaces — including precise definitions of four types of snow — and how to conduct the test. The traction index is derived by measuring wheel slippage of the driven wheel versus that of the non-driven wheel.
Each test consists of 10 runs Marked for winter driving Tire Business Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol makes things easier for consumers over the prepared course, with traction values determined by averaging eight valid test runs out of 10, according to the ASTM standard. Each candidate tire is to be tested at least three times, preferably on different days.
The 3PMSF symbol has also become important in areas where winter tires are a requirement, like Canadian provinces Quebec and British Columbia.
According to Quebec’s highway safety code, only tires with the 3PMSF symbol are considered winter tires. By law, drivers must use winter tires from Dec. 1 through March 15, not just because of severe snow but also because the compound of winter tires handles extreme cold temperatures better than an all-season tire.
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Source: https://www.tirebusiness.com/this-week-issue/archives
Tire Business: Issue Archives
Marked for winter driving
Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol makes things easier for consumers
**********************************************************
Key points:
There is a symbol which designates tires that pass a snow traction test. It's abbreviation is 3PMSF.
Canada considers tires that pass this test to be "Winter Tires".
Quebec requires Winter Tires from Dec 1 to Mar 15.
***********************************************************
NORTH CANTON, Ohio
Winter tires are easy to spot thanks to the well-known 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) logo.
The aim of the logo is to help consumers easily identify winter tires.
The symbol was adopted two decades ago to set winter tires apart from the rest of the growing crowd of tires, which included the all-season and all-weather categories.
“The symbol means the tire has been tested by the manufacturer to perform in severe snow conditions,” according to a Michelin official.
“Any Michelin tire with 3PMSF has undergone severe snow traction testing and has been determined worthy of the designation.”
The symbol — a snowflake inside of a three-peaked mountain — indicates the tire meets performance-based standards for safety in severe snow conditions by testing wheel slippage.
Tires are tested for acceleration on an average snow-pack and, basically, must accelerate 10% faster than an all-season tire. The tests do not measure braking or turning in snow, deep snow response or ice traction.
The 3PMSF symbol is in addition to the M+S (mud and snow) symbols used on snow and all-season tires. The M+S definition is geometric-based, while the 3PMSF definition covers tires that attain a traction index equal to or greater than 110% during the American Standard Test Method (ASTM) F-1805 snow traction test devised by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
The voluntary initiative was announced Feb. 1, 1999, by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (now the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, or USTMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (now the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, or TRAC).
“This new standard will ensure that Canadian consumers can identify and purchase tires designed to provide a higher level of traction in Canada’s harsh winter conditions,’’ then-Transport Canada Minister David Collenette said in 1999.
The RMA and RAC worked on the new definition for about 2 1/2 years, after Transport Canada (Canada’s counterpart to the U.S. Department of Transportation) requested it.
The ASTM standard spells out how to set up ice and snow surfaces — including precise definitions of four types of snow — and how to conduct the test. The traction index is derived by measuring wheel slippage of the driven wheel versus that of the non-driven wheel.
Each test consists of 10 runs Marked for winter driving Tire Business Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol makes things easier for consumers over the prepared course, with traction values determined by averaging eight valid test runs out of 10, according to the ASTM standard. Each candidate tire is to be tested at least three times, preferably on different days.
The 3PMSF symbol has also become important in areas where winter tires are a requirement, like Canadian provinces Quebec and British Columbia.
According to Quebec’s highway safety code, only tires with the 3PMSF symbol are considered winter tires. By law, drivers must use winter tires from Dec. 1 through March 15, not just because of severe snow but also because the compound of winter tires handles extreme cold temperatures better than an all-season tire.
**************************************
Source: https://www.tirebusiness.com/this-week-issue/archives
Tire Business: Issue Archives