Has anyone else noted the increasing number of tires with waffle sipes but they are only extending for the first ~ 2/32" (at best) in the tread surface. Like this example:
I read the marketing material and it goes like this: "Engineered for traction on ice, with tiny waffle sipes creating thousands of small gripping edges"
It looks and sounds good but those shallow sipes will disappear relatively quickly during the tire life and then there will be no sipe at all for that tread block. So when you may need more of the features that this sipe is suppose to provide (because the tread depth is reduced) it will not even be there.
Is this because they do not have the technology to make the sipes extend down into the tread (like Michelin does as an example) or is it a matter of not spending the money to make a better mold; or what ? ?
Probably their marketing department figures people will buy based on the first look without really thinking about it.
I read the marketing material and it goes like this: "Engineered for traction on ice, with tiny waffle sipes creating thousands of small gripping edges"
It looks and sounds good but those shallow sipes will disappear relatively quickly during the tire life and then there will be no sipe at all for that tread block. So when you may need more of the features that this sipe is suppose to provide (because the tread depth is reduced) it will not even be there.
Is this because they do not have the technology to make the sipes extend down into the tread (like Michelin does as an example) or is it a matter of not spending the money to make a better mold; or what ? ?
Probably their marketing department figures people will buy based on the first look without really thinking about it.
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