Ice & Snow Rating of Winter Tires in EU

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https://www.nokiantyres.com/company...eu-tire-label-is-being-renewed-focus-on/

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...The renewal of the EU (European Union) tire label is especially useful for winter tire consumers, as the tire label will now include information concerning grip on snow and ice. So far, markings related to properties required in demanding winter weather have been absent.... The new label will enter into force in May 2021.......According to the earlier regulation, all passenger car and van tires must have a sticker that indicates the tire's wet grip, rolling noise, and impact on fuel consumption.

...The new ice grip marking will distinguish tires that are suitable for Nordic countries from other winter tires. The snow grip marking will be allowed to tires with snow performance high enough for Central European winter, says Jarmo Sunnari, Manager of Standards, Regulations and Approvals for Nokian Tyres.

...Winters are mostly wet in Central Europe, which makes wet grip the primary concern. Occasional snow grip is important too. However, Nordic winter tires are especially designed for ice.

- The largest problem so far has been that not all tires marketed as winter tires are suitable for all winter conditions. Tires designed for Central European winter are completely different from Nordic winter tires. Wet grip and ice grip are mutually exclusive characteristics; the consumer may end up purchasing the wrong tires if the information on the label is not right, Sunnari says.

... Ice grip test is currently undergoing standardization at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and snow grip is referring to the United Nations ECE regulations.



We could use a tire label like that in North America, that ranks traction on ice, snow, and wet pavement.
 
Allow me to comment:

First, we in the US have trouble with the government regulating things. Tires are no exception. It's been over 10 years since the idea of rating tires for fuel economy (aka rolling resistance) was proposed. In that time there was a proposal that was shot down (and IMHO, wisely so.) and nothing has been proposed since. It's scheduled to be reproposed in early 2020, but twice before, the can was kicked down the road, so I am not optimistic.

Second, ice and snow traction are different things. Some time back, Canada proposed a next level mountain/snowflake rating that would allow better ice and snow traction tires to be identified. The problem is that you can't get both, so that proposed died on the vine.

As was alluded to, wet traction is an issue for winter tires. Any proposed regulation has to address all 3 traction issues and I see it as difficult to get all parties to agree. Don't forget we are talking about the manufacturers, the government, and consumer advocates agreeing - not very likely.
 
As far as I'm aware tyre manufacturers here in the EU are able to rate their own tyres. I generally take them with a pinch of salt.
 
Originally Posted by SubLGT
https://www.nokiantyres.com/company...eu-tire-label-is-being-renewed-focus-on/

Quote
...The renewal of the EU (European Union) tire label is especially useful for winter tire consumers, as the tire label will now include information concerning grip on snow and ice. So far, markings related to properties required in demanding winter weather have been absent.... The new label will enter into force in May 2021.......According to the earlier regulation, all passenger car and van tires must have a sticker that indicates the tire's wet grip, rolling noise, and impact on fuel consumption.

...The new ice grip marking will distinguish tires that are suitable for Nordic countries from other winter tires. The snow grip marking will be allowed to tires with snow performance high enough for Central European winter, says Jarmo Sunnari, Manager of Standards, Regulations and Approvals for Nokian Tyres.

...Winters are mostly wet in Central Europe, which makes wet grip the primary concern. Occasional snow grip is important too. However, Nordic winter tires are especially designed for ice.

- The largest problem so far has been that not all tires marketed as winter tires are suitable for all winter conditions. Tires designed for Central European winter are completely different from Nordic winter tires. Wet grip and ice grip are mutually exclusive characteristics; the consumer may end up purchasing the wrong tires if the information on the label is not right, Sunnari says.

... Ice grip test is currently undergoing standardization at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and snow grip is referring to the United Nations ECE regulations.



We could use a tire label like that in North America, that ranks traction on ice, snow, and wet pavement.

Yeah very occasional in Alps and Southern Alps which are heart of the Central Europe.
 
Originally Posted by Bailes1992
As far as I'm aware tyre manufacturers here in the EU are able to rate their own tyres. I generally take them with a pinch of salt.


That's pretty much the situation everywhere. The only thing is enforcement of the rating system.

In the US, NHTSA does random testing for compliance to the regulations. If they find something amiss, they contact the manufacturer (or importer) for an explanation and possible remedial action. Only if the remedial action is inadequate does the agency take action. In other words, they try to get the culprit to do the right thing.

In EU, I haven't heard of anyone testing for compliance - except once for RR requirement. In that instance they found most tires comply, but the few non-compliant tires weren't subjected to any published investigation and I know of no action taken as a result. This seems odd, given my opinion that EU is much stricter when it comes to regulations than the US.
 
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Big whoop.

The new sticker just shows the 3PMS logo on it, where the current sticker does not

[Linked Image from dc602r66yb2n9.cloudfront.net]


It doesn't add 2 more quadrants showing ice & snow ratings.
 
As I understand it, that's not the new label, even though Nokian describes it as such.. The new enhanced label arrives in 2021.
 
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