The Asian manufacturer has introduced the studded tire Maxxis NP-3, designed for passenger cars, ahead of the upcoming winter season. The ArcticTrekker name fully corresponds to its excellent traction properties, achieved through the use of advanced technologies and modern materials.
"Scandinavian" tread pattern
When creating this tire, Asian tire manufacturers likely took into account the experience of their Scandinavian colleagues, who were among the first to use tread patterns with a V-shaped design, characterized by a central longitudinal rib in the shape of a "fir tree". The longitudinal rib of this tire has a similar arrow-like configuration and a continuous structure, located exactly in the middle of the tread. Thanks to its massive size and numerous "branches", this tread element gives the tire several important operational properties.
The main one is the increased stability and reliability of traction when driving at high speeds, as well as fast and accurate reactions to steering wheel turns. Additionally, the rigid continuous structure of the central longitudinal rib improves fuel efficiency and optimizes the distribution of external pressure on the contact patch. In this regard, it is impossible not to mention the design of the shoulder areas and the tread profile.
The shoulder areas of the tread contain many individual blocks. In combination with the practically flat tread, this significantly increases the size of the contact patch. At the same time, due to the rigid structure of the shoulder areas, its area and rectangular shape remain unchanged even at significant lateral accelerations. As a result, the tire demonstrates excellent stability even in the most unfavorable road conditions.
Improved acceleration and braking efficiency
The aforementioned design of the shoulder areas, containing many independent blocks, improves a number of other operational properties. First and foremost, these are the longitudinal traction properties, which are at a very high level in the Maxxis NP3 tire. They are ensured by several features of the block design of the shoulder areas. They are characterized by significant height, massive size, rectangular shape, and transverse arrangement. These features, on the one hand, provide the contact patch with numerous perpendicular edges of traction, and on the other hand, improve the resistance of the shoulder areas to deformation caused by the action of lateral acceleration forces. As a result, the tire simultaneously demonstrates stability in turns, a short braking distance, and effective acceleration on slippery surfaces.
Increased number of studs
The Asian tire manufacturers decided to follow the example of their Finnish colleagues, who managed to elegantly circumvent the recently introduced European requirements for the degree of impact of studs on the road surface. They increased their number while reducing the size of the steel elements. As a result, the contact patch constantly has 8-10 studs, forming 14 continuous rows of "anti-skid chains" on the tread. In motion, such a studding system provides very stable and reliable traction on ice.
Additional breaker layer
The excellent handling of this model is largely due to the increased rigidity of the breaker, located directly under the tread. This integral component of the tire design was significantly strengthened by the presence of an additional layer made of nylon cord. Being wound using a seamless technology, it occupies the surface not only under the tread but also under the sidewalls. This design feature significantly improves several operational characteristics. First and foremost, it is handling, which has become sporty-sharp. This is achieved due to the tire's ability to retain its original shape even under strong lateral acceleration. Additionally, the increased protection of the sidewalls should be noted.
Main features of the Maxxis NP3 tire
- The "Scandinavian" design of the tread pattern provides excellent traction and handling in any conditions;
- The rigid continuous longitudinal rib with an arrow-like shape in the center of the tread improves stability when driving in a straight line, ensures clear and fast reactions of the tire to steering wheel turns, as well as transparent feedback;
- numerous three-dimensional lamellas create several thousand edges of traction, giving the tire confident behavior on rolled snow;
- 14 rows of studs improve traction properties on ice, giving them stability and reliability;
- high-dispersion silicon-containing components in the compound allow maintaining the elasticity of the tread at very low temperatures.
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