Hankook introduced studded tires for electric vehicles
The Korean Hankook has revealed details about its new studded winter tires, the Hankook iON Nordic ice (IW04), which, like other models in the iON lineup, are designed specifically for electric vehicles and, as a result, have a number of distinctive features. A special version for crossovers and SUVs, called the Hankook iON Nordic ice SUV (IW04A), has also been introduced.
The production of the novelty uses the iON Innovative Technology package presented last year, and it is distinguished, for example, by reduced noise (i Sound Absorber technology), increased wear resistance (i Super Mileage), improved traction (i Perfect Grip), and, of course, reduced rolling resistance (i Extreme Lightness), which affects the range of electric vehicles.
The Hankook iON Nordic ice features a directional tread pattern, which has been improved taking into account the instantly available torque of electric vehicles, and the manufacturer claims that the performance on ice has been improved by 40% (here and below, the novelty is compared to "standard" studded tires for vehicles with internal combustion engines), which was made possible, among other things, by the large number of stud lines, which was increased by 44%.
The reliability of the stud fixation in the tread has also been improved by 20%, and it is noted that the High Stud Retention technology minimizes changes in the stud protrusion even during prolonged operation, which helped, among other things, to reduce road wear (by 12%).
An important factor in the segment of studded tires is their noise level, and this aspect has also been paid attention to - as Hankook says, the stud placement scheme was optimized using artificial intelligence, which made it possible to reduce the noise generated by their contact with the road by 2%. The entire V-shaped tread pattern with a variable pitch has also been improved to reduce noise (the reduction was up to 4 dB) and improve acoustic comfort.
In the blocks, in addition to the studs, there are numerous lamellas, the shape of which has been changed, which has increased the efficiency of acceleration and braking on snowy roads. To improve driving characteristics on snow, the width of the transverse grooves has also been increased, which has increased the level of safety in winter conditions.
The rolling resistance has been reduced by 4% due to the reduction of the tire mass and the special Opti Cure vulcanization technology, and the environmental friendliness of the iON Nordic ice has also been increased due to the reduced proportion of petroleum-based rubbers used, which have been replaced with renewable natural rubber, which has increased the strength of the rubber mixture by 15%. In addition, since electric vehicle tires, as the company says, wear out about 20% faster, the evenness of pressure distribution in the contact patch has been improved, making the new Hankook more durable.
The Hankook iON Nordic ice has entered the Swedish market in the sizes 215/50 R19 and 245/40 R20, and the SUV version - in 12 sizes from 235/50 R19 to 255/40 R20.