Sailun releases new winter tires

Chinese company Sailun, which recently entered the top ten largest tire manufacturers in the world, has introduced a new tire, the Sailun Ice Blazer Erange SUV WP81, which is the brand's first winter model to be made using liquid-phase rubber mixing technology, allowing for simultaneous improvement of parameters such as wet grip, fuel efficiency, and wear resistance.

"In winter, especially in northern China, there is a lot of snow and ice on the roads, and tires usually start to harden at low temperatures and lose grip, which creates a safety hazard," notes Sailun. "While traditional winter tires [in the Chinese market] are usually optimized for good ride quality on snow, roads can also be icy, so to ensure a high level of safety, tires are needed that are effective on both snowy and icy roads."

The contact patch area of the Ice Blazer WP81 has been increased by 10%, which improves grip on slippery surfaces, and the manufacturer claims that the ice performance - including thanks to the soft rubber compound - is 26% better than the standards set by the European Union. Sailun also adds that the new tires' traction on ice is 10% higher than that of premium products.

While winter tires, of course, should work effectively on snow and ice, ride quality on wet roads is also important, and the stepped sidewalls of the longitudinal grooves accelerate the cutting of the water film wave and "make the tire stick to the road". The braking distance of the WP81 in professional tests was 9.1 meters shorter than that of top-brand tires, although the initial braking speed should have been indicated here.

Compared to "ordinary" winter tires, the WP81 also features increased wear resistance (+15%), while rolling resistance has been reduced by more than 30%, which allowed the newcomer to receive an "A" rating for fuel efficiency. According to Sailun, compared to "C"-class tires, fuel consumption is reduced by 6-10%, and the range of electric vehicles increases by 10-15%.