NEWS: New Falken Winter Tyre

So, the leaves are starting to fall, along with the heavy rain... and soon it will be ice and snow. Time to consider some Winter boots for your motor? If you have never tried these, you really should. The difference in grip in ice, snow and cold, wet conditions is staggering. And here is a brand new Winter tyre from Falken, the Eurowinter HS449 winter tyre, with "an innovative tread pattern and compound delivering improved control and grip." The tyre is available in 57 initial sizes, with a further 32 being added in January 2013. Falken say: "A comprehensive set of ten product improvements has led to the creation of Falken’s new Eurowinter HS449 winter tyre. The HS449 incorporates tread, compound and construction changes to improve wet braking, stability and noise – following a rigorous testing programme in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. Cold weather tyre compounds typically contain silica helping the tyre to be more flexible at low temperatures (below 7˚C). For the Eurowinter HS449, Falken’s engineers have increased the proportion of silica to improve braking on wet surfaces by 11 percent (compared to the predecessor model HS439). A higher concentration of polymer in the tread compound enhances stability, delivering an increase of 13 percent over the HS439.
Whilst relevant for all cold weather scenarios, Falken has made strides to ensure braking is particularly improved on snow. In such conditions, the 45 percent increase in tread coverage is designed to improve stopping distances. The novel three-dimensional zig-zag lamellar structure was chosen to boost grip on snow and ice, whilst three dimensional fins optimise even wear of the tyre. Though not a prime consideration for many customers, Falken has lowered tyre noise by incorporating five-phase shifted tread bars. The Eurowinter HS449, the fifth new tyre introduced by Falken to the UK market this year, is available now from a wide range of dealers.