teracon

Has anyone heard of tire siping or had it done on your tires? I came across information on this (siping.com) and discount tire.

Bichon

Winter tires already come with sipes. Are you considering siping your summer tires as an alternative to buying snows? I wouldn't do that; there are many other aspects of a summer tires (tread compound, tread pattern) beyond the absence of sipes that make them inappropriate and dangerous in winter.

jjbodean

agreed, if the tire manufacturer wants your tires siped, theyll do it at the factory

G35TOIS350

unless it already engineered into the tire design id stay away from it. if they meant for them to be siped then it would already have been done.

MBenzman

Living in North Dakota, we can spend a fair amount of the year driving on ice or snow. I have had many tires siped over the years. This usually results in much better traction for starts and stops in slippery conditions. I have not noticed any reduction in the tread life as a result of this procedure.

al503

Siping will usually help, especially on those tires with large tread blocks. It will, however affect tread life and/or performance.

The siping allows the tread to move and deform to a greater degree than the manufacturer intended. This is good in the colder weather when the tread will be much stiffer due to the temp. However, at higher temps, this leads to higher tread temps that can make the rubber wear down quicker and/or lead to the premature hardening of the rubber itself.