Winter tyres split Finland around Oulu

Finland’s winter-tyre divide runs roughly around Oulu, where friction tyres account for about 10 per cent of sales, Yle reports. Studded tyres remain the choice of about 70 to 80 per cent of Finnish motorists.

Yle asked Lapin Kumi, Rengascenter, Euromaster and Vianor where the boundary falls, based on their tyre sales. Lapin Kumi chief executive Ville Ruokanen said friction tyres make up about 35 to 40 per cent of winter tyres in the Helsinki metropolitan area, but only 2 per cent in Sodankylä.

The retailers said friction tyres are more popular in cities and on main roads in southern and western Finland. Studded tyres remain more common in rural areas and in eastern and northern Finland. Vianor consumer sales director Joonas Ilmarinen estimated that friction tyres account for about a third of sales in Uusimaa, compared with less than 10 per cent in Lapland.

Ilmarinen said better-maintained roads and the greater number of motorways in large cities make friction tyres an easier choice. Drivers in smaller towns and rural areas are more likely to use roads in poorer condition.

Effects on roads and safety

Jarkko Pirinen, a road-maintenance specialist at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, said friction tyres could become significantly more common without harming road maintenance. He estimated that a studded-tyre share of about 30 per cent would be enough to wear the surface of ice off the asphalt and make maintenance easier.

More friction tyres would reduce wear to road surfaces, as studded tyres damage asphalt especially at speeds above 80 kilometres per hour. But friction tyres do not break up ice as effectively, which can increase the demands on winter road maintenance.

Pirinen cited Japan, which banned studded tyres in the early 1990s. The ban reduced car crashes, but accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists increased as friction tyres polished intersections and pedestrian crossings into mirror-like ice. Salt use rose more than fourfold, while steel bridge structures and concrete decks began to corrode and deteriorate rapidly.

A similar development in Finland could lead to more sanding. Small stones can become caught in tyres and fly into windscreens.

Electric cars boost interest

All those interviewed said the growing number of electric cars was helping increase the popularity of friction tyres. Because an electric motor does not mask tyre noise, quieter friction tyres appeal to drivers. Their lower rolling resistance can also slightly extend a car’s driving range.

Tyre industry experts do not expect friction tyres to overtake studded tyres in the near future without changes to legislation. Ruokanen said he might reach retirement before friction tyres become more popular than studded tyres.