Milford chronicle., 1960-12-09
Some Winter Tire
Advertisers Get
Carried Away By
Their Product

A university Oh w lScODSlu re-
search professor who has conduct
ed winter driving tests on Wiscon-
sins ice and snow for the past doz-
en- years has revealed that some
winter tire advertisers occasionally
"get carried away and present mis-
leading information which is un-
fair to the majority of companies
which stick to factual information.
He calls attention to national
safety committee resolution warn
ing that misleading advertising
concerning non-skid properties of
tires can become an indirect cause
of costly traffic tie-ups and painful
accidents by leading motorists into
taking risks of which they are not
fully aware"
He is Prof. Archie H. Easton,
director of the Motor Vehicle Re-
search Laboratory at the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin, who points to
results of comprehensive tests by
the National Safety Councils Com
mittee on Winter Driving Hazards.
He is chairman of the committee
and is described as the outstand-
ing authority on "coefficients of
friction as related to winter road
surfaces"
Prof. Easton's favorite subject,
when he isn't teaching his engi-
neering classes at the University,
is to talk about the facts of safe
winter driving. He points out that
during snow-ice months rural
traffic death rates are three times
higher than in urban areas.
Having risked his limbs and life
time and again in winter test driv-
| ing, Easton can tell about hundreds
of test results with all types of
vehicles, tire treads and chains to
reduce dangers of skidding or stall
! ling. He recomm that all snow
belt drivers, particularly those in
rural communities, study the fol-
lowing facts:
Winter Starting When it comes
to starting and pulling ability on
glare ice, snow tires are % per
cent better than regular tires; re-
gular tire chains are 231 per cent
better, while reinforced tire chains
are 400 per cent better On loosely
packed snow, the snow tires are
81 per cent better than regular
chains provide 313 per cent better
| traction
Stopping Ability On glare ice,
at only 20 mph, braking distances
for regular tires average 1875 feet
Snow tires ia feet, regular tire
chains SO feet, and reinforced tire
chains " feet. At 20 mph on loose
ly packed snow, regular tires STOP
ped in so feet, snow tires So feet,
regular tire chains 46 feet, and re-
inforced tire chains 38 feet.
Basic Conclusions Prof. Easton
summarizes other basic conclusions
from his winter driving tests, to
aid drivers in 43 snow-belt states
just before severe weather and
road conditions set in, as follows !:
l. The most hazardous. winter
surface condition is ice near or at
the freezing temperature;
2. Braking distances on winter
surfaces are to II times as great
as those on bare pavement;
3. Tires and traction devices lis
ted in the approximate order of in
creasing effectiveness on winter
surfaces are as follows:
A. Smooth tires-very poor in
cornering. Should not be used.
B. Regular tires-inadequate un-
der many winter conditions.
c. WinteriZed tire (tread treat
ment or breakout materially pro
vide better traction on ice, not
much improvement in snow over
regular tires.
d. Mud-snow modern design
provide better snow and ice tract
ion than regular tires.