Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow

   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #1  
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knukey

Bronze Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
72
Location
Richmond, VA
Tractor
Mahindra 2015 Gear/Loader
For those of you who have done both, which would you say helps the most for WET slushy snow? I can sipe with with a sawzall, but I need a tool to groove. Also, I don't want to shred my tires for no results.

One more thing, from what I've read and observed, siping runs PERPINDICULAR to the wheel direction. Does it matter?

I've read thru the LONG thread on hear on the topic, but no one speaks (that I saw, coulda missed it) of grooving or siping as to which works best in wet snow. It seems to me most folks only groove, not much on siping. I googled "snow tire" and the screen fills up with siped tires of all shapes and sizes.

Thanks!
 
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   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #2  
Have you consider tire chains?
 
   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #3  
knukey said:
For those of you who have done both, which would you say helps the most for WET slushy snow? I can sipe with with a sawzall, but I need a tool to groove. Also, I don't want to shred my tires for no results.

One more thing, from what I've read and observed, siping runs PERPINDICULAR to the wheel direction. Does it matter?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

There is a very long thread on here that addresses grooving tires for snow. I suggest you give it a look see. Everything you wanted to know and then some.
 
   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow
  • Thread Starter
#4  
I've read thru this LONG thread, no one speaks (that I saw, coulda missed it) of grooving or siping as to which works best in wet snow. It seems to me most folks only groove, not much on siping.
 
   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #6  
knukey said:
I've read thru this LONG thread, no one speaks (that I saw, coulda missed it) of grooving or siping as to which works best in wet snow. It seems to me most folks only groove, not much on siping.
Click to expand...
I seriously doubt siping will work on tractor tires. The tread compound is much too hard.

This picture was taken in wet snow. The moisture content in the NE is usually fairly high. It's not like the liquid cement we get near the coast, but it can be quite sticky.
image-L.jpg
 
   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #7  
I'm not sure there will be any noticeable difference. Most grooving tools use fairly small knives so the grooves aren't large. I understand that the more edges you have the more traction you might possibly gain.

I grooved my tires for additional traction on solid dirt. I didn't see any gain in snow.

I vote for chains.
 
   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #8  
A #4 groove (1/4") works great in wet snow. It is the snowball theory. Snow sticks to snow. And wet snow really sticks to wet snow. The wet snow packs into the grooves and then spreads across the lug mostly due to adhesion to the snow in the groove (as can be seen in the picture above). This snow that is stuck to the tire sticks to the snow on the ground. Wala! Traction.

This was covered very early on in that long thread... but I may not have explicitly used the world "wet". Dry snow doesn't stick. But traction tends not to be as much of a problem in dry snow either.
 
   / Siping vs. Grooving in R4's - Wet snow #9  
Mine is good enough to plow the driveway, but doesn't do very well in deep snow on rough terrain: chains are needed for that.
 
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