Hyundai’s Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Winter Tires

Hyundai may just have found the next great thing in winter tire technology. Together with sister company Kia, it has developed tire-integrated “snow chains” that provide extra grip and promise to make winter driving safer.

Essentially, shape memory alloy modules are located inside the wheel and tire. When the driver activates the function, an electrical signal causes these modules to protrude out of radial grooves in the tire and act as a snow chain.

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In normal driving, meaning when there’s no snow on the road, the shape memory alloy located inside the wheel is compressed and does not contact the road surface. The concept is shown in the following YouTube video released by the automaker.

Hyundai’s system will automatically deploy at the push of a button, unlike traditional snow chains that are complicated to install and remove. Of course, once the surface of the tire is worn down to the height of the module in normal driving mode, drivers can easily recognize this degradation and know it’s time to replace the tires—which won’t be cheap.

Joon Mo Park, Head of Advanced Chassis Development Team, said he hopes this innovation will be introduced on Hyundai and Kia vehicles someday. It is actually patent-pending in both South Korea and the U.S. The automaker plans to consider mass production of the tires after further technological development, durability and performance tests and regulation reviews.

As a reminder for Canadian drivers, show chains are allowed in Alberta, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, as well as on emergency and heavier vehicles in B.C. and Quebec (be sure to get familiar with your province’s regulations and legislation). And if you’re looking for the best winter tires available, just click on the link for a few suggestions.