The Nokian Zline 225/55 R17 97W DOT 2015 Run Flat is a sport summer tyre designed to meet the highest driving expectations. The rubber compound, multi-layered structure and modern nanotechnologies makes for the high reliability of this tyre, even at high speeds. Perfect steering response. Highly versatile tyre.
Rain is the weather condition responsible for the majority of accidents on summer roads. The risks of losing control of the car skyrocket when a storm suddenly breaks out. The lack of tire grip is mainly pointed out, as it is responsible for the phenomenon of aquaplaning. That's why Nokian Tyres has designed on summer tires ribbed grooves that increase grip on wet roads and counteract aquaplaning in dangerous precipitation situations. These ribbed grooves are placed in the major transverse grooves present on the inner shoulder. An increased number of these grooves allows these elliptical notches to store a high volume of water. This idea provides the tire with ad hoc grip even as the wear of time takes its toll on the tire. The more the rubber disappears, the more the volume of the ribbed grooves increases, widened at their base.
The major grooves of the tire are smoothed, which gives it, in addition to its elegance, a great capacity to efficiently evacuate the water present on the road. The grooves of the ribs leading to these main sliding grooves increase the overall volume of the tire's grooves and help to counteract the possibility of aquaplaning.
At Nokian Tyres, every tire uses only purified oils and the manufacturing process does not incorporate any toxic or carcinogenic chemical products at any point. A leader in ecological terms among tire manufacturers, Nokian is a pioneer in the use of low aromatic content purified oil. Nevertheless, its performance in terms of safety and particularly tire grip on wet surfaces is excellent regardless of the season.
The longitudinal rib closest to the inner shoulder is striated by deep Hydro diagonal grooves to provide stability to the tire. These grooves enhance protection against aquaplaning by capturing more water on the ground and directing it towards the large circumferential grooves.
This innovation is also found on the main rib closest to the outer shoulder. The set of these wide grooves provides more safety in rainy conditions and greatly reduces the risk of skidding on wet asphalt.
In a multi-layered tire structure, the use of several rubber compounds gives the tire its various characteristics.
The Nokian Intelligent UHP Silica tread rubber layer allows for the best connection with the road regardless of the situations, and is designed to give its maximum in conditions of intensive use as well as at high speeds.
The intermediate layer incorporates a mixture containing low molecular weight nanosilica. With this original and innovative compound, a truly faster transmission of directional changes is observed than with traditional mixtures.
As for the lower layer, its extremely rigid rubber compound reduces rolling resistance, which greatly minimizes heat, leading to increased resistance to wear, lower energy consumption and a reduction in toxic emissions for the environment.
The tire features a wear indicator (DSI) that allows you to know the residual depth of its grooves. This indicator consists of a series of numbers in millimeters inscribed on the tread. The more the tread wears over the kilometers, the more these numbers fade. The tire has a second indicator, which informs about the risks of aquaplaning. A drop is placed on the central block 4 mm from the bottom of the grooves. When this drop is erased by the wear of the rubber, then it is time to proceed with the tire change because the risk of aquaplaning is high.
The Info area on the sidewall of a Nokian tire enhances safety by displaying location and pressure indicators. Thus, one can mark the location during mounting during tire changes as well as the correct inflation pressure. New information can even be recorded in this area, which is the torque of the bolts on alloy rims. The majority of UHP sports tires are mounted on aluminum rims for which the tightening of the bolts requires increased attention. This is enhanced safety for the user as the bolts must be tightened to the correct torque and they must be retightened every 100 or 200 kilometers.
The Nokian Intelligent UHP Silica tread compound is optimally designed to handle intense use and high speeds. The molecular chains of this rubber combined with silica particles result in a particularly robust blend that retains its elastic character. It consistently withstands a wide range of temperatures and intensifies grip on wet roads at any time of the day from spring to autumn. The connection with the road is ideal and allows no deviation regardless of the circumstances.
The optimization of driving comfort is targeted by the Silent Groove Design innovation present on the walls of the longitudinal rubber blocks, where hemispherical hollows, stylized like a golf ball, are in charge of controlling the air movement. They also stop the sounds emitted by the edges of the transverse ribs and the emission of uncomfortable whistling. As a result, the noises inside the cabin are significantly reduced as well as the external rolling noise. Ultimately, driving becomes quieter and all the more enjoyable. Silent Groove Design also cools the tire surface by reducing the aerodynamic reaction, which conversely increases resistance to alteration and mileage.
