NOKIA, Finland — Happy birthday, winter tire.
Nokian Tyres P.L.C. , which said it invented the product in 1934 to tackle harsh winters in Finland, is celebrating the milestone.
The U.S. arm of the tire maker is holding a consumer trivia contest at Nokiantyres.com/Winter90. In addition, it released an episode of its Nokian Tyres Journey Podcast, which provides behind-the-scenes content on a winter tire photography session that the company said turned treacherous.
Before inventing the product, Nokian said tires had a smooth surface, which required drivers use chains to provide grip in winter.
The winter tire, meanwhile, had a rough tread pattern, Nokian said, that allowed for grip and traction, and it was designed to rid snow while driving.
The world's first winter tire, the Kelirengas weather tire, was designed for trucks, Nokian said. In 1936, the Lumi-Hakkapeliitta, Snow-Hakkapeliitta was introduced for passenger cars. Nokian said the Lumi-Hakkapeliitta featured small suction cups to prevent slipping on ice. Today, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta remains one of the world's best-known winter tires.
Innovations kept occurring, the tire maker said, and in early 1960s, studs were introduced to the design for safer winter driving.
Nokian said the winter tire is "one of the most important pieces of safety equipment for winter driving is as relevant today as it was 90 years ago."
Today's tire includes a mix of about 100 different raw materials, roughly three times more than the winter tire in the 1930s, including both renewable and recycled raw materials.
Teemu Soini, Nokian Tyres vice president, innovations and development, said the winter tire taught the company to stay ahead of winter driving challenges.
"As the world keeps on changing, so do the challenges. In these 90 years, the weather conditions have changed, new materials have been innovated, and product development has taken leaps towards creating more and more sustainable tires," Soini said. "The two main areas of our innovation and development are safety and sustainability, and especially in winter tires safety is a priority."
Nokian Tyres said today's products are tested in harsh conditions at its test center in Finnish Lapland.
"Different driving conditions call for different types of winter tires, as winter conditions vary greatly depending on the area and its climate: in Central Europe, winter has more rain, whereas in Scandinavia roads are covered in snow or ice. That's why Nokian Tyres tailors its winter tires according to the conditions of the area they are meant to be driven in," Marko Saari, VP, product management, said.
Nokian said development in vehicle technology affects the development of winter tires. It is especially apparent in tires for electric vehicles, which are heavier and produce higher torque.
"Our starting point is that all our products make driving safe no matter what car you drive. Testing has remained a key to ensure tire performance to meet the needs of modern drivers," Saari said.
Nokian Tyres manufactures winter tires for North America in its factory in Nokia.