What is Siping & How Does it Work?

If you’ve ever looked at your tires you’ve probably noticed all the little lines in the tread, but you may not know that those lines are called sipes and that they’re more than decoration. Siping is a proven method for improving traction and maneuverability, and some drivers (both of the everyday and competitive variety) sipe their own tires. You don’t have to be siping your own tires to get familiar with technique and why it’s effective. This is knowledge you can use to your advantage when purchasing tires, whether you plan to sipe them yourself or whether you’re just looking for the best factory siping to fit your needs.

What Exactly is Siping?

Siping is basically the process of cutting slits into your tire treads. The intention of this technique is to improve traction and steering. The cuts are razor thin little slits made on the tread blocks themselves (not the deep grooves between the tread blocks). These little slits provide additional gripping edges for your tires, and you’ll often see more of them on winter tires than summer or all season tires. This is because tires with siping are thought to perform better in difficult conditions, like snow, ice and rain. They can keep the vehicle from slipping and sliding, making it safer to drive. If you’re thinking of doing this yourself, you can get a kit for around $100, but it is possible to damage your tires while doing it, so be careful! You can also ask your garage if they can do it for you, but to be honest, with most modern tires it’s not really necessary. Most tires made today come with factory siping, usually computer optimized and designed to improve performance in specific conditions.

Siping Winter & Summer Tires

As I already mentioned, you’re definitely going to find siping on winter tires, but you’ll also see it (usually to a lesser extend) on summer tires, all season tires and all terrain tires. If you think about it, you need traction all year, so why wouldn’t they? Winter tires and snow tires with siping are more effective at dealing with icy surfaces compared to regular tires. Obviously you’d want more traction there. Summer tires may not have ice to deal with, but they do have rain and sometimes oil or grease or other summer road hazards (just think of all the construction they do in the summer!). The extra siping detail on your summer/all season tires enhances their ability to maneuver through those hazards with ease. But that’s not the only benefit! Siping also helps to dissipate heat, which is a major factor in summer tire wear. The sipes give more grooves for the air to travel through, cooling the tire, which also helps preserve the tread life. As for all terrain tires, the added traction provided by siping helps them have grip on changing surfaces, from rocks to mud to sand. They help channel liquids as well as heat away from the tread blocks, and many all terrain tires have sipes designed to eject little stones so they don’t get blocked up.

Should You Sipe Your Own Tires?

Given that, if siping is done improperly, it can actually damage your tires, it’s critical that you know what you’re doing. If you’re unsure of yourself, or are unclear on how to sipe your tires, it’s best to let a professional handle the job for you. Especially in the rare cases where the tire doesn’t have factory siping, it’s better to be safe than sorry. In most cases, it won’t cost you hundreds of dollars. In fact, it’s usually more like $15, so there’s no reason to risk your tire if you’re unsure, especially since tires are expensive and you’ll have to replace it if you mess up. However, as siping is such an effective method for enhancing traction and performance, most tire companies have already incorporated them into their tire design. Thus siping your own tires has become largely unnecessary and since you can ruin your tire by cutting too deep or in the wrong spot, it’s not really worth the risk. If you’re already pretty handy with vehicles, have the right tools, have done your research and are confident in your abilities, you can certainly sipe your tires without help. But it’s not something to do on a whim.

So the next time you’re buying tires, pay attention to the siping details. I’m sure you can find something that fits your need with no extra siping required.