Choose friction tyres - less street dust and noise
The joint campaign by the cities of the Helsinki metropolitan area and HSY encourages drivers to consider their winter tire choice also from an environmental perspective. Friction tires are an effective way to reduce street dust and tire noise in cities.
Six good reasons to choose friction tires
If you drive, it’s worth choosing friction tires for winter. Here are six reasons why friction tires are a good choice for city dwellers.
- Less street dust, better air quality. The main cause of street dust in the city is studded tires. In other words, friction tires produce significantly less street dust than studded tires.
- Less tire noise. Driving with friction tires produces less noise for the environment and inside your car compared to studded tires.
- Flexibility. Friction tires provide flexibility in the timing of tire changes in autumn and spring.
- Streets remain in better condition. Friction tires wear the road surface less than studded tires.
- Driving comfort. Driving with friction tires is smooth and comfortable.
- Driving style matters, not tire type. From a traffic safety perspective, the driver’s anticipatory driving style and the condition and quality of the tires are more important than the type of winter tire.
Electric cars are heavier than equivalent internal combustion engine cars due to the weight of the batteries. Therefore, friction tires are also recommended as winter tires for electric cars. Studded tires grind the road surface a lot especially under a heavy car, causing more road wear and formation of street dust.
The goal is for more people to choose friction tires
The goal of the friction tire campaign is to increase the share of friction tires in cities. Helsinki aims to increase the share of friction tires to 70 percent by the winter season 2030–2031. Currently, just over a third of Helsinki residents drive with friction tires.
The friction tire campaign is currently underway. The campaign can be seen and heard, among other things, on city digital displays, street advertisements, social media, and radio.
For more information:
- City of Helsinki campaign pages hel.fi/kitkat
- Information on the air quality and health effects of street dust hsy.fi/katupoly