The Dunlop GrandTrek SJ6 non-studded winter tire is yet another successful attempt by the renowned British manufacturer to create the perfect tire for all weather conditions. This model, like its predecessor, the GrandTrek SJ5 tire, is designed for SUVs, crossovers, and pickups.
Country of origin: Japan.
The Dunlop brand belongs to the American concern Goodyear.
This model is equipped with a V-shaped symmetrical directional tread pattern, created using the innovative Digityre-II technology, which implies extensive use of computer simulation tools. Thanks to the V-shaped design of the tread pattern, the tire has a very large contact patch area that does not change depending on the driving mode. The contact patch is characterized by a very smooth surface with a 10-step profile.
The special tread pattern provides excellent grip on snow. An innovative rubber compound containing glass fibers provides a secure grip on ice.
This provided not only excellent grip on slippery surfaces but also significantly reduced rolling resistance, which led to a decrease in fuel consumption. Another distinctive feature of the Dunlop GrandTrek SJ6 model is the presence in the central part of the tread of a large number of separate blocks with massive dimensions and a quadrangular shape. In combination with the V-shaped arrangement of blocks, this made it possible to ensure a more even distribution of the load over the contact patch, which led to a decrease in the likelihood of uneven wear and therefore to an increase in service life.
Main features of the Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 winter tire
- Computer-simulated V-shaped symmetrical directional tread design provides the perfect balance between excellent traction on a variety of surfaces with low fuel consumption and noise levels;
- The rubber compound with silicon-containing components in its composition provided the tire with excellent elasticity at low temperatures and grip on a slippery surface;
- S-shaped sipes allow you to move more confidently on the ice.
Stability and manageability
Two central tread grooves create snow columns that act like spikes for high performance when accelerating and braking on snow. A wider contact patch and a variety of glass fibers improve grip on icy surfaces.
Comfort
The use of noise and vibration modeling technology allowed us to calculate the optimal location of the tread blocks and grooves to create a high level of acoustic comfort for the DUNLOP GRANDTREK SJ6 tires. To improve the quality of movement at high speeds when calculating the shape of the profile, the technology of modeling the load distribution in the contact patch was used. It allows you to achieve an optimal contact patch shape when driving at high speeds.
Benefits of choosing such a design
As the experts of the company note, this approach made it possible to achieve several positive aspects at once. So, the quality of grip on slippery surfaces has increased, because, for the most part, it depends on the very area on which the wheel contacts the road surface. However, another effect that can be called positive is the reduction in the level of rolling resistance.
Tread Centerline Features
If you carefully consider the resulting tread pattern, you will notice that in the central part of the separate blocks a visible ring is formed, which encircles the entire tire. The blocks are all made in a quadrangular shape, and also have a fairly large size.
Their task is to ensure directional stability when driving in a straight line, as well as during smooth maneuvers. However, these are not all the missions that are entrusted to them. So, due to their special structure, they help to evenly distribute the load over the entire contact patch of the rubber with the track. This has a positive effect on the overall wear of the Dunlop GrandTrek SJ6 tire, as it becomes uniform across the entire width of the tire, which means it can last longer. In addition, uneven wear could lead to an emergency even before the tread is worn to a critical point.
Features of using large blocks
Tracking the entire tread pattern on these tires is fairly straightforward. The tread blocks are large, however, if you look closely, you can see that they have notches at the edges, which seem to divide them into smaller blocks. This is done to form the largest possible number of side edges, which are responsible for high-quality grip and rowing characteristics. So, it is these edges that allow you to effectively get under way and stop on loose snow or soggy soil.
Sophisticated lamella system
A lot also depends on the correct location of the lamellas. After all, it is they who are responsible for the high-quality removal of liquid or loose snow from the contact patch to the sides in order to provide the highest level of traction with the track, as far as possible under current weather conditions. In this case, the V-shaped arrangement of the tread elements was beneficial.
Wide lamellas have formed between them, which can easily cope with large volumes of liquid or soil and remove them to the side. Smaller lamellas are primarily intended to create additional edges, but it also serves as a kind of "capillaries", diverting small portions of water towards the larger slots on the wheel surface.
The result is a universal solution that, on the one hand, has good rowing characteristics and is able to cope with the problems of moving on a loose surface, and on the other hand, it allows you to effectively fix the vehicle when driving on an icy surface, preventing it from skidding.
Decrease in noise level
As mentioned above, the special arrangement of the tread elements led to the fact that rolling resistance was reduced, which made it possible to obtain a number of positive results. However, these are not all the advantages that were achieved thanks to this, and you can also find out about this by reading driver reviews about the Dunlop Grandtrek Sj6
Wear resistance
During the development of this parameter, special attention was also paid. A single centerline of the tread would not be enough to increase wear resistance. Therefore, a special formula of the rubber compound was developed, containing silicic acid.
On the one hand, it can allow the rubber to remain soft even at rather low temperatures overboard, but at the same time it strengthens the bonds between the components themselves, making the rubber more durable. As a result, in addition to reducing the abrasion of rubber from the surface, the puncture and cut resistance is increased, which cannot but please drivers who, due to their professional duties, drive a large number of kilometers every day and want the car to be the most reliable assistant.
The tire performed very poorly on dry and wet asphalt, where it showed the worst result in each of the tests. The behavior on the snow turned out to be slightly better, but it is not able to compensate for the lag on the asphalt. The only surface where the tire was able to fulfill itself is ice: here it has problematic handling but at the same time a short braking distance, fast acceleration, and high lateral stability.