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The Discount Tire web site has a page extolling the virtues of siping. There's also a mini-FAQ containing this question: "Why Don't My Tires Come Siped From the Manufacturer?" An excellent question that I have wondered myself. If siping really does confer all the claimed performance benefits, any manufacturer that allows unsiped tires go out the door would be at a considerable competitive disadvantage. Their answer: "To sipe (in mass production) after the molding process would be too expensive and time consuming for the manufacturer." I have to call B.S. on this answer. Any process done in a mass-produced manner is going to be less expensive than doing the same process on a one-off, now-and-then basis. If a manufacturer has some employees doing siping full time, they're going to get really good at it and do it more efficiently than the guy at Discount Tire. The manufacturer could probably even find a way to automate the process and bring the labor cost close to zero. As I understand it, these days tread patterns are designed with sophisticated computer models. Those models could take into account manufacturer siping... but aftermarket siping would do God-knows-what to the performance of that exquisitely designed tread. In short, for those who believe in siping, they'd be better off having the manufacturer do it than the local shop. Does anybody agree/disagree? | ||||
| Link: | http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos | ||||
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