#ice

What is traction control? Well, before we get into that, let’s talk about traction itself.

“Driving this car in the snow is pretty darn cool,” said Dan Hassler, suspension and steering dynamics engineer at Honda, though, truth be told, he’s probably a little biased, having played a key role in developing the second-generation Acura NSX.

I’m a firm believer that there’s no such thing as an all-season or all-weather tire.

Sailun Tires has been around for 12 years, but you can be forgiven if you haven’t heard of them.

Updated March 2019

Chaos ensues at local tire shops when the snow belt states get their first flurries of the season.

Winter-tire technology is advancing at a rapid rate. Today’s winter rubber is so superior to snow tires of yesteryear that the two can’t even be compared. This is great news for those who live in regions with nasty winter weather as more and more passenger vehicles are rolling off of showroom floors with summer tires or low rolling-resistance tires, neither of which are well suited to handle the white stuff.

This winter season, are you worried about the driving habits of other drivers, or the weather affecting your car’s driving characteristics?

Snow and ice on the road can make for a slippery drive home, and the snowflakes falling from the sky can limit your visibility, so it’s no wonder that there’s a definite increase in insurance claims once winter starts.

Tech giant Intel has decided to move into the car infotainment market, teaming up with Denso, which recently developed the Entune system in various new Toyota models. 

The last thing you want to do on a cold and snowy morning is spend 10 minutes chiseling the ice off your car’s windshield (especially if you’ve forgotten your gloves inside). Save your frostbitten fingers with the AlphaTherm Windshield Washer Fluid Heater System.

In Finland, rally champion Juha Kankkunen has cracked the 200-mph barrier on ice in a Bentley Supersports, setting a new world speed record on ice.

Atop the frozen Baltic Sea at temperatures of minus 30 degrees, he drove the AWD, W12-engined, biofuel-powered Bentley Continental Supersports convertible to a record 205.48 mph, which bested his own previous world record of 199.83 mph set at the same location in 2007.

“The last time, I narrowly missed the magical 200 mph mark in a Continental GT,” he said. “When I heard about the Supersports I was determined to go record breaking again with the Bentley Boys.”

One of the goals of the British/Finnish team was to keep the car as stock as possible: modifications included a roll cage, low-resistance Pirelli winter tires, front and rear spoilers, and a bumper-mounted parachute. Juha Kankkunen fought crosswinds and sudden blizzards on the 10-mile track, atop 27 inches of ice, to complete two runs in opposite directions. The speed was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Of course, Kankkunen is no stranger to racing in extreme conditions. Since he started rallying in 1978, he has over 23 World Rally victories under his belt, been crowned World Champion four times, and won the Dakar Rally outright in 1988. Finland breeds rally champions, so the saying goes, and off the coast of Finland Kankkunen seemed within his element.

Bentley is planning a limited edition 100-car run of the Supersports to reflect this achievement, in case well-heeled buyers want to tackle the record on their own.

Hit the jump to read the official press release.