When seeking out the company which first marketed a tyre intended for winter conditions, it makes sense to start your search in a region that’s no stranger to snow and ice. Finland fits the bill nicely, and Nokian Tyres has long occupied the superlative first place in the winter tyre world with its Kelirengas – literally ‘weather tyre’. But was it really first?
Suomen Gummitehdas Osakeyhtiö, the company that later became Nokian Tyres, introduced the Kelirengas truck tyre in 1934. Initially available in size 7.50–20, the Kelirengas featured a tread pattern whose transverse grooves gripped snow like a cog wheel, eliminating the need for snow chains. By the end of 1934, the Kelirengas range included ten dimensions, and Suomen Gummitehdas Osakeyhtiö was producing about 110 tyres a day.
The Finnish tyre maker’s development team next came up with the Snow-Hakkapeliitta car tyre, and this came to market in 1936, the year that Semperit also launched its first winter car tyre, the Goliath. The Austrian tyre brand, which became part of the Continental Group in 1985, does not lay claim to being the first in the winter segment, with both Goliath and the Snow-Hakkapeliitta arriving at the party two years’ too late. But another contender for the world’s first winter tyre has gone unnoticed for a long time.
Tucked away in a Continental dealer catalogue for 1934 is a motorcycle tyre called the Gelände Reifen, or ‘terrain tyre’. The German-language catalogue describes Gelände as a “special tyre for sporting competitions, especially on forest and field paths, tracks etc. in mountainous terrain in all weathers.” It adds that the tyre “offers the highest possible degree of grip and gliding stability in difficult terrain,” but cautions that due to “exceptionally deep” tread grooves, the tyre “cannot be expected to wear as slowly as our regular treads.”
‘First product specifically for the cold season’
A grippy tyre for use in “all weathers” it may be, but is the Gelände a winter tyre? Continental thinks so, and in a statement issued in December calls the 1934-introduced Gelände its “first product specifically for the cold season.” The tyre maker also speaks of another product it developed in 1934, the Continental Type Aero Gelände. However, it appears this tyre didn’t enter series production; Continental notes that while it produced 114 different types of passenger car tyres in 1934, Nazi planning requirements saw this shrink to 38 types by 1937.
At any rate, Martin Welzhofer, Head of Global Tire Testing at Continental Tires, confirms 1934 as the year the brand entered the winter tyre market: “For 90 years, our winter tyres have been synonymous with safety in winter weather conditions.”
The Gelände range grew, and a photo of the Continental stand at the 1936 IAA motor show in Berlin confirms the presence of Gelände tyres for larger vehicles. The range was later widely fitted to German military vehicles.
But what is the world’s first winter tyre? The answer to that question may depend on the date in 1934 that Nokian and Continental released their respective products. But your definition of what a winter tyre is, and what it isn’t, might also play a role. We welcome representatives from both Nokian Tyres and Continental to share their thoughts on the matter.
Gelände tyres on display at the IAA motor show in 1936 (Photo: Continental)
