Tyre TPI - can some explain this to me?

clunkychunky
clunkychunky Posts: 178
edited October 2010 in Road beginners
Still cant decide on a winter tyre! :?
is now a simple choice between gatorskins and krylions. I see that the gatorskin has a much higher tpi than the krylions. i always assumed the higher the tpi the better the puncture protection but after looking at the reviews it actually seems the krylion has a better puncture resistance than the gatorskins.

can someone explain to me the advantages / disadvantages of higher tpi or lower tpi?

thanks

Comments

  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    Higher TPI (Threads Per Inch) casings are made with finer thread, resulting in a thinner cloth. Two plies of this cloth are overlaid at an appropriate angle. Because the resulting casing is thinner than one made from thicker thread, it deforms with fewer losses at the road contact point, and consequently can be expected to offer lower overall rolling resistance.

    Other factors – tread thickness, puncture-resistant belts, tread pattern etc – can swamp this difference, however. Still, another benefit of high TPI tyres is that they are probably inherently more resistant to punctures, because it is less likely for a sharp object to separate the cords.