Premium winter tires for performance cars and SUVs to arrive this fal
Asymmetrical specialist for safe, enjoyable driving on dry and snow-covered roads. New product nomenclature for Continental tires.
Continental WinterContact TS 850 P. The new Continental WinterContact TS 850 P will be available from specialist tire dealers from this fall onwards. In this new model, the development engineers at the leading winter tire manufacturer have once again achieved a noticeable improvement in performance characteristics. For example, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P outperforms its predecessor both in its handling on snow and dry roads and in its braking performance. These capabilities are down to the new tread design of this asymmetrical winter tire for performance cars and SUVs. From the coming winter season, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P and its “big brother”, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV, will gradually supersede the ContiWinterContact TS 830 P and the ContiCrossContact Winter, although both of these models will still be available in a wide range of different sizes. The market leader in winter tires will offer the new product at the same price level as predecessor models.
Five percent improvement in handling on snow
The design factor with the biggest influence on safety and driving pleasure on snow-covered roads concerns the inner shoulder of winter tires. In this respect, compared to its predecessor, the new winter tire from Continental benefits from higher angles and closer spacing of the sipes. Also, the development engineers have managed to fit more tread blocks on the surface of the tread, leading to a substantial increase in the number of lateral edges. The sipes in the center of the tread and on the inside of the tire can take up more snow and translate it into friction, making for greater adhesion. As a result, the new premium winter tire shows a five percent improvement in handling on snow.
Two percent improvement in handling on dry roads
The dry handling characteristics of winter tires are strongly influenced by the stiffness of the tread. To improve this characteristic when working with asymmetrical tread patterns, the tire developers focus primarily on the outer shoulder of the tire. The sipes in the tread blocks on the outside of the tire are designed in such a way that they increase the stiffness of the blocks. This enables steering commands to be carried out with even greater precision when cornering at speed. At the same time the sipes and blocks on the inside and center of the tread also support each other to generate a further increase in grip. Another trick from the development engineers’ toolbox is the use of a shorter sidewall that supports the rapid build-up of lateral forces.
Up to five percent improvement in braking
With asymmetrical tread patterns, generating the required grip under braking is the job of the center section of the contact patch. In pursuit of particularly rapid deceleration, the tire developers have borrowed a thing or two from summer tires: The center of the tread features an interrupted band structure that prevents the tread blocks from tipping, so that the high forces encountered when braking can be effectively put down onto wet or dry roads. When cornering, the flexibility of the blocks makes for a larger road contact patch, so that high reserves of grip are available when braking during cornering too. Depending on whether the roads are wet or dry, stopping distances are reduced by up to five percent.
SUV version – strong performance on gravel too
The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV has been equipped with bigger tread blocks to help prevent stones being picked up when driving on gravel tracks. At the same time, the carcass is designed in such a way that it can readily cope with the weight of the heavier SUVs and effectively transfer the high forces encountered during braking, cornering and accelerating.
New product nomenclature
The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P marks a change in the naming of Continental’s summer and winter car tires. In the future, the names of all new products will no longer feature the “Conti” prefix. The new names are being introduced as part of the global harmonization of Continental’s product nomenclature, starting with these two product lines before being systematically rolled out in years to come. So the new winter tires are called the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P and the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV.
Product range for 16- to 20-inch rims
The product range for production startup this summer is designed to offer a good selection from the outset for more powerful and sporty vehicles. Continental will offer the WinterContact TS 850 P for 16- to 20-inch rims and in widths ranging from 205 to 275 millimeters. These tires will be approved for speeds of up to a dynamic 270 km/h.
Continental SSR Tires
SSR stands for SelfSupportingRunflat Tire
The SSR principle:
Unlike conventional tires, the SSR principle is based on a reinforced self-supporting sidewall. This prevents the inside of the tire from getting pinched between the road and the rim and from slipping into the rim well in the event of a loss of inflation. The SSR's reinforced sidewall enables the car to continue on its way at a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) for up to 80 km (50 miles), depending on road conditions and vehicle weight.
Communication between tire and driver
Because of the good riding comfort SSR tires afford, drivers hardly notice any pressure loss in the event of a flat, to increase both safety in the event of a flat and performance during normal driving, the SSR system is supplied together with an inflation warning system – either TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) or DDS (Deflation Detection System), both of which were likewise developed by Continental. These warning systems alert the driver when a drop in inflation pressure requires investigation via a display on the instrument panel.
SSR runflat tires offer crucial advantages
- With SSR tires you remain mobile in the event of a flat tire
- You can reach your destination or tire service facility without the bother of having to replace a flat tire with the spare tire
- Compatible with standard rims
- Simple mounting
- Saves room and weight, and thus fuel, giving you as much as 3 cubic feet more cargo area
