Continental offers two new van tyres
Continental has introduced two new van tyres, the VanContact Ultra and VanContact A/S Ultra.
Both tyres offer superior mileage and robustness, without compromising on safety-relevant tyre characteristics.
The new tyres are designed for fitment on vans frequently used for delivery services and businesses. With expanding urbanisation, the trend toward electric powertrains, and the increase in inner-city and door-to-door deliveries, mobility habits and requirements have significantly changed.
Vans are also commuting and travelling longer distances more frequently, with increased stop-and-go driving in cities too. These diverse demands are reflected in the design of the new Ultra-series tyres from Continental.
The new range is developed to be robust and durable while offering the safety and rolling resistance performance expected of the brand’s premium products.
New rubber compound
Continental’s engineers have developed a new rubber compound, profile and sidewall to achieve the tyre properties demanded for this application. New fillers were added to the rubber compound to reduce rolling resistance – an important factor for low fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions.
The VanContact Ultra offers economical driving, even in urban environments, with low rolling resistance and very high mileage – achieved by using the latest generation of functionalised polymers in the tread compound.
The VanContact A/S Ultra has been designed for use all year round, with the functionalised polymers in the new compound providing high mileage during both summer and winter use.
The “snow traps” – small bars in the tread grooves – are also aimed at winter use, holding the snow in the grooves and thus offering good friction with the snow on the road. They also stabilise the profile and contribute to precise handling and high mileage.
The smart 3D sipe was developed to achieve good grip when driving on snow and wet roads, a special design that stabilises the tread blocks, thereby providing short braking distances.
During the winter months, this design allows the sipe to open wide when rolling into the ground contact area, producing high snow grip via the sipe edges. The combination of profile design and rubber compound ensures no trade-off between mileage and rolling resistance as well as wet grip.
Urban driving
Vans operated in urban areas can rarely avoid hard tyre contact with roadside kerbs. To ensure the sidewall is resistant to such tough conditions, the scuff rib was applied around the entire sidewall.
Its “brick pattern” protects the sidewall against damage and thus contributes to making the tyre highly robust, to guarantee a long service life – protecting the sensitive sides of the tyre against damage, which is often unavoidable on urban delivery routes.
The new VanContact A/S Ultra and VanContact Ultra are now available, with fitments suitable for well-known models such as the Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter and Fiat Ducato, as well as on smaller vans like the Mercedes V-Class or VW T6.
The product ranges cover sizes from 15 to 17 inches, with sizes continuing to be rolled out.