Keep on Trucking Through Winter

This October will see Continental’s latest cold weather tyre for light commercial vehicles, the VancoWinter 2, arriving this side of the Channel and released onto a market that is increasingly becoming important to van drivers and fleets who realise the safety benefits of fitting cold weather tyres to work vehicles.

Already approved as OE for the popular Mercedes Sprinter van and the Iveco Daily, the VancoWinter 2 continues Continental’s success in the area of OE van tyre supply. According to Conti one in three vans leaves a European factory running on Continental tyres, confirming the German manufacturer’s strong OE position.

The VancoWinter 2 features sipes that spread when braking to create an ice scraper effect on the road surface, allowing shorter braking distances on winter roads. Open shoulders on the tyre with wide lateral grooves provide excellent water drainage, leading to a high level protection against aquaplaning on wet roads. Conti has striven to create an optimum tyre footprint for the VancoWinter 2, one that allows for even wear. This, coupled with the tyre’s cold weather compound, is reported to give the VancoWinter 2 in the vicinity of 30 per cent extra mileage potential in the winter months compared with a conventional van tyre.

As soon as temperatures drop to just 7°C, standard van tyres start to lose their grip, which makes driving more difficult; but Continental says this is when the VancoWinter 2 starts performing at its best. With average monthly temperatures in the UK falling into the below 7°C range between October and April, Conti are spreading the message that is important to think about switching to cold weather tyres to keep van drivers and their passengers safe.