Tests Confirm Conflicting Tyre Development Goals, Says Conti

When developing winter passenger car tyres for its premium brands, Continental AG says the most important consideration is how well brakes perform in one of the most commonly occurring yet critical road conditions for motorists in Western and Central Europe – wet road surfaces. An evaluation of the latest winter tyre test results reported by leading international trade magazines, reports Conti, confirms the wet-braking properties of tyres developed by the German manufacturer, which in most cases received the best scores within this particular category. In contrast, remarks Continental in a release, several competitor products and cheap Asian imports designed primarily for low rolling resistance were marked down for poor performance on wet surfaces.

“Obviously we are very happy with the positive test results for the ContiCrossContact Winter and the whole ContiWinterContact range,” said Conti’s head of the Passenger & Light Truck Tires Division, Dr. Alan Hippe. “In the context of this achievement, we would like to specifically point out once again the conflicting general goals in car tyre development between wet-grip and rolling resistance, which is constantly highlighted by the European Tire & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association.”

“In the October 2008 issue of ADAC motorwelt, the winter tyre test report shows that not only cheap Asian imports but products from European manufacturers are affected by this,” Hippe adds. “The extremely low prices charged for products imported from Asia are therefore a false economy as the drawbacks in terms of safety are striking.”

Continental takes the view that the high weighting given by the test magazines to performance in wet conditions in Western and Central Europe appropriately reflects the importance of this criterion to motorists. What is astonishing, states Conti, is that the expert consensus on conflicting goals in passenger car tyre development – namely that overemphasis on rolling resistance leads inevitably to reduced wet braking performance – is essentially disputed by some market operators. “It is ultimately up to consumers to decide whether they want tyres with maximum safety in terms of short braking distances or tyres with extremely low rolling resistance and minimal fuel savings,” summarises Hippe.