Conti’s European Tour Gets Underway With 6 New Truck Tyres

At the start of May Continental kicked off its “Road-Show 2009”, and is taking its show truck – featuring a display of its tyres and their various features – on a European tour. The road trip traverses the continent, from Helsinki to southern Portugal, Paris to the Baltic states and on to Sofia in Bulgaria. In total the Road-Show will cover more than 20 European Union lands and stop at more than 50 locations.

The 2009 show follows seamlessly on from the previous year’s event – in 2008 Conti presented its now much-awarded HTR 2 trailer tyre during the course of the 23,000 journey. This year the company’s new second generation R and L truck tyres will be displayed and experienced gained through the tyres’ development programme outlined in a multimedia presentation. Also on board is the new DEKRA certified ‘ContiCostCalculator’ software, designed to provide a realistic estimate of total tyre cost. Tyre servicing information will also be shared at each stop.

The new tyres’ main attributes – even higher mileage, considerably lower fuel consumption and a further rise in safety – will be explained in detail during the Road-Show. Attention will be given, for example, to the new casing technology utilised: A 4-ply triangular belt absorbs the forces from lateral and radial directions and reduces the intrinsic movement of the tyre at its root, ensuring a more stable ride with increased driving safety. All tyres also feature the Air-Keep system launched with the HTR 2. This system maintains the tyre inflation pressure at a constant level for up to 50 per cent longer than before, an important contribution to improving the rolling resistance. The L and R series tyres were first released onto the market in April 2009.