New Van Tyre Delivers 30% Lower Rolling Resistance, says Conti

Van drivers looking for a tyre designed with rolling resistance in mind have a new option open to them in the form of Continental’s VancoEco range. The manufacturer states the new tyre has been specifically developed for van such as the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit and Volkswagen T5 and claims the VancoEco reduces rolling resistance by around 30 per cent – which equals a four per cent fuel saving. At the same time, adds Continental, the engineers have managed to keep the braking distance on dry and wet roads short, giving the VancoEco performance “like a car tyre.” The VanEco range is already available and has already been approved as original equipment on the new ‘BlueEfficiency’ models in Mercedes-Benz Viano and Vito line-ups.

Potential fuel savings, explains Conti, have been made possible by two design measures that together help reduce rolling resistance: The new van tyre features a silica tread compound and the tread design has been modified to considerably reduce deformation at the point where the tread elements come into contact with the road. These two measures combined with a very shallow tyre contour are the factors allowing rolling resistance to be reduced by up to 30 per cent, says Continental.

Saving fuel through reduced rolling resistance was but one priority in the new tyre’s design, Continental points out. The German manufacturer says its tyre engineers met the challenge of not foregoing safety-relevant properties for the sake of lower fuel consumption by using a tread that forms numerous small gripping edges during braking. Therefore, when braking in the wet a kind of “windscreen wiper effect” is created; Conti says this penetrates the water film and allows for shorter braking distances on wet roads. A solid belt tread is also incorporated into the VancoEco and the manufacturer says its use means that steering commands are transferred precisely, enabling fast evasive manoeuvres when unexpected obstacles appear.

The VancoEco range is produced for 15, 16 and 17-inch wheel rims in speed ratings up to ‘H’, accommodating speeds of us to 130mph/210 km/h. A total of eight sizes are planned for introduction up to spring 2011.