Conti HD Hybrid impressing Tarrant International with longevity

Irish haulier Tarrant International Transport has declared itself impressed with the longevity of Continental’s new HD Hybrid truck tyre. The drive axle tyre is designed for combined regional and long-haul use, and having achieved 280,000 km already Tarrant is confident that 300,000 km will be reached before the tyres require replacing. Donagh Tarrant, transport manager at the Cork based family-run firm said the performance was “exceptional and well beyond the mileage that we have been getting out of another premium brand.” In fact, he expects nearly to double the mileage achieved by previously fitted tyres.

The HD Hybrid is particularly suited to Tarrant’s operation because of its broad range of applications; the company’s trucks average 160-180,000 km/year on journeys that can take them as far as Eastern Europe and North Africa. The company has been trialling the HD Hybrid on a FH13 Globetrotter XL which has a power rating of 460 bhp and a torque output of 2300 Nm. The tyre has proved well able to handle these large amounts of power and torque as well as the high retarder forces exerted during steep hill descents.

“The HD Hybrid tyre has also coped well with the wide variety of road surface and climatic conditions that our trucks encounter on their long trips across Europe,” adds Tarrant. “It takes all these variations in its stride and performs equally well in wintry conditions as in the heat, and as a tyre designed for a combination of motorway and regional use it suits our operations perfectly.”

Tarrant International runs a fleet of 42 top-of-the-range artics and over 100 trailers, including refrigerated, curtainsider, euroliner and tipping types. When replacing tyres, its current choice is the Continental HSR2 for steer axles, the HTR2 for the trailers and of course the HD Hybrid on the drive, all supplied through local Conti360 dealer Advance Pitstop in Mallow.

On steer axles the Continental HSR2 is Tarrant International’s tyre of choice. It features intermediate blocks for extra traction, a deep cut and chip resistant tread compound and a tread design that is resistant to scrub wear. 

On its trailers the company uses the Continental HTR2 tyre. The low weight of this tyre contributes to better fuel economy and high mileage is achieved as a result of the use of a precisely balanced compound and the tyre’s unique tread geometry. The patented groove pattern ejects stones easily, reducing the risk of tyre damage, whilst keeping noise levels low and within legal limits.

“We’re very satisfied with the performance of our Continental tyres both on our tractor units and our trailers,” says Donagh Tarrant. “They tick all the boxes in terms of safety, high mileage, and good performance in all road and load conditions and the HD Hybrid is proving particularly impressive. We also get excellent service from our local Conti360? network partner, Advance Pitstop.”