ContiEarth joins Continental’s earthmover tyre range

Continental Commercial Specialty Tires (CST) has launched two new tyres for off-the-road applications – the Conti EM-Master, which is available in E3/L3 and E4/L4 versions, and the E4 Conti RDT-Master. The manufacturer says the tyres are customised for specific demands encountered in the construction and earthmover segment and offer “excellent traction and high cutting resistance” regardless of application condition, be it soft, muddy soil, solid terrain or anything in between. The first of these new ‘ContiEarth’ tyres will be available at the end of this year, and Continental says further sizes and tyre solutions are planned for 2016 and beyond.

Several years ago Continental initiated a strategy of investing into non-automotive areas within its business in order to give the company a more balanced footprint and reduce its vulnerability to automotive sector downturns. The CST business was a target area for this investment, and Continental says the two new products underline its business ambitions in the construction sector. “The Conti EM-Master E3/L3 and E4/L4 and the Conti RDT-Master E4 are once more successful outcomes of our customised solutions strategy,” says Christian Luther, earthmover tyres product line manager at Continental CST. “In view of our expansion strategy 2025, we will continue to expand and optimise our product and service portfolio in the segment of construction and mining in the course of the coming years.”

Conti EM-Master

The Conti EM-Master is available in two versions; the Conti EM-Master E3/L3 is especially suited for use in muddy and soft terrain, while the Conti EM-Master E4/L4 is more oriented for use on gravel and rocky surfaces. The difference between the two tyres lies in the tread pattern – the Conti EM-Master E3/L3 features a standard tread depth and wider spacing of blocks than the Conti EM-Master E4/L4. This, says Continental, results in excellent self-cleaning characteristics, powerful traction, and good manoeuvrability. The open tread design and 100 per cent tread depth of the E3/L3 tyre further offers better cooling and therefore less heat build-up, and thus contributes to a longer service life.

Compared to the Conti EM-Master E3/L3, the E4/L4 tyre version features a greater block size that has less spacing between the blocks and a deeper tread depth. The tyre thus offers greater casing protection and superior cutting resistance, minimising the risk of punctures and downtime. Continental shares that the tighter spacing between the tread blocks also results in smoother running, even on hard surfaces, and due to a high tread wear volume the Conti EM-Master E4/L4 offers an even longer service life than the E3/L3. Both Conti EM-Master E3/L3 and E4/L4 will be available in sizes 23.5R25, 26.5R25, and 29.5R25; the Conti EM-Master E3/L3 will also be produced in size 20.5R25. Recommended applications include articulated dump trucks, loaders, and dozers.

Conti RDT-Master

The Conti RDT-Master E4 is designed for transporting extra-heavy loads. The tyre features a deep tread and a wide and flat tread radius, qualities that lend themselves to a high loading capacity and cutting resistance. The angled tread edges and open shoulder design allow for higher lateral stability, which Continental says results in better driving behaviour and maximum traction, even on curvy terrain. In addition, the tread design is said to provide excellent cleaning characteristics on muddy ground. The RDT-Master E4 will be available in sizes 18.00R33, 21.00R33, 21.00R35 and 24.00R35 and is suitable for heavy-duty construction vehicles such as rigid dump trucks.

ContiPressureCheck compatibility

Continental confirms that its ContiPressureCheck monitoring system can be easily mounted on both the Conti EM-Master E3/L3 and E4/L4 and Conti RDT-Master E4. The automatic tyre pressure monitoring provided by the system reduces the risk of punctures and helps optimise fuel consumption and tyre management.

The difference between Conti EM-Master E3/L3 and the Conti EM-Master E4/L4 lies in the tread pattern – the first of these tyres features a standard tread depth and wider spacing of blocks than the second