The Polestar 2 can be ordered with factory-fitted Continental PremiumContact 6 and SportContact 6 tyres in size 245/40 R20. Both original equipment tyres are V-rated and thus approved for speeds up to 149 mph (240 km/h) and have an XL mark for a higher maximum load. For those seeking winter surefootedness, Polestar has also approved the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P in size 245/45R19 102V XL.
Continental shares that the new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance is being delivered with its tyres as original equipment. The plug-in hybrid, which is the most powerful roadgoing AMG vehicle ever, wears the SportContact 6 at the front in size 265/40 ZR 20 (104Y) XL and 295/35 ZR 20 (105Y) XL on the rear wheels. Both dimensions are marked MO1B on the sidewall to denote their OE status.
Continental reports that its share of the tyre market for fully electric vehicles is growing, with six of the ten global highest-volume manufacturers of electric vehicles selecting the brand as original equipment in 2020. This includes fitment on key electric models like the Tesla Model 3 and Model S, and Volkswagen’s ID.3, as well as with manufacturers aiming to gain a foothold in the European electric vehicle market, such as BYD, one of China’s largest car producers.
Continental’s sixth-generation range of award-winning car tyres provide grip and safety across a broad range of road car applications.
Continental’s ultra-high performance summer tyre, the SportContact 6 is currently available in a range of 101 articles, produced for rims with diameters of between 18 and 24 inches. The manufacturer states that the tyre is particularly suited to pure sports cars such as the Audi R8 or Porsche 911 as well as vehicles such as the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes AMG, due to its high-grip Black Chili compound, tread design, and Aralon 350 reinforced construction, which offers safe driving up to 220mph.
Yesterday we reported the results of the Auto Motor und Sport summer 2019 tyre test and noted that while no tyre received the publication’s highest rating, most gained its recommendation. It’s a different story at sister title Sportauto – its test of eight tyres yielded a ‘highly recommended’ winner, but six of the candidates only received a lukewarm endorsement.
TyreReviews.co.uk has built an influential position within the growing online tyre business sector over the last half-decade. The site’s core focus of user-generated tyre reviews gives visitors the opportunity to present feedback on their experiences with more than 2,500 products; this has resulted in what Tyre Reviews quantifies as “3 billion miles” of motorist feedback. This mileage has helped it to reach around 2.8 million monthly page views (based on March 2016), and as a result the site now claims to influence, via online research, “more than a sixth” of tyre sales in the UK every month. In 2016, the site’s owner, Jonathan Benson, began to publish video tyre reviews himself in addition to the site blog, the most recent of which could be a world first (see video below/on Tyrepress.com). Given the site’s claim to influence such a large proportion of UK tyre sales, Tyres & Accessories also asked Benson for his views on how tyre manufacturers and distributors can increase their own online engagement to capture more of this currently growing market.
Last year, Continental celebrated a second consecutive victory for its ContiSportContact 5 in evo magazine’s annual summer tyre test. Since that time the back-to-back winner has been superseded by the SportContact 6, and Continental’s new generation rubber is proving a chip off the old block. Evo’s 2016 test of nine size 235/35 R19 summer tyres finished with the SportContact 6 gaining top points in the dry and wet braking tests, a result that helped it stave off strong competition, including wet handling category winner the Yokohama Advan Sport V105, to secure overall first place.
A Jaguar F-Type, half a dozen 20-inch tyre models, and nothing much to complain about – these are the key ingredients in the latest tyre test from Auto Bild Sportscars. The German magazine’s test of premium and quality segment tyres focused on the front axle size 255/35 and rear 295/30 size. All of the six tested brands carried the ‘Y’ speed rating.
Just a generation ago the humble motor vehicle doubled as a ‘fortress of solitude’, a place the long arm of everyday responsibility couldn’t reach and a haven for those seeking a few moments’ headspace at the start or the end of a busy day. But unreachability is an increasingly scarce commodity these days. The introduction of hands-free systems has transformed the fortress into an office on four wheels for many, and now technology lurking just around the corner will bring our home-life cares to us on the road as well.
One of the many global debuts we can expect at this month’s IAA exhibition is the latest and greatest from Continental, and prior to the Frankfurt show dealers and automotive media gained the chance to discover this new ultra high performance summer tyre – a product Continental’s head of tyre development says is the company’s sportiest on-road tyre ever. Our first impression of the Continental SportContact 6 is of a tyre that allows drivers to explore the limits of sport car performance while offering a forgiving response should the limits of the driver’s own abilities be reached first.
Continental says it will publicly display its new ultra high performance summer tyre for the first time at September’s IAA Cars exhibition in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The tyre maker isn’t giving much away, however it shares that the SportContact 6 will provide “maximum grip, maximum control, and maximum stability” at speeds of up to 350 km/h.
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