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Continental Tyres
Continental is a household name when it comes to tyres with a foothold in the tyre market in every corner of the globe and a reputation for quality products.
History of Continental.
Continental began in 1871 in the town of Hanover, Germany as a company that specialised in soft rubber items such as rubberised fabrics, solid tyres and more.
By 1898, Continental was showing great innovation by way of pneumatic automotive tyres that set the trend that is still being followed today. Early air-filled tyres had no tyre tread patterns. Grooved tyres came later.
1904 finally brought about tyres with grooves moulded into the tyre face. These grooves allowed for better performance in wet conditions. The next year, studded tyres were released. These new tyres had rivets placed around the tyre that gave fantastic performance when driven in snow and ice.
Over the years since their inception, Continental have manufactured not just tyres, but balloon fabric for airships, brake systems, hybrid vehicle powertrain components, vehicle electronics, advanced materials for next generation technologies and even soles for Adidas running shoes in some markets.
Continental Today.
Today, Continental stills employs over 7,500 employees in Hanover, the city where they originally began. This makes them the 4th largest employer in the region.
Continental is currently the 4th largest tyre manufacturer globally, trailing behind Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear.
While the Continental brand focuses on high performance tyres for on-road use, including passenger vehicles, performance SUVs and commercial vehicles such as trucks, you can find a range of more off-road orientated tyres under their sub-division, General Tire.
Hoosier Racing Tire is a company that specialises in tyres aimed specifically at competition use. Hoosier was acquired by Continental in 2016 and continues to be manufactured in Indiana at their Plymouth tyre plant that also manufactures Continental and General tyres.
The Continental Range
Continental makes a range of tyres to suit a variety of vehicles. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ranges and what types of vehicle these tyres are aimed at.
EcoContact
Continental’s range of Eco tyres is all about improving fuel economy numbers without sacrificing wet weather safety and noise.
Lower rolling resistance is made possible by advancements in tyre compound design paired with modern tread geometry.
Tyres in the EcoContact range are typically found in sizes to suit smaller passenger cars and inner-city commuters.
SportContact and 4x4SportContact
The Sport range of tyres covers a variety of applications from passenger vehicles, sports cars and performance SUV’s.
The Sport range is characterised by tread patterns that minimise aquaplaning as well as compounds that serve to shorten braking distances.
SportContact tyres that are sized for heavier cars and SUVs offer stiffer shoulders, ensuring handling is crisp and direct with great stability while cornering.
PremiumContact
The PremiumContact range is a blend of the other tyres we’ve looked at so far.
You can expect tyres in this range to offer great wet weather braking performance, high levels of dry performance as well as improved aquaplaning resistance.
PremiumContact tyres have low rolling resistance to improve fuel economy.
CrossContact
CrossContact tyres are designed for the driver who spends most of their time on the road, but wants a tyre that won’t give up at the hint of light off-road use.
Typically CrossContact tyres will offer excellent aquaplaning resistance as well as reinforced sidewalls for puncture resistance.
Extra tread siping assists with wet weather performance while silica tread compounds reduce rolling resistance for long drives between filling up.
UltraContact and MaxContact
The Ultracontact and MaxContact range of tyres are specifically designed to provide outstanding wet weather on-road performance.
Ultra performance in dry weather meets wet weather braking performance and high speed stability for the perfect drivers tyre. Central tread ribs provide outstanding handling and great feedback through the steering wheel.
Contact the experts at Donnellans
Continental is a company committed to creating safe, efficient, and comfortable tyres to suit a variety of vehicles.
Browse our range of tyres to find the best tyre for your needs.
At Donnellans, we have outstanding product knowledge that, combined with our local area expertise, allows us to provide outstanding service and tailored product recommendations to suit you and your vehicle.
For your tyre, wheel and servicing needs, contact Donnellans the Tyremen.
Contact us today
