The transport and logistics sector is experiencing an unprecedented boom. The changes in consumer behaviour and the rapid growth of online shopping have led to the transport sector becoming the largest branch of the goods handling business in Europe.
Stable supply chains are more vital than ever. Regional transport, above all, is gaining increasingly in importance and the vehicles involved in regional goods transport, in particular, have to demonstrate the ability to absorb significant punishment.
Frequent braking and pulling away again, manoeuvres in tight situations and various load states on changing road surface conditions challenge all vehicle components day in, day out. And as a direct contact point between the vehicle and the road, the tyres play a fundamental role. Continental developed the new Generation 5 Conti Hybrid tyre line to rise to the challenge of performing this demanding role on a daily basis along regional routes that also include highway/freeway sections.
Getting the ball rolling for Generation 5 is the Conti Hybrid HS5 for the steer axle and the Conti Hybrid HD5 for the drive axle – in 22.5-inch format for combined use on regional roads and highways. The tyres meet the diverse requirements of heavy-duty fleet use, i.e. frequent acceleration, braking, manoeuvring and cornering on a variety of road surfaces.
The new premium tyres rise to the myriad challenges with an array of cutting-edge developments; innovative treads, rubber compounds and state-of-the-art casing constructions deliver superb performance thanks to excellent mileage, durability and traction combined with optimised rolling resistance. This makes the new Conti Hybrid a reliable partner throughout its service life. The new Conti Hybrid Generation 5 tyre line stands out with a mileage up to 20 percent higher than that of the predecessor generation – depending on the tyre size involved.
This new tyre line offers fleet operators exceptional overall performance throughout the tyres’ service life, as they have been developed specially to meet the demands of regional transport. “With the high mileage on offer and premium retread solution, the long service life of the tyres helps to achieve a high level of fleet efficiency and therefore ensure sustainable fleet management,” says Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Product Development Bus and Truck Tyres at Continental.
Diverse customer requirements
The rubber compounds used by the Conti Hybrid Generation 5 tyre line have been further developed specially to meet the exacting demands of regional transport. The treads, with their two-layer construction (cap base) and innovative compounds, enable a high mileage and considerable robustness while also optimizing rolling resistance in regional transport use. This also has a positive impact on fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions.
Both the Conti Hybrid HS5 for the steer axle and the Conti Hybrid HD5 for the drive axle offer top-class performance in all weather conditions and even with residual tread depths towards the end of the tyre life. A robust tread with new, full-width 3D matrix sipes takes the credit here.
Enhanced tread structure
The newly developed tread structure of the Conti Hybrid HD5 protects the tread and casing very effectively against stone damage at the drive axle. Centre grooves with increasing cavities in the second half of the tyre’s service life and special stone ejectors prevent stones becoming embedded in the tyre.
More information on the new generation of tyres can be found at www.gen5tyres.com.
Much more on this in the next print issue of Export & Freight…
