Continental Tire the Americas’ Commercial Vehicle Tire group has announced enhancements to its light truck tire lines that it said increases rolling resistance and mileage over the original miles by as much as 20%.
The tire lines are the HSR (heavy steer regional) and HDR (heavy drive regional), both available in 225/70R19.5.
“Compounding is the backbone of our improvement to the HSR and HDR. We have made structural modifications as well, which have resulted in longer wearing, cooler running and more fuel efficient tires that have been performance proven on both certified tracks and North American roads,” said Libor Heger, director of truck technology, the Americas.
According to Continental, the improvements help OEMs to meet 2014 EPA and NHTSA “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles” targets for rolling resistance and emissions reduction. Improved ride and handling characteristics are also advantages of the updates.
The tires’ rolling resistance coefficients have been measured using the ISO 28580 standard and have already been added to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model database for manufacturers of Class 2b–8 vocational trucks, classified as Category 3 by the EPA, Continental said.
“Compliance with the 2014 EPA ‘GHG’ regulations is particularly important for commercial light truck tires. For Category 3, the model only uses the rolling resistance values for steer and drive positions to determine compliance. This makes proper tire selection a critical step in maintaining an EPA compliant fleet, starting with original equipment,” Heger said.
The HSR offers speed rating “N” for optimum handling at highway speeds, Continental said. Tread depth is 16/32 in. for the all-position tread pattern, which provides long mileage in regional and local service. The improved HSR still offers a closed shoulder tread pattern for even wear and reduced noise, and a scuff rib to protect against curbing, cuts and abrasions – important for working commercial light trucks in urban or construction environments.
The HDR also offers speed rating “N”, and features a tread depth of 18/32 in. The HDR continues to offer an open shoulder tread pattern with tie-bar, which provides even tread wear along with reduced noise and excellent traction. Its aggressive tread design provides excellent lateral stability to minimize squirm and perform well in wet conditions
