For heavy-duty on-highway service, Continental General Tire's (CGT) Commercial Div. has designed the Continental HDL drive tire using the industry's most advanced technologies. The HDL offers an aggressive open-shoulder tread pattern with a new feature - sipes in the tread block.
According to the manufacturer, the sipes effectively turn each tread block into three separate elements to greatly reduce the heel/toe wear common in open-shoulder-type tires. The innovative design, CGT explains, gives the HDL the wet and snow traction of an open-shoulder tire combined with the irregular-wear resistance of a closed-shoulder tire.
Greater angularity between the variable-sized shoulder tread blocks means reduced stone retention, while variable-size blocks produce less noise.
CGT engineers used 3-D imagery and finite element techniques to build HDL tires digitally, also subjecting them to external criteria such as load, inflation, and heat. The result, the manufacturer notes, is a tread that maintains outstanding traction throughout the life of the tire.
Computer imaging shows that as one of these tire's gradually wears from a tread depth of 28/32nds it retains its ability to hold the road, providing better handling and security to operators. To enhance fuel economy, the tires are also built with special compounds designed for low rolling resistance. The HDL is currently available in four sizes: 11R22.5, 11R24.5, 275/80R22.5, and 285/75R24.5.
