Tyre tests highlight Conflicting goals in tyre development - Conti

ERJ staff report (DS)

Hanover, Germany -- Continental has used the latest round of winter tests in consumer magazines to highlight the conflict between rolling resistance and wet grip. While noting that Conti has done well in the tests, vice chairman of the Executive Board at Continental AG, Dr. Alan Hippe, observed that some low-priced the Asian manufacturers delivered good rolling resistance, but this came at the expense of wet grip -- and hence safety.

Continental noted, "several competitor products and cheap Asian imports designed primarily for low rolling resistance were marked down for poor performance on wet surfaces."

The company added, "Continental takes the view that the high weighting given by the test magazines to performance in wet conditions in Western and Central Europe appropriately reflects the importance of this criterion to motorists. What is astonishing is that the expert consensus on conflicting goals in car tire development - namely that overemphasis on rolling resistance leads inevitably to reduced wet braking performance - is essentially disputed by some market operators.

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Press release from Conti