Generation 3 winter tyres for safe driving in wintry road conditions now complete with addition of 22.5-inch tyre. New technologies and special winter compound offer improved performance in terms of grip, mileage, rolling resistance and safety.
Continental’s Scandinavia Winter Tyre Range Grows
Rain, slush, ice – European winters have become unpredictable, so for trucking companies it is particularly important to choose the right tyre concept. The new Continental winter tyres play a major part in improving road safety and in enabling drivers to deliver the goods on time, even in extreme winter weather. This also makes them a key factor in the commercial success of logistics firms.
Companies with trucks operating across Europe have to contend with topography and weather conditions that place very different demands on their tyres. Widely varying assignments on wintry roads – complete with snow and ice, dry and wet sections – pose major challenges for drivers, trucks and tyres.
These requirements were the focal point for Continental’s expert tyre developers as they engineered the latest winter tyre generation. The outcome is the new product line from the Scandinavia family, now completed by the addition of a 22.5-inch tyre. This product line not only meets the requirements of a specialist for extreme winter applications but also checks all the boxes as a winter all-rounder. As a result, the Generation 3 Conti Scandinavia HS3, HD3 and HT3 tyres are well equipped to make a key contribution to the operational safety of vehicles in an extremely wide range of road and weather conditions.
The mileage of the Conti Scandinavia HS3 has been increased by as much as 10 percent over that of the Generation 2 and fuel efficiency has been improved by up to 5 percent. The new Conti Scandinavia HD3 offers very good traction in snow and excellent wet grip.
The new Generation 3 winter tyre unites decades of development experience and extensive expertise in winter performance. “As our customers face tougher market demands, they expect us to deliver higher-performance products,” says Hinnerk Kaiser, Head of Tyre Development at Continental. “For the Generation 3 winter tyres we pooled our tyre expertise and brought new technologies into play in order to push the performance envelope.” As a result, the new Scandinavia product line plays a decisive part in increasing driver safety and helps keep the vehicles running smoothly even in extreme conditions. These winter tyres offer all the necessary traction without compromising on mileage and service life.
The advances in this winter tyre range have been achieved in many different ways: “We decided to use a higher natural rubber content so as to further improve rolling resistance and maximize flexibility in low temperatures,” explains Kaiser. This new winter compound offers very good traction in exacting winter conditions. The two-stage siping technology increases safety and optimizes rolling resistance. And the compound ratios are designed to give the tyres better wear properties, enabling them to deliver higher mileage over a longer service life.
The Conti Scandinavia HS3 offers maximum steering stability and optimal water drainage at the steer axle thanks to pocket sipe technology. The innovative pattern design features a large number of sipes for optimal traction on wintry roads. Stone trapping is minimised by the pattern geometry, with beveled flanks set at different angles.
The Conti Scandinavia HD3 new drive axle tyre rises to numerous challenges posed by wintry roads: reliable power transmission to the road, directional control through corners and the ability to transfer the full braking power generated by the truck’s service brake or retarder. Key to achieving these goals is the new pattern geometry. The longitudinal groove prevents stone trapping through a zigzag arrangement with beveled flanks set at different angles. And beveled edges make for a more stone-resistant design. As a result, this tyre delivers good traction and brake force transmission with no compromises.
The Conti Scandinavia HT3 features innovative siping technology, which delivers a high level of safety. Pocket sipes provide good stability in turning and braking maneuvers, while the tyre’s wide shoulders safely withstand strong lateral forces.
Over the course of its usage cycle, the new Conti Scandinavia Generation 3 transitions from a winter specialist into an all-season tyre. As the tyre’s winter tread wears down, its two-phase tread design provides a much higher tread area in the summer – with direct benefits in terms of directional stability. With their lower rolling resistance and two-phase tread design, the new Scandinavia winter tyres also perform well when it comes to fuel consumption. And a further increase in total mileage means a marked drop in operating costs. The innovative casing technology of these tyres means they can also be retreaded, thereby reducing their environmental impact.
The current regulations in Germany for winter road use stipulate tyres with the 3PMSF (3-peak mountain snowflake) symbol on the drive and steer axle. In Austria this applies for at least one drive axle, although tyres with the M+S symbol are also permitted. Here, cross-ply tyres must have at least six millimetres of tread depth remaining, radial tyres at least five millimetres. When driving into or through Switzerland, local regulations on tyres must be observed. As a general rule, only 3PMSF tyres are considered suitable for winter road conditions here.
Across Europe the minimum tread depth for winter tyres is 1.6 millimeters. The recommended depth is 4 millimeters. In Norway 3PMSF winter tyres are mandatory on the drive axle and front steer axle (M+S or 3PMSF tyres on all other axles). Use of winter tyres is compulsory from November 15 – March 31, in Slovenia until March 15.
