The winter tire for crossovers and SUVs, Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850P SUV, was introduced by the German manufacturer simultaneously with its original version without the SUV abbreviation in the name, designed for conventional passenger cars. To a large extent, this is due to the fact that both novelties are essentially the same tire, differing from each other mainly in the design of the carcass and sidewalls. In the given model, they were significantly strengthened, which allowed giving it additional strength and carrying capacity, more corresponding to the increased weight of modern crossovers and SUVs. In other respects, this tire is fully identical to the "original", demonstrating the same high performance on any winter roads. Like the previous generation model, it was designed taking into account the climatic conditions of Western and Central Europe. Given the peculiarities of our climate, it is best suited for operation in cities, as well as in southern regions.
Improved traction on snow
Unlike most of its competitors, the German tire manufacturer preferred to create a new tread pattern for this model. It still features the "signature" asymmetric design, but at the same time, it is noticeably different from what was used in the previous generation tire. The key innovation is a significant increase in the number of tread blocks, for which the developers had to significantly reduce the size of these elements. The goal of this decision was not only to increase the number of gripping edges. The number of cross-shaped grooves located between them has changed accordingly, thanks to which the tread has the ability to hold much more snow. This has led to a significant improvement in traction properties on snowy roads, and at the same time, a reduction in the braking distance on them.
New lamellization technology
On compacted snow and ice, numerous lamellae, cut into all tread blocks, begin to work. This tire, Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850P SUV, became the debut for the PrecisionPlus technology. It represents a new version of the lamella system. One of its key features is the location of these miniature tread elements at a large angle relative to the direction of movement and to each other.
In addition, the design of the lamellae themselves has changed significantly. In their current form, not only their own walls are blocked, but also their "neighbors". As a result, when in contact with the road, the rigidity of the entire tread block increases instantly, and not its individual sections, as it was in the previous generation tire.
These technical solutions significantly expand the functionality of the lamellae, as they allow not only providing increased traction on compacted snow and ice but also directional stability and maneuverability on these types of coverage. It is also worth noting the significant increase in the number of lamellae, which further improves the above-mentioned operational characteristics.
Excellent handling on dry surfaces
Another important innovation of this model is the changed design of the shoulder areas. Compared to the previous tire, they have become much wider, as well as the tread blocks located here, which, thanks to this, have increased stiffness. This feature manifests itself in movement in the form of sporty-sharpened handling on dry surfaces.
The second important factor that determines the increased stability of this tire in turns is the changed design of the sidewalls. This part of the tire, when subjected to lateral acceleration forces, deforms in a certain way, in which its contact patch remains practically unchanged, as it does during straight-line movement. Additional stability is provided by the reinforced breaker, which adds stability to the tread against dynamic deformation.
Short braking distance
When developing this tire, much attention was paid to ensuring maximum performance during braking. To do this, the German tire manufacturer used a whole complex of technical measures. The key one is the original design of the above-mentioned lamellae. When braking, they, when opening, deform the tread blocks in a certain way, so that the size of their contact patch with the road is as large as possible and does not change when the degree of influence of centrifugal acceleration forces changes. This feature significantly reduces the braking distance, both on dry and wet roads, where additional traction is provided due to the numerous edges formed when the lamellae open.
Main features of the Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850P SUV tire
- the tire was developed taking into account the climatic characteristics of Western and Central Europe;
- improved traction on snow is provided due to the tread with an increased number of blocks and drainage grooves located between them;
- the optimized lamellization system significantly improves the traction and braking characteristics of the tire on wet roads, compacted snow, and ice;
- the increased width of the shoulder areas, as well as their open design, increases the tire's stability when maneuvering, its passability on snow, and its braking properties on snowy roads;
- triangular drainage grooves between the blocks on the outer side of the tread improve traction on snow and the tire's resistance to slushplaning;
- excellent handling, fast and accurate reactions to steering wheel turns in any conditions are provided due to the design of the sidewalls, which deform in such a way that the tire's contact patch with the road remains practically the same as during straight-line movement;
- short braking distance on dry surfaces due to the ability of the blocks to increase the contact patch when slowing down and maintain its size stable when changing the intensity of braking;
- increased reliability and service life of the tire, thanks to the reinforced design of the carcass and breaker, where, in addition to traditional materials, modern synthetic materials were widely used;
- optimized rubber compound with increased silica content and special polymers, thanks to which the tread remains elastic at strong frosts and resistant to high-temperature effects when driving on dry roads at high speeds.
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