Continental has launched its latest truck tyre, the Conti Eco Gen 5. Designed for regional and long-distance haulage, compared with the previous Conti EcoPlus Gen3+ and Conti EcoRegional Gen3+, it’s said to offer better mileage and lower rolling resistance.
The tyre was created with the lowest overall driving cost (LODC) in mind, this is Continental’s take on total cost of ownership (TCO). It’s estimated that a tyre’s purchase price accounts for 2% of a truck’s TCO costs. Tansu Isik, head of fleet solutions, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), says: “Tyres also have a significant impact on fuel, maintenance and repair costs, administrative efforts, as well as tolls, which [together] account for on average 50% of total costs.”
In the tyre’s use phase around 90% of the vehicle’s emissions are influenced by its rolling resistance. The remaining 10% of the tyre’s CO2 footprint is linked to the raw materials used, manufacturing, logistics and end of life processing.
Eco Gen 5 is offered in two variants, Conti Eco HS 5 is for the steer axle and Conti Eco HD 5.
The range is now available in 315/70 and 315/80 sizes for Eco HS 5 and Eco HD 5 for 22.5-inch rims. The steer tyre is also available in 385/55 and 385/65 sizes.
Tread patterns for the drive and steer tyre have been redesigned to optimise tyre characteristics. Hinnerk Kaiser, head of product development bus and truck tyres EMEA, said: “By using a new tread design we managed to combine the robustness of a long-distance tyre with the traction capabilities of a regional one.”
An optimised shoulder design, combined with a hard-wearing compound supports even wear across the tyre, extending mileage by 2% over the previous generation while rolling resistance is down 10%.
Low rolling resistance and increased mileage often work against each other. Kaiser said: “In the past, if a tyre ran particularly smoothly and therefore needed less drive energy, that might come at the expense of robustness and durability.”
From the factory, operators can specify sensors inside the tyre for the ContiConnect digital tyre management system. This allows fleet managers to keep tyre pressure at optimal levels at all times, improving tyre longevity and fuel efficiency. Continental is planning to expand the ability of these sensors to analyse tread depth as well.
