Continental introduces Generation 3 construction truck tires and digital tire monitoring solutions at Texas event

Heavy Equipment Guide and Recycling Product News attended a demo of Continental's construction and on/off-road tire portfolio at the company's proving grounds in Uvalde, Texas, in September. Demos ranged from a 19.5-inch medium-duty truck tire up to heavy truck tires and earthmoving OTR tires. The company also introduced its digital tire monitoring solutions.

Continental debuted its Generation 3 construction truck tires for on/off-road or mixed use. The Conti HSC 3 steer/all-position tire, Conti HDC 3 drive tire, and Conti HAC 3 all-position tire are ideal for construction, cement, utility, emergency vehicles, forestry and logging applications.

The tires deliver high performance in mileage, durability, traction and retreadability, all of which lower overall driving cost in the on/off-road segment. These tires are pre-equipped with Continental tire sensors for digital monitoring of tire pressure and temperature, and are covered by a 6 year, 3 retread warranty.

Pre-equipping these tires with sensors offers the benefits of tire monitoring in on/off-road applications. When used off-road, tires are at greater risk of cuts, chipping and chunking, and punctures. In off-road applications the tires operate under heavier loads in a limited radius. Frequent starting, stopping and braking causes heat buildup, especially in warmer weather. Monitoring via sensors ensures that tires always have properly maintained air pressure and internal casing temperature can be monitored. This helps fleets reduce downtime, improves safety and boosts fuel efficiency. It also minimizes labour and maintenance costs associated with tire inspections.

Marco Rabe, director of Truck Tire Technology for Continental called the company's tire monitoring solutions for construction tires a game changer. "Every tire will have a pressure intelligence sensor which will allow us to provide real time data of temperature and pressure of the tire."

Rabe said that the data can be accessed multiple ways. "The simplest way is the yard reader which is basically a stationary antenna which picks up the sensors in one position. That's good for small fleets or yards where trucks can come to a stationary unit." This is a low-investment option and no hardware is needed on the truck in this case.

"The next step is to install some hardware on the trucks which would access that data and then either display it inside the truck or connect it to a telematics system." The telematics system would be accessed at an office.

The sensors have a six-year, 400,000-mile battery life and have a six-year warranty.

Conti HSC 3

This heavy truck, steer/all-position, construction tire, delivers significant benefits over its predecessor, HSC1, including an estimated 11 percent mileage improvement. Event attendees experienced the Conti HSC 3 at several demonstrations, including cut-and-chip testing, stone ejection, curbing, uphill wet traction and wet braking.

Built on Continental's 3G casing for reduced heat buildup and improved retreadability, the tire also features a wider tread platform to increase mileage. The off-road belt package delivers improved penetration resistance. New cap/base tread compounds deliver a 100 percent improvement in cuts to the belt during cut-and-chip testing, as well as reducing heat build-up.

The Conti HSC 3 answers demands from the market, including excellent on-road mileage, stone ejectors in the tread pattern for self-cleaning to prevent stone drilling, and strong, thick sidewall reinforcement. As an intelligent tire, it is ready for Continental's digital tire monitoring solutions to identify punctures and creeping air loss, helping avoid breakdowns in a time-critical industry.

The Conti HSC 3 has a 24/32-inch tread depth and is currently available in the following sizes: 11R22.5 LRH, 11R24.5 LRH, and 315/80R22.5 LRL. It is also available in a matching retread, ContiTread HSC 3, available in 210 mm, 220 mm, 230 mm, and 240 mm widths.

Conti HDC 3

This heavy truck, drive, construction tire, delivers significant benefits over the previous product, HDC1, with an estimated 15 percent improvement in life expectancy. Event attendees experienced the Conti HDC 3 at several demonstrations, including cut-and-chip testing, stone ejection, curbing, uphill wet traction and wet braking. The matching ContiTread HDC 3 retread was also demonstrated in the traction sand pit.

The new tread pattern delivers excellent lateral traction throughout tire life, and features self-cleaning design to prevent stone drilling. The tire has a broad, even-pressure footprint for improved wear, traction, and cut resistance. It is built on Continental's 3G casing with 250 mm wide tread platform – wider than the Michelin X Works XDY, Bridgestone M799 and Continental HDC1. A wide tread platform delivers increased mileage and longer tread life.

With an aggressive open shoulder design and lug design for maximum traction, excellent retreadability, and a strong, thick, sidewall, it answers demands from the market. In addition, as an intelligent tire, it is equipped for Continental's digital tire monitoring solutions to help maximize traction through proper air pressure.

Continental's Generation 3 steer and drive tire for construction deliver superior stopping power in wet braking tests. Tested on a 2-axle heavy duty truck, the Conti HSC 3 / Conti HDC 3 stopped 9.5-feet sooner than a truck with Bridgestone M853 / M799, enough distance to place a smart car in between. It stopped 11.2-feet sooner than a truck with Continental HSC1 / HDC1. For performance in all weather conditions, fleets can depend on the new Conti HSC 3 and Conti HDC 3 tires.

The Conti HDC 3 has a 30/32-inch tread depth and is currently available in the following sizes: 11R22.5 LRH, 11R24.5 LRH. It is also available in a matching retread, ContiTread HDC 3, available in 210 mm, 220 mm, 230 mm, 240 mm and 250 mm widths.

Conti HAC 3

This heavy truck, all-position, construction tire delivers significant benefits over its predecessor, HTC1, with new cap/base tread compounds for improved mileage and traction. Event participants experienced the incredible traction of the Conti HAC 3 and ContiTread HDC 3 retread on a cement mixer traveling across Continental's 30-foot-wide sand pit.

With a casing designed to resist irregular wear, a self-cleaning tread pattern, and a rugged 4-belt package to resist impacts, bruises, and penetrations, the Conti HAC 3 delivers maximum hours of service. It answers market demands such as increased sidewall gauge for road hazard protection, and the same high performance on/off-road cap/base tread compounds used in all Generation 3 construction tires. Equipped with tire sensors, it is ready for Continental's digital solutions to help reduce heat build-up and irregular wear through proper air pressure, as well as measure casing temperature.

The Conti HAC 3 is currently available in the following sizes: 385/65R22.5 LRL at 22/32-inch tread depth, and 425/65R22.5 LRL at 24/32-inch tread depth.