Perhaps, perhaps, I never moved so confidently along the race track as on the new "continents." True, the cars were matched by him to match - Jaguars of the latest models, including the latest crossover F-Pace. So I really came off and enjoyed the excellent weather, cars and tires at the same time.
The car in the new Conti SportContact 6 brakes on wet surfaces more efficiently. The car in the new Conti SportContact 6 brakes on wet surfaces more efficiently.
But before I share the driving experience, a few words about the tire. According to its developers from Hanover, the Conti SportContact 6 is a new high-tech high-speed premium tire that is ideal for sports cars, for example, Audi R8 or Porsche 911, as well as for cars with pronounced sports characteristics - BMW M5, Mercedes AMG, Honda Civic Type R.
Conti SportContact 6 high-speed tires are available for 19–23-inch wheels. Conti SportContact 6 high-speed tires are available for 19–23-inch wheels.
The first high-speed Conti SportContact went on sale in 1994. It was produced for wheels with a diameter of 13 to 20 inches. Modern sports cars have noticeably increased wheel sizes, and therefore the Conti SportContact 6 is already offered in diameters of 19-23 inches.
Brand new Conti SportContact 6. Brand new Conti SportContact 6.
According to Yaron Widmeier, Continental Tires RUS General Director, who I also had a chance to talk to at the presentation, the designers noticeably increased the grip properties of the Conti SportContact 6 compared to the previous Conti SportContact 5P without compromising other tire characteristics. In its manufacture, the new Black Chili rubber compound is used, which is distinguished by microelasticity, due to which the tires hold tenaciously on different coatings. The polymers used as part of the mixture work like suction cups, which together provide optimal grip. All this clearly shows the following video.
Precise controllability and quick response to steering turns in the new model are achieved thanks to a special technology of directional forces for optimal power transmission. This involves various tread elements in the outer, inner and central sections of the tire. Three or four ribs located in the center, and the inner shoulder area of the tire provide maximum transmission of lateral forces, significantly improving steering accuracy. Since the outer part of the tire when cornering is subject to higher loads than the inner one, the edges of the ribs are made asymmetric. Due to this, the stability of the ribs increases and the ability to transfer higher forces is created. Working on the external shoulder zones, engineers connected blocks of various shapes to form one, larger element. Large tread blocks in the outer part are connected to interconnected elements in the second row. This allows the blocks to support each other during fast cornering and to ensure optimal transmission of lateral forces. How it works is best illustrated by the video.
SportContact 6 is approved for operation at speeds up to 350 km / h. This means that the tire must not only provide perfect braking, handling and directional stability, but also have a structure capable of withstanding such high speeds and the associated enormous centrifugal forces. The solution was found using the innovative Aralon 350 material - a synthetic fiber in which two strands of reinforced aramid are interwoven with one strand of elastic nylon. Such fiber in the rubber compound is placed under the tread in a seamless layer of the breaker and plays the role of an additional steel frame, stabilizing the tire contour and ensuring safety at high speeds.
The Conti SportContact 6 tires were designed to operate on both rear and front-wheel drive. The Conti SportContact 6 tires were designed to operate on both rear and front-wheel drive.
Conti SportContact 6 was demonstrated at the Jaguar Land Rover Experience near Moscow. Continental and Jaguar Land Rover are business partners: Continental tires go to assembly lines of the English brand. It is noteworthy that the fifth cross-sport is equipped with the first crossover launched in this year in the Jaguar line - the F-Pace. It must be assumed that soon he will change his shoes to a more advanced one - Conti SportContact 6. The tires are painfully good!
Arrivals took place on tires in the sizes 225 / 40ZR19, 255 / 35ZR19, 255 / 35ZR20, 245 / 40ZR19 and 295 / 30ZR20 on wet and dry asphalt. “Snakes” and “moose tests”, emergency braking were performed. For comparison, some cars were shod in Conti SportContact 2, and the F-Pace in Conti SportContact of the previous, fifth generation. After the first passage of the track, you pay attention to the fact that thanks to the improved coupling properties of the Conti SportContact 6, the car significantly reduces the braking distance. So I hit the brake pedal at the entrance gauge, and the Jaguar XF freezes two meters before exiting the braking zone. Exactly the same car on second generation tires stopped at the very exit.
On wet asphalt, the Conti SportContact 6 keeps the road almost as dry. On wet asphalt, the Conti SportContact 6 keeps the road almost as dry.
Great pleasure was given to the “snake”. But the second “sportkontakte” car went around the cones, and at the sixth it sometimes seemed to me that the car was writing out zigzags, as if scribbling on a giant sewing machine. So fast, in fact, instantaneous was the response to the movement of the steering wheel. Yes, this has not happened to me!
New tires are already sold in Russia. The price depends on the size and starts at 14, 000 rubles apiece. According to Continental, the sector of high-speed sports tires will grow in Europe, the world and in Russia, despite its collapsed economy and a decline in living standards. Perhaps the price would be more affordable if this tire were produced at the company's Kaluga plant, but so far it has been produced only at Continental enterprises in Germany and the Czech Republic.
“Continental offers an excellent sports tire to the Russian client,” says Yaron Widmeier, CEO of Continental Tires RUS. - We highly appreciate the spirit of competition and the passion for victory, which is why we are the official sponsor of the football world and European championships, including the current European Championship in France.
Despite the difficulties in the economy, in the Russian market there is an increase in demand for new premium sports cars, as evidenced by the indicators of 2015 and the beginning of 2016. The tire industry follows the demands of the automotive industry. In 2015, we noted an 8% growth in the Russian tire market in the ultra high performance segment, which includes tires with a diameter of 19 or more inches.
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This year Continental plans to exceed in its own sales the growth rate of this segment of the Russian market. We, as one of the world's leading manufacturers of automotive components, are responsive to changes in market conditions and are pleased to introduce a new model of SportContact 6 high-speed sports tires.
We know exactly what a high-speed tire should be. When you drive a sports car along the track, it is extremely important to grip the tire so that the tire adheres tenaciously and holds the car. But traction is not all. Need security. You need to provide excellent handling. Need a refined response to every movement of the steering wheel.
When driving on the new Conti SportContact 6 tires, you feel like you can afford to drive as fast as you want without putting yourself at risk.