Continental demonstrates solutions for construction at Uvalde proving grounds
Continental demonstrated solutions for the construction and other on/off-road industries at its proving grounds in Uvalde, Texas, on September 24-26. Approximately 100 attendees viewed demonstrations of Continental’s tire portfolio, from 19.5” to medium and heavy truck tires to earthmoving Off The Road (OTR) tires, as well as digital tire monitoring solutions.
The event served as the public debut of Continental’s new 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 deliver key benefits for the on/off-road application, including construction, cement, utility, emergency vehicles, forestry, and logging.
The tires deliver high performance in mileage, durability, traction, and retreadability, the key aspects for lower overall driving cost. All arrive from the factory pre-equipped with Continental tire sensors for digital monitoring of tire pressure and temperature, and are covered by a 6-year, 3 retread warranty.
Continental chose to pre-equip these tires with sensors due to the inherent benefits of tire monitoring in the on/off-road environment. During the off-road portion of the construction application, tires are more susceptible to cuts, chipping and chunking, and punctures.
Additionally, the tires operate under heavier loads in a limited radius, meaning there is quite a bit of starting, stopping, braking, thus causing heat build-up – especially in warmer regions during the summer season. This is where it’s critical to ensure that tires always have properly maintained air pressure and to monitor internal casing temperature.
By embedding sensors in each of the construction tires, Continental now offers a complete solution for the demanding construction application. Continental’s digital solutions help fleets reduce downtime, improve safety and fuel efficiency, and minimize labor and maintenance costs associated with tire inspections. Digital tire monitoring solutions are key in this increasingly technological environment where fleets need to maintain premium tire casings and reduce the overall driving costs.
Conti HSC 3, a heavy truck, steer/all-position, construction tire, delivers significant benefits over its predecessor, HSC1, including an estimated 11 percent mileage improvement, according to the company. 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 build-up 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 company says.
The Conti HSC 3 offers 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” 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, a heavy truck, drive, construction tire, delivers significant benefits over the previous product, HDC1, with an estimated 15 percent improvement in life expectancy, according to the company. 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 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 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, 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 stopping power in wet braking tests. Tested on a 2-axle heavy duty truck, the Conti HSC 3 / Conti HDC 3 stopped 11.2’ sooner than a truck with Continental HSC1 / HDC1.
The Conti HDC 3 has a 30/32” 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, a 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 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” tread depth, and 425/65R22.5 LRL at 24/32” tread depth.
Continental’s newest generation of construction tires for mixed service deliver the performance fleets demand in mileage, durability, traction, and retreadability. Intelligent tires enhance all these benefits through digital tire monitoring.
19.5” product
The Conti Terra HD3, which participants experienced through a Ride & Drive across the desert hills of the Uvalde Proving Grounds, is the only 19.5” severe service drive tire currently available for the U.S. and Canada market, says the company. It is ideal for Class 4 and 5 working trucks, with an aggressive open shoulder design and a cut and tear resistant tread compound. It is differentiated by its retreadable casing, which is protected by a 6-year, 2 retread warranty. It is also intelligent tire capable, for fleets who want to digitally measure air pressure and temperature.
Digital tire monitoring solutions
Every Generation 3 construction tire and radial Off the Road tire comes pre-equipped with a tire sensor, direct from the plant. Sensors are mounted on the inner liner of the tire for maximum accuracy and protection from theft and damage. Unlike valve-mounted sensors which can be damaged during curbing and which use an algorithm to calculate values, the Continental sensor is securely adhered to the inner liner of the tire and physically reads the air pressure and temperature.
Continental offers multiple receiver systems to read the sensors. One characteristic of Continental digital tire monitoring solutions is that components of all systems can be combined to take advantage of different functionalities, thus creating a customized fit for each fleet.
ContiConnect is ideal for fleets whose trucks or buses return to the terminal daily. The yard reader station, mounted in the fleet yard, collects data from all the tire sensors within range, an approximate 65’ radius. It is typically mounted at a guard shack, fuel island, or other central point in the fleet yard. The data is analyzed and displayed in the online ContiConnect web portal, which is mobile-friendly for viewing on phones or tablets. The system also triggers text and email alerts for low tire pressure or high temperature, using custom thresholds set by the fleet within the system’s operating limits.
Event attendees experienced receiving ContiConnect alerts on their cell phones.
“ContiConnect is an accessible solution for domiciled fleets, such as those used in construction and regional hauling,” said Michelle Reinhart, Continental’s head of digital solutions for commercial vehicle tires in the Americas region. “The yard reader picks up all the tire sensors within range and delivers the data to the web portal. The portal sends text and email alerts if low pressure or high temperature thresholds are breached, and the trigger levels can be set by each fleet. This allows the maintenance manager to confirm proper tire pressure before vehicles leave the fleet yard, and as soon as they return. It’s a simple way to maintain control of your tire program.”
ContiPressureCheck monitors a single vehicle in real-time, alerting the driver to tire pressure and temperature issues via an in-cab display. It is ideal for fleets whose trucks or buses are away from the terminal for long periods of time, and for owner-operators. The ContiPressureCheck system can also be connected to any of the company’s telematics partners for remote data viewing in the telematics platform. Current partners include Zonar, PeopleNet, and Geotab for truck and bus telematics, and Road Ready for trailer telematics.
“With Continental’s ContiPressureCheck system, the driver can monitor the tire pressure situation in real-time and determine whether they need to immediately pull off the road or whether they can safely make it to the next service station,” explained Reinhart. “By adding a telematics integration, a fleet manager or dispatcher could help with this analysis in real-time as well.”
Event attendees learned about ContiConnect and ContiPressureCheck from Michelle Reinhart, Continental’s head of digital solutions for commercial vehicle tires in the Americas region, and Trey Thompson, digital solutions field engineer. In a live demonstration, they showed how Continental’s digital tire monitoring solutions react to a tire with low air pressure.
For OTR tires, the embedded sensors can also be used in a new service concept, the ContiLogger Live, which was demonstrated by Adrian Leu, Senior Technical Solutions Manager for Commercial Specialty Tire in the Americas. ContiLogger Live uses a telematic device with integrated sensors to measure speed, distance, location, lateral forces, road grade, production activity, tire pressure, and tire temperature. The system issues warnings for critical conditions such as long idling time, high TMPH (ton miles per hour), low efficiency cycle pattern, low inflation pressure, and high tire temperature.
ContiLogger Live is designed to operate independently, being able to monitor thousands of vehicles. In more complex situations, field engineers can make customized recommendations on significant tire challenges, possible application improvements aimed at optimizing tire, equipment life, and operational processes.
Continental also offers a digital tire monitoring solution targeting greenhouse gas regulation compliance. ContiPressureCheck Solo is a stand-alone tire pressure monitoring system for trailers, compliant with pending GHG 2 greenhouse gas regulations from the EPA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and California Air Resources Board.
“If the legislation stays as currently written, fleets will be able to meet all GHG 2 regulations with just two simple items from Continental: the ContiPressureCheck Solo trailer TPMS and our extremely low rolling resistance tires,” explained Michelle Reinhart. “That’s it, just two products and your trailer can be GHG 2 compliant. You won’t need an aerodynamic kit or any additional products."