Continental Tire the Americas LLC has released its first full line of construction tires with factory-embedded sensors for monitoring pressure and temperature to the North American market.
The new tires are the Conti HSC 3 steer/all-position tire, Conti HDC 3 drive tire, and Conti HAC 3 all-position tire.
The new line of “intelligent” tires and retreads are designed for on/off-road applications, including construction, cement, utility, emergency vehicles, forestry and logging.
The “Generation 3” tires are designed to deliver high performance in mileage, durability, traction, and retreadability, the key aspects for Lowest Overall Driving Cost in the on/off-road segment.
The sensor technology enables Continental, tire dealers and customers to track the performance of the tires. Monitoring data captured from the tire ultimately lowers overall driving costs, according to Marco Rabe, director of truck tire technology.
“It doesn’t help if you just save a bit of money in the cost of the tire, or you look only at retreading. In the end it’s about everything working together to optimize the performance of the tire, to optimize the performance of the vehicle, to optimize the customer’s operating cost so that he keeps coming back and we form a partnership because we’re in this for the long haul.”
Rabe says Continental believes the sensor technology is a game change and customers will grow to understand the value it brings to their operations. “We’re convinced these partnerships we are building are long term and it’s a partnership that works between us, the dealer and the customer.”
By embedding sensors in each of these new construction tires, Continental offers a complete solution for the extremely demanding construction application. The company says digital solutions help fleets reduce downtime, improve safety and fuel efficiency, and minimize labor and maintenance costs associated with tire inspections.
Descriptions of the new tires follow.
Conti HSC 3, a heavy truck, steer/all-position, construction tire, delivers significant benefits over its predecessor, HSC1, including an estimated 11% mileage improvement.
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% improvement in cuts to the belt during cut-and-chip testing, as well as reducing heat build-up.
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, a heavy truck, drive, construction tire, delivers significant benefits over the previous product, HDC1, with an estimated 15% improvement in life expectancy.
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, which the company says is wider than the Michelin X Works XDY, Bridgestone M799 and Continental HDC1. A wide tread platform delivers increased mileage and longer tread life. The tire also features an aggressive open shoulder design and lug design for maximum traction, excellent retreadability, and a strong, thick, sidewall,
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, a heavy truck, all-position, construction tire, is designed to deliver significant benefits over its predecessor, HTC1, with new cap/base tread compounds for improved mileage and traction.
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 is designed to deliver maximum hours of service. The increased sidewall gauge provides for road hazard protection.
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.
Digital Tire Monitoring Solutions
Continental offers multiple receiver systems to read the sensors. The systems can be combined to take advantage of different functionalities to create 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 approx. 65-foot 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.
“ContiConnect is an accessible solution for domiciled fleets, such as those used in construction and regional hauling,” says Michelle Reinhart, Continental’s head of digital solutions for commercial vehicle tires in the Americas region. “We don’t charge by vehicle. 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 our 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,” says Reinhart. “By adding a telematics integration, a fleet manager or dispatcher could help with this analysis in real-time as well.”
For OTR tires, the embedded sensors can also be used in a new service concept called ContiLogger Live.
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 like: 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. This consultancy service can help customers cut operating costs and improve applications.
The ContiLogger opens up a new world in terms of connecting the tire digitally to the vehicle, notes Rabe. “With ContiLogger you can look at GPS, you can track exactly how the vehicle is used in the quarry or the construction site. So we go back to our customers and we can optimize their driving runs and save them 30% of their driving time and their operational time just by optimizing what they are doing every day, what truck may be more efficient than another.”
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.
