Press Release
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New Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
 Premium winter tire to arrive in fall for the upper mid-range and luxury segments as
well as SUVs
 Asymmetric specialist for safety and driving enjoyment on snow-covered and dry
roads
 New product designations for Continental car tires
Hanover / Essen, May 27th, 2014. The new Continental WinterContact TS 850 P will enter the
sales rooms of specialist retailers in fall. With the new model, the developers of the leading
winter tire manufacturer have yet again succeeded in significantly enhancing the
performance characteristics of a product. This way, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
betters the performance of its predecessor model in terms of handling on snow-covered and
dry roads as well as braking. This is made possible by the new tread design of the
asymmetrical winter tire for the upper mid-range and luxury segments and SUVs. Starting in
the coming season, the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P will gradually replace its
predecessors – the ContiWinterContact TS 830 P and the ContiCrossContact Winter –
together with its "big brother" the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV. However, both
of these models will still be available in a wide range of sizes. The market leader for winter
tires will offer the new product at the same price level as the predecessor models.
Handling on snow – 5% better
Safety and driving enjoyment on snow-covered roads is primarily influenced by the design of
the winter tire's inner shoulder. Here, Continental's new winter tire benefits from higher
angles and shorter spacing between the sipes in comparison with the predecessor model. In
addition, the development engineers have incorporated a greater number of tread bars into
the contact surface to significantly increase the number of gripping edges in transverse
motion. The sipes in the center of the contact surface and on the inner side of the tire can
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Your Contact:
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Press Release
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pick up more snow and thereby create more friction – and thus grip. As a result, the new
premium winter tire is 5% better in terms of handling properties on snow.
Handling on dry roads – 2% better
The tread stiffness of winter tires has a major impact on their dry handling performance. For
asymmetrical tread patterns, tire developers therefore primarily concentrate on the outer
shoulder of the tire if they are looking to make progress in this area. The sipes on the outer
bars of the tire are therefore designed to support the stiffness of the tread bar. This allows
steering commands to be implemented with greater precision when turning corners at speed.
At the same time, the sipes and bars on the inside and in the center of the tread pattern
likewise support one another to enable additional traction. The reduced sidewall, which aids
the fast build-up of lateral forces, is yet another trick the engineers have employed.
Braking – up to 5% better
The central section of the contact area on asymmetrical tread patterns ensures traction when
braking. In order to achieve particularly low deceleration values, the developers borrowed a
design element from summer tires: the center of the tread pattern features an intermittent rib
structure that prevents the tread bars from tilting to ensure that the high forces can be
effectively transmitted when braking on dry and wet roads. The contact surface with the road
is enlarged as a result of the flexibility of the bars when turning corners to ensure high
traction reserves even when braking in this driving situation. Depending on the surface – wet
or dry road – braking distances are reduced by up to 5%.
SUV versions – robust even on gravel roads
The Continental WinterContact TS 850 P SUV features a higher tread pattern percentage –
that is, larger tread bars – to prevent stones from becoming lodged in the tire when driving on
gravel roads. At the same time, the carcass is designed to easily bear the weight of heavy
SUVs and effectively transmit the high forces when braking, cornering, and accelerating.
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Your Contact:
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Press Release
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New product designations
With the Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, the Hanover-based employees are starting to
implement a new product designation for winter and summer car tires. In the future, all new
products will not feature the word "Conti" in their names. The renaming will take place as part
of the global standardization of Continental product designations, which will begin with these
two product lines and will be consistently implemented over the coming years. The new
winter tires will therefore be called Continental WinterContact TS 850 P and Continental
WinterContact TS 850 P SUV.
Product range for rims of between 16 and 20 inches in diameter
The product range to be put into production this summer is designed to provide a good
selection for high-powered and sporty vehicles from the outset. Continental will offer the
WinterContact TS 850 P for rims of between 16 and 20 inches in diameter as well as in
widths of 205 to 275 millimeters. They are approved for speeds of up to a sporty 270 km/h.
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Your Contact:
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Press Release
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Continental AG
With sales of around €33.3 billion in 2013, Continental is among the leading tire manufacturers,
automotive suppliers, and industrial partners worldwide. As a supplier of tires, technical elastomer
products, brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation,
infotainment solutions and vehicle electronics, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and
global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile
communication. Continental currently employs more than 182,000 people in 49 countries.
www.continental-corporation.de
Tire division
As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers with more than 44,000 employees, the Tire division
achieved sales of €9.6 billion in 2013. Today, the division has 24 production and development
locations worldwide. The broad product range and continuous investments in R&D make a major
contribution to cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility.
Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires
Continental is one of Europe's leading passenger car and light truck tire manufacturers and is the
world's fourth-largest passenger car and light truck tire manufacturer in the original equipment and
replacement business sectors. The product development focus of the Continental premium brand is to
optimize all safety-relevant characteristics, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance.
www.continental-reifen.de
Sponsorship
Continental's Tire division is an official sponsor of the German DFB Cup, Major League Soccer in the
U.S.A. and Canada, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and UEFA EURO 2016 TM in France.
www.ContiSoccerWorld.com
Media Database
www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com
Contact:
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of PR, Passenger/Light Truck Tires
Continental AG
Tire Division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 511 938 2615
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
alexander.bahlmann@conti.de
www.continental-reifen.de
Your Contact:
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Klaus Engelhart
Press Spokesman
Passenger and Light Truck/Two-Wheel Tires
Germany/Austria/Switzerland
Continental AG
Tire Division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 511 938 2285
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
klaus.engelhart@conti.de