Published on November 15th, 2016 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez
7Continental UC6 and CC6 tire test in person
When was the last time you and any car owner you know sat down and said, “hmmm, I think it is time for me to change my tires, I have used them for 3 years now and I do believe that the thread wear is high”? Never we are sure. Well, we are also the same. The tire happens to be the most neglected item in the car and only when you have a puncture or your tire is very low on air do you bother to take a close look at them.
So when the time comes to replace them, it is no surprise that many drivers will shop aggressively for the best price and not really care what is the best tire to suit their driving needs.
Established premium tyre manufacturer, Continental Tires recently launched 2 new products for the Malaysian market. The Continental CC6 to replace the very popular CC5 which has seen its duty on many mid segment cars like the Vios, Persona and City.
Then there is UC6 (Ultra Contact 6) which is a tire designed for executive sedans with some performance in mind. Cars like the Honda Civic, the Toyota Altis and the Ford Focus.
With the rain coming down hard this past week and more to come we were more interested in the qualities of the UC6. We were invited for a wet handling and braking test to show how vital it is to stop in the shortest possible distance and to learn about the capabilities of a UC6 tire. Braking from 60km/h in the dry gave us a nice short braking distance. Then the wet test and at the same speed of 60km/h we managed to stop our car in just an additional few feet. A good grip in the wet.
For the UC6, the engineers ‘re-invented the tread design’ by adding Aqua Drainage to enhance wet grip and reduce aquaplaning. In addition, the Diamond Edge Pattern of the Ultra Contact UC6 prevents the “rolling-in” effect of the pattern blocks for short braking distances. The chamfered angle also wipes the water film away on wet roads, ensuring extreme short braking distances in wet conditions.
Adaptive Diamond Blend Compound combines grip and mileage: The Diamond Blend Compound, consisting of short-chained grip-polymers and long-chained mileage-polymers has been improved enabling a high grip level for braking and cornering, combined with provision for long mileage.
With the UC6, there has been further reduction of tire ride noise levels by introducing Noise Breakers 2.0, an enhanced version of the Noise Breaker concept to interrupt the noise waves in the grooves.
A wide range of sizes are available for rims with diameters from 15 to 19 inches, covering a wide range of passenger car vehicle models.
With the CC6, in replacing the CC5 tires, engineers had to ensure lower noise levels. This we tested using a smartphone app in each car. The first car used new CC5 tires and the app displayed the noise levels at a speed of 50km/h. Then we got into a similar car using the CC6 tires and the app on the smart phone showed is a lower decibel reading. But the best test was when we stood just outside and listened to both cars drive past us and we could actually hear less with the car fitted with the new CC6 tires. This proved the lower noise decibels with our own ears.
Positioned on the inner shoulder of the CC6 tire pattern, Harmonic Comfort Chambers, based on the “Helmholtz resonator” principle, cancel out unpleasant noise frequencies. The “Whisper Compound” of the CC6 features polymers which adapt to the rough surface of the road, resulting in the reduction of vibration for less tyre noise. Flexible compound absorbs road bumps: The selected “Whisper Compound” also supports the damping effect to provide improved rolling comfort.
High mileage performance: With the advanced sulphur network in the compound acting as an enhanced bond for the polymers, the CC6 delivers greater efficiency in mileage performance. A wide range of sizes are available for rims with diameters of 14 to 18 inches.
Two news tires for a drivers to choose from and on sale right now.
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