With the aim of reducing the performance gap between economy tyres and high-performance tyres, Continental has developed the ContiEcoContact in co-operation with Europe’s leading car manufacturers. It's promising that the new ContiEcoContact 5 sets new standards in terms of the environment and safety.

The challenge in tyre design is to reduce rolling resistance and wear while maintaining wet braking performance. Continental’s tyre engineers had to start with a completely new approach to all four components of the tyre to achieve this. The experts looked at design, contour, compound and tread pattern.

The result is a tyre that delivers reduced CO2 emissions and lower fuel consumption while still delivering excellent braking performance. This means that the ContiEcoContact 5 has 20% better rolling resistance than its predecessor leading to a 3% reduction in fuel consumption. Engineers have also improved wear by 12% and braking on wet roads by 10%.

A specially developed compound and optimised tread grooves have lead to an improvement in grip in the wet. Continental’s tyre designers have combined this with functionalised polymer chains forming a stronger bond with the silica which gives lower rolling resistance. Extra thin sipes reduce tread deformation minimising energy loss.

The ContiEcoContact 5 is currently available in size 14-16 rim sizes. For more information and stockists, visit www.continental-tyres.co.uk/passenger