WHEN buying something, many people think of the cost first.
This means going for the cheapest item, forgetting that quality makes a difference in saving lives when the need arise.
Launching the new SportContact 7 performance tyre for sporty cars from German’s Continental, it showcased at Zwartkops raceway what your budget tyre can and cannot do when faced with some obstacles on the road.
Designed for safe handling on both wet and dry roads, Continental’s SportContact 7 features three new technical tyre details. These are an adaptive tread design that adapts to dry and wet roads, a size-specific design offering maximum driving pleasure and Continental’s BlackChili rubber compound that is matched to the adhesion of the asymmetrical tread for maximum grip.
“With the new-generation SportContact 7, we have a tyre designed to deliver safe and predictable handling in wet and dry conditions while meeting the needs of performance car drivers,” said Martin Buday, managing director of Continental Tyre South Africa.
The new tyre sees Continental redefine the standards of performance, generating high levels of trust in the handling characteristics of its new flagship tyre.
“The focus of our development was on having the best sporty tyre on the market for every vehicle class. This meant improving all performance criteria,” Buday added.
Continental’s internal tests provided impressive values when comparing the SportContact 7 and its popular predecessor, the SportContact 6.
Service life is extended by 17%, mileage on the racetrack increases by 10%, wet braking distances are reduced by 8% and the new SportContact 7 is 6% better in dry braking, too. Handling and grip has also benefitted from the latest advancements (tests conducted with tyre size 245/30 R 20).
It has been developed for passenger cars with sporty attributes as well as supercars, and has already been selected for original equipment fitment by Maserati on its Levante and Quattroporte models.
The variety of vehicles is wide-ranging, including the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, RS series from Audi and sporty M series from BMW. Compact cars include the Mini Cooper S, Volkswagen Golf R and Renault Megane RS. Suitable sizes are also available for various cars from Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini and McLaren.
