Above: Steve Howat, Head of Technicial Services at Continental Tyres UK and Ireland 14 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2024 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net Many garages still do not make the most of the tyre opportunity. Beyond making sure customer vehicles are as wellshod as possible with the best tyres, there are wider prospects. For example, most drivers in the UK have never thought about changing their tyres with the seasons, something that is much more common in other European countries. This is just one facet of a larger market where independents are wellplaced to take a foothold. To find out more, Aftermarket spoke to Steve Howat, Head of Technical Services at Continental Tyres UK and Ireland. What’s the difference between premium and budget tyres? One of the key factors that pushes the performance of a premium tyre forward is the ever-increasing technical requirements from the vehicle manufacturers. They have to meet stringent emissions requirements – like WLTP regulations – which have a direct impact on the technical requirements of the tyres they specify. Rolling resistance – and its effect on fuel economy and range – is a key consideration from an environmental point of view, but at the same time wet grip performance and other safety requirements cannot be compromised. A high level of technical capability is required to find the right balance and achieve these requirements on all fronts. At Continental we have more than 150 years of experience in developing tyres, which gives us a wealth of knowledge and experience that budget tyre manufacturers can’t compete with. We use advanced polymer technology and innovative materials in our tyres, to enhance their performance, and to deliver sustainability benefits. As an example, we were the world’s first tyre manufacturer to launch recycled polyester yarn which is obtained from PET plastic bottles. This highperformance material is known as ContiRe.Tex. Earlier this year we also launched our most sustainable tyre to date, the UltraContact NXT. With up to 65 percent renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, it combines a remarkably high share of sustainable materials with maximum safety and performance. What's the difference between EV and ICE tyres? We don’t categorise our tyres as EV or ICE-specific, because of the risk of over-simplification and confusion around which tyres can be fitted to which vehicles. There is huge variety within both vehicle types. If we look at EVs for example, a Renault Zoe is very different to a Tesla Model S. That’s why we always recommend identifying the right tyres for each vehicle on a case-by-case basis. The best way to go about it is to Q&A: CONTINENTAL Aftermarket speaks to one of the experts at Continental about the seasonal tyres opportunity and how garages can capitalise on this
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=