From Tyrepress (subscription required): Renault has chosen Continental’s new Conti.e.Contact range of low rolling resistance tires as OE equipment on its ultra-compact Twizy. Conti produces the tires, which are intended for electric and hybrid vehicles, at its factory in Korbach, Germany.
Continental claims that the Conti.eContact tires achieve rolling resistance levels that are 30% lower than conventional tires. The German tiremaker says its engineers achieved this reduction by using an unusual tire dimension, a large diameter, narrow 195/55 R 20. Thanks to the larger tire diameter, deformation of the tire is reduced when entering the contact patch, which lowers rolling resistance considerably with no loss in load bearing capacity. In addition, the tire’s sidewall has been designed in such a way that less energy is lost when the tire deflects and rebounds. The tire’s overall weight was also reduced, which reduces rolling resistance.
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