Continental Tire the Americas says the newest version of its HSR2 Eco Plus medium-duty steer tire delivers a 15 percent improvement in rolling resistance over the current HSR2 regional steer tire.

The new tire, designed for the hybrid highway and regional road application, uses a fuel-efficient compound and has a four rib tread design, which significantly improves rolling resistance. A premium long-haul steer tire, such as Continental's HSL2, typically has a five rib design, along with decoupler grooves in the shoulder, to prevent irregular wear.

"The ideal fuel-efficient tire would have no ribs at all, creating less drag," said Roger Stansbie, director of radial truck tire technology. "The tire's groove patterns and movement in the footprint offer up disruptions to the tire's smooth rotation on the road. So the least number of grooves that we can use will give you better rolling resistance. But when driving on regional roads, you need more mutual contact between the rubber and the road surface. Grooves give you the ability to get traction, especially wet traction, and Continental also included a crucial element for regional driving - our stone ejection technologies."

Other features of the new tire include a protective curb rib for high-scrub applications; patented groove geometry that reduces cracking and tearing; and the proprietary VAI+ system of visual alignment indicators.

The HSR2 Eco Plus has been verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport Partnership as a low rolling resistance truck tire.

Stansbie said the tire was designed to handle both highways and regional roads.

"If you run the combined application of some long haul highway traffic and some regional on-road traffic, then the HSR2 Eco Plus has the ideal combination of tread compound and grooves," he said. "It's going to be the answer these fleets have been searching for, as far as fuel efficiency goes."

The HSR2 Eco Plus will be available from Continental commercial vehicle tire dealers in size 275/80/R22.5.

More info: www.continental-truck.com