Cat's paws and spider's cobwebs

When optimising the distribution of tyre forces on the road, our tyre engineers oriented their ideas on the wonders of nature.

For the tyre's contour, they took the well-known model of the cat's paw and advanced that technology with the aid of extensive test procedures. A cat's paw widens when the cat stops, thus transmitting more force to the ground than it would if the cat were walking, or in our case, if the car were driving normally. We have been able to enhance this performance characteristic by applying our new Advanced Mould Concept (AMC) to the contour of the tyre. The ContiSportContact 2 enlarges more than average during a braking manoeuvre and thus causes more rubber to make contact with the tarmac, which in turn shortens the braking distance.

The compound use in the tyre also contributes to the adhesion between the tyre and the road surface giving optimium grip.

A cobweb is one of nature's most flexible constructions. Structural threads running from the edges into the centre make for high stability, while the web's flexibility comes from the catch threads woven in circles.

Our engineers have applied this principle to the tyre. The tread compound consists of two precisely matched networks, each of which has its own job to do. The flexible network provides a strong degree of interlocking with the road surface, while the firm network delivers the necessary stiffness for the tyre's tread.

For our cutomers, this means excellent transmission of forces to wet and dry roads, plus precise handling, especially at high speeds.

Product Example: Click here to view the ContiSportContact 2