Hanover, February 2008.With the directionally-orientated Speed-Life, Semperit now has a new high-tech summer tyre in the medium price range in its portfolio. In this context, the main considerations were safety and low rolling resistance, as demanded by many motorists. Braking distance on the new tyre was reduced by up to nine per cent, compared with its predecessor. Handling, rolling resistance and comfort have also benefited from this new development. The launch of the new Speed-Life is imminent, with a total of 34 sizes between 15" and 19" being produced, approved for speeds between 240 and 270 km/h (150-168 mph).

Semperit has been well-known for its powerful alpine proven tyres for over a century. The latest model, the Speed-Life, was designed for powerful vehicles. According to a study, what motorists expect from a tyre is first and foremost high driving safety, comfortable driving characteristics and low rolling resistance (GFK Consumer Scope, Jan-June 2007) Semperit has traditionally orientated itself according to these demands and developed the new Speed-Life accordingly.

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Safe driving on wet and dry roads

For this purpose the tyre engineers developed a symmetrical, directionally-orientated tread pattern with four circumferential tread grooves. Explaining the design, Stephan Herbst, developer of the new Speed-Life, commented: "The solid, powerful central rib ensures safe driving stability and best steering response to slight course corrections and when travelling at higher speeds." The balanced longitudinal and lateral stiffness of the inner tread ribs to the right and left of it, plus the rows of lugs in the shoulder intersected by lateral grooves, provide a good steering response to medium steering angles and precise handling on winding roads. "The interlinked tread lugs in the outer shoulder are a further benefit in terms of handling" Herbst added. "They ensure reliable handling even when driving at the limit."

In response to motorists' expectations, the developers at Semperit have given the tyre four wide tread grooves and drainage channels out to the side to reduce the danger of aquaplaning. This enables water to be quickly taken up out of the ground contact patch and dispersed. The full silica compound used in the tread of the new Speed-Life means additional safety when braking on wet roads.

Low rolling resistance and a comfortable ride

Another benefit of the tread compound is its low rolling resistance, which helps to save fuel. Here too the developers made progress over the previous model. To achieve the quietest possible running across the entire speed range of the new tyre, the latest noise simulation processes were used to determine the position and the length of the tread lugs. The results were incorporated into the tread lugs, which are of different lengths; these run one after the other into the approximately postcard-sized contact patch, thereby generating particularly low tyre/road noise.

Summarising the benefits, Herbst commented: "In the new Semperit Speed-Life, we have managed to combine considerable progress in product characteristics with a highly attractive tread pattern design. We succeeded in shortening braking distances in the wet by a full nine per cent." The aquaplaning risk was also reduced by four per cent, whilst driving characteristics on dry roads were improved too. Taken together with its low rolling resistance, the new Speed-Life has turned out to be a very balanced product with optimum driving characteristics for the summer season.

Semperit is a tyre brand of Continental AG. With annual sales of more than €25 billion (based on 2006 figures), the corporation is one of the top five automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of tyres, brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Today, the corporation employs approximately 150,000 people at more than 200 locations in 36 countries.

The tyre divisions are an Official Sponsor of UEFA EURO 2008^TM, which will be held in Austria and Switzerland in June 2008. For further details, visit the websites www.ContiSoccerWorld.com, www.ContiFanWorld.com and www.conti-online.com.