The forgotten innovation from Continental Tyres

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first car tyre to feature a tread pattern, courtesy of German tyre giant Continental. The wide-ranging benefits of tyre tread - from good grip, water dispersion and comfort to low rolling resistance and high mileage capabilities - have seen the tread pattern become a vital component in vehicle performance and it is now illegal to use tyres without tread on public roads.

Up until 1904 it was quite usual to drive around on tyres without tread but as cars became faster, the lack of a tread pattern affected braking performance and compromised safety. As a result, six years after the launch of the first pneumatic tyre, Continental engineers developed a tyre with a tread pattern that was initially fitted to the car's rear wheels. Despite the tyres being over a metre high and just nine centimetres wide, drivers of the few cars then licensed in Germany were overwhelmed by the improved traction and better braking, especially in the wet weather. The tread pattern was referred to in newspaper advertisements of the time as an "epoch-making innovation", and soon became extremely popular.

The longitudinal grooves on the flattened and raised tread strip used at the turn of the century cannot be compared to the sophisticated tread patterns of today. Tyre manufacturers have developed different tread patterns for a whole range of applications, vehicle types and desired driving properties. For example, there are car tyres for compact, medium range and luxury vehicles, as well as for 4x4s. As you would expect, tyres for ultra-high performance cars, like Continental’s ContiSportContact2 Vmax capable of speeds of up to 225mph, differ quite significantly in their compound and tread pattern from tyres developed for compact cars. Recent years have also see the introduction of special cold weather tyres, designed specifically for driving at low temperatures and which provide higher levels of safety during the colder winter months.

Today's tread pattern designs also fall into one of three kinds - standard, assymetrical or directional. The assymetrical tread pattern - as used by Continental for its tyres - is recognised in the industry as being the "best all round performer" and is as such preferred by vehicle manufacturers. Directional tread patterns, as used in the Uniroyal Rain Tyre range, are known for their outstanding performance in the wet as the tread pattern disperses water more efficiently.

Nowadays, tyre development focuses on the complex interplay of tyre structure, tread compound and tread pattern design. And, 100 years on, the next reinvention of the wheel may be just around the corner!