Continental’s SportContact 6 Officially Introduced

One of Continental’s most popular tires, the SuperContact 6 is now available for purchase.

How do you improve upon a tire that’s been in production since 1994 ? According to Continental Tire on their official press release that hit the web earlier today (Sept. 2, 2015) you increase the available grip, improve upon tread design and raise safety ratings up to 220 MPH. The Continental SportContact 6 has already been in use, hotlapping on one the FWD record breaking Honda Civic Type R. Thanks partly to the SportContact 6’s underneath the 306 HP FWD monster, Honda was able to shave a good four seconds off the old FWD record from the RenaultSport Megane 270 Trophy R.

Continental expects a growth rate of 10 percent in the ultra-high performance market segment. These tires aren’t meant for your grocery getting Ford Mondeo’s or VW Golf’s but for your ultra-high performance vehicles like the Audi R8, Porsche 911, BMW 5-series and the Mercedes AMG, these will do just fine. The SportContact 6’s reportedly are also a great replacement for the Tesla Model S. Keep in mind that the stock tires on the Model S are Goodyear Eagle RS-A2’s with the optional 21 inch wheel shod with Continental Extreme Contact DW’s.

Continental has revised its “Black Chili” tread compound for more grip and greater adhesion around all directions. “Black Chili” is the unofficial name Continental has given its tread compound and is found on a lot of Continentals rubber products, even bicycle tires. Supposedly on a nanoscopic level, this new Black Chili compound meshes better with the road much like mini suction cups.

Additionally Continental has updated its thread design offering three different tread elements on the outside, middle and inner portions of the tire that both distribute cornering forces better and support each other around high-stress situations.

Finally, Continental has its own patented reinforcing material which it has dubbed ‘Aralon 350.’ ” Continental utilizes a synthetic fiber in which two yarns made from strong aramid are closely interwoven with a yarn of flexible nylon. Implanted in rubber, this fiber is placed under the tread as a jointless cap ply. This complex structure acts like an additional steel belt and offers controlled, safe tire contour behavior even at maximum speed.” SportContact 6 maintains its braking performance, handling and directional stability in speeds up to 220 MPH. Not bad.