Continental Tire the Americas’ Commercial Vehicle Tire Division introduced a specialized all-position tire for the recreational vehicle and regional bus segment.
The HSR2 SA (Heavy Steer Regional, Special Application) is CTA’s first regional tire offering for the people-moving segment. Designed and produced at the company’s Mt. Vernon, Ill., plant, the tire offers "maximum fuel efficiency on regional roads through advanced tread design and compounding," according to CTA. The company said the HSR2 SA was verified in July 2010 by the U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership as a low rolling resistance truck tire when used in line haul steer positions.
“A standard method of travel in Central and South America, bus and rapid transit is rapidly growing in the North American markets as public transportation systems are added and consumers look for ways to reduce their environmental impact,” said Clif Armstrong, CTA’s marketing director for commercial tires. “By completing our product lineup for bus tires with the HSR2 SA, we have introduced our first regional application bus tire for the Americas that will help fleet managers and even RV drivers control their tire and fuel costs.”
The HSR2 SA features customized tread geometry designed to aid in water evacuation for good wet traction and reduce stone retention that can damage the tire’s casing. A five-rib tread design and VAI+ visual alignment indicator system to helps ensure even wear, CTA said. The VAI+ system is a series of sipes that helps detect faulty alignment conditions by allowing early detection of wear differences between the shoulder ribs. It also indicates tread wear by changing from a plus sign to a minus at 8/32nds of tread wear and then disappearing at 4/32nds, the tiremaker added.
The HSR2 SA is available now from Continental dealers throughout North and South America in sizes 275/80R22.5, 295/80R22.5 and 315/80R22.5.
Continental also offers a long-distance steer/all-position tire for heavier buses and RVs (HSL1 Coach, introduced in January 2010) and a steer/all-position tire for urban bus traffic, the HSU1.
