The Continental WinterContact TS 870 is a European-type winter tyre for compact and mid-size passenger cars that, according to the manufacturer, delivers excellent handling on snowy and icy roads; it is characterised by high resistance to aquaplaning, good stability on wet asphalt, high mileage and low fuel consumption. The Continental WinterContact TS 870 is the successor to the WinterContact TS 850 and WinterContact TS 860 models, which have repeatedly won numerous comparison tests. It is no coincidence that the advertising slogan “All winter tyres are the same. Until the streets turn white” clearly conveys the ambition of the German group’s developers. Optimising the tread design and rubber compound has paid off: the WinterContact TS 870’s braking on ice has improved by 5% and its handling on snow by 5%. These positive changes also improved the model’s grip on snow and on wet and dry road surfaces. In addition, Continental’s engineers have achieved good results in terms of the model’s environmental properties: they increased the TS870 tyre’s mileage by 7% and its ability to reduce rolling resistance by 4%.
To make braking on ice safer for the Continental WinterContact TS870, 10% more tread blocks have been created in the contact patch. Their sharp edges and sipes act like windscreen wipers, thereby ensuring reliable tyre grip on an icy surface.
In the latest-generation Winter Contact tyres, the new Triple Sipe concept comes into play for safer driving on snow. Deep grooves running parallel to the diagonal grooves enhance the edge effect when driving straight ahead and when turning on snow. The 3D sipes provide an optimal pressure angle on snow, so the tread blocks penetrate deeper into the snow and can grip it better. When driving in the rain, the Continental Winter Contact TS 870 tyres expel water even faster thanks to the deep drainage groove in the centre of the tread. An updated rubber compound with special resins, which - as in the WinterContact TS 860 model - is called the Cool Chili Compound, also helps to improve braking on wet asphalt.
Another remarkable feature of the polymer compound is its flexibility, thanks to which the tyres make better contact with the road at low temperatures. It is also noted that the Cool Chili compound reduces wear and increases mileage, while helping to lower rolling resistance.
