The entire regional steer tire family of products from Continental Tire the Americas LLC has now been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership's list of verified fuel savings technologies.
Continental's HSR2 (Heavy Steer Regional), HSR1 and HSR truck tires were recently verified by SmartWay as low rolling resistance truck tires.
The HSR2 is the latest generation of regional steer and all-position truck tires, featuring a 23/32-inch deep improved cut- and chip-resistant tread compound for optimal performance; patented groove geometry for resistance to cracking and tearing; a protective curb rib for high scrub applications; and the VAI+ system of visual alignment and tread depth indicators. HSR1, also in the regional tire family, features reduced noise and offers wet traction through an optimized tread pattern. The HSR is a previous-generation tire which is still in use by many regional fleets today, and its tough casing lasts multiple lifetimes as a retreaded tire.
Continental offers a wide selection of truck tires that have been verified by the EPA for low rolling resistance when used for Class 8, line-haul trucks. The complete list of SmartWay verified tire products which are currently available from Continental includes:
Steer: HSL2, HSL2 Eco Plus, HSR2, HSR2 Eco Plus, HSR1, HSR
Drive: HDL Eco Plus, HDL2 Eco Plus, HDL2 DL Eco Plus
Trailer: HTL Eco Plus, HTL1
Tires verified by the EPA for lower rolling resistance can provide a reduction in NOx emissions and an estimated fuel savings of 3% or greater, relative to the "best selling" new tires for line haul trucks, when used on all five axles on long-haul Class 8 trucks. According to the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership Web site, its projected savings of between 3.3 and 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year represents a savings of as much as 150 million barrels of oil per year. This is the equivalent of taking 12 million cars off the road, leading SmartWay partners to save nearly $10 billion in operating costs, the company says.
Continental also participates in the SmartWay Transport Partnership as a shipper partner, committing to reduce its environmental impacts from ground freight transportation. The majority of Continental tire products are shipped within SmartWay's environmentally sensitive guidelines.
For more information, see the Web site www.continental-truck.com.
