FRANKFURT, Germany (Oct. 17, 2007) — Continental A.G. is adding a self-sealing tire, to be marketed under the ContiSeal Technology moniker, to its portfolio of extended-mobility tires.
Conti displayed concept tires at this year's IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt with the sealant technology as a prelude to launching tires with the technology next year, "most likely" as an original equipment fitment on a European car, the company said.
Conti describes the technology as a protective layer on the inside of the tire's tread that seals holes that develop when a foreign object penetrates, thus preventing air from escaping. The seal functions with nearly all leaks caused by objects up to 5 millimeters in diameter, covering about 80 percent of tire punctures, the company said.
Conti did not indicate how this technology is similar to or different from self-sealing technology its General Tire unit developed in the 1980s. Continental Tire North America Inc. still markets a version of that technology in the General Ameri-Seal line.