Press Release
The General Tire summer tire portfolio: wide range of sizes available for cars, SUVs and vans
The General Tire brand offers a broad portfolio attuned to the European market. With two summer tire models for cars, six on-highway and off-road models for 4x4s and SUVs, a special model for light commercial vehicles and vans, and a new all-season tire, the brand can meet virtually all tire needs. One new addition this year is the Eurovan A/S 365, an all-season tire for light commercial vehicles and vans.
Hanover, April 3, 2017. Summer tires from General Tire are renowned for their economy, safety and robust performance. In recent years the European products of the brand with its American heritage have undergone wide-ranging upgrades. This year has seen the addition of two new off-road tires, providing further proof of the brand’s leading expertise as a manufacturer of 4x4 tires.
The Eurovan A/S 365
This season, General Tire has rounded out its all-season tire line-up with a new model for light commercial vehicles and vans. The new Eurovan A/S 365 offers safe handling properties on wet and dry asphalt, as well as good dynamic stability on wintry roads. To deliver this performance it relies on a tread pattern with zigzag sipes for secure interlocking with wet road surfaces and wide grooves that disperse water fast. The numerous edges interlock effectively with snow, while special “pockets” retain the snow to deliver snow/snow friction. When driving on dry roads, wide ribs in the center of the tread make for high stability, while special handling ribs provide effective tread support on cornering. At market launch, General Tire had 12 sizes available for 15- and 16-iinch rims.
Car tires: the Altimax Comfort and the Altimax Sport
The Altimax Comfort from General Tire is aimed at drivers who value a particularly quiet and comfortable ride. To this end, the development engineers at General Tire have designed a tread with blocks that enter the contact patch in staggered sequence, making for steady and agreeably low tire/road noise. At the same time they have kept a clear focus on the tire’s safety characteristics: The Altimax Comfort is based on a silica compound which offers low rolling resistance and an advanced tread pattern designed to deliver safe grip on both wet and dry roads. Its “big brother”, the Altimax Sport, has been designed specifically with precision handling and short braking distances on wet or dry roads in mind. It features wide circumferential grooves and open shoulder blocks for rapid water dispersion. The lateral stiffness and stability of the tread deliver precision handling for safe driving, not least at higher speeds and on winding roads. General Tire has opted for a modern silica tread compound that not only ensures high grip in the wet but also reduces the rolling resistance.
The Altimax A/S 365 – an all-season car tire
The new Altimax A/S 365 is an all-season tire for European requirements. The U.S. tire brand, which in America has a long history of developing high-performance all-season tires, has endowed its new arrival with a good blend of safe-driving characteristics in summer and winter alike. Stable shoulder blocks provide good transfer of longitudinal grip when moving off and braking. Wide circumferential and lateral grooves make for rapid water evacuation from the contact patch when driving in the wet. And for safe driving in winter, the new Altimax A/S 365 features V-shaped blocks in the center of the tread, specially designed for all-year use and with sinusoidal sipes that offer a large number of biting edges.
Five advanced tires for SUVs
General Tire is heading into the new season with not one but two new SUV off-road tires. Along with the new Grabber X3 that can also handle tough terrain, the new Grabber AT3 for mixed on- and off-road use also joins the brand’s portfolio. Both models feature the robust characteristics and high grip that their intended applications demand. For the Grabber X3 the development engineers at General Tire give an on/off-road ratio of 20/80 percent, while for the Grabber AT3 the ratio is 50/50. With these two new tires, General Tire, the tradition-rich brand with its American heritage, offers new solutions in its core all-terrain segment for off-road driving enthusiasts, as well as for professionals in the construction, agricultural and forestry sectors who expect maximum mobility in even the toughest conditions.
The advanced tread design of the new Grabber HTS60 with its blocks and sipes offers a large number of edges for reliable interlocking with the road surface, also in the wet. The compound is designed to ensure that the tire presents good chip and cut resistance in off-road use. To ensure a comfortable ride and low noise, the tire features a tread profile that offers very effective noise reduction.
In the Grabber GT, 4x4 tire specialist General Tire has come up with an on-highway model specially designed to handle the demands imposed by SUVs and 4WD vehicles. Its main advantages are high safety under braking on wet and dry roads, precision handling and safe aquaplaning characteristics. As a result, with the Grabber GT another SUV/4x4 specialist joins the General Tire portfolio, combining safe handling on the road with good all-terrain driving capabilities. This robust tire with its eye-catching tread design with the blocks set at different angles and rugged shoulder sections is also designed to handle tougher terrain. The special tread compound helps prevent stones being picked up and provides greater resistance to punctures or cuts.
The Eurovan 2 – the transportation specialist
With the Eurovan 2, the General Tire range includes a robust performer for light commercial vehicles and vans. In wet weather, its three wide circumferential drainage grooves take up large amounts of water and direct it away from the contact patch fast through broad grooves in the outer tread blocks. As the opposing grooves between the outer tread blocks are staggered, tire/road noise remains agreeably low as frequency spikes are avoided. Precise directional stability and short braking distances are assured by the wide, sturdy rows of tread blocks in the center of the tire that make for the effective transfer of circumferential and lateral forces to the road. The Eurovan 2 owes its special robustness not least to an extra layer of rubber in the sidewall, ensuring that the frequent curb contact encountered by delivery vans does not harm the tire.
General Tire
Founded in 1915, General Tire based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, can look back on a proud heritage spanning more than a century. Since the early days, the brand has been making tires for all kinds of motor vehicles. The company was acquired by Continental in 1987. Today, operating worldwide, General Tire manufactures tires for cars, trucks and industrial applications, as well as specialty tires for 4x4 vehicles.
Continental AG
Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner, the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe, comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2016, the corporation generated sales of €40.5 billion with its five divisions: Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tires, and ContiTech. Continental currently employs more than 220,000 people in 56 countries.
Tire Division
The Tire Division currently has 24 production and development locations worldwide. The broad product range and continuous investments in R&D make a major contribution to cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility. As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers with more than 50,000 employees, the Tire Division achieved sales of €10.7 billion in 2016.
Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental is one of the leading manufacturers of passenger and light truck tires in Europe and the world's fourth largest passenger tire manufacturer in the original equipment and replacement market. The product development focus of the Continental premium brand is to optimize all safety-relevant characteristics, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance.
Media Database
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of Communications and PR, Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental AG / Tire Division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2615
/ Klaus Engelhart
Press Spokesman, Passenger and Light Truck/Two-Wheel Tires, Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Communications and PR, Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2285