Customised tyre designs from Continental

Concept vehicles are a main attraction at International Motor Shows and this month, Frankfurt will be no exception. The tyres on these concept cars are an integral part of the look and feel of vehicle and Continental has a specialist team of designers working on these eye-catching designs.

The Continental design team’s task is to give standard tyres a unique look to compliment the manufacturers’ concept car. This varies depending on the vehicles style and audience. Sports car tyres require aggressive tread patterns which give the feeling of speed. These also often have colour to highlight the tread or the tyre sidewalls. For SUVs, the manufacturer expects prominent tread blocks for maximum off-road traction. The smaller the wheel arch and the broader the tyre, the more prominent the sidewall design. If more space is available for the tyre, the tread design is more important.

A new special production tyre takes three to five months to develop. The manufacturers brief is taken and then the workshop creates prototypes of various design ideas by hand. Continental has created special tyres for BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Vauxhall, Smart, Volvo and Volkswagen. This year’s IAA will again showcase concept vehicles with Continental’s elaborately designed, hand-made tyres.