Continental’s tires have been selected as standard original equipment on all Freightliner Business Class M2 medium-duty trucks.
In addition, the company’s commercial tire lineup will become optional on the other Daimler truck brands, including Western Star trucks, Thomas Built buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. chassis and all the other Freightliner vehicles; Freightliner is a division of Daimler.
The inclusion of Continental “completes Freightliner’s commitment to quality and performance,” says Melissa Clausen, Freightliner’s director of product marketing.
“Continental’s heavy steer tires complement our proven engineering for the Business Class M2 trucks,” Clausen continues. “The M2 is designed for maximum reliability and fuel efficiency, and this is what we found in Continental’s product offering. With long original mileage and capabilities for on or off-road applications, Continental tires will be able to handle the demands of our M2 customers for a reliable tire that can stand up to their toughest driving conditions.”
Continental will be launching a redesigned regional steer tire, the HSR2, which replaces the company’s best-selling HSR, introduced in 2002. The HSR2 (Heavy Steer Regional) is being produced at the Mt. Vernon, Ill. plant.
At a 23/32-inch depth, the updated tread compound is designed to increase mileage by 15 percent over the current HSR and improves cut and chip resistance for optimal performance, according to Tom Fanning, Continental’s director of original equipment sales for the Americas.
Freightliner customers for waste hauling, construction and other on/off highway service applications will also soon be able to choose Continental’s newest tire for urban needs, the HSU2 (Heavy Steer Urban), which replaces the HSU model. The HSU2 is also produced at the Mt. Vernon facility. It is designed to offer maximum life through a 26/32-inch deep rib, which is 8 percent deeper than the HSU and “puts more rubber on the road,” Fanning says. The HSU2’s enhanced bead enables a 10,000-pound capacity at 65 mph.
“The long mileage and fuel efficiency of our truck tires, paired with our innovative technologies in alignment tracking, stone ejection and chip-resistant treads will help keep drivers of (Daimler’s) trucks on the road longer,” Fanning notes.
Available in multiple cab configurations, Freightliner’s M2s support a wide range of bodies and chassis-mounted equipment, “making them ideal for a wide variety of applications such as towing, pickup and delivery, food and beverage distribution, emergency services, utility or garbage collection,” says Clausen.
For more information, visit www.freightlinertrucks.com and www.conti-na.com.
