New winter tire from Uniroyal:

The MS plus 66 will be out this fall

Hanover, fall 2007. Uniroyal has introduced a new rain tire for winter weather: Developed for medium-size and luxury cars, the outstanding features of the new MS plus 66 are improved driving characteristics on snow and ice, excellent aquaplaning protection and short braking distances. In his actual test the ADAC has recommended the new winter tire from Uniroyal. Uniroyal's tire program includes the proven MS plus 5 for compact cars, which has also received the rating "recommended" in the last ADAC winter tire test.

The new winter rain tire achieves the additional grip thanks to the vast number of densely-packed gripping edges in the sipes and along the sides of the tread blocks – important for when the ground contact patch impacts on snow and ice. The special arrangement of these tread elements enabled the number of gripping edges to be increased by 13% per square centimetre of tread surface compared with the predecessor. Extremely high aquaplaning protection has been achieved thanks to the special groove angles of the 3D aquanut (channels between the tread blocks), which lead more water away from the ground contact patch. Braking distances on wet surfaces were able to be reduced even further due to the improved damping of the new rubber compound. The interlinked central lugs make the tread stiffer, so steering movements can be transmitted quickly and precisely. At the same time, the tire design ensures that the load on the tread lugs is very evenly distributed - a development detail which gives the new Uniroyal MS plus 66 its high mileage potential. Plasticizers in the compound also ensure that the low-temperature flexibility of the winter tire compound is retained throughout the tire's service life.

The MS plus 66 substantially outperforms its predecessor with improvements of 5% in braking in the wet, more than 20% in aquaplaning and 4% in handling on snow and in mileage performance. Uniroyal will meet 93% of demand with the range of sizes available when the product is launched. The new Uniroyal MS plus 66 will be priced the same as its predecessor.

Proven rain tire for winter: the MS plus 5

Uniroyal has developed the MS plus 5 especially for compact and subcompact cars. Its hydrodynamic tread quickly dissipates water and slush from the tire contact patch; the tread has a silica compound to provide high grip on cold, wet asphalt. The sinusoidal sipes on this rain tire develop numerous gripping edges for winter applications, allowing safe driving and braking even on snow-covered pavement. The MS plus 5 is approved for speeds up to 190 km/h.

Range of sizes:

MS plus 66:

MS plus 5:

Starting in 1895, the Belgian rubber goods manufacturer Englebert produced tires for Continental AG and other companies. After merging with US Rubber in 1958, the company changed its name to Uniroyal Englebert. Uniroyal, the inventor of the rain tire, has been a European brand of the Hanover-based Continental AG since 1979.

The Uniroyal FunCup is a brand cup held in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, England and Spain. In Germany the 760-kg, 130-HP race cars can be driven by anybody. Inexpensive mass-produced components (engine, gearbox, chassis) reside under the fiberglass body, which resembles that of a VW Beetle, in a purpose-built tube-frame chassis.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of tires, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realized sales of €14.9 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of around 89,000.

Continental's tire divisions are an official sponsor of UEFA EURO 2008^TM, which will take place in Austria and Switzerland in June 2008. Further information is available at www.ContiSoccerWorld.de, www.contifanworld.com and www.conti-online.com.