The tyres will be treated with a self-sealing gel, similar to the tyre repair kits supplied in many new cars, capable of sealing small punctures without air loss or adversely affecting performance.
This potentially allows punctured tyres to be run with the object embedded for the rest of their normal service life.
Unlike run-flat tyres, ContiSeal have soft sidewalls and do not affect ride comfort. However, this means they cannot be run while deflated if the damage is more severe.
ContiSeal will be the first time self-sealing tyres have been available on passenger cars in the UK, but the technology is not new. Continental already sells self-sealing tyres in America, branded GenSeal, under its General Tires arm.
In July, Goodyear Dunlop launched Duraseal self-sealing tyres for heavy goods vehicles. During a demonstration, the manufacturer punctured the same tyre 51 times without any air loss, but it has yet to offer the technology for passenger cars.
It is likely that the treatment will carry a price premium, and one of the decisions yet to be made is whether Continental will roll it out across its entire range or offer it as an option on new tyres.
More details will be released closer to the summer launch.
ervinberry - 15/01/2015 13:12
Truly amazing. Launch of such innovative tires will bring a revolution in tire manufacturing industries in UK. However, “Continental” is already serving these tires in US and getting so positive response. What’s more a car owner need if his car’s tires can repair themselves. It will not only overcome the annoyance of unwanted puncture problems but save their repair cost too. No doubt every renowned seller of car tire like http://wheels.net and more will desire to incorporate such stuff into their catalog as soon as possible.