UltraContact UC6 vs UltraContact UC7: The wait is finally over, Continental has announced its latest generation 7 tire called UltraContact UC7 after 5 years. Like most of the Continental tirelines in APAC, this product is specifically designed for the APAC market to suit the local market conditions. As there is no official size range yet, we assumed that UltraContact UC7 will replace UltraContact UC6 size ranges which sit in between the comfort and UHP segments.
The 3 main improvements displayed in marketing materials for the new UltraContact UC7 are as below
- Outstanding wet performance
- Noise reduction
- Long drive life
Let’s have a quick look at the results presented to get a feeling of UltraContact UC7’s improvements.
Table of Contents
Results
The results were taken from the UltraContact UC7’s marketing brochure here. The test was done internally by Continental and hence has to be treated with caution. The graph below shows the comparison between UltraContact UC6 vs UltraContact UC7 based on the relevant performance category. The UltraContact UC6 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
The tire size of interest is a 225/50 R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A4 & Honda Accord. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information.
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With the latest technological advance compound, UltraContact UC7 managed to outperform UltraContact UC6 when it comes to wet braking. This is true to its words on its webpage stating that it has “Shorter braking distance and outstanding grip on wet slippery roads”
UltraContact UC7:
- +16% in wet braking
Dry
As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. UltraContact UC7 managed to improve against its predecessor by 3% in dry braking. Even though the improvement was not that high compared to wet braking, it is still something we could not ignore.
UltraContact UC7:
- +3% in dry braking
Handling
Usually handling is broken down directly into wet or dry handling separately. However in the spider diagram shown in the press release , Continental only had the handling criteria without further acknowledgement on what surface it was. Hence the most reasonable assumption to make is that they are the average of both dry & wet handling. If this was true, it would be a major improvement step towards serving the tire sizes which are closer to the UHP range.
UltraContact UC7:
- +6% in handling
Longevity
So there is this part in the spider diagram which points to longevity. Like the handling, this is a bit vague for me to digest as they could mean a lot of different things. The most plausible explanation would be longevity equals to wear or expected mileage. Nonetheless the message they are trying to send out is that UltraContact UC7 should last as long as UltraContact UC6.
UltraContact UC7:
- 0% in Longevity
Noise & Comfort
Noise & comfort were tested and they were maintained the same as the previous generation.
UltraContact UC7:
- 0% in Noise
- 0% in Comfort
Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance is usually not the main requirement when it comes to the APAC market. However with the sustainability topic being more prevalent, rolling resistance has been widely used as a competitive marketing tool. This was aligned with Continental’s target of reducing the carbon emission as UltraContact UC7 comes with a 6% improved rolling resistance compared to UltraContact UC6.
UltraContact UC7:
- +6% in Rolling Resistance
Price
Tire size: 225/50 R17
UltraContact UC7: RM 474
Summary
Overall, the new UltraContact UC7 showcases improvements in wet/dry braking, handling & rolling resistance. As the tests are done internally, we will update you guys with independent test results once it is available. So be sure to stay tuned to TopTireReview for the latest updates on UltraContact UC7!