Continental Tire the Americas announced that it will supply the original equipment truck tires for Ram medium-duty Chassis Cab trucks starting in 2010 with the all-new 2011 model year trucks. In a multiyear order, Chrysler Group designated that all new Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cab trucks will be equipped with Continental’s 225/70R19.5 tires, says Tom Fanning, Continental’s director of original equipment sales for commercial vehicle tires – The Americas. Continental’s HSR (steer) and HDR (drive) tire products were selected for the fitment, the company’s third major original equipment fitment for truck tires in less than a year.
“Continental Tires were chosen because they give Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cab trucks a competitive advantage, offering a class-exclusive N speed rating (87 mph),” Fanning says. “Ram executives have told us this is something their customers have been asking for and is superior to the M speed rating (81 mph) of the competition’s tire.” Tire speed ratings are an important consideration for fire and rescue, ambulance and other emergency service customers.
The HSR is a premium steer-position tire rated for load range G with an 16/32-inch all-position tread pattern that provides long mileage in regional and local service; other features include a protective scuff rib, a closed-shoulder tread pattern to promote even wear and an aggressive tread design that promotes stability and increases wet traction. The HDR is a multipurpose drive tire rated for load range G with 18/32-inch of tread depth; it features a multiservice tread compound for local and long-haul service and offset center tread blocks that provide excellent all-weather traction.
“Drivers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks throughout North America have seen for years that the HSR and HDR tires meet their needs for reliability and fuel economy,” Fanning says. “Today we’re happy to announce that we’ll provide our tires to even more customers in the future, with this new fitment on the Ram Chassis Cab. We look forward to working with Chrysler and to supplying their customers with high-quality truck tires.”
