Continental TerrainContact AT review
Tires are an essential part of a vehicle’s design. Without tires a vehicle is incomplete. The tire manufacturing company has been around for a very long time and has liaised with automotive industries to produce wonderful masterpieces. Continental tires are a highly recognised tire brand and have continued to remain relevant with their wonderful tire productions. Continental has made a new tire delivery called the Continental TerrainContact AT. What is the Continental TerrainContact AT?
The Continental TerrainContact AT is an exceptional all season, all terrain tire designed with features that promotes excellent traction and durability. It is equipped for balanced off-road and on-road traction and does so as quietly as possible.
Let’s delve deeper into its features in our Continental TerrainContact AT review.
The Continental TerrainContact AT is designed to suit drivers of pickup trucks, SUVs, jeeps and crossovers, looking for excellent on-road and off-road adventure. The Continental TerrainContact AT performs exceptionally in all weather conditions to include dry, wet and wintry weather. Although it is not a winter tire, it delivers great performance in light snow. Below we discover what the Continental TerrainContact AT has to offer.
Recommended
Continental TerrainContact AT
With the TerrainContact AT, Continental delivers a perfect fit for SUV and truck owners that need a highly durable tire with confident grip in all weather conditions along with a bit of rugged tread for off-road detours.
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Key technologies
To deliver a high performance tire that meets the requirements of drivers, Continental put superb resources in place to achieve the excellent performance of the Continental TerrainContact AT. Some technologies/features of the Continental TerrainContact AT include;
TractionPlus Technology: Continental’s TractionPlus Technology is an innovative system employed in the design of the Continental TerrainContact AT tire. It is designed to improve traction and durability and also deliver a firm grip on wet roads. In addition the Traction Plus Technology is engineered to reduce road noise.
Full-depth sipes: The Continental TerrainContact AT sports full-depth sipes that contribute in delivering an enhanced grip on dry, wet and wintry roads all year round.
Safety features
Continental considers the safety of drivers a priority hence, it designed the Continental TerrainContact AT with features that guarantees the safety of both the driver and the tire.
When tires have low traction they are prone to hydroplaning. The Continental TerrainContact AT checks hydroplaning with the possession of full-depth sipes that provide exceptional wet grip. Also, the Continental TerrainContact AT’s internal construction is made up of two high-tensile steel belts with a spirally-wound polyamide reinforcement supported by two ply casing that makes it resistant to agents of puncture.
Speed ratings
Tire speed ratings vary depending on their sizes. A tire’s speed rating is the ideal speed a tire can function optimally at overtime. The Continental TerrainContact AT has four speed ratings denoted by the alphabets H, T, S and V. The H-rated tiles have a top speed of 130 mph, the T-rated tires have a top speed of 118 mph, S-rated tires have a top speed of 112 mph while the V-rated tires have a top speed of 149 mph.
Drivers should bear in mind that exceeding the top speed of a tire can cause the tire to malfunction and this can lead to deadly crashes that could damage the vehicle, tire or driver. Drivers can find the speed ratings of their tires on the sidewall of the tire.
Treadwear and durability
Treadwear is the rate at which a tire wears to the point where it can no longer be used for road purposes. It is important to have your tires changed once they show signs of wear. The Continental TerrainContact AT is equipped with a +silane compound integrated into the tires tread pattern. The compound works to improve the tread life of the tire. In addition the Continental TerrainContact AT tread blocks and close shoulder design also prolong the tires tread life.
The Continental TerrainContact AT has a uniform tire quality grading (UTQG) rating of 680. The UTQG rating ranges from 100 to 1000. With the 680 UTQG rating of the Continental TerrainContact AT, the tread wears slower than tires with UTQG ratings lesser than 680. so the Continental TerrainContact AT’s tread would wear more than two times slower than a tire with a 300 UTQG rating.
Also Continental offers a 60,000-mile tread life warranty for the Continental TerrainContact AT. So drivers can explore the tires capabilities for a very long time before replacing them.
Maintenance indicators
In tires, maintenance indicators help to notify the driver when a tire requires repair or replacement. Most tire manufacturers install company designed maintenance indicators on their tires. However the Continental TerrainContact AT does not seem to have a maintenance indicator. It makes use of the traditional tread wear indicator as its maintenance indicator.
The traditional tread wear indicator requires that tires be replaced when the tread level has worn down to the last 2/32 inches. It is important to note that tires that have worn down to this point are no longer road-worthy. They have lost a substantial level of traction and using them for road purposes will lead to hydroplaning.
However, drivers do not need to worry as the Continental TerrainContact AT has a 12/32 inches tread depth level.
Traction performance
Another important aspect of a tire’s performance is its traction. In choosing the right tire for their vehicles with traction in mind, drivers must put into consideration the weather and road conditions of the location they drive through. This will enable them to get tires that have traction fit for that location.
The Continental TerrainContact AT is designed with features and technologies that deliver excellent traction in all weather and road conditions. The TractionPlus Technology helps improve traction and gives it a better grip on wet roads. Considering how the Continental TerrainContact AT performs in wet, dry, snow and off-road conditions we have;
Wet traction performance
The Continental TerrainContact AT’s TractionPlus Technology makes use of a +silane tread compound designed to promote exceptional wet grip. Also the lateral grooves help in channeling water out from beneath the tires thereby improving hydroplaning resistance.
Dry traction performance
The +silane compound also contributes immensely to the tire’s dry traction. This further improves handling and reduces braking distances while delivering excellent grip during cornering.
Snow traction performance
The Continental TerrainContact AT is not a winter tire but is designed to deliver an impressive grip on light snow using the proprietary traction grooves which provide more biting edges to increase traction on snow.
Off-road traction performance
Off-roading is an area where the Continental TerrainContact AT excels exceptionally. It’s traction plus technology which features well-defined grooves and sipes with an efficient tread pattern, enhance its off-road capacity.
Noise and comfort
Comfort is also a necessary factor to consider when choosing a tire. The continental terrain contact AT’s TractionPlus Technology delivers excellent traction as well as a reduced road noise. The traction plus technology’s noise blockers and efficient pattern shifting aids in reducing the noise of the tire on paved surfaces. Hence drivers comfort is guaranteed when using the continental terrain contact at.
Competitors and alternatives
The continental TerrainContact AT is undeniably an impressive tire with impressive traction in different road conditions. However, there are close competitors and alternatives that offer as much as it does. Close competitors of the Continental TerrainContact AT include the Michelin Defender and the BFG kO2.
These alternatives deliver all season, touring and high traction performance in wet, dry and light off-road conditions. As touring tires they provide an essential level of comfort with features that reduce road noise. However, the Continental TerrainContact AT excels exceptionally in wet braking when compared with its alternatives.
Price range
The Continental TerrainContact AT has its price on the high side. Depending on the tire size, the Continental TerrainContact AT has a price range from $214 to $408. For the quality it has to offer the price is worth it. The price is a driver’s cross to carry in order to get a tire with high on-road and off-road performance delivery.
Warranty
Continental offers a wide range of warranties to deliver customer satisfaction. Some warranties offered for the Continental TerrainContact AT are;
Limited Warranty: Continental’s limited warranty applies if your tires become unserviceable within the first 12 months of purchase. Continental will have your tires replaced with a new one for free
Mileage Warranty: Continental offers the TerrainContact AT with a 60,000-mile limited mileage warranty
Customer Satisfaction Trial: The customer satisfaction trial warranty gives drivers the opportunity to purchase Continental brand tires and try them out for 60 days and if they do not like the quality of its performance Continental will replace them with brand new tires in the first 60 days
Road Hazard Coverage: Continental also offers a road hazard coverage warranty for the TerrainContact AT where your damaged tires will be replaced within the first 12 months of purchase if they get damaged while in use.
Our take
We recommend the Continental TerrainContact AT for drivers looking for a balanced on and off road traction tire with lots of comfort. It may be expensive but it delivers way more in terms of wet braking and comfort when compared with close alternatives.
