Press release

New Polaris 3 from Barum:

Winter tires for passenger vehicles and SUVs with savings potential

Hanover, August 2011. With the new Polaris 3, the Barum engineers have again exceeded the already good performance of the predecessor model. The new, safe, all-round winter tire offers five percent higher mileage and five percent lower rolling resistance.

For over 40 years the company name Barum has stood for safe and economical tires. With its winter tires, Barum traditionally focuses on all-round solutions.

Reduced rolling resistance lowers fuel consumption

Lower rolling resistance lowers the thirst for fuel and reduces the impact on the environment. To achieve this, the engineers have put an additional groove into the shoulder block of the new Polaris 3 tire. "Strain on the tread is reduced with this groove. With that the rolling resistance is reduced, and fuel consumption lowered; this helps the environment," Mareile Noga, tire developer at Barum, points out the economic benefits of the new Polaris 3.

Lower abrasion guarantees higher mileage

The individual blocks are very stable due to the different depths of the sipes which are positioned diagonally to the block edges. The uniform distribution of rigidity within the block elements ensures that the Polaris 3 has low abrasion and thus offers economically high mileage.

Improved wet handling

The shoulder blocks of the Polaris 3 are considerably wider than those of the predecessor model and keep the tires stable on wet roads while driving. Additionally the longitudinal groove embedded in the shoulder block functions in a similar way as a windshield wiper. "The film of water on the road is channeled into the groove and then diverted away to the side with the continuing rolling motion of the tire. This way the tire pushes less water in front of itself and the risk of aquaplaning is reduced," explained Mareile Noga. "With the full silica mixture of the tread we were able to achieve additional grip on wet streets, without having to accept losses in rolling resistance."

Good grip on snow guarantees optimal starting and braking on snow

Along the blocks of longitudinal grooves in the tread, Barum engineers inserted so-called 'snow catchers'. These small angles on the edges of the blocks prevent snow from sliding through the longitudinal grooves during driving. This is important on snowy roads, because snow that gets stuck in the longitudinal grooves functions like an adhesive connecting the tire with the snow on the road. In this way the power necessary on typical winter streets for braking and starting can be transferred better.

With the new Polaris 3, Barum is offering a high performance and durable winter tire to drivers who are interested in an economic choice in tires as well as safe driving characteristics. ´The new winter tires for passenger vehicles and SUVs will be offered at the same price level as the tried and tested predecessor model. Tires in sizes for SUVs will be additionally identified with the characters "4x4" on the sidewalls.

Altogether 72 different sizes are to be manufactured for rims between 13 and 17 inches. The tire is approved for speeds between 190 and 240 km/h.

Range of sizes:

80 series: 70 series:

135/80 R 13 T 145/70 R 13 T

145/80 R 13 T 155/70 R 13 T

155/80 R 13 T 165/70 R 13 T

165/80 R 13 T 165/70 R 13 T XL

165/80 R 14 T 175/70 R 13 T

175/80 R 14 T 165/70 R 14 T

175/70 R 14 T

185/70 R 14 T

65 series: 60 series:

155/65 R 13 T 185/60 R 14 T

175/65 R 13 T 185/60 R 15 T

155/65 R 14 T 185/60 R 15 T XL

165/65 R 14 T 195/60 R 15 T

175/65 R 14 T 195/60 R 15 H

175/65 R 14 T XL 205/60 R 15 T

175/65 R 15 T 205/60R 15 H

185/65 R 14 T 205/60 R 16 H

185/65 R 15 T 205/60 R 16 H XL

195/65 R 14 T 215/60 R 16 H XL

195/65 R 15 T 235/60 R 16 H

195/65 R 15 T XL

195/65 R 15 H

205/65 R 15 T

205/65 R 15 H

215/65 R 15 H

215/65 R 16 H

55 series: 50 series:

185/55 R 14 T 195/50 R 15 T

185/55 R 15 T 195/50 R 15 H

195/55 R 15 H 205/50 R 16 H

195/55 R 16 H 205/50 R 17 H XL

205/55 R 16 T 225/50 R 17 H XL

205/55 R 16 H

205/55 R 16 H XL

205/55 R 16 V XL

215/55 R 16 H

215/55 R 16 H XL

225/55 R 16 H

225/55 R 16 H XL

225/55 R 17 V XL

Barum is a tire brand of the Continental Corporation, one of the world’s major automotive suppliers, with targeted sales of more than €26 billion in the 2010 fiscal year. As a supplier of tires, brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has around 160,000 employees in 45 countries.

Continental is the European market leader for passenger and light truck tires. More than 30% of all new European cars leave the factory fitted with Continental tires as original equipment. Continental’s tire divisions are an official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. For further details, please go to www.ContiSoccerWorld.com.

Klaus Engelhart

Press Spokesman
Passenger and Light Truck/Two-Wheel Tires

Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH

Büttnerstrasse 25

30165 Hanover, Germany

Ph.: +49 (0) 511 938 2285

Fax: +49 (0) 511 938 2455

E-mail:

www.barum-online.com

Image database at http://mediacenter.conti-online.com

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