Continental celebrates 120th anniversary of first tire featuring a tread pattern

With the development of the world’s first car tire with a tread pattern and its market launch 120 years ago, Continental achieved a milestone in the history of mobility.

“The tread pattern of a tire is not only an important distinguishing feature but also has a major influence on the overall vehicle performance. With the first hand-carved tires having a tread pattern 120 years ago, Continental revolutionized mobility worldwide. Since tires were no longer smooth and unstructured in their contact area to the road, they were able to offer significantly more traction, grip and driving safety on wet, dirty and snow-covered surfaces. This is due to their sophisticated block, groove and sipe pattern structure,” explains Felix Hübner, Head of the department Pattern, Contour & Industrial Design at Continental Tires. “Today, new designs are digitally created, virtually tested and refined in further development. This allows us to continually improve the safety and efficiency of our tires day by day, building on a success story that has lasted for more than a century.”

Today, tread patterns are developed specifically for different segments and applications. Examples include racing tires and ultra-high-performance tires for high speeds on public roads. There are also summer, all-season, winter, Nordic/ice and off-road tires. Winter tires, for example, with their many blocks, numerous sipes and grooves, are significantly more structured than summer tires, allowing them to better grip snowy surfaces and displace water and slush from the road surface.