Continental's New ContiFlexStud

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https://www.continental-tires.com/car/contiflexstud

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...The ContiFlexStudâ„¢ is a brand-new design. It delivers dramatically reduced road wear, [7% better] grip on ice, longer-lasting performance over lifetime and less interior stud noise. ....The radical new design of the ContiFlexStudâ„¢ provides yet another benefit, which is superior wear performance matching the full lifetime of the tire. The stud's rubber body wears down along with the tire's tread. This allows the stud to maintain the pin's effectiveness ...
 
Originally Posted by SubLGT
https://www.continental-tires.com/car/contiflexstud

Quote
...The ContiFlexStudâ„¢ is a brand-new design. It delivers dramatically reduced road wear, [7% better] grip on ice, longer-lasting performance over lifetime and less interior stud noise. ....The radical new design of the ContiFlexStudâ„¢ provides yet another benefit, which is superior wear performance matching the full lifetime of the tire. The stud's rubber body wears down along with the tire's tread. This allows the stud to maintain the pin's effectiveness ...


How do they compare with the Hakka 9 ?
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
...How do they compare with the Hakka 9 ?


Nokian is using 2 different stud designs on the Hakka9:

https://www.nokiantyres.com/innovation/innovations/eco-stud-9-concept/?tyre=nokian-hakkapeliitta-9

https://www.nokiantyres.com/studded-tyres/nokian-hakkapeliitta-9/

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Two studs with different shapes, an Eco Stud cushion that dampens road contact, an air space in the middle of the lower flange that reduces stud impact, and the bevelled hard metal tips of the centre studs. The bevelled stud tips distribute the stud's impact force across a wider area. The eco-friendly, modern stud concept reduces road wear and ensures that noise is at a comfortable level.
 
It kind of reminds me of a soccer cleat(adidas and Conti have a history of working together) - I wonder if Conti did this to advance studded tires so that newer cars can use them with less trade-offs compared to the standard metal pins?
 
I don't think Michelin has embraced the idea of specialized studs to the degree that Nokian and Continental have. In their newest studded tire, the X-Ice North4, they have increased the number of studs.

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...The key feature of the new development of Michelin is the number of studs, which have 250 pieces in tires size 205/55 R16!

...compared with the predecessor model, the number of "spikes" in Michelin XIN4 is more than twice, and in comparison with tires of leading competitors, such as Goodyear UG Ice Arctic , Nokian Hakkappeliitta 9 , Continental IceContact 2 , Pirelli Ice Zero and Bridgestone Noranza 001 - more by 30%.

There is no doubt that the new "spikes" are holding very tightly to the ice. And it's not just the number of spikes, but also their layout, which was optimized using a mathematical algorithm that allowed analyzing 1400 potential spike positions and choosing the most optimal placement for each of them, taking into account the reduction in stopping distance of Michelin X-Ice North XIN4 on the ice and reduce the sound effect.


https://shina.guide/press/15623/#more-15623
 
Continental had to pull its premium IceContact 3 tire off the market in early 2020 because of a detachment problem with the new design FlexStuds.


...Mattias Palmgren, Continental's Nordic product development manager, tells Tuulilas, who was the first to report the matter, that the reason for the withdrawal was the so-called Detachment of FlexStud rubber studs.

“FlexStud studs are a solution developed by Tikka Spikes, a Finnish company owned by Continental, which was supposed to not only improve the tire's drivability, but also reduce the wear of studded tires on the road,” says Tuulilasi...

...The owners of FlexStud tires, which have only been on the market for one winter, are now being given back their money. However, you must contact your dealer for these tires....



One of the highlights of the 2019/2020 winter season, the Continental IceContact 3 tire with ContiFlex rubber studs, in addition to a wide advertising campaign, received first and second places in six independent comparative tests of the season, as well as the title of "Best Studded Tire 2019" .

However, Ice Contact 3 has now stopped production as a number of customers reported poor stud retention and Vi Bilägare annulled its victory in its 225/50 R17 tire test.

Unable to find a quick solution to this problem, Continental stopped production of ContiFlexStud rubber studs, as a result of which IceContact 3 tires will in the future be sold only with standard aluminum studs.

Continental Business Development Manager for Northern Europe, Matthias Palmgren, emphasized that not all Swedish customers have faced the loss of rubber studs, and there are many who have been spared this problem. However, production of ContiFlex studded tires has been discontinued and the company will continue internal development and testing to correct the identified deficiencies.
 
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