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Continental tyres go the extra mile at Tarrant International

With 280,000 kilometres already achieved during trials of Continental’s HD Hybrid tyre, leading Irish haulier Tarrant International Transport is confident that 300,000 kilometres will be reached before the tyres finally require replacing.

“This is exceptional and well beyond the mileage that we have been getting out of another premium brand that we use,” says Donagh Tarrant, transport manager in the Cork based family-run firm. “As a result of changing tyres we expect almost double the mileage we were getting previously.”

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The HD Hybrid is a dual-purpose drive axle tyre designed for vehicles that do a combination of regional and long distance work. It delivers in a broad range of applications without any compromise in rolling resistance, energy efficiency, grip, safety and noise. This makes the tyre well suited to Tarrant International’s operations in which their trucks average 160-180,000 kilometres a year on journeys that can take them as far as Eastern Europe and North Africa.

The company has been trialling the HD Hybrid on a FH13 Globetrotter XL which has a power rating of 460 bhp and a torque output of 2300 Nm. The tyre has proved well able to handle these large amounts of power and torque as well as the high retarder forces exerted during steep hill descents

“The HD Hybrid tyre has also coped well with the wide variety of road surface and climatic conditions that our trucks encounter on their long trips across Europe,” adds Donagh Tarrant. “It takes all these variations in its stride and performs equally well in wintry conditions as in the heat, and as a tyre designed for a combination of motorwary and regional use it suits our operations perfectly.”

Tarrant International runs a fleet of 42 top-of-the-range artics and over 100 trailers, including refrigerated, curtainsider, euroliner and tipping types. When replacing tyres, its current choice is the Continental HSR2 for steer axles,  the HTR2 for the trailers and of course the HD Hybrid on the drive, all supplied through local Conti360° dealer Advance Pitstop in Mallow.
On steer axles the Continental HSR2 is Tarrant International’s tyre of choice. It features intermediate blocks for extra traction, a deep cut and chip resistant tread compound and a tread design that is resistant to scrub wear.

On its trailers the company uses the Continental HTR2 tyre. The low weight of this tyre contributes to better fuel economy and high mileage is achieved as a result of the use of a precisely balanced compound and the tyre’s unique tread geometry. The patented groove pattern ejects stones easily, reducing the risk of tyre damage, whilst keeping noise levels low and within legal limits.

“We’re very satisfied with the performance of our Continental tyres both on our tractor units and our trailers,” says Donagh Tarrant. “They tick all the boxes in terms of safety, high mileage, and good performance in all road and load conditions and the HD Hybrid is proving particularly impressive. We also get excellent service from our local Conti360° network partner, Advance Pitstop.”