Tire Rack USA has evaluated the ContiCrossContact UHP vs
Michelin 4X4 Diamaris Street/Sport Truck Summer and
Pirelli Scorpion Zero Street/Sport Truck All-Season, 255/55R18.

This test was carried out on 22nd July 2005

Summary

Best for - Overall Road Rating
Best for - Handling
Best for - Slalom Time on dry roads
Best for - Slalom Time on wet roads
Best for - Lap Time on dry roads
Best for - Average Cornering on dry roads
Equal Best for - Average Cornering on wet roads

The CrossContact UHP is Continental's new 4WD tyre designed for
high performance four-wheel drives.

What we learned on the Road:

While the tread noise of each of the three tyres was not considered objectionable, the Scorpion Zero tended to produce a subtle, higher pitched noise during steady speed driving, while the
CrossContact™ UHP produced a lower tone.

In the handling department, the Continental CrossContact™ UHP offered a small advantage in steering response, along with feeling a bit more sure-footed around the relatively fast highway off ramp.

What we learned on the Test Track:

Overall, the Continental CrossContact™ UHP lapped our handling course the quickest of this test by a small margin and was found to offer the best handling balance and overall cornering performance of the group. The CrossContact™ UHP felt responsive, predictable and composed during all of the hard maneuvers of our course. The Pirelli Scorpion Zero was a close second, feeling responsive on initial turn in, but not quite as "connected" as the Continental.

Extra Product Info:

Continental CrossContact UHP (Street/Sport Truck Summer): The CrossContact UHP is Continental's Street/Sport Truck Summer tyre designed for high performance four-wheel drive sport utility vehicles.

On the outside, the CrossContact UHP uses a silica-enhanced tread compound to combine wet and dry road grip with rolling resistance comparable to passenger car tyres. The compound is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern that features solid outer shoulder blocks linked to a continuous rib combined with large, independent tread blocks that flank a circumferential center rib to provide directional stability and steering response. Lateral tread grooves are combined with four, wide circumferential grooves that provide efficient water drainage to reduce hydroplaning and enhance wet traction.