R16

In the meantime, the designation \”Tall and Narrow\” has established itself for tires for electric cars. One speaks here of a large diameter with a narrow tread – i.e. of tire designs especially for electric cars. There are now special tires for electric cars from some well-known manufacturers:

Generation change: HL tires for heavyweights

Heavy electric cars and SUVs with electric or hybrid drives put more weight on the road than conventional cars. However, these vehicles offer little scope for larger tires with a higher load capacity. Continental is therefore now presenting the first passenger car tires with the new \”High Load\” load index identifier – \”HL\” for short.

High-load tires and their properties

What distinguishes HL tires from conventional tires is their nature. The higher load capacity was achieved through changes to the tire construction and material mix. In order to offer you the best tires, other factors such as rolling resistance and mileage were taken into account. A similarly important aspect is keeping road noise constantly low.

The first HL tire comes from Continental

The load index – also known as load index (LI) – indicates the maximum permissible load of the vehicle tires. In January 2021, Continental presented HL tires with a load index of 101 for the first time . The load capacity is estimated at 825 kg. The stated goal was and is to equip powerful hybrid and electric vehicles with heavy-duty tires . Important because the market share of the two types is gradually increasing. Statistically, these weigh around 300 kg more on average than purely diesel and petrol-powered vehicles. A real challenge, as the scope for larger tires on your car is simply limited.
In contrast to the previous XL tires with a load index of 98, the load capacity of Continental’s HL tires has been increased by 10% from 750 kg to 825 kg per tire. Important for you to know: The tire pressure remains unchanged at approx. 2.5 bar. By the way: You can find the load index specified for your vehicle in Part 1 of the registration certificate (vehicle registration). The last two or three digits are relevant. In order to create reserves in terms of load-bearing capacity, you may exceed the load index from a legal point of view.