Contitental Contiseal tyre review: A tyre that heals itself
We recently found ourselves at the Wabco proving grounds in Chennai, putting Continental's new tyres to the test. While the tests weren't extensive, we did see a demonstration of the brand's new puncture-resistant self-sealing ContiSeal tyres.
A live demonstration shows that this technology could be relied upon in the real world. A car driven over a patch of nails saw its tyres staying intact, tyre pressures remaining intact. It does this with a viscous sealant layer that has been added under the contact surface of the tyre. It can seal punctures of up to 5mm diameter and this sealant will remain through the life of the tyre. The sealant will also close the rupture left by the penetrating object once it dislodges from the tyre. The sealing is instant and little air can escape while the sealant works.
Having said that, its effectiveness will reduce over time with Continental claiming an 85 per cent success rate from the start. Also, this is not meant to protect from sidewalls tears, so you will have to still be careful over especially rough patches. The Contiseal will be a premium offering to start with, being fitted to the SportContact5. That said, this technology is welcome in our road conditions. Even if it is moderately effective, it can make for much greater peace of mind. You won't have to deal with sketchy puncture repair shops or change a heavy tyre as often on a journey.
We also drove cars with these tyres fitted through a dry and wet braking test, but these weren't extensive enough to give us a good sense of how the sealant layer affects ride or handling. These tyres do seem as secure as any other Continental tyres we've driven before, which makes them fit within industry standards.