Why was Continental UC6 discontinued?
2 Answers
Continental UC6 tires have not been discontinued. The wear conditions of the tires are as follows: Wear indicators: When the tire tread is nearly worn out, meaning the remaining tread depth is less than 1.6mm, the tire's grip becomes very poor, especially during rainy or snowy weather. Tread wear: As the tread becomes shallower, water drainage is impaired, creating a water film between the road surface and the tire. This can cause the vehicle to lose traction, leading to loss of control. Tire slippage: The amount of tire slippage increases significantly, and the braking distance grows dramatically. This not only worsens the vehicle's handling stability but can also cause traffic accidents.
I've thought about the discontinuation of Continental UC6 tires, and it's mainly related to the product lifecycle. This is common practice for tire manufacturers - a tire model typically gets updated every five to six years. The UC6 was launched in 2016, making it seven to eight years old now, which means its technology is no longer cutting-edge. The newly released UC7 features more advanced diamond compound rubber, offering shorter wet braking distances and better noise control, naturally making the UC6 obsolete. Additionally, the UC6 was originally positioned as a mid-to-high-end all-season tire, but market demands have become more segmented now. Continental needs to free up production capacity for more profitable products like winter tires and EV-specific tires. Honestly, there's no need to dwell on the discontinuation - the performance upgrade with the new UC7 is quite noticeable.
