A tire not only decides your driving experience on a vehicle but also ensures your safety on the road. Therefore it is important to validate and review the tires to make sure that you select a high-quality tire.
Are you interested in the Continental VikingContact 7? Are you wondering if it is a suitable product for your car? Don’t rush to the tire store yet if you haven’t read this post.
This Continental VikingContact 7 review will validate the pros and cons of this tire, giving you more insights into its function and core features. Based on the information provided, you can decide if it is worth your spending.
An Overview Of Continental VikingContact 7
The VikingContact 7 belongs to the premium tire product line designed for all sorts of four-wheel vehicles like SUVs, crossovers, light trucks, and passenger cars.
Equipped with the most advanced German technologies, such as the PolarPlus, this winter tire delivers a great performance on the road, especially on the winter road tracks.
It also comes with premium material and excellent build quality, providing a long-lasting tread cycle and durability. The tire can withstand the harshest weather conditions, giving users utter safety on slippery and wet roads.
So what difference does the PolarPlus technology make? What features should you expect from this high-end winter tire? Read the following sections, and you will soon understand.
To provide an authentic and truthful review of the Continental VikingContact 7, I have managed to try it out for a period. I will also share with you my real driving experience with this product near the end of the post.
Important Specifications
- Approved Rim Width: 4.0 – 5.0
- Tire Diameter: 22.4 inches
- Tire Weight: 13,1 inches
- Max Load: 783 Pounds
- Rim Protector: Not supported
- Max Inflation Pressure: N/A
- Side Wall: BSW
- Overall Section Width: 5.9 (4.5) inches
- Tread Depth: 10 inches
- Tire Metric: Metric
- Load Range: SL
- Revs Per Mile: 927
The manufacturer provides buyers with a variety of size options to choose from.
On each version with different sizes and diameters, these specifications will vary slightly. Therefore you should check the product’s description carefully before making the purchase decision.
Highlight Features Of Continental VikingContact 7
With many modern features and a practical design, it is not surprising that the Continental VikingContact 7 always appears on the list of the top tires. The product offers excellent value for its money with an impressive performance.
Here are some noticeable features and advantages of the VikingContact 7 that make it stand out from the regular products.
Modern Technologies
Depending on the size and options you choose, the Continental VikingContact can come with the ContiSeal, ContiSilent, or SSR technology. They are all developed by Continental and equipped with the brand’s premium product lines.
ContiSeal
When the tire gets damaged or penetrated by a sharp object on the road, the Contiseal system will automatically seal the tire to cover the penetrated hole.
Suppose the object falls out of the tire and leaves a big hole in your tire. In that case, the technology will immediately cover that gap with a sticky sealant layer inside the tread area. It will prevent your tire from going flat or damaging the tread.
This feature is necessary for the long cruiser who usually drives on bumpy road terrains like the mountain. You don’t have to replace the tire instantly, saving tremendous time and effort on the road.
ContiSilent
While the ContiSeal helps protect your tire, the ContiSilent technology gives users a smooth and quiet riding experience.
There is an absorber made of polyurethane foam inside the tire that absorbs and reduces the sound generated on all terrains.
Through the tests, this component can help reduce up to 9dB in the driving cabin. The sharp objects and extreme temperatures won’t affect or damage the polyurethane foam either.
SSR
The SSR system helps reduce the collision and damage caused when you accidentally bump into the sidewalk. As a result, the tire takes less damage and won’t break the sidewalk.
This feature allows users to leave the spare tire at home, which reduces the overall load weight significantly. Therefore you can drive with a lower load weight, more space in the trunk, and save more fuel.
An Excellent Tire For Winter And Snowy Terrains
The tire featured a soft compound tread and connected tread grooves that help the water escape and flow out more efficiently when driving on wet and icy roads.
Thanks to the PolarPlus technology, the tread stays more durable and stable in extremely low temperatures. The grip and traction are also unmatchable due to this technology, providing excellent steering and handling on snowy terrains.
The braking works very well on slippery road tracks, which is vital for the driver’s safety. The VikingContact 7 handles extreme weather conditions due to its premium design and technologies.
If you are still doubting, the tire has surpassed and met the severe snow service requirements of the two reputable organizations: USTMA (U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association) and TRAC (Tire and Rubber Association).
For this reason, there’s no doubt that Continental VikingContact 7 is one of the perfect tires for the winter and snow-covered road tracks.
Design
Overall, the tire possesses an eye-catching and premium appearance with the excellent build quality and smooth finishes. Its surface is very clean and shiny, giving your car a more appealing visual look.
The Continental VikingContact 7 features a nordic tread compound covered with canola oil. This feature gives you more flexibility in high or low temperatures and weather conditions.
The net design of the grooves delivers maximum contact with the road, which gives more traction and reduces slipperiness on wet roads.
Test Drive
The specifications and features of a tire are meaningless if it doesn’t perform well on the road. I’m sure that you value the real-life driving experience on this tire more than any ads and description.
Therefore I have tried out and tested this tire for a while on the snowy terrains surrounding my living area. Overall, the tire offers excellent performance on wet and snowy roads, with good control and handling.
How does It Perform On Wet And Snowy Roads?
The first impression I had with the VikingContact 7 when driving on wet roads is its excellent traction and brake. From the standstill position, it took me just a few seconds to accelerate and reach a high speed on a snow-covered surface.
When I park the car for a while on the road with a thick snow layer, the tire can help me get unstuck very quickly. The overall handling and steering are accurate and easy, thanks to the tires’ excellent traction.
In addition, the stopping distance is very impressive. At about 15 miles per hour, the car stops very quickly after I hit the brake. There’s hardly anything to complain about the performance of the VikingContact 7 tire on snowy roads.
I’m certain that you will have a smooth and safe riding experience on the snow layer of about 12 inches or more. I have driven in the rains a couple of times, and the wet grooves work fabulously to reduce the noise and slipperiness.
How Does It Perform On Dry Roads?
Despite being a winter tire, the VikingContact 7 still delivers excellent performance on dry and regular terrains. It gives me more driving confidence and peace of mind when driving at high speeds.
The steering and turning are smooth and easy to handle, even at high speeds. On smooth pavement, I can hardly hear any sound generated on the road.
However, I can hear some loud noises when the tires run through the broken pavement or bumpy terrains, which is a minor minus point. Still, these loud noises let you know and tell when there are strong impacts on the roads.
Compared to the other tires I have been testing, Continental VikingContact 7’s result was top-notch. Its acceleration with traction control is 4,27 seconds, which is impressively quick.
The braking on dry road tracks is amazingly good, reaching 95,7 feet in the stopping distance, which can outperform any premium tire on the market.
For more demonstrations and tests, consider watching the video below.
Pros And Cons Of Continental VikingContact 7
Pros
- Great traction and grip
- Excellent performance on the wet and snowy terrains
- PolarPlus and many other useful technologies
- High-end build quality and appealing design
- Great durability and tread cycle
- Accurate steering and good braking
Cons
- Relatively high price
- It is a little noisy when driving on bumpy roads
Who Should Choose Continental VikingContact 7?
I would highly recommend this tire for the SUVs, trucks, and passenger car drivers who live and drive in snowy regions. It is one of the best winter tires you can get, with excellent performance in extreme weather conditions.
If you want more confidence and safety on the road without sacrificing comfort and a smooth driving experience, then the VikingContact 7 is an ideal selection.
Conclusion
I hope that this Continental VikingContact 7 review can satisfy your curiosity and help you make a wiser purchase decision. Though it comes with a relatively high price, its durability, features, and performance are worthy trade-offs.
Thank you for reading!
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Alvin Reyes has expertise in automotive evaluation. He collaborated with famous newspapers and is still making efforts in tire review for DrivingPress.com