Continental's IceContact XTRM is a studded or studless, 3PMS rated winter tire designed for owners of subcompacts, sedans, crossovers, sport utility vehicles and light trucks seeking exceptional winter traction on icy and snowy roads.

• Unique stud technology for excellent grip on ice
• Greatly improved handling on snowy or slushy roads
• Safety and reliability are guaranteed even in the worst winter conditions

The Continental IceContact XTRM tire, specially designed for the Canadian market, is available in two versions: factory studded and unstudded. The studded version will offer you unique features, including aluminum studs with "TriStud" technology with 11 mm spikes introduced into the tread that are up to 4 times more resistant and allow for a 5% increase in grip on ice according to the results obtained in numerous studies.

The stud head promotes better grip on ice than directional studs and helps reduce road wear. The stud retention technology uses a coating proven to be up to four times stronger and provides up to 5% more grip on ice.

In addition, these factory-fitted studs are implanted between two small reservoirs in the tread to prevent ice build-up around them.

The IceContact XTRM has a V-shaped tread with nine side sections. The center rib and connected sipes are designed to improve driving response. The side grooves, which help shed slush and water, are wider outside than in the center, while the sidewall cavities and grooves provide traction in deep snow. Even on the unstudded version, the tread compound is the type typically found on studded tires to account for sub-zero temperatures in Canada.

The seemingly random placement of the 130 studs in the tread, each surrounded by a reservoir, was determined by complex computer analysis to achieve a perfect balance that minimizes the tire's noise on the road.

In the province of Quebec, a large amount of salt is used during the winter season for road maintenance. They result in a large amount of slush and snow that compacts inside the tread. In recent years, motorists have had to deal with snow and much more freezing rain than ever before. As a result, factory studded tires sell much more in Quebec, Ontario, northern Alberta and around Whistler, British Columbia, because of their better grip on ice.

The IceContact XTRM is a high-performance tire, sold with or without studs, that provides excellent grip on ice and outstanding handling on snowy roads while reducing tread noise on contact with the road.