Continental MaxContact MC7 – A Track-Worthy Sport Performance Tyre!

In case you missed it, Continental Tyres recently unveiled the new Continental MaxContact MC7 tyre – a sporty high-performance tyre that is designed to fulfil the unique needs of Asia Pacific (APAC) drivers.

Developed and tested by a team of 25 engineers and material experts through more than 8,000 hours in R&D, the new MC7 tyre has been designed to deliver a more refined handling while at the same time featuring exceptional grip in wet conditions and a more quiet drive. All in all, these upgrades promise the new MC7 to be a decent all-rounder tyre, while at the same time elevating your daily driving experience.

We put the newly-launched Continental MaxContact MC7 tyres to the test at the Sepang International Circuit.

To put the new tyre to the test, Continental Tyre Malaysia has organised a special track test session at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit (SIC), where we will be putting the new MC7 to its limit through several curated courses.

With that being said, here are a few things we learned about the new Continental MaxContact MC7 tyre after half a day testing them…

The Tyre Grips Excellently on Wet Surfaces

Continental Tyres went on a full rant explaining the improvements it has garnered to the MC7’s wet grip performance, and as a result, the excellent wet performance is indeed the first thing we noticed about this new high-performance tyre.

Course 1: Wet Braking

This was evident in two of the four courses that we’ve put the MC7 through, namely the Wet Braking and the Wet Cornering. Starting with the former, we were tasked with testing out the wet braking capabilities of the MC7 tyre against a competitor brand, where the total braking distance was measured for both brands.

To no one’s surprise, the Mercedes-AMG C43 model equipped with the MC7 tyres managed to brake earlier than the one using the competitor brand’s tyres by quite a healthy margin of three to five metres.

Course 2: Wet Handling

As for the second course, we were tasked with driving the Mercedes-AMG GLA 35—one equipped with MC7 tyres and the other with tyres from a competitive brand—through Sepang’s third corner, which was intentionally watered to simulate a wet driving condition.

Again, compared to the one equipped with a competitor brand, we feel more confident driving the MC7-equipped car than the one with the competitor brand. Even when cornering on a wet surface at a moderate speed, the car still grips the road pretty well.

Part-and-parcel of the MC7’s excellent wet grip is due to its 3D laser-cut sipes that help to improve grip and braking in wet conditions, which ultimately will reduce the risk of aquaplaning. These sipes are coupled with the new ReFlex silica compound, which enhances the transfer of kinetic energy to heat when braking, leading to shorter braking distances on both dry and wet roads.

To summarise, the Continental MaxContact MC7 excels in wet driving conditions thanks to its innovative sipes design and cutting-edge compound technology, ensuring that your car won’t lose too much grip even when driving on wet surfaces.

Expectedly, The Tyre Excels in Dry Handling Performance

As per most high-performance sporty tyres, the Continental MaxContact MC7 expectedly excels in dry handling performance. Thanks to some of its new features, the MC7 still manages to edge some of its competitors in the dry handling section, as shown in the next course.

Course 3: Slalom Test

To test out the dry grip performance, we were tasked with trying out the MC7-equipped Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S against one using tyres from a competitor’s brand around the Slalom course. Predictably, we managed to clock a faster time using the MC7-equipped car compared to the one using the competitor brand’s tyres.

While the time difference between MC7 and its competitors is in the milliseconds, we’d reckon these differences can be substantial given the right situation, such as in a time attack run around the track.

According to Continental Tyres, the MC7’s excellent dry grip stems from both the aforementioned ReFlex silica compound and the cornering macroblocks, not to mention the tread design that maximises the contact area with the road to create a wider footprint. Besides delivering sharper cornering performance, this added dry grip also allows for a more controlled and stable drive.

While we didn’t exactly test it out, Continental Tyres also claimed the ReFlex silica compound on the MC7 has been formulated to provide a higher resistance to tyres, thus promising a longer life span.

Tyre Roars and Noises Are Quite Minimal, But…

Just like other Continental tyre models, the firm placed a lot of emphasis on how the new MaxContact MC7 tyre boasts a very decent noise suppression level compared to its competitors, thanks to some new innovations introduced to it.

Course 4: Dry Handling

And rightfully so, because we found the MC7 released pretty minimal tyre roars or noises when driving on the well-paved surface of the Sepang track. Even at higher speeds, the noise level was quite minimal, with the more noticeable sounds coming from the AMG cars' roaring engine notes, not to mention the loud wind noises at high speeds.

According to the firm, the MC7’s decent noise suppression stems from the new Two-in-1 Noise Breaker 3.0 technology that helps to break up sound waves, preventing noise from building up and travelling into the car cabin. While most high-performance sport tyres are known for asserting loud noise when driving, the MC7 managed to suppress some of the noises rather well, promising a quieter drive even with such a sporty tyre.

But then again, do take this result with a grain of salt when you’re using the MC7 on normal Malaysian paved roads, considering that our tests were done on the well-paved, FIA Grade 1-approved surfaces of the Sepang track.

Conclusion

With all of that being said, the new Continental MaxContact MC7 is still a very good tyre for you to consider, especially when looking for a high-performance sport tyre that not only delivers sharp handling performance but also decent wet grip and noise suppression.

Now available for purchase in selected APAC markets, including Malaysia, the all-new Continental MaxContact MC7 is available in many sizes, ranging from 16 to 21 inches. For more information on the prices and availability, you can visit any authorised Continental Tyre outlets in Malaysia or visit their official website.