While Western tire giants are leaving the Russian market, trying to minimize losses, domestic manufacturers do not lose optimism and occupy the vacated niches. One of the leaders in the Russian market can be considered the Russian brand Cordiant. In March 2023, the brand launched the new Cordiant Gravity model, and we have already tested it on the roads of Abkhazia. About the advantages of the new product in our material.
New technologies – new logo
The departure of famous manufacturers from the Russian market coincided with the 20th anniversary of the domestic tire brand Cordiant. For its anniversary, the brand not only presented the new summer tire Cordiant Gravity, but also rebranded the logo, which had existed since 2006. The Cordiant Gravity model has replaced the Cordiant Comfort 2 tire.
The company notes that the average annual mileage of a car in Russia is about 18,700 kilometers, so the longer the tire runs, the better. In the Cordiant Comfort 2 model, the tread depth of the tire has been increased by 12% compared to the previous Cordiant Comfort 2 model, which will increase the service life of the tires for another season.
All this is due to Long-Cor technology, as well as a new optimized profile that ensures uniform pressure distribution in the contact patch. In addition, the tire’s service life is increased by a new optimized rubber compound with a high content of highly active carbon black. It increases the mileage of the tire without compromising other tire characteristics.
Tire design
Cordiant engineers worked as hard on the tire design as they did on its composition. The manufacturer claims excellent handling and grip on dry asphalt thanks to DRY-COR technology, and WET-COR technology will protect against aquaplaning and maintain directional stability on a wet road. The checkerboard elements of the outer rib are connected by a solid rib, and the checkers of the inner rib are connected by half-bridges, which improves stability when turning and changing lanes. Three solid ribs ensure the directional stability of the car when driving straight.
The central ribs are cut with straight and Z-shaped sipes of shallow depth to improve grip on dry asphalt. The longitudinal grooves drain water from the contact patch, increasing resistance to aquaplaning. The transverse grooves divide the side ribs into separate elements, improving grip on wet roads when changing lanes. Straight and Z-shaped sipes improve water micro-drainage and increase the grip of the tire on wet asphalt.
Special attention was paid to the acoustic comfort of the tire. Thus, the tread consists of 8 elements with a unique filling of functional elements, due to the alternation of which a noise level of 69 dB is achieved. In addition to the passenger car version, Cordiant Gravity has an SUV modification, which is intended for crossovers. This is the first line of Cordiant tires, where the SUV version differs from the passenger car version in the tread pattern, which is developed specifically for Russian operating conditions. The crossover version of the tire has an increased number of gripping edges when driving on soft soils and gravel roads due to the bevels on the 2 central ribs.
The central grooves of the tread are equipped with special stone-ejecting studs for quick self-cleaning of the tread from stones. There were also enlarged cuts for better drainage of water from the contact patch. The Cordiant Gravity SUV version received a premium sidewall design in 17 and 18 inches. Due to the use of molds with laser engraving, a velvet blackening effect is achieved, which adds charm and premium to the tire. The Cordiant Gravity line will include 24 sizes from 14 to 18 inches, 12 of which will be the Gravity SUV version.
Impressions from use
Abkhazia became the optimal place for a journalistic test drive of new tires from Cordiant. The republic, small in area, makes it possible to test the wheels on almost any type of road surface. There is asphalt, gravel, river fords, mud and mountain roads. It was the crossover Cordiant Gravity SUV line that we managed to test in action; these were the tires that were put on the test Nissan X-Trail.
The crossovers received tires of size 225/65 R17, the most common for cars of this type. From the first meters behind the wheel of a car with tires from Cordiant, I want to note the softness and smoothness of the ride, as well as the very acoustic comfort that the company representatives talked about during the presentation. The tires rustle quietly on the asphalt even at speeds over 120 km / h. On uneven and cracked asphalt, the rubber works out its soft ride. Gravity tires cope well with damping the microprofile and cracks in the asphalt, and smooth out shocks well when driving over large unevenness.
If you pick up speed on smooth asphalt at 130 km / h, a barely noticeable vibration appears, but this can most likely be attributed to inaccuracies in tire balancing, or perhaps due to the fact that the tires are completely new and have not yet been run in. I would like to make another observation regarding the softness of the tires.
The tire seems soft when driving, but at the same time it has adequate grip when turning on mountain serpentines. The behavior of the tires for a crossover is quite decent and the handling is understandable. I would like to separately say about the impression of the Cordiant Gravity tires on a wet surface. It rained for two days during the test drive, in some places the roads of Abkhazia turned into full-flowing rivers, in some places streams of water flowed along the asphalt.
One of the tests that was prepared by the organizers was a trip to the territory of the old Sukhumi airport. High-speed races were supposed to be held here on the concrete. The flooded surface turned out to be an ideal platform for demonstrating not even the speed capabilities of the tire, but its grip properties and ability to combat aquaplaning. The Cordian Gravity tires coped with this task perfectly.
