Audi offers winter wheel and tyre options.
AS the UK braces itself for a potentially treacherous winter, Audi drivers can take comfort in a range of factory-approved winter wheel and tyre options offering the best possible protection against the paralysing power of snow and ice.
Audi Centres across the country can offer stand-alone winter tyre sets or complete wheel-and-tyre sets covering all models, from the A1 premium sub-compact to the Q7 luxury SUV.
The winter tyre sets can be fitted to existing wheels and are priced from £550, including fitting. The wheel-and-tyre sets incorporate attractive 16ins to 19ins alloy wheels, which have been specifically designed to offer maximum anti-corrosion resistance to snow and salt, and start from £792, including fitting.
Produced by premium manufacturers, the purpose-built tyres are constructed from a special rubber compound optimised for temperatures of -7C. Their special footprint enables them to scythe through snow with a degree of precision, grip and control.
Whereas conventional tyres become stiffer and less flexible at low temperatures, the winter compounds remain softer and more pliable and, consequently, better able to maintain grip.
They also benefit from a special tread pattern that optimises water displacement and additional grooves within the tread blocks, which interlock with the surface to maximise traction.
With their help, grip on roads encumbered with snow, ice and slush, or high levels of surface water, is improved by up to 60 per cent and braking distances are reduced by as much as 20 per cent.
Reporter: jamiew@iwcpmail.co.uk