Winter wheel and tyre programme keeps Audi drivers in the groove

As the UK braces itself for the distinct possibility of another treacherous white 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.
 
Recent winters have gone to extremes that haven’t been experienced in the UK for 30 years, with heavy snow immobilising large swathes of the country for weeks at a time and temperatures plummeting as low as -21 degrees centigrade. Aside from these extraordinary weather events, records show that in an average 365-day period  some form of precipitation falls on the UK’s key regional ‘capitals’ on up to 154 days, and in some cases up to 213 days, making the case for even more protective seasonal tyres hard to ignore.
 
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 subcompact 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 16-inch to 19-inch 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 that is optimised for temperatures of below 7 degrees centigrade. Their special ‘footprint’ enables them to scythe through snow with a degree of precision, grip and control that genuinely has to be felt to be fully appreciated.
 
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, called sipes, 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, or two car lengths. When the quattro all-wheel-drive system that is widely available across the vast majority of model lines is also factored into the equation, Audi drivers can feel even safer in the knowledge that they have the best possible chance of weathering our increasingly challenging winter driving conditions.
 
Wheel and tyre sets include heavy duty storage bags to protect original fit ‘summer’ wheels and tyres while they are in storage. Some Audi Centres can also offer wheel and tyre storage facilities at extra cost.
 
Audi drivers seeking enhanced winter protection can find more information by contacting their Audi Centre or visiting audi.co.uk/owners-area/winter-tyres.html