Customers of Ford’s all-new Focus RS will now be able to order a fully certified winter tire kit for driving in the snow. This package offers customers a unique set of wheels and tires, and is the first time an original equipment manufacturer is making a check-the-box winter tire option available in North America.
Adam Wirth, chassis supervisor, Ford Performance, said, “We started this project knowing what our RS customers really want out of their cars. This tire package allows RS owners to continue spirited driving even in the snow.”
The challenge in developing this package was that normal vehicle testing procedures require certification with production wheels and tires; winter-only standards had never been authored.
The first step Ford had to undertake was creating a new set of standards specifically suited for brutal winter conditions. These were put to the test in extreme cold and snow in northern Michigan in the USA and in Sweden in Northern Europe. Engineers and technicians tested a wide variety of high-performance winter tire and wheel setups to determine the optimum combination for ride, handling and performance in various wintry conditions.
The established setup is a 225/40 R18 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 tire mounted to a new 18 x 7.5in wheel. The set is complete with tire pressure monitoring sensors and center caps fully mounted and balanced and ready for installation at the dealer.
March 3, 2016
