NASHVILLE, Tenn. — German car maker Audi A.G. has expanded its OE relationship with Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd., adding a pair of Hankook-branded OE fitments for its RS Q8.
Audi has added Hankook's Ventus S1 evo 3 ultra-high-performance tire as standard OE fitment and offers Hankook's Winter i*cept evo 2 as an approved winter tire fitment.
The Ventus fitment is size 295/40 ZR22 (112Y) XL. The Winter i*cept fitments are sizes 275/40 R22 107V XL (suitable for snow chains) or the 295/35 R23 108W XL.
"Hankook has already built up a long tradition of original equipment at Audi," Hyunjun Cho, Head of Hankook OE Division, said.
"The RS models in particular have long been supplied with Hankook tires. Of course, it's always a great honor for our development engineers when Hankook summer and winter tires are also used on top models."
The Audi Sport is rated at 591 horsepower, capable of acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
"The tire design for a very sporty ... vehicle like the Audi RS Q8 is particularly demanding," Moonhwa Hong, Vice President of OE Development Department, said.
"As with the other large models in the Q series, higher load capacities generally apply, which must be guaranteed at high speeds. That is why the resilience of the tire construction was of particular importance. We have also paid special attention to the performance characteristics of our tires in both wet and dry conditions."