new Audi for the winter has arrived

[Ti-Mike]

Hi everyone,
finally my new winter car has arrived.
The R8 is already sleeping in his little heated box.


The allroad 3.0 Tdi is full optional excl. sunroof, tined windows in the rear and trailer hitch.
The car has been already modified by ABT to 272 HP, as you can order all Audi's like this in switzerland directly
from the general importer of Audi/VW/Porsche as they distribute
also ABT products in Switzerland. This Chip Tuning will NOT effect the Audi warranty.

[hmp10]

Beautiful car. Is that the Luxor Beige interior (the same color available on the R8)?

Call me crazy, but although I have a 4-wheel-drive Sport Utility vehicle, I also plan to keep my R8 on the road through Chicago winters . . . with Bridgestone ultra-high-performance all-season tires, of course.

In the 1980's I lived in the very hilly and snowy Berkshire Mountain region of Massachusetts, and I kept a Mazda RX7 Turbo on the road year round, using Yokohama high-performance winter tires. In the 1990's I lived in a somewhat hilly and snowy area of Connecticut and kept a Corvette on the road year round, using all-season tires in the winter.

I would try to avoid getting caught in a heavy snowstorm in those climes, not because the cars did not have sufficient traction with the right tires, but because they were so low to the ground that they became snow plows. However, on the few occasions when I risked driving my sports car to work in the morning only to get hit with an unexpected snowfall during the day, I found myself having to drive home very cautiously . . . but I never got stranded.

Even in winter climes, the roads are clear and dry most of the time.

Given my suspicion that many of the people who are attracted to the R8 also tend not to keep their cars for many years, my worry is that garaging my R8 for the winter will be more about protecting the car for a future owner's enjoyment than for mine.

One of the great attractions to me of this car is that it has 4-wheel-drive. While for many reasons it is still not an ideal winter car, it will certainly have a wider margin of winter capability than my earlier RWD sports cars.

Now . . . I hope I won't be writing a retraction of this post this coming February while wrapped around a telephone pole.

[RaXip]

TI-Mike, congrats on the car. Car looks beautiful and great location for the photos.

[Ti-Mike]

the location is my home , we have a little wineyard close to Lugano

[hmp10]

It is absolutely beautiful . . . and looks to be the kind of country for which the R8 was built. Makes me envious, as I'm doomed to drive my car most of the time in the flatlands on wide, straight, horribly crowded roads.

[RaXip]

the location is my home , we have a little wineyard close to Lugano

Your home looks beautiful. It's difficult to find locations like that in my neck of the woods. Congrats on the car again.

[Goldenfish]

Congratulations for your R8!
I am getting mine in Switzerland (also through AMAG) in Feb! Can't wait...
Do you know if the distributor also install a chiptuning on the R8 (assuming there is one available). Are you happy with the Abt one on your A6?
Thanks a lot.

[Ti-Mike]

The best standard chip tuning in switzerland is ABT as the warrenty of the car is still valid after the modifications.

I am very happy with the car, specially with the suspention system. If you switch to comfort, it is very very smooth driving on the freeway.

Love it.

[willyjp]

I think the R8 is likely pretty capable in winter conditions, but of course the risk of damage to your baby is greater. Motor Trend ran a very interesting series of videos of an R8 "cruise" following the Pacific Crest Trail (as closely as possible by road) and crossing the Sierra/Cascade divide over a dozen times in early spring conditions. They saw a lot of snow coming down and really got into some snow driving several times. The best sequence is at Crater Lake Natl. Park. And this on summer tires!! A "sport-utility" with emphasis on the SPORT! Check it out (videos parts 1--4 on this & next page)
http://www.motortrend.com/search/vid...&SearchSource=

(edit comment: sorry that link didn't work at first; mtn. pass & snow driving in R8 is in "Mexico to Canada", parts 1--4; part 2 is on second pg.!)

[MikeB]

Out in the snow yesterday on ungritted country roads and summer tyres. Apart from the fact that the big fat tyres are crap on snow, its the other idiots you have to watch out for as they pirhouette round the corners. A couple of heart in the mouth moments later and I decided to put the car to bed for the duration.