Audi-Vredestein driving experience

The relative lack of presence of Vredestein in India compared to the Michelins and Bridgestones is slowly changing. After Apollo Tyres took the Dutch tyre manufacturer under its wings, there was little need to care for India in the next few years. But late last year, Vredestein was launched in India as a premium range of tyres manufactured in Europe for the growing number of premium cars in the country. So how are these tyres then? Vredestein decided a year later that we should find out and so, we were invited to the Buddh International Circuit to drive a bunch of Audis shod with Vredestein tyres to knock some cones and carve some corners. Here’s how it panned out.

The day was divided in two parts. Part one was a gymkhana style course outside the track in regular ‘A’ range of Audis – A3, A4 and A6 and part two was a stint on the track in Quattros – the TT, S4 and S6. There were a few R8 Spyders too but off limits… I wonder why. 

The event is part of Audi’s Sportscar Experience. Vredestein is the main partner for the event and supplies Audi with two sets of tyres per car for the event. It costs Rs 30,000 per slot but it is fairly crowded with a large group of around 50 participants. If you want a taste of what it feels like on track in powerful cars, it isn’t that expensive. But we suggest you opt for an optional individual experience if you genuinely want to learn to drive fast and right on track. You will have to own an Audi Sportscar to be eligible for this though.

Coming back to the chores for the day, I’m out at the gymkhana session with the A4 at my disposal. The course makes you navigate through a set of cones, try some cornering in the wet to understand grip in the wet, go through a slalom course and then slam as hard as possible on the brakes to come to a halt. Front wheel drive cars in the wet are a recipe for understeer. And you’d need some seriously sticky rubber with the right grooves to throw away water, gentle throttle inputs and as little steering input as possible to keep the car tracing your intended line. And when you see just cones to hit, throttle is more than generously applied. 

A new set of 225/50 R17 Ultrac Centos on my A4 offer the right amount of grip the minute I ease off the throttle and enter the slalom course. Changing direction through the slalom course, no squealing tyre is essential. Keep the car as straight as possible and as close to the cone as you can to negotiate slalom quickly. The Ultrac Centos did a splendid job here. Then it comes to hard braking to stop in the shortest distance possible. We didn’t have any comparative test to know how the Ultrac Centos would perform with respect to competition but the grip was good at all times and the car dug into the tarmac perfectly under hard braking. 50 profile tyres should offer good ride as well but the 55 profiles on the A6 should be an ideal fit for Indian road conditions. These tyres are more comfort oriented than the Ultrac Sessantas we experienced on track.

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The Ultrac Sessantas are sticky soft compound tyres ideal for track days. The Sessantas first and foremost look stunning with their Giugiaro designed tread patterns. An attractive pair of shoes adds a lot to the looks of a car for sure. All cars on track get Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. The Audi TT with a two-litre 210PS TFSI engine was the baby sportscar with all the potential to extract on wide corners of the Buddh International Circuit. Shod with 245/45 R17 Ultrac Sessantas and the Quattro system, the TT drives like it is on rails. Unlike most four wheel drive systems that split power between the front and rear axle, the Quattro splits it differently between all four wheels and that means most power is fed to the tyre with the best grip. Thirty years ago, this was breakthrough technology that helped Audi dominate rallying. Even now, evolution of the Quattro makes it one of the best all-wheel drive systems around. 

The S4 and the S6 have the Quattro system as well with a lot bigger role to play due to the extra mass and power on tap. The S4 has a 3.0-litre TFSI six-cylinder mill pumping out 338PS of power and 441Nm of torque and the S6 gets a 4.0-litre TFSI V8 block with 425PS of power on tap and a colossal 550Nm of torque. While the Quattro system works in overdrive mode to keep the car on track, the grippy Sessantas complement the all-wheel drive system to good effect. 

A sticky tyre can make a sea of difference to how a car handles. Vredesteins like most premium range tyres from any international brand are imported. And there are no immediate plans to set up shop in India as there is a very small market for performance tyres and the comfort tyre range in the premium segment. The Ultrac Cento range starts at Rs 10,500 per tyre going up to Rs 14,100 while the Ultrac Sessanta can set you back by about Rs 24,300 for the best in the business.