Ford Focus RS Offers First Ever Factory Snow Tire Package (Video)

The new Ford Focus RS is the hottest hatchback ever offered by the Blue Oval Gang here in the United States, and the sport compact community is excited to get their hands on the 350 horsepower, all-wheel drive beast. Both the sport compact community and the folks at Ford know that the Focus RS will be a stunner on the track, but the Motor Company wants to make sure that this new Focus is just as much fun all year long – even in the worst winter conditions. To do so, the Focus RS will be the first ever Ford vehicle sold in the US with a factory winter tire package.

“We started this project knowing what our RS customers really want out of their cars,” says Adam Wirth, chassis supervisor, Ford Performance. “This tire package allows RS owners to continue spirited driving even in the snow.

The Focus RS Winter Tire Package
The winter tire package for the new Ford Focus RS comes with a set of 18 inch aluminum alloy wheels painted silver to help hide the salt and dirt of winter roads. These rims have a similar design to the standard black 19 inch wheels that come on the Focus RS with the exception of the silver paint, including the RS logos on the wheel lip. These rims are wrapped in 225/40R18 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 tires, which feature an aggressive tread pattern that won’t sing like a mud truck tire on the highway. Thanks to this tread design, the Focus RS winter tires will get great grip on snowy roads – or when tearing around a snow-covered race track.

Like the stock rollers, the winter tire package wheels include the tire pressure sensors and the center caps, so they are literally a direct bolt-on replacement for the black 19 inch Focus RS wheels. Also, they come mounted and balanced, so while the dealership can install them right then and there, they are also easy to mount up at home in the owner’s garage.

The Focus RS winter tire package costs $1,995. The 225/40R18 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 tires cost $225.35 each, so the tires carry a purchase price of around $900 and $1,000 is a reasonable price for a set of tires with pressure sensors. Also, there is something to be said for the ease of having wheels specifically made for your high performance hatchback.

Also, if you live in Canada, the winter tire package comes as standard equipment, but it is unclear whether you can still opt up to the 19 inch black wheels that come standard on US-spec Focus RS models.

To show off the capabilities of the Ford Focus RS with the new winter tire package, Ford put together a video showing Mr. Ken Block playing in the snow with the 350 horsepower Focus. Enjoy.