VE
HICLE OPERATION------------------------
The external conditions
in which you drive also affect your fuel con
sumption.
The following conditions increase fuel con
sumption:
• Heavy traffic, especially in large cities
with many traffic lights.
• Stop-and-go driving, especially short dis
tances so that the engine never warms up
as it should.
• Driving in heavy, slow moving traffic in
low gear so that the engine speed is rela
tively high when compared to the distance
driven.
� Plan your trips ahaad of time. Or
� ganizs your trips to include sev
sral errands and to avoid heavy traf
fi c.
Of course, there are some conditions that
will affect fuel consumption that you can't
control.
For example, fuel consumption increases in
the winter or under difficult conditions (bad
roads, towing a trailer, etc.).
19 6 The
technical requirements
for optimum fuel consumption and eco
nomy were ''built" intoyourvehicle. Special
attention was paid to the environment. To
reta in and make use of these characteris
tics, please note the following points:
riJ Use only unleaded gasoline.
Leaded gasoline causes damage to the cat
alytic converter and other components of
the emission system.
t:Gh Have your vehicle serviced by an
� Audi Dealar at the specified in
tervals -see page 228 and your
Main tenance booklet.
Having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi Dealer helps ensure that it runs prop
erly and economical ly, that it does not dis
turb the environment, and that it has a long
service life. t:Gh
Check
your tire pressure once a
W month.
Low tire pressure increases fuel consump
tion and tire wear, and impair s vehicle han
dling.
�W ARNING
Underinflation and overloading of
tires can lead to tire failure. Sud
den failur e on the road could cause
a serious or fata l accident. See
page 253 for inflation informa
tion.
� Do not carry unnecessary items
in the luggage compartment.
Particularly in city traffic where you must
often accelerate, weight influences fuel
consumption.
VEHICLE
CARE-------------------------
Tires I Wheels
Tires are important but often abused parts
of a vehicle. They not only influence comfort
and ride, but perform vital safety functio �s.
This section is intended to provide you w1th
imp ortant information regarding their prop
er use, care and replacement.
• Be sure to inspect your tires at least ev
ery 2,000 miles (3 000 kilometres) for wear
and damage.
• Damage to wheels and tires is not always
easy to see. If you believe that a tire or
wheel has been damaged, it is best to have
it replaced as soon as possible. Internal tire
damage can never get better or ': heal" it
self, it can only get worse over t1me. Tire
damage can lead to tire failure and loss of
vehicle control. See your authonzed Aud1
Dealer for advice and assistance.
• Mark tires before removing them. Re
mount tires on the same vehicle side be
cause the rotation direction must stay the
same.
252 •
Store removed tires in a cool, dry and pre
ferably dark place. Tires which are not on
wheels should be stored standing up.
• New tires may have different tread
depths due to the configuration and des!gn
by the tire manufacturers. When replacing
tires, use ones with matching tread depth.
�W ARNING
• Tires age even if they are not be
ing used. Tires which are more
than 6 years should be used only in
an emergency and then with cau
tion.
• Avoid damaging tires and wheel
rims. If you must drive over a curb
or other obstacle, drive slowly and
as nearly as possible at a right
angle. Frequently check tires for
uneven wear and damage. M
WARNIN G continued
• Remove embedded material.
• Replace worn or damaged tires
immediately.
• Replace missing valve dust
caps.
• Keep oil, fuel, brake fluid, etc.
away from tires.
• Keep tires inflated correctly.
New tires
New tires tend to be slippery and cannot of
ferfull traction until they have been properly
broken in.
�W ARNING
To help avoid loss of control, al
ways operate a vehicle with new
tires at lower speeds and with spe
cial caution for the first 300 miles
(480 kilometres).
lira
service life
The service life of your tires depends for the
most part on the following factors:
lire pressure
Requir ed cold tire inflation pressures are
listed on a sticker inside the fuel filler flap or
on the rear passenger's door pillar (right
side) -depending on the model.
�W ARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures can lead
to a serious or fatal accident:
• Incorrect tire pressures cause
increased tire wear and can affect
handling of the vehicle.
• Incorrect pressures can also
lead to sudden tire failure and
deflati on, causing loss of vehicle
contr ol.
c£' Low tire pressures increase fuel
consumption, which is detri
mental to the environment. Tire
pressures should be checked at least
once a month and always before a long trip.
Tire pressures are very important,
particularly when the vehicle is driv
en at higher speeds.
If you are going to be driving at higher
speeds (a lot of expressway driving), then it
is rec ommended to increase the tire pres
sure by 5 psi (0.3 bar).
Always check tire pressures when the tires
are cold. When the tires are warm, the pres
sure will be highe r. Do not reduce the
pressure of warm tires.
Don't forget to check the spare wheel. The
inflation pressure is marked on the tire side
wall.
Use an accurate tire pressure gauge when
checking inflation pressures. Never exceed
the maximum tire inflation pressure listed
on the tire sidewall. Cold tire inflation pres
sure means: the vehicle has been standing
for at least 3 hours or driven for less than
1 mile (1 km).
Do not forget to replace the valve stem caps
after checking tire pressure. VE
HICL E CA RE
Driving habits
Fast cornering, heavy acceleration and hard
braking all increase tire wear.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
When driving, however, various conditions
can cause a wheel to become unbalanced.
This may be noticed as vibrations in the
steering.
Since tire imbalance can cause wear on the
steeri ng, suspension and tires, you should
have your wheels re-balanced. A wheel
should always be balanced if a new tire has
been mounted or a tire was repaired.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment causes exces
sive and uneven tire wear, impairing the
safety ofth e veh ide. If you notice excessive
tire wear, contact your authorized Audi
Dealer.
253
VEHICLE
CARE----------------------------------------------------
Tire wear
The original tires on your vehicle have built
in wear indicators. They are molded into the
bottom of the tread grooves and will appear
as approximately 1h inch (12 mm) bands
when the tire tread depth wears down to
1 /1 6 inches (1.6 mm). Depending on the tire
man ufacturer, there are six to eight wear in
dicators evenly spaced around the circum
ference of the tire. Markings on the sides of
the tires (e.g. the letters "TWI" or a triangle)
show the locations of the wear indicators.
254 When the
indicators appear in two or more
adjacent grooves, it is time to replace the
tires. We recommend, however, that you do
not let the tires wear down this far. Worn
tires cannot grip the road surface properly,
and are even less effective on wet roads.
�W ARNING
• Worn tires can lead to a serious
accident.
• lires showing cuts. bruises or
other damage may lead to tire fail
ure. sudden deflation and loss of
vehicle control.
• Since worn tires do not grip the
road surface properly when the ve
hicle is driven on wet roads, the ve
hicle may tend to hydroplane
sooner. I
BBD-2.02.
I
Tire rotation
If the front tires are worn more than rear
tires, then you must rotate the front tires
with the rear tires as shown in the illustra
tion. By doing this, all tires will have approxi
mately the same service life.
Tires should always remain on same
side of vehicle.
Only
when tires show unusual wear such as
feather-e dging should they be rotated diag
� nall y. Yo ur vehicle may be equipped with
trres which have a specified rotation direc
tion. The rotation direction is identified by
arrow markings on the sides of the tires.
The rotation direction must not be revers ed.
Therefore, these tires cannot be switched
diagonally. If in doubt, discuss any unusual
tire wear with your authorized Audi Dealer's
service department.
After rotation adjust tire pressure and
torque wheel bolts diagonally to 90 tt lb
(120 Nm). Refer to "Changing a wheel" on
page 267 for details. Tire
replacement
Wheels and tires approved by the manu fac
turer have been specially matched to your
vehicle and contribute greatly to the road
holding, driving characteristics and safety of
the vehicle.
Make sure that the new tires also meet the
specifications listed on the label located on
the inside of the fuel filler flap or on the driv
er's door lock jamb.
It's �mporta nt to remember that in spite of
h �vrng the same tire designation, the actual
s1ze of a tire can vary from tire man ufacturer
to tire man ufacturer. Using different tire and
wheel rim combinations can result in re
duced clearance between the tire and the
vehicle body.
Therefore, never mount tires that
are of a different designation or
have different dimensions from
those of the factory supplied tires
which came equipped on your ve
hicle. VE
HICLE CARE
• If you must replace tires different from
those which were originally factory supplied
on your vehicle, always use the specific
brands, specifications and dimensions
which were specified by Audi for your ve
hicle.
Yo ur authorized Audi dealer or Audi Client
Relations have information regarding the
t1res and wheel rims specified for your car,
and can tell you which tires and tire
man ufacturers were approved by the fac
tory for original equipment installation.
• We recommend that you have your tires
changed by an authorized Audi Dealer, be
cause they have the special tools and nec
essary expertis e.
Furthermore, your authorized Audi Dealer
stocks a range of tires and wheels.
• If the spare tire is different from the tires
that you have mounted on your vehicle (for
example winter tires or wide profile tires),
then use the spare tire for a short period of
time only and drive with extra care. Replace
the flat tire with a tire matching the others
on your vehicle as soon as possible.
255
-------------------------VEHICLE
CARE
Te mperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
8, and C, repres enting the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under contro lled con
ditions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temJ)erature can
cause the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive tempera
ture can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corres ponds to a level of perfor
mance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard No. 1 09. Grades Band A represent
higher levels of performance on the laborato
ry test wheel than the minimum required by
law.
�W ARNIN G
The temperature grade for this tire
is est ablished for a tire that is
properly inflated and not over
loaded. Excessive speed, under
inflation, or excessive loading, ei
ther separately or in combination,
can causa heat buildup and pos
sible tire failure. Wheel
replacement
If you wish to equip your vehicle with tires
or wheels other than those installed at the
factory, please note the following:
• For technical reasons it is not al
ways possible to use wheels from
other vehicles -under certain condi
tions not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• Wheel rims and wheel bolts are
matched to fit your Audi. When
installing different wheels (for ax
ample, wheels with winter tires), the
correct wheel bolts with the proper
length and conical shape of the bolt
head must be used. The secure fit of
the wheels and the proper function
ing of the brake system and safety
are dependent upon this.
• Wheel rims and wheal bolts are
matched to fit your Audi. •
Before you plan on exchanging
steel wheels, light alloy wheals, or
winter tires already mounted on
wheel rims, consult your authorized
Audi Dealer. They have the technical
information necessary to advise you
which wheal rims and wheel bolts
are compatible with the original fac
tory installations.
1ft WARNING
• Incorrect tire/wheel parts may
cause an accident and personal in
jury. Such parts will adversely af
fect the safe operation of your ve
hicle. Always use tires, wheel rims
and wheel bolts that meat specifi
cations of the original factory
installed equipment.
• If wheel trim discs or a front
spoiler are Installed, make sura the
airflow for cooling the brakes is
not obstructed.
259
VEH
ICLE CARE
Winter tires
The tires for your vehicle were selected for
optimal performance under a variety of driv
ing conditions.
If your Audi is equipped with high perfor
mance tires (identified by code letter V, W
or Z on the tire flank) and you drive frequent
ly on ice or sno w, you should consider the
installation of all season or winter tires. Let
your authorized Audi Dealer advise and as
sist you.
For winter driving, the driveability of your
vehicle can be improved by installing radial
winter tires (M+S) with or without studs1l.
The all season tires with which your ve
hicle may have been equipped at the factory
are perform ance tires advertised by the tire
manufacturer as suitable for all weather use
or with special mud and snow (M+S) capa
bility.
Winter tires, sometimes also called snow
tires, are designed for maximum traction in
mud and snow.
,, Check with your local Motor Vehicle Bu
reau for possible restrictions.
260 When
installing winter tires, please
note the following:
• Only radial ply winter tires may be
installed. Ask your authorized Audi Dealer
for the recommended tire size.
• Winter tires must be mounted on all four
wheels.
• Because of the special design character
istics of radial ply M+S tires, they must be
inflated 3 psi above the cold tire inflation
pressures required for the regular radial ply
tires. However, never exceed the maximum
tire inflation pressure listed on the tire side
wall.
• Winter tires will not do their job if the
tread depth is less than 5/32 of an inch
(4 mm). �
WARNING
• Tires with badly wom treads
and studs are very dangerous.
Make sure they are replaced imme
diately.
• Never mix tires of different de
sign such as steel belted radials
with radial bias belted or bias ply
tires, etc. Mixing tire types will ad
versely affect road holding and
can lead to loss of vehicle control
and personal inlury.
DO-IT-Y
OURSELF SERVICE----------------------
Jack and
tools
The jack and vehicle tools are stored
behind the left luggage compartment trim
panel in a tool box.
To get to the tools, lift the box by the handle
(see illustration).
To install, lay the tool box on the lower
mounting in the vehicle and then push it to
the rear until you hear it lock into place.
264 �W
ARNING
• Always make sure the jack. the
tools, the spare tire and even a flat
tire are secured in place and not
loose, otherwise they could fly for
ward causing personal injury to
passengers in the vehicle in an ac
cident or sudden maneuver.
• The jack must never be used as
a support to work underneath the
vehicle. If the jack is accidentally
dislodged, you could be seriously
injured.
• Before you use the jack, be sure
the ground is level and firm. If nec
essary, use a sturdy board under
the jack.
, ... WARNING continued
• Using a bumper jack to raise the
vehicle will cause damage to the
bumper system. Also, the jack may
slip, causing injury.
• Do not support your vehicle on
cinder blocks, bricks or other ob
jects. These may not be able to
support the load and could cause
injury.
• Do not start or run the engine
while the vehicle is supported by
the jack.
• If you must work under the ve
hicle, always usa safety stands
specifica lly designed for this pur
pose.