2008 AUDI A4 AVANT Owners Manual

__________________________________________________ T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s _____ llll
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
L oa d ratin g (code)
means the maximum load that a t ire is rated to carry for a given
inflation pressure. You may not find this information on all tires
because it is not required by law.
M ax imum l oad r atin g
means the load rat ing for a t ire at the maximum permiss ib le infla­
tion pressure for that tire.
Ma ximum l oaded vehicle we ight
means the sum of :
(al Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production opt ions weight
M ax imum (permissibl e) infl ati on press ure
means the maximum cold inflatio n pressure to wh ich a t ire may be
inflated. Also ca lled "maximum inflation pressure ."
No rm al occ upant we ight
means 150 lbs. (68 ki lograms) times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the total seati ng capacity of your vehicle .
Occupant distributi on
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overal l diameter of an inflated new tire.
Ove rall width
means the linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewa lls of
an inf lated t ire, including elevations due to labe ling, decorat ions, or
protective bands or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated para lle l cords.
Pr odu ction opt io ns weig ht
means the comb ined weight of those installed regular product ion
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not previously cons idered in curb weight
or accessory weight, inc luding heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof
rack, heavy duty ba ttery, and specia l trim .
Radi al pl y tir e
means a pneumat ic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread .
Recomm ended infl ati on p ress ure
see => page 294, "Cold tire inflat io n pressure".
Reinfor ced tir e
means a tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher infla ­
tion pressures then the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced
t ires my be ide ntified as "XL", "xi", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the
sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon
wh ich the t ire beads are seated.
Rim di ameter
means nom inal d iameter o f the bead seat. I f you change your whee l
size, you wi ll have to purchase new tires to match the new rim diam ­
eter.
Rim siz e design ation
means rim diameter and width.
R im width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Vehicle care

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S idewa ll
means t hat port ion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed ra ting means t he speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for
extended periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298
km/h) => page 306. You may not f ind this informa ­
tion on a ll tires because it is not required by law .
The speed rating letter code, whe re applicable, is mo lded on the tire
s idewal l and indicates the maximum perm issible road
speeds => &
in "Winter tires" on page 310.
Tire pr essu re m onitorin g sys tem *
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires
are under inflated and i lluminates a low tire pressure warning te ll­
tale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Trea d sepa ration
mea ns pu lling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Tr eadw ear indi cato rs ( TWI)
mea ns the projections with in the pr incipa l grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread . See
=> page 303, "T read Wear Indicator (TWI)" for m ore information on
measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Qualit y Grading
is a tire information system deve loped by the United States National
H ighway Traff ic Safety Admin istration (N HTSA) t hat is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among tires. The U TQG is
n ot a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a
prescribed number of miles or perform in a certain way . It simply
gives ti re buyers additiona l info rmation to combine with other
considerations, such as price, brand loyalty and dea ler recommen -dations
. Under UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in
t hree areas : treadwear, tract ion and tempera ture resista nce. The
U TQG information on the tires, molded into the sidewa lls .
U .S . D OT Tire Identification Number (TIN )
This is the tire's "seria l number" It begins with the letters "DOT" and
indicates that the tire meets a ll federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it was manufactured,
and t he last four numbers represent the wee k and year of manufac ­
ture. For example,
DOT ... 2205 ...
means t hat the tire was produced in the 22t h week of 2005. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may or may not be used by
t he t ire manufacturer. This informat ion is used to c ontac t
consumers if a tire defect requires a reca ll.
Veh icle capacity we ight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
t imes t he vehicle's total seating capaci ty as listed on the la bel
located either on the driver's side 8 -pillar or on the inside of the fuel
fi ller flap .
Vehi cle max imum l oad on th e tir e
means that load on an ind ividual tire that is determ ined by distrib ­
uting to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and d ividing by two.
V ehi cle norm al l oa d on th e tir e
means that load on an ind ividual tire that is determ ined by d istrib ­
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weigh t (distributed in accorda nce w ith tab le
below=> page 297) and dividing by two . _.,

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O cc upant loading and distribution for vehicle no rmal load for various d esignated s eating capa cities
Designated seating capacity , num­
ber of occupants
5
Cold tire inflation pressure
Vehicle normal load , number of
occupants
3
Occupant distribution in a normally
loaded vehicle
2 in front, 1 in back seat
T ire pressure affec ts the overall ha ndling, performan ce and safety of a vehicle.
Fig . 21 7 Tire pre ssu re
label : located eit her on
driver's side B-pillar or
in side the fuel filler fl ap
ill
9 ,-, ~ ------------------.. j;l
• (SEATING CAPAQlY :rorAL I :FRONT I : cENTER I :REAR I ) m
Thea,mtwd""'9/Wdoocu,,.....andQ1Vo.....,.....,-,ed .logo, _ .,.
TIRE AND LOAD ING INFORMATION
TIRE SIZE COLO TIRE PRESSURE
FRONT -KPa, -PSI
REAR -KPa, - PSI
SPARE -KPa, -PSI
MANUAL FOR
INFORMATION SEE OWNER'S I
ADDITIONAL
Fig . 218 T ir e pr essu re
label
w arm tir e to matc h "cold t ire in flation press ure" recommenda tions .
The tires wou ld then be underinflated and cou ld fai l suddenly .
M aintaini ng proper t ire pressure is one of the most im po rta nt
thi ngs you ca n do t o help avo id sud den t ire fa ilu re. Underi nflated
tires are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keeping tires at the
ri ght pressure is also importa nt for safe and r espo nsive ve hicle
handling, traction, braking and load carrying.
Tire pressures are
particularly important when the vehicle is being driven at higher
speed s, and then especially when heavily loaded even within the
•
T ire pressure generally refe rs to the amou nt of air in a t ire that it
needs it to do its job and safely carry the combined load of the entire
veh ic le and i ts c ontents. Tire p ressu re is measu red in kilopascals
(kPa), the international measuring unit and in pounds per square
inch (PSI) . Tir e p res su re is based in part on th e vehic le's design and
load lim it - the greatest amount of weight that the veh ic le can carry
safely and the tire size . The proper tire pressure is frequently
re ferred to as the "recommended cold t ire infla tion pressure." A ir in
the tires expands when the tire heats up because of internal friction
when it fl exe s i n us e. The tir e press ure is high er w he n th e t ire has
warmed up than when it is "cold." It is the inflation pressure in a "c old" tire that c ounts. Theref ore , yo u sho uld never le t air ou t of a
permissible load -carrying capacities approved for your vehicle. ...
Ve hic le care Technical data

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_ d_ w_ h_ e_ e_ls _________________________________________________ _
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi depend on the kind
of tires on your vehicle and the number of passengers and/or
amount of luggage you will be transporting.
The tire pressure label located either on driver's side 8-pillar or
inside the fuel filler flap on your Audi lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and tires that were on your vehicle at the time it was manu­
fac tured .
If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 occupants), you can adjust tire pressures to
those specified for normal vehicle load. Before operating the vehicle at maximum load, you must increase the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
~ & .
If your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system*,
bear in mind that the system can only monitor the tire pressures you have stored
. The system does not recognize the load condition of
your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system will be
impaired if you store normal load pressures but then operate the
vehicle at its maximum
load~& .
See the illustration~ page 297, fig . 217 for the location of the label
either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap (color of
the actual label and exact location on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is accurate at the time of going to
press and is subject to change . In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (e ither on driver's side 8 -pillar or inside the fuel filler
flap) always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures
for the Audi model covered by your Owner's Literature at the
vehicle's capacity weight and the tire si zes installed on the respec­
tive models as original equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine Tire size designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load normal load
ment in condition (up to full load
condition (up full load
liter) condition
condition
3 occupants) to 3 occupants)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
4-cylinder 215/55 R16 93H All Season 35 240
36 250 35 240
36 250
2.0
235/45 R17 94H All Season 33 230 35 240 33 230 35 240
235/45 R17 94V High Performance 30 210
32 220 30 210
32 220
235/40 R18 95V XL High Performance 35 240 39 270 35 240 39 270
6-cylinder 215/55 R16 93H All Season 36 250 36 250 35 240 36 250
3.2
235/45 R17 94H All Season 35 240
35 240
33 230 35 240
235/45 R17 94V High Performance 30
210 32 220 30 210 32 220
235/40 R18 95V XL High Performance 38 260 42 290 38 260 42 290
XL = reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xi, EXTRA LOAID, or RF on the tire sidewall.

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The correct tire pressure for the spore wheel is located on a label
either on the driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
Because technical changes may be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always compare the tire size designation on
the tire pressure label on your vehicle with the tires on your vehicle.
Make sure that the tire size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle. This is especially impor­
tant if the vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the
vehicle with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ­
ously owned vehicle .
Remember, your safety and that of your passengers also depends
on making sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load
includes everybody and everything in and on the vehicle. These load
limits are technically referred to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating ("GVWR"l. The Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR"l is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two
axles. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight
Rating are listed on the safety compliance sticker label located
either on the driver's side B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler
flap. The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the maximum
combined weight of all of the occupants and luggage or other cargo
that the vehicle can carry. For the location of the tire pressure label
=> page 297, fig. 217.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the risk of a loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash.
& WARNING (continued)
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
& WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead to a
serious or fatal accident.
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control. •
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires originally installed
on your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure label located
either on driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
The recommended tire pressures are on the tire pressure label and
in the
table=> page 297, "Cold tire inflation pressure". This means
that the pressure must be checked and adjusted when the tire has
not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low
speeds during the previous three hours. Air in the tires expands
when the tire heats up as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire has warmed up than
when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that counts. Therefore, you
should never let air out of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure"
recommendations=> page 297. The tires would then be
underinflated and could fail suddenly. .,._
Vehicle care

___ T_ ir_e _ s_ a_ n
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The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended cold tire
inf lation pressures for the new, original equipmen t tires that were
on your vehic le at the time it was manufactured . For the location of
the
labe l=> page 297, fig. 217 .
Most tires lose a ir natural ly over time. They can a lso lose some air if
you drive over a potho le or hit a curb wh ile parking. It is usually not
possible to see whether the radial t ires used today are under inflated
just by looking at them.
Therefore, be su re to check tire pressures at least once a month and
always before going on a long trip . Make sure to take the number of
people and the amount of luggage into account when adjusting tire
pressure for a trip -even one that you wou ld not cons ider to be
" long ."
See => page 301, "Tires and vehicle load limits" for more
important i nformation .
A lways use an accurat e tire pressure gaug e when checking and
adjusting inflat ion pressures. Check a ll of the tires and be sure not
to forget the spare tire . If the pressure in any tire is too high when
the t ire is "cold," let air o ut of the t ire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep check ing the pressure until you reach the pressure
that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you p lan to do .
I f the pressure in any tire is too low, note the difference between the
pressure in the co ld tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for the vehicle load
(passengers and luggage) fo r the t ires on your veh ic le as listed on
the on your vehicle and in this manual and the kind of driving you pl an to do .
Never exceed the m aximum inflation pressure li sted on the tire
s idewall for an y re ason .
Remem ber that the vehic le manufacturer, not t he tire manufacturer,
determines the correct tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle .
I t is important to check the tire pressure when the tires are cold.
• Read the required tire pressure from the t ire pressure label
located either on driver 's side B -pillar or inside the fuel fi ller flap . •
Turn the va lve stem cap counter -clockwise to remove it from the
t ire valve .
• Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
• The tire pressures should only be checked and adjusted when
the tires are cold. The s lightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
• Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are carrying.
• Reinstal l the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially important at high spe eds . The
pressure should the refore be checked at least once a mo nth and
a lways before starting a journey. Do not forget to check the tire pres ­
sure for the spare whee l
=> page 317.
Wh en should I adjust th e tir e pre ssur es?
Adjust t he tire pressure to the load you are carry ing . After changing
a wheel
o r replacing whee ls you have to ad just the tire pressures on
a ll whee ls . In addition, on vehicles w ith tire pressure monito ring
system* you must then store the new tire pressures in the system
=> page 45.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pre ssure s and /or underinflation can lead sudden tire
f ai lure , loss of control , collision , seri ous per sonal injury or even
death.
• When the w arning symbol
(l) appe ars in the in strument
clu ster , stop and inspect the tire s.
• Incorrect t ire pres sure and /or underinflat ion can cause
increa sed tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
s topping ability.
• Incorrect tire pres sures and /or underinflation can also lead to
s udden tire fa ilure , inc luding a blowout and sudden defl ation ,
cau sing los s of vehicle control .
~

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& W ARNING (continued )
• The driver is respon sible for the correct tire pre ssure s for all
tire s on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on
a st icker on the driver 's side B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap.
• Only when all tire s on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure , the tire pressure monitoring system * can work correctly .
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents
or other damage. Therefore it is essential that the driver observe
the specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres ­
sure before driving off.
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more , letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation , sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Ex cessive speed and /overloading can cause heat build -up ,
sudden tire failure and loss of control .
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to che ck the tire pressure and add air as required .
0 Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire
valves. To preve nt th is, a lways make s ure th at f acto ry installed va lve
stem caps on al l whee ls are securely mounted on the va lve .
~ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the fuel consumpt io n. •
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight t hat any vehic le and
any tire can carry . A ve hicle that i s ove rloa ded will not handle well
and is more d iff icu lt to stop . Overload ing can not only lead to loss
o f vehi cle control, but can also damag e impor tan t p arts o f the
vehic le and can lead to sudden tire failure, including a blowout and
sudde n defla tion that ca n cause the veh ic le to c ra sh .
Your sa fety a nd t hat o f your passe ngers a lso depe nds o n maki ng
s u re that load li mits are not exceeded. Vehic le load incl udes every ­
b ody and everythi ng i n and on t he vehicle . T he se l oa d limi ts are
technical ly referred to as the ve hic le's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVW R"l.
T he "GVWR" includes the wei ght of the basic vehic le, all factory
in sta lled acces so ries, a full t an k of f uel, o il, c oolant a nd oth e r flu ids
p lus max imum load . T he maximum load inc ludes th e number o f
p asse ngers tha t th e ve hicle i s intended t o carry ("seat ing ca paci ty")
with an assu med weight o f 150 l bs (68 kg) fo r each passe nger at a
designated seating position and the total weight of any luggage in
th e v ehic le. I f you tow a trai ler, the we ig ht o f the tra iler hitch a nd th e
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be inc luded as part of the
ve hicle lo ad .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is t he maximum load that
ca n b e app lie d at eac h of th e veh icle's two axle s.
T he G ross Ve hicle We ight Rati ng a nd th e G ross A xle Wei ght R ati ng
are listed on the safety comp liance stic ker label located either on
t he driver 's si de B-pi lla r o r on the in sid e of t he fue l fille r fl ap. You r
Aud i has 5 seating posit ions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for total
sea ting ca paci ty of 5. Each sea ting p osit ion has a safe ty b elt
=> page 176, "Saf ety be lts" .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gro ss Vehicle
W eight Rat ing m eans that th e total weight o f whatever is b ein g
carried in the vehic le (including the weight of a traile r hitc h and the
ton gue we ight of the loaded tr aile r) is lim it e d. Th e m or e passe ng ers
~
Vehicle care

11!1 Tires and wheels
in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier than the standard
we ig ht s assume d mean that less weig ht ca n be carr ied as luggage.
T he tire pressure labe l on your Audi also lists the max imum
combined weight of a ll of t he occupants and luggage or other cargo
t h at t he ve hicle ca n ca rry. For t he location of t he
labe l~ page 2 97,
fig. 217.
LJ}. WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident , serious personal injury, and even death .
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehi cle from handling properly and in crease the
risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehi cle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance .
• Tires on a veh icle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly ,
including a blowout and sudden deflation , causing loss of control
and a cra sh .
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehi cle 's Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating .•
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage or other things that you plan to
transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE COMBINED
WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS " on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure
label) => page 297, fig. 217.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo ­
grams or
"XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker=> page 297 , fig. 217.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if the
" XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lbs. passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400 -750 (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.) ..