-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
crashes and serious personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
low speed.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to
the extent that these items are available as factory-installed equip
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio means the ratio of the height to the width of the tire in percent.
Numb ers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewall for improved
steering response and better overall handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation means a breakdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the tire.
& WARNING (continued)
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage . •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
for a tire of a designated size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in the three hour period
before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight means the weight of a motor vehicle with standard equipment
including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher infla
tion pressures than the corresponding standard tire . Extra load tires
my be identified as "XL",
"xi", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the side
wall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR"l
means the maximum total loaded weight of the vehicle.
Tires and wheels -________________ lf:HIIII
•
& WARNING (continu ed )
• Only when all tires on the veh icle are filled to the correct pres
s ure , the tire pre ssure monitoring sy stem can work correctly .
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents
or other damage. Therefore it i s es sential that the driver observe
the specified tire pre ssure values for the tires and the correct pres
s ures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system.
• Alway s inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres
sure before driving off .
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more , letting them get
too hot re sulting in tread separation , sudden ti re 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 stat ion
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 preven t this, a lways make su re t hat facto ry instal led
va lve
stem caps on a ll whee ls are securely mounted on the va lve .
'£> For the sake of the environment
Underinflated t ires will a lso increase the fuel consumption. •
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle and
any t ire can car ry. A vehicle that i s ove rlo aded wil l n ot hand le well and
is more difficu lt to stop . Overloading can not only lead to loss
o f ve h ic le control, but ca n also damage impor ta nt parts o f the
vehic le and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, inc luding a blowout and
sudden defla tion that ca n cause the vehic le to cra sh .
Your sa fety and that o f your passe ngers also depe nds on mak ing
sure that load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load includes every
b ody and everyth ing in and on t he veh ic le . T hese load lim its a re
technica lly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehi cle We ight Rating
(" GVWR"l .
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic veh ic le, all factory
insta lled accesso rie s, a ful l tank of fuel , oil, coolant an d other fluids
p lus max imum load. T he ma xim um load inc ludes the number o f
passe ngers that the veh icle is intended to carry ("seat ing capacity")
w ith a n assu med we ight of 150 l bs (68 kg) fo r each passen ger at a
designated seating position and the total weight of any luggage in
the v ehicle. I f you tow a trailer, the we ig ht o f the tra ile r hi tch and t he
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be includ ed as part of the
ve hicle l oad.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR"l is t he maximum load that
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax le s.
The Gross Ve hicle We ig ht Rat ing and t he G ross A xle Weig ht Rat ing
are listed on the safety comp liance stic ker label located either on
t he d rive r's side 8 -p illar or on th e inside of the fuel fil ler fla p. You r
Audi has 5 seating positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for total
seating ca paci ty of 5 . Each seating p ositi on has a safe ty be lt
=> page 202, "Safety belts" .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your veh icle's Gross Vehicle
W eight Rating m eans tha t the to tal weight o f whateve r is bein g
carried in the vehicle (including the weight of a trailer hitch and the
to ngue we igh t of the l oad ed trai ler) is li mit ed . The m ore passe ng ers
in the vehicle or passengers who are heavie r than the standard
we ig ht s assum ed mean that les s we ight ca n be ca rri ed as luggage.
The tire pressure labe l on your Audi also lists the maximum
com bined we ig ht of a ll of t he occ upa nts and luggage or other ca rg o
~
Vehicle care I t •
--~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this reason, tire pressure must be checked
at least once a month~
page 319.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration and hard braking
increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the same service life, we
recommend that the front and rear tires are rotated according to the
tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals. Please remember the following:
• Tire rotation intervals may differ from the vehicle service inter
vals outlined in your Maintenance and Warranty Booklet.
• The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle, the
more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals.
• Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread wear on
the front wheels compared to all-wheel drive (quattro®l .
• Please rotate tires as shown ~
page 323, fig. 243.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific tires
~ page 344.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various situa
tions during everyday driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually feel through the
steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause excessive tire wear, impairing
the safety of the vehicle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro® must always have tires of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see~
page 264.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control, a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as
grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •