2008 AUDI S6 Owners Manual

________________________________________________ T_ i _r_e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e _ l_s __ lftlll
•
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 technical ly referred to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating ("GVWR"l. The Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") 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 labe l located
either on the driver's side 8 -pillar or on the inside of the fuel fi ller
flap. The tire pressure labe l on your Audi lists the maximum
combined weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or other cargo
that the vehic le can carry. For the location of the tire pressure label
~ page 317, fig . 240.
& WARNING
O verlo ading a vehicle can c ause los s of vehicle control , a crash or
o ther a ccident , seriou s pe rsonal inju ry, and e ven d eath .
• Carrying more weight than your v ehi cle wa s des igned to carr y
w ill p re v ent the veh icle fr om handli ng properly and in crea se the
ri sk of a lo ss of ve hicle control .
• The br ake s on a vehicle that h as been o verloa ded m ay not be
able to stop the veh icle with in a safe di sta nce .
• Tir es o n a veh icle th at ha s bee n ov erlo aded can fail sudd enl y
c au sin g loss of cont rol a nd a cra sh.
• Always mak e sure th at the total lo ad being tr ansported -
includin g the weight of a tra iler hit ch an d th e tongue weight of a
lo aded tr ailer -doe s not m ake the vehi cle he avier tha n the
v ehicle 's Gro ss V ehicle W eigh t Rating.
& WARNING
• Incorre ct t ire pre ssu re s a nd/o r unde rinflat ion can le ad to a
seriou s or fatal a ccident.
• Incorre ct t ire pr essure s and/or u nderi nflat ion cause in creased
tire wear and can affec t th e handling of the vehicl e.
• Inco rre ct t ire pr essur es and /or underinfl atio n ca n als o lead to
s udden tire failure , including a b lowout and sudden deflation ,
ca usin g lo ss of vehi cle co ntrol. •
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 317, "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 mi les (kilometers) at low
speeds during the previous three hours . Air in the tires expands
when the tire heats up as a result of internal fric tion 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 ou t of a warm tire to match "Co ld tire inflation
pressure" recommendations~
page 317. The tires wou ld then be
underinflated and could fa il suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended cold tire
inflation pressures for the new, original equipment tires that were
on your vehic le at the time it was manufactu red. For the location of
the labe l~
page 317, fig . 240.
Most tires lose air natural ly over time . They can a lso lose some air if
you drive over a pothole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually not ..,
Vehicle care I t •

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
possible to see whether the radial tires used today are underinflated
just by looking at them.
Therefore, be sure 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 would not consider to be
"long." See=>
page 321, "Tires and vehicle load limits" for more
important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge when checking and
adjusting inflation pressures . Check all of the tires and be sure not
to forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire is too high when
the tire is "cold," let air out of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until you reach the pressure
that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the difference between the
pressure in the cold 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) for the tires on your vehicle as listed on
the on your vehicle and in this manual and the kind of driving you
plan to do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the tire manufacturer,
determines the correct tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when the tires are cold.
• Read the required tire pressure from the tire pressure label. On
USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on the driver's side
8-pillar . On Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is located either
on the driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
• Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise to remove it from the
tire valve.
• Place the air pressure gauge on the valve. • The
tire pressures should only be checked and adjusted when
the tires are cold. The slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
• Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are carrying.
• Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially important at high speeds. The
pressure should therefore be checked at least once a month and
always before starting a journey. Do not forget to check the tire pres­
sure for the spare wheel =>
page 337.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are carrying. After changing
a wheel
or replacing wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures on
all wheels. In addition, you must then initialize the new tire pres­
sures in the tire pressure monitoring system=>
page 42.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, loss of control, collision, serious personal injury or even
death.
• When the warning symbol I appears in the instrument
cluster, stop and inspect the tires.
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control.
• The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all
tires on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on a sticker on the driver's side 8-pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap. .,_

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 •

IIJ!I Tires and wheels
that the vehicle can carry. For the location of the label~ page 31 7,
fi g. 240 .
& 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
ri sk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a veh icle 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,
including a blowout and sudden deflation , causing loss of control
and a crash.
• 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. •
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 317 , fig. 240.
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 317, fig. 240.
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.) t,,,

Tires and wheels -_______________ _____.
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on th e
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determin e how this reduces the avail ­
able cargo and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
- Check the tire sidew all (~
page 325,
fig . 244) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific tire . •
Tire service life
The ser vic e life of ti res depends on a lo t o f different things
inclu ding p roper i nstallation and bal ancing, correc t tire
pressu re a nd drivi ng style .
Tread Wear Ind icator (TWll
Fig . 24 2 Tire tread:
tre ad we ar indi cato rs
(TWll
Fig . 2 4 3 Rot ating tire s
for mo re even wear
The or iginal tires on your vehicle have 1 /16 inch ( 1.6 mm) high " wea r
indicators"=> fig. 242 running across the tread. Depending on the
make, the re wil l be six to eight of them even ly p la ced a rou nd the
t ire . Marks on the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other symbols)
indicate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tire s must
be r eplaced. Di fferen t fi gures may apply in other countries ::::>,& . .,_
Vehic le care I I Technical data

--~_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. •

Tires and wheels -_______________ _____.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 244 Tire specification codes on the sidewall of a tire
No.
G)
@
©
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where appl icable)
Nominal width of tire in millimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
Rim diameter code
Load index and speed rating
0
©
U.S. DOT tire identificat ion number
Sever snow conditions
Tire ply composition and materials used
Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design. The
tires and rims approved by Audi are specially matched to the char­ acteristics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good
road holding and safe handling when in good condition and prop­
erly inflated =>& .
We recommend that all work on tires and wheels be performed by
an authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as
well as the proper facilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about tech ­
nical requirements for installing or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not individually (for
example both front tires or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to the tire pressure moni ­
toring system =>
page 327.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have the same specifica ­
tions as the tires approved for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement
tires must always have the same load rating specification as the original equipment or approved optional tires listed in the table
=> page 317.
Audi -approved specification tires are specially matched to your
vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important road-.,_
Vehic le care I I irechnical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
holding, driving characteristics, and safety of the vehicle. The table
(~ page 37 7) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Audi
models covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure label located either on driver 's side 8 -pillar or
inside the fuel fi ller flap (~
page 317, fig. 241) lists the specifica ­
tions of the original equipment tires installed on your vehicle at the
time it was manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to place standardi zed infor ­
mation on the sidewa ll of al l tires ~
page 325, fig. 244 . T his informa ­
tion identifies and describes the fundamenta l characteristics, the
quality grade of the tire and also provides a tire identification
number for safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
T ire spe cifi catio ns
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it easier to choose the
correct tires . Radial tires have the tire specifications ma rked on the
sidewall, for example :
P245 / 45 R 17 99 H XL
This contains the fo llowing information :
P Ind icates the tire is for passenger cars (where app licable)
24 5 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire from sidewall edge to side -
wall edge. In general , the larger the number , the wider the tire
45 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
17 Rim diameter code ( in inches)
99 L oad rating code
H Speed rat ing letter code
XL (or "xi ", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF") indica tes that the tire is a"Rein­
forced" or an "Extra Load" tire
M +S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has some mud and snow capa ­
bili ty
The tires could also have the information of direction of rota tion
~ page 313.
Ti re manuf acturing d ate
T he manufacturing date is a lso indicated on the t ire sidewa ll
(possibly on ly on the
inner side of the wheel!:
"DO T ... 2207 ... " means, for example, that the tire was produc ed in
the 22th week of 2007.
S peed rating (lett er cod e)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls indicates the maximum
permissible road speeds~
& in "Winter tires" on page 329.
P up to 93 mph ( 150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R upto 106mph(170km/h)
S up to110mph(180km/h)
T upto118mph(190km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)21
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)21
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)21
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)21
Your vehic le is normally factory equipped with tires, which possess
excellent driving characteristics and give your Audi op timum
driving comfort . An e lectron ic speed limiter~
page 30will normal ly
prevent your vehic le from going faster than the tire speed rati ng
~ & -
U.S. DOT Tire Ident ification Numb er (TIN ) and tire
m anuf acture d ate
This is the tire's "seria l number" . It begins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets al l federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it was manufactured,
and the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufac -
~
21 For tires w ith a maximum speed capab ility over 149 mph (240 km /h ), tire
manufacture rs som etim es us e th e lette rs "ZR."