2008 AUDI S6 tire type

• .___A_ d_ a --=- p_t_ i_v _e _ A_ ir_ S_u_ s_,_ p_e_ n_ s_io _ n _____________________________________________ _
Adaptive Air Suspension
Adaptive Air Suspension and
Damping
A pplies to veh icles: with Adaptive Air Suspens ion
Description
Adaptive Air Suspension and damping can be regulated
and they adapt automatically to a request from the driver
and the driving situation at the time.
Adaptive Air Suspension is an electronically controlled springing
and damping system . Th is chassis system makes it easier on the
driver by adapting to the particular situation through imperceptible
control processes.
The
Adaptive Air Suspension component regulates ground clear ­
ance depending on vehicle speed, load condition and driver input.
When the system is in automatic mode, accelerating to a speed above a predetermined limit will make the vehicle lower itself. On
the other hand, driving more slowly results in the vehicle raising
again at specific speeds.
The
damping component provides individual control of the
damping forces. For example, with damping characteristics set to
provide greater comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for a brief
period only as required, for example, when going around a curve or
over rough road surfaces as well as when braking.
Settings
Adaptive Air Suspension provides the driver with the opportunity to
set the chassis characteristics also to their individual preference.
With the driving modes
standard, automatic and dynamic the driver
has three chassis settings available, ranging from comfort to sporty .
In addition,
lift provides a fourth mode which can be selecting for
driving over poor stretches of road :::::,
page 183, "Chassis controls". The modes are set in
MMI:::::,
page 183.
& WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can change due to temperature
fluctuations or changes in load.
0 Note
• Whenever you park your vehicle, always make sure there is
adequate clearance above and below the vehicle. The height of the parked vehicle can change as the result of temperature fluctuations,
changes in load condition and changes in the driving mode (ground
clearance!.
• If the vehicle is being transported (e.g. by tow truck, train, ship,
etc.), mount the tie -down chains/cables over the running surface
(circumference) of the tires . Never secure the vehicle by the axle, the
suspension struts or the front or rear towline eye. For technical
reasons, the pressure in the suspension struts may change during
the transport, which could result in the vehicle no longer being
secured properly.
• To prevent damage to the vehicle underbody, remember that
your vehicle is not an off-road vehicle, even in the "lift" mode. The
ground clearance is insufficient for this type of operation.
• If you are going to tow a trailer, you must activate the trailer oper­
ation mode :::::,
page 184.
[ i] Tips
Before you raising your vehicle using the vehicle jack (for example,
when changing a flat tire) you must activate the jacking mode
=> page 184. •

Tires a nd wh eels -
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•
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused parts
of a motor vehicle.
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused parts of a
motor vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts
of a vehicle, particularly considering the comparative ly sma ll patch
of rubber on each tire that assures that all- important contact
between you, your vehicle and the road .
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making sure that your vehicle
and its tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
handle, avoiding damage from road hazards and regu lar ly
inspecting tires for damage inc luding cuts , slashes irregular wear
and overa ll condition are the most important things that you can do
to help avoid sudden tire failure including tread separation and
b lowouts .
Avoiding dama ge
If you have to drive over a curb or similar obstacle, drive very slow ly
and as close as possible at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemica ls includ ing grease, oil, gasoline and brake
f luid off the tires.
I nspec t the tires regularly for damage (cuts, cracks or blis ters, etc.l.
Remove any foreign bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove them to indicate the direction of rota ­
tion . This ensu res you to be ab le to mount them correctly when you
reinstal l them. When removed, the wheels or tires shou
ld be stored in a coo l, dry
and preferably dark place.
St ore t ires in a vertical posit ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in
a horizontal position if they are mounted on rims.
New tire s
New tires have to be broken in~&.
The tread dep th of new tires may va ry, according to the type and
make of tire and the tread pattern.
Hidden d ama ge
Damage to tires and rims is often not readily visible. If you notice
unusua l vibration or the vehicle pul ls to one side, this may indicate
that one of the tires has been damaged . The tires must be checked
immed iately by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Unidire ction al tir es
A unidirectio nal tire can be iden tif ied by arrows on the s idewa ll, that
point in the direction the tire is designed to rotate. You must follow
the specified direction of ro tation . This is necessary so that these
tires can deve lop their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road
noise, wear and hydroplaning resistance . For more information
~ page 344.
in. WARNING
Ne w tire s or tire s that are old , worn or damaged cann ot pro vide
m aximum cont rol and braking ability.
• New tire s tend to be slippe ry and m ust be broken in . To redu ce
the risk of losing control, a colli sion and seriou s per sonal injurie s,
drive with speci al care for t he fi rst 350 m ile s ( 560 km l.
• Driving with worn or damaged t ire s can lead to lo ss of co ntrol ,
s udd en tire failure , in clu ding a blowout a nd sudden deflation , .,,_
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. •

lllffll,.___T_ ir_e _ s_ a_ n_ d _ w __ h_e _e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• All four wheels mu st be fitted with radial tires of the same type,
si ze (rolling cir cumference ) and the same tread pattern. Driving
with different tires redu ces vehicle handling and can le ad to a loss
of control.
• If the spare tire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehi cle -for e xample with winter tires -only use the spare
t ire for a short period of time and drive w ith extra care . Refit the
normal road wheel as soon as safely possible.
• Never drive faster than the maximum speed for whi ch the tires
on your vehicle are rated becau se t ires that are driven faster than
their rated speed c an fail suddenly .
• Overload ing tires cause heat build-up , sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control .
• Tempe rature grades apply to t ires that are properly inflated and
not over or underinflated.
• Fo r techni cal reasons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicles -in some cases not even wheels from the
same vehicle model .
• If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels , make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blo cked . Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increasing stopping distances
and causing a collision .
• Run flat tires may only be u sed on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory . The vehicle must have a chas sis designed
for run flat tires and a factory -installed tire pressure monitoring
system that indi cates a loss of tire pressure . In corre ct u se of run
flat tires can lead to vehicle damage or accidents . Check with an
authori zed Audi dealer or tire specialist to see if your vehicle can
be equipped w ith run flat tires . If run flat tires are used , they must
be installed on all four wheels . Mi xing tire types is not permitted.
0 Note
• For technical reasons, it is not ge nerally poss ible to use the
whee l rims from other vehicles. This can ho ld t rue for whee ls of the
same ve hic le type.
• I f the s pa re tire is diffe rent from the tires that you have mo unted
o n your veh icle ( for e xample w inter t ires or w ide pro file t ires), the n
use the spare tire for a short period of time on ly and drive with extra
ca re. R ep lace the flat t ire w ith th e ti re m atc hin g the o thers o n your
vehic le as soon as possib le.
• I f you should put different w hee ls and t ires o n you r ve hicle (e.g.
winter wheels and tires), you must be certain that the wheels and
t ires are co mpat ible w ith the tire pressure monit oring syst em.
Otherwise the system will register a ma lfunction and a fau lt
m essage w ill be d isplayed . For more info rmatio n, con tact your Aud i
dea ler.
0 Note
• When insta lling new tires, be carefu l not to damage the va lves or
t ire pressu re m oni toring sys te m sensors .
• N ever drive without the valve stem cap. The va lves could get
damaged.
• I f the sensors must be replaced, then the valve must also be
r ep laced at t he same t ime .
~ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires i n acco rdance wit h the local requ ire men ts .•
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tr ead wear
• Tr action AA A B C
• T emperature A B C

________________________________________________ T_ i _r_e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e _ l_s __ llll
•
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire side wall
between tread shoulder and maximum section width =>
page 325,
fig. 244.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Require­
ments in addition to these grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (1 1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual condi ­
tions of the ir use, however, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differ ­
ences in road characteristics and c limate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest , are AA, A, Band C .
Those grades represent the tire 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have
poor traction performance =>& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing
the tire 's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissi ­
pate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure =>& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher leve ls of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum
required by law.
& WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excess ive loading, either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire failure . •
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on snow and
ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend
changing to winter tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments may require true
winter or "snow" tires, those with very deeply cut tread. These tires
should only be used in pairs and be installed on all four wheels .
Make sure you purchase snow tires that are the same size and
construction type as the other tires on your vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with al l-wheel drive *, this will improve
traction during winter dr iving, even with the standard tires.
However, we strongly recommend that you always equip all four
wheels on your vehicle with correctly fi tted winter tires or all-season
tires, when winter road conditions are expected . T his also improves
the vehicle 's braking performance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and snow.
Vehicle care I t •

___ G_ e_n_ e_ r_ a _l _i_n _f _o _ r_ m_ a_ t_ i_ o _ n ________________________________________________ _
0 Note
• The vehicle capacity weight figures apply when the load is
distributed evenly in the vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
transporting a heavy load in the luggage compartment, carry the
load as near to the rear axle as possible so that the vehicle's
handling is not impaired.
• Do not exceed the maximum permissible axle loads or the
maximum gross vehic le weight. Always remember that the vehic le's
handling will be affected by the extra load. Therefore, adjust your
speed accordingly .
• Always observe local regulations. •
Dimensions
The specifications refer to the basic model. Differences may occur
depending on the mode l type and options ordered, for example, tire
sizes.
0 Note
When driving up steep ramps, on rough roads, over curbs, etc. it is
important to remember that some parts of your vehicle, such as
spoilers or exhaust system components, may be close to the
ground. Be careful not to damage them. •

llffl __ A_ l..:,. p _ h_ a_ b_e _t_ic _ a_l _in _ d_e_ x ____________________________________________ _
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Brake fluid specifications for refill and replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Electromechanical parking brake ... 129
General information .............. 261
How does moisture or road salt affect the brakes? ....................... 261
Malfunction ........ ... ...... .... . 32
Warning/indicator lights ........... 23
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Break -in period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Tires .... ... .. .... .... .......... 267
Bu lbs ... .... .. ... ...... ....... .... 349
Bumper cover Caution when parking near a parking bar -
rier or curb ...... ... .... .... ... 130
C
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning 298
Battery specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Capacities ......................... 363
Car care ................. .... .... .. 278
Interior .......... .... .... ...... . 285
Plastic and vinyl .. .... ........... 282
Weatherstrips ....... ........ .... 283
Care of exterior .... ....... .......... 278
Cargo area
See Loading the luggage compartment ..
199 Cargo net
.... .... ... ........ ...... .. 98
Catalytic converter . ........ .... .... . 268
CD changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Central locking Emergency locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Changing a flat tire ........ .... ... ... 338
Changing a wheel .... .. ..... .. .. .... 338
Changing engine oi l ....... .... ... ... 302
Chassis Undercoating ... .. .... .... .... ... 284
See also Adaptive Aar Suspension . . . 182
CHECK button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Checking Engine coolant level .............. 304
Checking tire pressure .. ........... .. 319
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the front seat ......... ... .... ...... 214
What types of chi ld restraint anchors are
available? . .... ..... ...... .... .. 247
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints? ...... ... .. 248
Child safety ...... ...... .... ... . 234, 239
Additional information ............ 253
Booster seats ................. ... 242
Convertible chi ld safety seats .. .... 240
Convertible locking retractor ....... 244
Guidance fixtures for lower anchorages
250
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats .... ...... ... .. 237
Important things to know when driving with children ................... 234 Infant
seats ... .... .... ....... .. . 239
Install ing a child restraint using the
LATCH system .. ...... ..... .. ... 252
Lower anchorages ... .. .... .... ... 249
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook . ............ ....... .... .. 253
Older children and safety belts ..... 243
Safety belts and older children ..... 243
Tether anchors .. ...... .... ...... 253
Tether strap ... .... .... ...... .... 254
Which restraint system should my older
chi ld wear? ....... ........... .. 243
Child safety lock
rear doors {power) . .... ........ .... 59
Child safety seats .. .... ...... .... ... 239
Convertible locking retractor .. ..... 244
Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat ...................... 214
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? .... ... .... ... 237
Installing .. .. .. .... .... ... .... ... 244
LATCH system ....... ........ .... 252
Safety instructions ............... 237
Cigarette I ig hter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Cleaning Alcantara {synthetic suede) . ....... 288
Engine compartment ...... .... ... 289
Fabrics and fabric coverings . ...... 285
Instrument panel ....... ........ .. 286
Interior ........... .... .......... 285
Leather ... .... .................. 287
MMI display .............. .... ... 285
MMI terminal .. .... .... ... .... ... 285
Plastic and vinyl ... .... .... .... ... 282