Tires a nd wh eels -
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•
0 Note
• For technical reasons, it is not genera lly possible to use the
whee l rims from other vehic les. This can hold true for wheels of the
same vehic le type.
• If the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted
on your vehicle (for example winter tires or wide p rofile t ires), then
use the spare tire for a short period of time only and drive with extra
care. Rep lace the flat tire with the tire matching the others on your
vehicle as soon as possible.
• If you should put different wheels and tires on your vehic le (e.g.
winter wheels and tires), you must be certain that the wheels and
tires are compat ib le w ith the tire pressure monitoring system.
Otherwise the system will register a malfunction and a fault
message will be displayed . For more informatio n, contact your Aud i
dea ler.
0 Note
• When insta lling new tires, be carefu l not to damage the va lves or
t ire p ressure moni toring syste m sensors .
• Never drive without the va lve stem cap. The va lves could get
damaged.
• I f the sensors must be replaced, then the valve must also be
replaced at t he same t ime.
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance with the local requ irements .•
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wear
• Traction AA A B C
• Temperature A B C Qua
lity grades can be found where applicable on the tire side wall
b etween tread shoulder a nd maximum section width =>
page 249,
fig. 164.
For example : Tread wear 200, Traction AA , Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federa l Safety Require
ments in addit ion to these grades.
T read wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
o f t he tire when tes ted under contro lled condit ions on a specified
government test course.
F o r example, a tire g raded 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 o f the ir use, however, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differ
ences in road characterist ics 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 contro lled cond itions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have
poor t raction performance =>& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, represent ing
the tire 's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissi
pat e heat when tested u nder con tro lled co nditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of t he ti re to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure=:>& .
The grade C corresp onds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Federa l Motor Vehicle
Vehicle care I t •
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher leve ls of
performa nce on th e la boratory test w hee l tha n the minim um
requ ired by law .
& WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests , and does not include acceleration ,
cornering , hydroplaning or peak traction characteristi cs.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire th at is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Exces sive speed , underinfla
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination , can
cause heat buildup and possible tire failure. •
Winter tires
Win ter tires can im prove veh icle ha ndl ing on sno w and
i c e. A t te mp eratu res belo w 4 5 °F (7 ° C) w e r eco mme nd
c ha ng in g to winter tir e s.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments may require true
winter o r "snow" tire s, those with ve ry deeply cut tread. These tires
should only be used in pairs and be insta lled on a ll four wheels .
M ake s ure you p urchase snow ti res that are the same s ize and
construct ion type as the other ti res on your vehicle.
If your vehic le is equipped with al l-wheel drive *, this will improve
t rac tion dur ing winter dr iv in g, eve n with the standard tires .
However, we strongly recommend that you a lways equip all four
whee ls on y our vehicle with correc tly fitted winte r tires or all-seas on
tires, when winter road conditions are expected . Th is a lso improves
t he ve hic le 's brak ing perfo rmance an d reduces s top ping distances .
Summer ti res p rovide less grip on ice and snow. Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all four whee
ls .
Compatible ti re p ressure monit oring senso rs must be instal led on
a ll four w inter tires for the tire pressure monitoring system to func
tion proper ly :::::> page 251.
Ask your aut hori zed Audi deale r or quali fied w orksho p for perm itte d
winter tire size s. Use only radial winter tires.
Wi nter tires lose thei r effec tiveness when the tread is worn down t o
a depth of 0. 157 inch (4 mm).
On ly drive with winter tires under winter conditions. Summer tires
h an dle better when there is no s now or ice on t he roads a nd th e
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
I f you have a flat tire, see n otes on spare w hee l :::::> page 249.
Please a lways remembe r that w inte r tires may have a lower speed
r ating than the tires original ly instal led on your vehic le at the time
i t was manu fac tured. Please see:::::> page 251, "Speed rating (letter
code)" for a listing of the speed rating letter codes and the
m ax imum speed at which t he ti res ca n be drive n.
T he speed rating letter code(:::::, page 241) is on the side wa ll of the
ti re :::::> page 2 49. & WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits that may be lower than
your veh icle's ma ximum speed . Always know the maximum speed
before driving off . Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific winter tires . This will cause damage to the tires
leading to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
pa ssengers.
& WARNING
Driving faster than the ma ximum speed for whi ch the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause tire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation , los s of control , crashes and serious _.,
What do I do now? -
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•
-Screw the threaded end of the alignment pin from the
tool kit hand-tight into the now vacant bolt hole
=:> page 270, fig. 177.
- Then completely unscrew the other wheel bolts as
described above.
- Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin in the bolt
hole.
Putting on the wheel
- Lift the spare wheel and carefully slide it over the align
ment pin to guide it in place.
- Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle to
screw in and tighten all wheel bolts slightly.
- Unscrew the alignment pin and insert and tighten the
remaining wheel bolt slightly like the rest.
- Turn the jack handle counter -clockwise to lower the
vehicle until the jack is fully released.
- Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel bolts
firmly =:> page 268. Tighten them crosswise, from one
bolt to the (approximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.
[ i J Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screwdriver to
loosen or tighten the wheel bolts.
• Pull the reversible blade from the screwdriver before you use the
hexagonal socket in the handle to turn the wheel bolts.
• When mounting tires with
unidirectional tread design make sure
the tread pattern is pointed the right way~
page 272.
• The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to turn. Check for dirt
and corrosion on the mating surfaces of both the wheel and the
hub . Remove all dirt from these surfaces before remounting the
wheel. •
Notes on wheel change
Please read the information~ page 249, "New tires and replacing
tires and wheels", if you are going to use a spare tire which is
different from the tires on your vehicle.
After you change a tire:
• Check the tire pressure on the spare immediately after
mounting.
• Have the wheel bolt tightening torque checked with a torque
wrench as soon as possible by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service station .
• With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel bolts are correctly
tightened at a torque of 90 ft lb (120 Nml.
• If you notice while changing a tire that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn, then they should be replaced before
you check the tightening torque.
• Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it installed on your
vehicle as soon as possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, drive with extra care and at reduced speeds.
& WARNING
• If you are going to equip your vehicle with tires or rims which
differ from those which were factory installed, then be sure to read
the information
~ page 249, "New tires and replacing tires and
wheels".
• Always store the tools securely in luggage compartment.
Otherwise, in an accident or sudden maneuver they could fly
forward, causing injury to passengers in the vehicle.
Do-it-yourself service