Page 257 of 324

Tires and wheels -_______________ _____.
Incorrect wheel alignm ent
Inc orrect wheel alignment ca n cause excessive tire wear, impairing
the safety of the vehicle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment chec ked by an autho rized A udi deale r or qu alifie d
wor kshop .
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro® must always have tires of the same size,
co nst ructi on an d tread type . For detail s see =>
page 196 .
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to lo ss of control, a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indi cators.
• Worn tire s 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 cau se tire damage , such a s
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 . Tire s 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 tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previou s hi story. " Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failu re and loss of vehi cle control. •
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
N ew tires a nd wh eels hav e to be b ro ken in.
Fig. 184 T ire spe cificati on c od es on the sidewall of a tire
No .
©
0
©
©
©
©
Descr iption
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nominal width of tire in mi llimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
ii Rim diameter code
Load index an d spee d rating
Vehic le care I I irechnical data
Page 272 of 324

1111...__W_ h_ a _ t_d_ o_ l _d _o_ n_ o_ vv_ ? ______________________________________________ _
What do I do now?
Jack, tools and spare wheel
Jack and tools
The tools and jack are stored underneath the floor panel
in the luggage compartment.
Raise the floor panel with the loop.
Fig. 188 Floor panel
hung on the bottom of
the luggage compart
ment cover
Fig . 189 Vehicle tool
kit and jack
- Hang the loop on the underside of the luggage compart
ment cover ~ fig. 188.
Remove the tool kit or the jack.
The onboard tool kit includes:
• Hook for removing wheel covers*
• Plasti c hook to remove wheel bolt covers
• Wheel bolt wrench
• Alignment pin for changing wheels
• Screwdriver with reversible blade
• Towing eye
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound back down as far as it
will go.
After use, the jack and tools must be put back in place underneath
the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Note: some of the on-board items listed above are provided on
certain models only or are optional extras.
& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause serious personal inju
ries.
• Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle will damage the
bumper system. The jack may slip, causing injury.
• Never support your vehicle on cinder blocks, bricks or other
objects. These may not be able to support the load and could
cause injury when they fail.
• Never start or run the engine while the vehicle is supported by
the jack.
• If you must work under the vehicle, always use safety stands
specifically designed for this purpose.
• Never try and use the hexagonal socket
in the handle of the
screwdriver to loosen or tighten the wheel bolts.
Page 280 of 324

11111...__W_ h_ a _ t_d_ o_ l _d _o_ n_ o_ vv_ ? ______________________________________________ _
Taking the wheel off /putt ing the spare on
Follow these instructions step-by-step for changing the
wheel
M
"' ;;; u.
1li
Fig . 197 Wheel
change : using the
screwdriver handle
(with the blade
removed) to turn the
bolts
Fig . 198 Wheel
change: alignment pin
inside the top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and jacked the
vehicle off the ground, perform the following steps to
remove and replace the wheel:
Removing the wheel
- Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle to
completely turn out the topmost wheel bolt and set it
as ide on a
clean surface ~ fig. 197. - Screw the threaded end of the
alignment pin from the
tool kit hand-tight into the now vacant bolt hole
~ fig. 198.
- 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 spare
- Lift the spare wheel up and carefully slide it over the
alignment 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 handle on the jack counter -clockwise to lower
the vehicle until the jack is fully released.
- Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel bolts firmly ~
page 276. Tighten them crosswise , from one
bolt to the (approximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.
[ i ] Tips
Never try and use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screw
driver 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 279. ~