________________________________________________ T_ i _r_e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e _ l_s __ lllll
•
& WARNING
The tr action grade ass igned to this t ire i s based on straight -ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
c ornering , hydroplaning or peak tra ction chara cteristic s.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed , underinfla
tion , or ex ces sive loading , either separately or in combination , can
c ause heat buildup and possible tire failure . •
Winter tires
W inter tires c an im prove vehicle handli ng on snow and
ice. At t emperatures belo w 45 °F (7 ° C) we re comme nd
cha ngi ng to wint er tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments may require true
winter o r "snow" tires, those with very deeply cut tread. These tires
shou ld on ly be used in pairs and be i nstalled on all four wheels .
M ake sure you purchase snow tires that are the same size and
co nstruction type as t he o the r tires on your vehicle .
I f your vehicle is equipped with all -wheel drive *, this will improve
t raction d uring win te r dr iving, eve n with the s ta n dard ti res .
However, we strongly recommend that you always equip a ll four
w hee ls on you r vehic le wi th cor rec tly fit ted w inter tires o r all-season
t ir es, when w inter road co nditions ar e expected . T his also improves
the vehicle 's br aking perfo rmance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires p rov ide less gr ip on ice a nd sno w.
Winter tires (snow tires) must a lways be fitted on all four whee ls .
Compatible ti re pres sure monito ring sensors * must be insta lled on
all four wi nte r tires fo r the t ire pressu re mon ito ring system* to fu n c
tion proper ly ~
page 34 0.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes. Use only ra d ial winter tires .
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to
a depth of 0 .157 inch ( 4 mm).
Only d rive wi th winter tires und er w inter cond itio ns. Summer t ires
handle better when there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
t empe ra tu re i s above 4 5 °F (7 °C) .
I f you have a f lat tire, see notes on spare whee l
~ page 338.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may have a lower speed
r ati ng tha n the ti res orig in ally installed o n yo ur veh icl e at the time
it was manufactured . P lease see~
page 340, "Speed rating (letter
c od e)" for a l isti ng of th e speed ratin g le tter codes a nd the
maximum speed at which the tires can be driven.
The s peed ra ting letter code( ~
page 329) is on the side wa ll of the
t ir e ~
page 338 .
& WARNING
Winter tires have ma ximum speed limits that may be lower than
your vehicle's maximum speed . Always know the maximum speed
before driving off . Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specifi c winter tires. This will cause damage to the tires
leading to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
passengers .
& WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause tire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation , loss of control , crashes and serious
personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires replaced immedi
ately.
• Winter tires have maximum speed rating that may be lower
than your vehicle's maximum speed.
Vehicle care
I t •
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• Never drive fa ster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires in stalled on your vehi cle a re rated.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and t raffic condit ions .
Never let the good acceleration of the winter tires and all -wheel
drive tempt you into tak ing extra risks. Always remember :
• When braking , an all -wheel drive vehicle handles in the same
way as a front drive vehicle .
• Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy and slippery ro ads ,
even winter tires cannot help under bla ck ice conditions.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather conditions permit. They are
quieter, d o not wea r as qu ick ly a nd r educe fuel cons ump tio n.•
Snow chains
Sn ow chains may be fitte d only to th e fron t w hee ls, and o nly t o
certain tire sizes . Ask your authorized Audi dealer on which tire
s iz es snow c hains can be used .
If you are going to use snow cha ins , then you must instal l them on
the front wheels at least.
The snow chains must have low-pro file l inks and mus t n ot be thicker
than 0.53 inch ( 13.5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel cen ter c ove rs a nd trim discs be fore putti ng snow
chains on your vehic le~
0 . For safety reasons cover caps must
then be fitted ove r the wheel bo lts . These are avai lable from autho
rized Audi dealers.
& WARNING
Using the wrong snow chain s for your vehicle or installing them
incorrectly can in crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury .
• Snow chains are available in different size s. Alway s make sure
to follo w the instructions pro vided by the snow chain manufac
turer.
• When dr iving with snow ch ains never drive faster than the
speed permitted for your specific snow chains .
• Always observe local regulations .
0 Note
• Remove snow chains before driving on roads not covered with
snow to av oid da maging t ires a nd weari ng the snow cha ins dow n
unnecessari ly.
• Snow cha ins, wh ic h come into d irect contact wit h the wheel rim ,
can scratch or damage it. Therefore, make sure that the snow chains
a re suitab ly cove red. Check the p osit io n of the snow cha ins a fter
driving a few yards and correct if neccessary. Follow the instructions
from t he s now cha in manufac turer w he n do ing so .
• I f the Adaptive Air Suspension should malfunction , do not
mo unt or us e snow chains becaus e th e veh icle will be extre m ely
l ow . If you do drive with snow chains on while the vehicle is at this
l evel, the s now c hai ns mig ht s ever ely da mag e th e wheel house and
other parts of the vehicle.
[ i ] Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain roads, this norma lly
a lso app lies to veh ic les wi th A ll Wheel Drive .•
Tires and wheels 1111111 ________________________________ ::..:..:....::.=.....::.:..:..:..::..:___:__ _ ___:,___
•
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mus t alwa ys be tighte ned to t he correct
to rq ue .
The design of wheel bo lts is matched to the factory installed rims. If
di fferent r ims are fitted , th e cor rect whe el bo lts wi th the rig ht l ength
and c orrec tly shaped bolt heads must be used . This ens ures that
w he els a re fitted se cur ely and th at the bra ke syste m functi ons
correctl y.
In cer ta in c ircums tances, yo u ma y not use w hee l bolts fr om a
differ ent vehicle - even if it is the same model~
page 384 .
& WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become loose
causing loss of control, a collision and serious personal injury.
• Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs
clean so the wheel bolts can turn easily and be properly tightened .
• Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel
hubs. They can become loose while driving if greased or oiled,
even if tightened to the specified torque .
• Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed .
• Never use different wheels bolts on your vehicle.
• Always maintain the correct tightening torque for the wheel
bolts to reduce the risk of a wheel loss .
If the tightening torque of
the wheel bolts is too low, they can loosen and come out when the
vehicle is moving . If the tightening torque is too high, the wheel
bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The s pecified torque for the wheel bolts is 90 ft lb ( 120 N m) with a
to lerance o f± 7,4 ft lb(± 1 0 Nm). Torque whee l bolt s diago nally.
After chang ing a whee l, the torque must be checked as soon as possible with a torque wrench
-preferably by an authorized Audi
d e aler o r qua lifi ed wo rksho p.•
Low aspect ratio tires
You r A ud i is fac tory-eq uippe d w ith low aspect ra tio tire s. T hese tire s
have been thorough ly t ested and b een se lected specifica lly for your
mod el for thei r su p erb pe rf or manc e, r oad f eel an d ha nd ling under
a variety of driving con ditions . As k your authorized Audi d ealer for
m ore de ta ils.
The low aspect rat io o f th ese t ires is indicated by a numer al of 55 or
less in the t ire's size designation. The numeral rep resents the ratio
o f t he t ire's s idewa ll he ig ht in rel ati on to it s tread w idt h ex pressed
in percentage . Conventiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
mo re.
The performan ce of low -aspe ct-ratio tires is particularly sensitive to
improper inflation pressure . It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflat ion pressure is regularly checked and ma intained. Tire pres
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a
long trip~
page 333, "Checking tire pressure" .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re easily by impact with
po tho les, cu rbs, gull ies o r rid ges o n th e road, particular ly if the t ire
is underinf lated .
I n or der to mini mize th e occurrence of i mpac t da mag e to t he tires
of your vehicle, we recommend that you observe the fol lowing
pr ecaut ions :
• Always ma intain recom mended inflatio n pr essu res . C heck you r
ti re p ressu re eve ry 2,000 mi les (3,000 k m) and add a ir if neces sary .
• D rive carefully on roads with potho les, deep gullies or ridges.
T he impact from d riving th rough or ove r such obstac les can
da mage y our tires. I mpact with a cu rb m ay a lso cause damage to
your tire s. ..,
Vehicle care
I t •
What do I do now? -
------------------
[ i J Tips
If you no longer have your original warning triang le and need to
equip your vehicle with a new one, contact your authorized Audi
dealer for a replacement .•
Jack, tools and spare wheel
Jack
The jack is stored underneath the floor panel in the
luggage compartment.
Fig . 282 Luggage
compartment vehicle
jack
Before stori ng the jack, make sure it is wound back down as far as it
will go.
& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause serious personal inju
ries.
• Never use the jack supplied with your Audi on another vehicle,
particularly on a heavier one. The jack is only suitable for use on
the vehicle it came with.
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screw
driver to loosen or tighten the wheel bolts.
• Always make sure the spare tire and even a flat tire are secured
in place and not loose, otherwise they could fly forward , causing
personal injury to passengers in the vehicle in an accident or
sudden maneuver .
[ i J Tips
Before you can raise your vehicle using the jack, you must activate
the jacking mode~
page 191. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service irechnical data
-What do I do novv? Pffl..._ _____________________ _
Tools
The vehicle tools are stored in the luggage compartment
lid.
Fig. 283 Trunk lid:
Opening the cover
Fig. 284 Trunk lid:
Vehicle tools
-To open the cover, turn the retainer in the direction of the
arrow and pull the cover down
=> page 352, fig. 283.
The onboard tool kit includes:
• Hook for removing wheel covers *
• Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers
• Whe el bolt wr ench
• Alignment pin for changing wheels
• Screwdriver with reversible blade •
10 x 13 open ended wrench
• Towing loop
[ i] Tips
Some of the onboard items listed above are provided on certain
models only or are optional extras .•
Spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well underneath
the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 285 Luggage
compartment spare
wheel
Your vehicle is equipped with a regular spare wheel. It is
held in place by plastic retaining knurled screw.
Taking out the spare vvheel
- Raise the floor panel at the plast ic handle.
- Securely engage the handle in the luggage compartment
seal as illustrated to keep the floor panel up.
- Unscrew the knurled retainer bolt in the wheel center
=> fig. 285. Turn it counter-clockwise.
- Take out the spare wheel.
What do I do now? Ill
---------------~.;______
•
-Disengage and lower the floor panel before you close the
luggage compartment lid again.
Storing the replaced wheel
-Place the replaced wheel inside the spare wheel well in
the luggage compartment.
Tighten the knurled retaining screw clockwise to secure
the wheel in place.
- Disengage and lower the floor panel before you close the
luggage compartment lid again.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compartment can cause serious
personal injury during hard braking or in an accident .
• Never store the spare wheel or jack and tools in the passenger
compartment.
• Always store all jacking equipment, tools, and the spare wheel
in the luggage compartment.
• Tighten the knurled retaining screw for the spare wheel
securely.
[ i] Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the spare tire periodically to keep the
tire ready for use. •
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own and your
passenger's safety when changing a wheel.
- After you experience a tire failure, pull the car well away
from moving traffic and try to reach level ground before
you stop
~ & .
- All passengers should leave the car and move to a safe
location (for instance, behind the guardrail) ~& .
- Engage the parking brake to prevent your vehicle from
rolling unintentionally ~& .
- Move selector lever to position P
~ &.
-If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trailer from your
vehicle.
- Take the jack and the spare tire out of the luggage
compartment~
page 351.
& WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while changing a wheel if
you do not follow these safety precautions:
• If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance off the road. Turn off
the engine, turn the emergency flashers on and use other warning
devices to alert other motorists.
• Make sure that passengers wait in a safe place away from the
vehicle and well away from the road and traffic.
• To help prevent the vehicle from moving suddenly and possibly
slipping off the jack, always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel being changed. When one ..,
Do-it -yourself service
1111 What do I do now? ..._ __________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued )
front wheel is lifted off the ground , placing the Automatic Trans
mission in "P" (Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from moving.
• Before you change a wheel, be sure the ground is level and firm.
If necessary , use a sturdy board under the jack.
• After installing the spare wheel, make sure that you replace the
flat tire/wheel in its storage area properly and tighten the knurled
retaining screw securely.
[ i J Tips
Before changing the wheel, you must activate the jacking mode, so
that the automatic controls for the Adaptive Air Suspension do not
make it more difficult to lift the vehicle with the jack =>
page 791. •
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence described
below step-by-step and in exactly that order.
1. Activate the vehicle jacking mode~ page 191.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For more details
see also
~ page 355, "Decorative wheel covers" or
~ page 355, "Wheels with wheel bolt caps" .
3. Loosen the
wheel bolts ~ page 356.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the jack and align
the jack below that point~
page 356.
5. Lift the car with the jack~ page 356.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and then install the
spare
~ page 358 .
7. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly. 8.
Lower the vehicle with the
jack.
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly tighten all wheel
bolts
~ page 356.
10. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jacking mode~ page 191.
& WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and information :::::> 6 in
" Raising the vehicle" on
page 356 and => page 359. •
After changing a vvheel
A wheel change is not complete without the doing the
following.
- Store and secure the wheel you replaced in the spare
wheel well.
- Replace the tools and the jack in their proper location.
- Check the
tire pressure on the spare wheel immediately
after mounting it.
- As soon as possible , have the
tightening torques on all
wheel bolts checked with a torque wrench. The correct tightening torque is 90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
- Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possible.
[ i J Tips
• If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn while changing a tire, they should be replaced before you check
the tightening torque. .,_
What do I do now? -
------------------
• Drive at re duced speed until you have the tightening torques
checked .a
A pplies to ve hic les: wit h deco rat ive w heel covers
Decorative wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed first to
access the wheel bolts.
Removing
Fig . 286 Changing a
wheel: Removing the
wheel cover
- Insert the hook provided with the vehicle tool kit in the
hole in the hub.
Pull off the decorative wheel cover~ fig . 286. •
App lies to veh ic les: w ith whee l bo lts with caps
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
The caps must be removed first from the wheel bolts
before the bolts can be unscrewed .
Removing
Fig. 287 Changing a
wheel: removing the
wheel bolt caps
-Push the plastic clip provided with the vehicle tool kit
over the w heel bolt cap until it engages.
- Pull on the plastic clip to remove the cap ~ fig. 287.
Refitting
- Place the caps over the wheel bolts and push them back
on.
The caps are to pro tect and ke ep the wheel bolts clean. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service irechnical data