2009 AUDI S8 tires

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
• If the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted
o n your vehi cle (for e xample winter tires or wide profile tires), then
use the spare tire for a short period of time on ly and drive with extra
care . Replace the f lat tire with the tire matching the others on your
vehicle as soon as possible.
• If you should put different wheels and tires on your vehicle (e.g.
winter wheels and tires), you must be certain that the wheels and
tires are compatible with the tire pressure monitoring system* .
Otherwise the system will register a ma lfunction and a fault
message will be displayed . For more information, contact your Audi
dea ler.
0 Note
• When installing new tires, be careful not to damage the valves or
tire pressure monitoring system* sensors.
• Never drive without the va lve stem cap. The valves could get
damaged.
• If the sensors must be replaced, then the valve must also be
replaced at the same time.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the loca l requirements. •
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 wal l
between tread shoulder and maximum section width
=> page 338,
fig. 278.
For e xample: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Require­
ments in addit ion to these grades.
Tread w ea r
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
of the tire when tested under contro lled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 wou ld 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 upo n the actua l condi­
tions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the
n orm due to variations in d riving habi ts, service practices and differ­
ences in road characteristics and climate.
Tra ction
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 conditions on specified government
t est surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire marked C may have
poor traction performance => & .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), 8, and C, representing
the tire's resistance to the generation o f heat and its abi lity to dissi ­
pate heat when tested under control led conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the mater ial of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure=>&.
T he grade C corresponds to a leve l of performance which a ll
passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels of
p er formance on the la b ora tory test whee l than t he mi nimum
required by law.
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•
& 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 ________________________________ ::..:..:....::.=.....::.:..:..:..::..:___:__ _ ___:,___
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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 •

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
• After any impact, immediately inspect your tires or have them
inspected by the nearest authorized Audi dealer. Replace a
damaged tire as soon as possib le .
• Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000 km) for damage and
wear. Damage is not always easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, which could eventua lly cause tire failure. If
you believe that a tire may have been damaged, replace the tire as soon as possible .
• These tires may wear more quickly than others.
• Please a lso remember that, whi le these tires deliver responsive
handling, they may ride less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
R educ ed p erform an ce in win ter/c old s eason
c ondi tio ns
All tires are designed for certain purposes. The low aspect ratio,
u ltra high performance tires originally ins tal led o n your vehicle are
intended for maximum dry and wet road performance and hand ling.
They are no t suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions . If
you drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle
with al l- season or winter tires, which offer better traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the recommended snow or
a ll-season tires specified for your vehicle, or their equiva lent.
Refer to~
page 343for more detai led information regarding winter
tires. •

IIIIIL--____:W:...:....:. h.:..: a::.. t:....: d.:..:o:....:. l...: d::.. o ..:.... n:..:..:: o...:w ...:...;. ? ____________________________________________ _
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for changing the
wheel
Fig . 291 Changing a
wheel: using the
screwdriver handle
!with the blade
removed) to turn the
bolts
Fig . 292 Changing a
wheel: alignment pin
inside the top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and raised the
vehicle off the ground, remove and replace the wheel as
follows:
Removing the wheel
-Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle to
completely remove the topmost wheel bolt and set it
aside on a
clean surface => fig. 291. -
Screw the threaded end of the
alignment pin from the
tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt hole=> fig. 292.
- Then remove the other wheel bolts as described above .
- Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin in the bolt
hole.
Putting on the spare 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.
- Remove 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 356. Tighten them crosswise, from one
bolt to the (approximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.
[ i ] 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 359.
• 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 .,,_

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hub. Remove all dirt from these surfaces before remounting the
whee l.•
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be mounted
with their tread pa ttern pointed in the ri ght direction.
Using a spar e tire with a tread pattern intended for u se
in a sp ecific di rec tion
When using a spare tire with a tread pattern intended fo r use in a
specific direction, p lease note the following:
• The direction of rotation is ma rked by an arrow on the side of the
tire .
• I f the spare tire has to be insta lled in the incorrect direction, use
the spare tire only temporarily since the tire wi ll not be able to
achieve its optimum performance characteristics with regard to
aquaplaning, noise and wear.
• We recommend that you pay particular attention to this fact
during wet weather and that you adjust you r speed to match road
conditions .
• Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it installed on your
veh ic le as soon as possible to restore the handling advantages of a
un idirectional tire. •
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information :::::, page 338, "New tires and replacing
tires and whee ls" if you are going to use a spare tire which is
di fferent from the t ires on your veh ic le.
After you change a tire :
• Check the tire pre ssure on the spare immediately after installa ­
tion . • Have the wheel bolt t
ighten ing torque che cked with a torque
wrench as soon as possible by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service station .
• With steel and alloy wheel rim s, the wheel bolts are correctly
tighte ned at a torque of 90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
• If you noti ce that the wheel bolt s are corroded and difficult to
turn while changing a ti re , they should be replaced before you che ck
the tightening torque .
• Replace the flat t ire with a new one and have it installed on your
vehicle as soon a s possible . Remount the whee l cover.
Until then , dri ve with extra care and at reduced speed s.
& WARNING
• If you are going to equip your vehi cle w ith tires or r ims which
differ from those which were factory in stalled , then be sure to read
the information :::::,
page 338, uNew tires and repla cing tires and
wheel s".
• Always mak e sure the d am aged wheel or e ven a flat t ire and
the jack and tool kit are properl y secured in the luggage compart ­
ment and are not loose in the pass enger compartment .
• In an a ccident or sudden maneuver they could fly forward ,
injur ing anyone in the vehicle .
• Alway s store damaged wheel , ja ck and tools securely in the
luggage comp artment . Otherwise , in an accident or sudden
m aneuv er they could fly forward , cau sing injury to pas senger s in
the veh icle .
• Do not use commercially available ti re sea lants. Othe rwise, the
ele ctri cal component s of t he tire pres sure mon itor ing system * will
no longer wo rk properly and the sen sor for the tire pre ssure moni ­
tor ing s ystem* w ill have to be replaced by a qualified workshop . •
Do-it -yourself service

Emerge ncy situ ation s -
----------------=-~----
Loading the vehicle onto a flat bed truck
Front hook up
"' .... N
Fig. 305 Ve hic le on flat
bed truck
- Align the vehicle with the centerline of the car carrier
ramp .
- Attach the winch hook to the front towline eye previous ly
installed .
Rea r hook up
- Align the vehicle with the centerline of the car carrier
ramp .
- Attach the winch hook to the rear towline eye previously
installed.
[ i ] T ip s
Check carefully to make sure the hook -up is secure before moving
the car up the flatbed truck ramp. •
Vehicle transport
Whenever you have your vehicle transported, be sure to
note the following:
0 Not e
Mount the tie-down chains/cables over the running surface (circum­
ference) of the tires. Never secure the vehic le 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 and this wil l adversely affect vehicle handling .•
Lifting vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with floor
jack
The vehicle may only be lifted at the lifting points illus­
trated .
--1------------- ~
'-l.=c==;;;;;;;;;;= ==-cl i
Fig. 30 6 Fron t lift ing
poi nt
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service irechnical data