Safety belts -----------------=------
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts . Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi TI Coupe has two seating positions in the front and two
height-limited seating positions in the rear. Each seating position
has a safety belt. The rear seat area in your Audi TT Coupe does not
have enough room for passengers of all sizes. For reasons of safety,
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
no person taller than 4'11" (1.5 meters) should ever ride in the rear
seat area.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint.
• Persons taller than 4'11" (1.5 m) as well as children in booster
seats who are too close to the rear window and roof can suffer
severe head and neck injuries when the rear lid is closed or in a
crash.
• The minimum clearance between the passenger's heads and
the rear window must never - under any circumstances -be less
that 1 inch (2.5 cm.I when the passengers sit fully upright.
• Always make sure that rear seat passengers cannot be struck
when the rear lid is closed. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
• Be aware of the different than usual steering response and
adjust your steering force accordingly.
• Have the problem checked and set right by an authorized Audi
dealer as soon as possible.
• If a steering malfunction occurs, this is signaled with the or.
~ indicator lights and a warning tone, see.
[ i] Tips
• If the power steering system should fail, or if the engine is not
running (for example, while being towed} , you will still be able to
steer the vehicle. However, more effort will be required to do so.
• If the power steering system is not functioning properly, contact
your authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Ap plies to vehicles : w ith A ll Wheel Drive
0 iving w i h your quattro®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driven.
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is distributed to all four wheels. This
happens automatically depending on your driving style and the
road conditions at the time. See also=> page
184, "Electronic differ
ential lock (EDU".
Winter tires
When driving in the winter , your vehicle with All Wheel Drive has an
advantage, even with regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-season tires} for improved
driveability and braking : these tires must be mounted on all four
wheels. See also=> page 250, "Winter tires".
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Intelligent technology
Snow
chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this normally
also applies to vehicles with All Wheel Drive=> page 251, "Snow
chains".
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with All Wheel Drive must always have tires of the same
size. Also avoid tires with different tread depths . For details see
page => page 246, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels".
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an
off-road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and
uneven terrain as much as possible. Also refer to=> page 192.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
• Although the All Wheel Drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheels could begin to slide on top of the water (aqua planing}.
If this should occur, you will have no warning from a
sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-wheel drive
vehicle . Always drive at speeds which are suited to the road condi
tions. -risk of crash. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Tires and wheels -
----------------
•
& WARNING (continu ed )
crashes and serious personal in jur ies . Have worn or da maged t ires
replaced immediately .
• Tires age even if they are not being u sed and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then w ith special care and at
low speed.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the co mbined we ig ht ( in excess o f those sta nda rd items
which may be rep laced) of automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power w indows, powe r seats, rad io, a nd heater, to
the extent that these items are avai lab le as factory-installed equip
m ent (w hether insta lled or not).
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio o f th e height to t he w idt h of the tire in perce nt.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved
steer ing respo nse and b ette r overall ha ndl ing on dry pave ment.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of stee l wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdow n of the bond be tween co mponents i n the bead.
Cord
means the strands fo rmi ng the plies in the ti re.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used t ire s may ha ve been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you noti ce unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving , always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage . •
Cold tire inflation pressure
mea ns t he ti re pressure reco mm ended by the ve hicle ma nufacturer
for a tire of a designated size that has not been d riven for more tha n
a cou ple o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in t he t hre e ho ur per iod
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed .
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehic le with standard equipment
i nc lud ing the max imu m capac ity o f fue l, o il, and coola nt, a ir c ond i
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to ope rate at higher loads and at higher infla
tion pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires
my be identified as "XL",
"xi", "EX TRA LOAD", or "RF" on the side
wa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load -carrying capacity of a sing le ax le system, measured
at the ti re -ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR "l
means the ma ximum tot al l oade d weigh t of the vehicle.
Vehicle care I t •
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given
inflation pressure . You may not find this information on all tires
because it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at the maximum permissible infla
tion pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be
in flated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of
an inflated tire, including elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not previously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy duty battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation pressure
see =:> page 235, "Cold tire inflation pressure".
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher infla
tion pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced
tires my be identified as "XL", "xi", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the
sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat. If you change your wheel
size, you will have to purchase new tires to match the new rim diam
eter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
___ T_ i_ r_e _s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_ e_ e _ ls _________________________________________________ _
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating capacities
Designated seating capacity, num
ber of occupants Vehicle normal load, number of
occupants Occupant distribution in a normally
loaded vehicle
4
2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 148 Tire pressure
label: located
on
driver 's side B-pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount of air in a tir e that it
needs it to do its job and safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents. Tire pressure is measured in kilopascals
(kPa), the international measuring unit and in pounds per square
inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in part on the vehicle's design and
load limit -the greatest amount of weight that the vehicle can carry
safely and the tire size. The proper tire pressure is frequently
referred to as the "recommended cold tire inflation pressure." Air in
the tires expands when the tire heats up because of internal friction
when it flexes in use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire has
warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the inflation pressure in a
"cold" tire that counts. Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflation pressure" recommendations .
The tires would then be underinflated and could fail suddenly.
* ,. ~ =cc- ------------------gl
( SEATING CAPAOTY '.TOTAl l :FRONT I :CE NTER I '.REAR I )
Toea,m....,_ oroa,.,pan11anda,golhould ,-!IICN
SIZE COLO TIRE PRESSURE
- KPa,- PSI
- KPa,- PSI
- KPa,- PSI MANUAL FOR
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION SEEOWNER'S I
Fig . 149 Tire pressure
label
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the most important
things you can do to help avoid sudden tire failure . Underinflated
tires are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keeping tires at the
right pressure is also important for safe and responsive vehicle
handling, traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pressures are
particularly important when the vehicle is being driven at higher
speeds, and then especially when heavily loaded even within the
permissible load -carrying capacities approved for your vehicle.
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi depend on the kind
of tires on your vehicle and the number of passengers and/or
amount of luggage you will be transporting .
Th e tire pressure label located on driver's side 8 -pillar on your Audi
lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures for the vehicle
at its maximum capacity weight and tires that were on your vehicle
•
at the time it was manufactured . .,
________________________________________________ T_ i _r_e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e _ l_s __ l'III
•
If yo u w is h to impr ove com fort when operat ing the vehi cle at
nor mal load (up t o 2 occupant s), you c an adju st tire pres sur es to
th ose spe cified f or norm al v ehi cle lo ad . B efo re op era tin g the vehicle
at maximum load , you mu st in crease the tire pre ssure s to tho se
s pe cifi ed for m aximum vehi cle lo ad =>
& .
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing syst em * can only
monitor the tire pressures you have stored. The system does not
recogni ze th e load cond ition o f you r vehicle .
T he effec tiveness of the tire pressu re monitoring system * will be
impaired if you store no rmal load pressures bu t then operate the
vehicle at its maximum load=>& . See the
illustra tion=>
page 238, fig . 148 for the location of the label
on driver's side 8 -pillar (co lor of the actual label and exact location
on the vehic le wi ll vary slightly).
Note that the following tab le is accurate at the time of going to
press and is subject to change . In the event of discrepancies, the t ire
pressure label (on dr iver's side 8 -pillar) always takes precedence .
The table below lists the recommended cold tire i nflation pressures
for the Audi mode l covered by your Owner 's Litera ture at the
vehicle's capacity weight and the tire sizes insta lled on the respec
tive models as original equipment , or as a factory option .
Engine
(displ ace
m ent in
liter ) Tir
e design ation Tire pr es sur e front Tire press ure re ar
4 -c ylinder
2 .0 225
/55 R16 95H All Se ason
225 /50 R17 94H All S eason
2 2 5/5 0 R17 94W XL High Perf orma nce
245 /45 R17 95H All Sea son
2 45 /45 R17 95 V XL High Perform ance
245 /40 R18 93H All Se ason
245 /40 R18 93V XL High P erformance
255 /35 R19 96V XL High Perform ance
normal lo ad
conditi on (up to
2 occup ant s)
PSI kPA
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
full load
c ondition
PSI kPA
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 2 20
Vehicle care
n o rm al l oa d
full load
co ndition (up
condition
to 2 o ccupant s)
PSI kPA PSI kPA
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
29 200 29 200
I t •
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
Engin e
(displa ce
ment in
lit er) Tire designation
Tir
e pressure front Tire pressure rear
normal load full load normal load
full load
condition (up to condition c
ondition (up
condition
2 o ccupants ) to 2 occupants)
6 -cylinder
3.2 245
/45 R1 7 95H All Season
245 /45 R17 95V XL High Performan ce
245 /40 R18 93H All Season
245 /40 R18 93V XL High Performan ce
255 /35 R19 95V XL High Performance
XL
= reinforced
PSI
32
32
32
32
32
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is located on a label on
the driver's side B-pillar .
Because technica l changes may be made to vehicle equip ment
during the mode l year, always compare the tire size designat ion on
the tire pressure la bel on y our vehicle with the tires on your vehicle.
Make sure tha t the t ire size information on the veh icle labe l is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle. Th is is especially impor
t ant if the vehicle belongs to someone e lse or you boug ht the
vehic le with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ
ously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your passengers a lso depends
on making su re tha t load limits a re not exceeded . Vehi cle loa d
inc ludes everybody and everything in and on the vehicle. These load
limits are technically referred to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating ("GVW R"). The Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two
ax les. The Gross Vehicle We ight Rat ing and the Gross Ax le Weig ht
Rating are listed on the safety comp liance sticker labe l located on
t he driver's side B- pillar. The tir e pressure labe l on y our Audi lists
the maximum combined weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage
kPA PSI kPA kPA kPA
220 32 220 29 2 00 29 200
220 32 220 29 200 29 200
220 3 2 220 29 2 00 29 200
220 32 220 29 2 00 29 200
220 3 2 220 29 200 29 200
or other ca rgo that the veh ic le can carry. For the location o f the t ire
pressure label::::;, page 238, fig. 148.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehi cle can cause loss of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death .
• Carrying more weight th an your vehicle was de signed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of a loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance .
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded c an fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash .
& WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead to a
s erious o r fatal a ccident .
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_e _l_s _________________________________________________ _
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire side wall
between tread shoulder and maximum section width
=> page 246,
fig. 152.
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 their use, however, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differ
ences in road characteristics and climate.
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 levels 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 excessive 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.
I f your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive *, this will improv e
traction during winter driving, even with the standard tires.
However, we strongly recommend that you always equip all four
wheels on your vehicle with correctly fitted winter tires or all-season
tires, when winter road conditions are expected. This also improves
the vehicle's braking performance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and snow.