________________________________________________ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n _,,,g "-- S_a_ f_ e_ l _,,y'-- __
& WA RNING (continued)
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury .
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never l et passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicl e
occupants must alwa ys be p roperl y res trained in one of the
vehicle 's seat ing posi tions.
(I) Tips
• Air circula tion helps to reduce window fogging. Sta le air escapes
to the outside thro ugh vents in the tr im panel. Be sure to keep these
slots free and ope n.
• Th e tire p ressure m ust co rrespon d to the load . The tire pressure is
show n on the tire p ressu re label. O n USA v ehicles, the tire p ress ure
label is located on the driver's side 8-p illar. On Canada veh icles, the
ti re pressu re lab el is locat ed either on the driver' s sid e B-pillar or
inside the fuel fi lle r flap . The t ire pressure labe l lists the recom
mended co ld tire in flati on press ures f or th e ve hicle at its max imum
capacity weight and the tires that were on yo ur vehicle at the time it
w as m anuf acture d. F or re co m mended ti re p res sur es for normal loa d
conditions, p lease see chapter=>
page 300 . •
Tie-downs
T he l uggage c omp artm ent is equipped with fo ur tie
d ow ns to sec ure l ug gag e a nd oth er ite ms.
Use the t ie-downs to secu re yo ur cargo properly => page 183,
"Lo ading the lugg age comp artmen t" .
I n a co llision, t he laws of physics mean that ev en sma ller items that
are loose i n the vehicle will become heavy missiles t hat can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess e nergy wh ich vary w ith
vehicle speed and the we ight of the item. Vehicle spee d is t he most
signifi cant factor.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
For example,
in a frontal collis io n at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/ h),
t he forces a ctin g o n a 1 0-lb (4 .5 kg) objec t are ab out 20 times the
normal weight of the item . T his means that the weight of the item
wou ld s udden ly be abo ut 200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the inju
ries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing freely through the passenger
compartment could cause in a collision like this .
& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure item s to tie
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
• Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items
to the tie -downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous missiles.
• When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always us e suit
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs
in the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying
forward as dangerous missiles into the passenger compartment .
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down .•
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehi cle has a defect
whi ch could cause a crash or could cau se injury
or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
Ameri ca, Inc. -.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Intelligent technology
~----------------------------------------------
Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modu Les
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieval after an accident or crash event. EDR's are
sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by ED R's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped with
a number of e lectronic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, eng ine function, emission control, as well as for
the airbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehicle-related data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic control modu les is limited to
data (no sound is recorded) and only a sma ll amount of data is actu
ally recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when a
system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, braking
as well as restraint system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and down
loaded with special equipment .•
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP}
Ce-ieral lnforrrc:t~on
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
Fig. 213 ESP button
Fig. 214 Center
console with ESP
switch
ESP is designed to he lp you maintain vehicle control in situations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especially when accel
erating and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidding and improves
stability under all road conditions.
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
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 infla
tion pressure. You may not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating fo r a tir e at the maximum permissible inflation
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
inflated. 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 distr ibution 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 paralle l cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed regular production
options weigh ing 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, heavy
duty battery, and specia l 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 297, "Cold tire inflation pressure".
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation
pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced t ires may
be identified as "XL ", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon
wh ich the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat . If you change your wheel
size, you w ill 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_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h)=>
page 309. You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is molded on the tire
sidewall and indicates the max imum permissible road speeds=>
& in
"Winter tires" on
page 311.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
underinflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal grooves designed to give a
visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See=>
page 306,
"Tread Wear Ind icator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tir e information system developed by the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles (kilometers) or perform in a certain way. It simp ly
gives tire buyers additional information to combine with other
considerations, such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommenda
tions. Under UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three
Safety first
areas: treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance . The UTQG
information on the tires, molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" . It begins with the letters "DO T" and
indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it was manufac tured, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2210 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2010. The
other numbers are ma rket ing codes that may or may not be used by
the tire manufacturer. Th is information is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle's total seating capacity as listed on the label located
on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is de term ined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occ upant weight (distr ibuted in accordance with table below
=> page 300) and dividing by two. ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data
___ T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e _ e_l_ s _________________________________________________ _
Occ up ant loading and distribution for vehi cle normal load for various d esignated seating capacit ies
Designated seating capacity, num- Vehicle normal load , number of Occupant distribution in a nor
mally loaded vehicle
ber of occupants occupants
4 2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 227 Tire pre ssure
label: loc ated either on
d river 's si de B ·pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount of air in a t ire 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 inte rnational measur ing un it and in pounds per square i nch
(PSI). Tire press ure is based in part on t he vehicle 's design and load
limit -the greatest amount of weight tha t the vehicle can carry safe ly
and the t ire si ze. The proper tire pressure is frequently referred to as
the "recommended cold t ire inflation pressure. " Air in t he tires
expands when the tire heats up because of internal friction when it
flexes in use . The tire p ress ure is highe r when the t ire has wa rmed up
than when it is "cold." It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that c o unts . Therefo re, you should never let air ou t of a wa rm tire to
match "cold tire inflation pressure " recommendations . The t ires
wou ld then be underin flated and could fail suddenly .
SIZf COlD fflE PRESSUAf DIME NSION'S MfSSK)N DE$ l"NEV$ A fFIOiD
- KPA,. PSI
- KPA,. PSI
- KPA,. PSI
Fig. 2 28 Tir e pre ssure
label
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the most important things
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure . Underinflated tires are a
ma jo r cause of sudden tire failure . Keep ing t ires at the right pressure
is a lso important fo r safe and responsive vehicle handling, t ract ion,
braking and load carrying.
Tire p ressures are particularl y important
when the vehicle i s being driven at higher speed s, and then e spe
cially when heavily loaded even with in the permissible load
carrying capacitie s approved for your v ehicle .
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi depend on the kind o f
t ires on you r vehicle and the number o f passengers and/or amo unt of
luggage you will be transport ing .
The tire pressure label is located on the driver 's side 8-pillar . T he tire
pressure labe l lists the recommended cold t ire inflation p ressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity weig ht and tires that were on
•
your vehicle at the time it was m anufactured. .,
-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ls _________________________________________________ _
Vehicle Weight Rating and the G ross Ax le We ig ht Rating a re listed on
t he sa fe ty co mplianc e stick er la bel lo ca ted on t he dr ive r's side B
pillar. The tire press ure label on your Aud i lists the max imum
combine d weight of a ll of t he occ upants an d lugga ge or other cargo
that the veh icle can car ry . For the locat io n of the t ire pressure label
~ pa ge 300 , fig. 227.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause los s of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle wa s designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of a loss of vehicle control.
• The b rakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distan ce.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle 's Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating.
& WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can lead to a
serious or fatal accident.
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation,
c ausing loss of vehicle control. •
Checking tire pressure
The c orrec t t ire pre ssur e fo r th e tires origina lly insta lled
o n yo ur veh icle is listed on th e tir e p res su re l abe l lo cat ed
on driv er's side 8-pi llar.
Th e recommended tire pressures are on the tire p ress ure labe l an d in
t he table~
page 300, "Cold tire infla tion pressure" .This means that
the pressure m ust be chec ked an d ad justed w hen the tire has not
bee n driven for more tha n a co uple of miles (kil om ete rs) at l ow
speeds dur ing the prev io us three hours . A ir in t he tires expan ds when
t he tire he ats up as a res ult of in ter nal fric tion as it flexes in use. The
t ire pressure is higher w hen the tire has warmed up than whe n it is
" ld "
c o .
It is the inflation pressu re in a "cold" tire that counts. Therefore, yo u
should never let air out of a wa rm tire to match "Col d tire inflat ion
pr essu re" recomme ndat ions~
pag e 300 . The t ir e s would t hen be
unde rinflated and co uld fail sudden ly .
Th e tire p ress ure label on your Aud i list s th e recom mended co ld t ire
inflation pressures at maximum capacity fo r the new, o rigina l equip
ment tires tha t were on yo ur vehicle at the t ime it was man ufactu red.
For the location of the label~
page 300, fig. 227.
M ost tires lose a ir nat urally ove r time. They can a lso lose some a ir if
you drive over a potho le or hit a curb while pa rking.
It is usually not
possible to see whether the rad ia l ti res used today are underinflated
jus t by loo king at them.
T herefore, be sure to check t ire pressures at least once a month and
a lways before going o n a long tri p. M ake sure to take the num be r of
peop le and the amount of luggage i nto account whe n ad justi ng tire
press ure for a t rip -even one tha t you would no t conside r to be
" lo ng." See~
pag e 304, "Tires and vehicle load lim its" for mo re
im po rtant i nformat ion.
Alw ays use an a ccu rat e t ire pres sure g auge whe n checki ng a nd
ad justing i nflat io n pressures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
f o rge t the s pare tire. If the pre ssu re in any tir e is too h igh when the
t ir e is "co ld," let air out of t he tire slowly with t he edge of the ti re ..,_
-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• If the tire i s not flat and you do not ha ve to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as required.
0 Note
Driv ing without valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, a lways make sure that fac tory ins talle d valve stem
caps on all wheels are securely mo unted on the valve.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Under inflated t ires will also increase the fuel consumption .•
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amo unt of load or weig ht that any vehicle and
any t ire ca n carry. A veh icle th at is overlo ade d w ill n ot handle well and
is more difficult to stop . Overload ing can not on ly lead to loss of
vehicle co ntro l, bu t can also d amage important pa rts of the vehi cle
and can lead to sudden t ire failure, including a b lowo ut and sudden
deflation that can ca use the vehicle to c rash.
Yo ur safety and t hat of your passengers also depends o n mak ing s ure
that load limits are not e xceeded. Vehicle load incl udes eve rybody
and everyth ing in and on the ve hicle. These load limits are tech nically
refer red to as the veh icle's
Gross Vehicle We ight Rating ("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" includes t he weight of the basic vehi cle, all factory
installed accessories, a fu ll tank of fue l, o il, coo la nt and other fluids
plus maxim um load . The maxim um load includes the number of
passenge rs that the vehi cle is intended to car ry ("seating capacity ")
w ith an ass umed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each pa ssenger at a
designat ed seating position and the tota l w eight of any l uggage in
the vehicle. If you tow a trai le r, the weight o f the t railer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra ile r must be included as part of the
veh icle lo ad .
T he
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ") is the max imum load t hat
can be a pplied at each of the ve hicle's two axles .
Th e Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the Gro ss Axle Weight Ra ting
are listed on the safety compliance s ticker label located on the
dr iver 's s ide B-pillar. Audi h as 4 seat ing pos it ions, 2 in t he fro nt and
2 in the rear for total seating capacity of 4 . Each seating pos it io n has
a seat belt =>
page 19 0, "Safety belts" .
Th e fa ct t hat there is an upper lim it to your veh icle 's Gross Vehicle
We ight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is being
c arrie d in t he ve hicle (incl uding t he weight o f a trail er hi tch and the
tongue weig ht of the loaded tra iler) is limited . The more passengers
in the veh icle or p assenge rs who are he avier than the st anda rd
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carried as luggage.
Th e tire pressure labe l o n yo ur Audi a lso lists the max imum combine d
we ight of alt of the o ccupants and l uggage or o ther cargo that the
vehicle ca n carry . For t he locat ion of the label=>
page 300, fig. 22 7.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was de signed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe di stan ce.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been o verloaded can fail suddenly ,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash .
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
i ncluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a .,_
& WARNING (continued)
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. •
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage
or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1.Locate the statement "THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla
tion pressure label) =>
page 300,
fig. 227.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
Safety first
Tires and wheels -
3. Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo
grams or "XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker =>
page 300, fig. 22 7.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lbs. passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400- 7
SO (5 x 1 SO) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle. .,_
Vehicle care Technical data