2010 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

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holding, driv ing characteristics, and safety of the vehicle. The table
( =>
page 318) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Audi
models covered by your Owner's Literature .
Th e tire pressure label located on the driver's side B-pillar
=> page 318, fig. 240 lists the specifications of the original equ ip­
ment tires insta lled on your vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to place standardized infor­
mation on the sidewall of all tires=>
page 326, fig. 243. This infor­
mation identifies and describes the fundamenta l characteristics, the
quality grade of the tir e and also provides a tire ident ification number
for safety standard certification and in case of a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it easier to choose the correct
tires . Radial tires have the tire spec ifications marked on the s idewall,
for example:
P255 / 55 R 18 109 H XL
This contains the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars (where applicable)
255 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire from sidewall edge to side-
wall edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider the tire
55 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Rad ial
18 Rim d iameter code ( in inches)
109 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates that the tire is a"Rein­
forced" or an "Extra Load" tire
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that the t ire has some mud and snow capa­
bility
The tires could also have the info rmation of direction of rotation
=> page 314.
Safety first
Tire manufacturing date
The manufacturing date is a lso indicated on the tire sidewa ll
(poss ibly only on the
inner side of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2209 ... "means, for example, that the tire was produced in
t he 22nd week of 2009.
Speed rating (Letter code)
The speed rat ing letter code on the wheels ind icates the maximum
permissible road speeds =>
& in "Winter tires" on page 330.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (1 70 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph ( 190 km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
3>
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)3>
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)3
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)3>
Your vehicle is normally factory equ ipped with t ires, which possess
excellent driving characte ristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum dr iv in g
comfort. An electronic speed limiter=>
page 26will normally prevent
your vehicle from going faster than the tire speed rating
=> &.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
Th is is the tire's "ser ial number" . It begins w ith the letters "DOT" and
indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it was manufactured, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture .
For example, the numbers 2209 mean that the tire was produced in
~
3> F o r tires w ith a maximum speed capab ili ty over 149 mph (240 km/h), tire
manufact urers somet imes use the letters "ZR."
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
the 22nd week of 2009. The other numbers are marketing codes that
may or may not be use d b y the ti re manu facture r. T his in format ion is
used to contact consumers if a tire de fect requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
T ires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have been specially
m atche d w ith your Audi. We recommend using on ly these t ire s
because t hey meet the hig hest standards regard ing safety a nd
dr iving charac teris tics when used corre ctly. Your aut horize d Aud i
dea ler w ill glad ly provide you wi th mor e informatio n.
Tire ply composition and materials used
T he number of p lies indicates the number of layers of rubber-coated
f abr ic in the tire. In ge ne ral, the greate r the numbe r of p lies, the
more weig ht a tire ca n support. Tire manufac turers also mus t indi­
c ate the materials in the t ire, which incl ude stee l, nylon, polyes ter,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in k ilograms and pounds
t ha t can be carried by the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades~ page 329.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount o f air press ure t hat should eve r
be pu t in the tire under no rm al driv in g c ond ition s.
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can lead to loss of control , collis ion
and seriou s personal injury.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifica­
tions of original factory-installed tires or other combinations that have been specifically app roved by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds . Tires that a re more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial tires of the same
type , size (rolling circumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driving with different tires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a loss of control.
• If the spare tire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle - for example with winter tires - only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care . Refit the
no rmal road wheel as soon as safely possible .
• Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires
on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Ove rloading tire s cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated
and not over or underinflated.
• For technical rea sons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicles- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel trim discs on the veh icle wheels, make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blocked . Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increasing stopp ing distances
and causing a colli sion.
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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Run flat t ires may onl y be u sed on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassi s de signed
for run flat tires. Incorrect use of run flat tires can lead to vehicle
damage or accident s. Check with an authorized Audi dealer or tire
specialist to see if your vehicle can be equipped w ith run flat tires .
If run flat tires are u sed, they mu st be in stalled on all four wheel s.
Mixing t ire types is not permitted.
0 Note
• For techn ical reaso ns, it is not generally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from o ther vehicles. This c an hold t rue for wheels o f th e s ame
vehicle type.
• If the sp are tire is different from the tires t hat yo u have mo unted
on your vehicle (for examp le w inter t ires or wide profile tires), then
use the spare t ire for a short per io d of t ime on ly and d rive wi th ex tra
care . Replace the flat t ire with the tire matching the others on your
vehicle as soon as possible.
• Never dr ive without the valve stem cap . The valves could get
d amaged .
~ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance wit h the loca l req uirements .•
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tr ead we ar
• Tract ion AA A B C
• Temperatu re A B C
Quality g rades can be found where app licab le on the tire side wa ll
be tween tread s hou lde r an d max imum se ct io n w idt h~
page 3 26,
fig. 243.
Safety first For example:
Tread wear 200
, Tract ion AA , Temperat ure A.
All passenger car ti res must confo rm to Federa l Safety Requirements
in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear grade is a compa rative rat ing based on the wear rate
o f th e tire when tested under contro lled conditions o n a specifie d
government test cou rse .
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (1 1/2)
ti mes a s we ll on t he governme nt co urse a s a tire graded 10 0 .
The relat ive pe rformance o f tires depe nds upon the actua l conditions
o f their use, however, and m ay depar t sig nificantly from the norm
due to variations in d riving hab its, se rvice practices and differences in
road characte rist ics and cl imate.
Traction
Th e traction grades , from highes t to lowe st, are AA, A, Band C. Those
grades repr esen t the t ire's ability to stop on wet pavemen t as
measu red under con trolled con dit io ns on s pecified government test
surfaces of asphalt and conc rete. A tire marked C may have poor t rac­
tion performance ~& .
Temperature
The tempera ture grades are A (the highest), B, an d C, represen ting
t he t ire's res ista nce to the gene ra tion of heat a nd its ab ility to d issi­
pa te heat when teste d unde r contro lled condi tions on a spec ified
indoor laboratory tes t wheel.
S ustained h igh temperature ca n cause the material of the tire to
degene rate and red uce tire li fe, and excessive tem per at ure c an lead
to sudden tire failure ~& .
Th e grade C cor responds to a leve l of perfo rmance which a ll
passenger car tires mus t meet under the Federal Motor Veh icle
Sa fety Standa rd No. 1 09 . G rades Band A represent higher levels of
performance o n the labo ra tory test w hee l than the minim um
req uired by law . .,_
Vehicle care Technical data

___ T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction test s, and do es not include acceleration ,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak tra ction chara cteristics .
in. WARNING
The temperature grade fo r this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Ex cessive speed, underinfla ­
tion, or excessive load ing, either separately or in comb inat ion, can
c ause heat buildup and po ssible tire failure. •
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve v ehicl e handling on snow and
ice . At temper atures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend
ch anging to w inter tires.
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governme nts may requ ire true
w inter o r "snow" tires, those with very deep ly c ut trea d. These tires
sho uld only be used in pa irs and be installed on all four whee ls. Make
sure you p urchase snow tires that are the same size and construct ion
type as the ot her t ires on your ve hicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with a ll-wheel drive, th is will improve trac­
tion dur ing wi nter dr iv ing, even w it h the standar d tires. Howeve r, we
strong ly recommend that you always eq uip a ll four wheels on yo ur
veh icle with correctly fitte d winter t ires or all-season ti res, when
w inte r road conditio ns are exp ect ed. This also imp roves th e veh icle's
bra king perfo rmance an d red uces stopping distances.
S um mer tir es p rovide le ss grip on ice and snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) m ust always be fitted on all four wheels.
Ask your aut horized Audi dealer or q ualified workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use only ra dial w inter tires. W
inter tires lose the ir effectiveness when the tread is wor n down to
a dep th o f 0. 157 inch ( 4 mm).
On ly drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter cond it io ns. S umme r tires
han dle better when the re is no snow or ice on the roads and the
tempe ra ture is a bove 45 °F (7 °C).
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare wheel=> page
326.
Please always remember that winter tires may have a lower speed
rat ing than the tires originally installed on yo ur veh icle at t he time it
was man ufact ured . Please see=> page
327, "Speed rating (letter
c ode)" for a list ing of t he speed ra ting le tte r c odes and the maxi mum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
Th e spee d rat ing let ter code( => page
317) is on the side w all of the
tire=> page
326.
in. WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits that may be lower than
your vehicle 's maximum speed . Always know the maximum speed
before dr iving off. Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specifi c winter tires . This will caus e damage to the tires
lead ing to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
pa ssengers.
in. WARNING
Driving fa ster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause t ire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation , loss of c ontrol , crash es and seriou s
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 .
• Never drive faster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
~

Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic condit ions.
Never let the good a cceleration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive t empt you into tak ing e xtra ri sks. Always rememb er:
• When braking , an all-wheel drive vehicle handle s in the same
way as a front drive vehicl e.
• Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy and slippery road s,
even winter tires cannot help under black ice condit ions.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather co ndit ions permit. They are qu ieter,
do not wea r as qu ickly and r educe fuel consumpt ion. •
Snow chains
Snow c hains m ay be fi tted on ly to the rear w heels, and only to cer tain
tire sizes . Ask your authorized Audi dea ler on wh ich tire sizes snow
c hains can be used .
Th e snow chains must have low-profile links and m ust not be thicker
than 0.53 inch ( 13 .S mm), including the lock .
Remove wheel ce nter covers and trim discs before put ting snow
chains on your vehicle~
0. For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fi tted over t he wheel bolts . T hese a re av ail able fro m auth o rized
Audi dealers.
& WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehicle or installing them
in correctly can increa se the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Snow chains are available in different sizes . Always make sure
to follow the instruction s provided by the snow chain manufac­
turer.
• When driving with snow cha ins never drive fa ster than the
speed permitted for your specific snow chains .
• Always observe local regulat ions.
0 Note
• Remove snow chains before driving on roads not covered wit h
snow to avoid damaging t ires and wear ing the snow chains down
unnecessar i Ly .
• Snow chains, whi ch come into direc t contac t wi th the w heel rim,
can scratch o r damage it. Therefore, make s ure that the snow chai ns
are sui tably covered. Chec k the pos ition of the snow chains after
dr iv ing a few yards and correct if necessary . Follow the instruct ions
from the snow chain ma nufact urer when do ing so.
• If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should malfunct io n, do not mount
or use snow chai ns because the ve hicle w ill be extreme ly low. If you
do d rive with snow chains on while the vehicle is at this level, the
snow c hains m ight severe ly damage the whee lhouse and other parts
of t he ve hicle .
[ i ] Tips
Whe re snow c ha in s are mandatory on ce rtain roads, t his norm ally
also app lies to vehicles with All Whee l Dr ive. •
Vehicle care Technical data

-Tires and wheels PW~---------------
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must al ways be tightened to the correct
torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the factory installed rims. If
different r ims a re fitted, the cor rect wheel bolts with the r ig ht leng th
and correctly shaped bolt heads must be used. Th is ensures that
w heels are fitted secure ly and that t he br ake system func tion s
correctly .
In certain circ umstances, you may not use whee l bolts from a
different veh icle -even if it is the same model~
page 368.
&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become
loose causing lo ss of control , a c ollision and seriou s personal
injury .
• Always keep the wheel bol ts and the thread s in the wheel hub s
clean so the wheel bolts can turn easily and be properly t ighten ed .
• Never gr ease or oil the wheel bolt s and the threads in the wh eel
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 .
• Alway s maintain the correct tightening torque for the wheel
bolt s to reduce the risk of a whee l los s. 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 i s too h igh, the wheel
bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The spe cifie d torq ue for the whee l bolts is 120 ft lb (160 Nm) wi th a
tolerance of ± 7,4 ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diagona lly. After changing a wheel, the torq
ue m ust be checked as soo n as
possible wi th a t orqu e w rench -prefer ably by an auth o riz ed Audi
dealer or qualified workshop. •
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ratio tires. These tires
h ave bee n thorou ghly teste d and been se lec ted spe cifically fo r yo ur
model for their superb performance, road feel and hand ling u nder a
var iety of dr iving con ditions . Ask your authorized A udi dea le r for
more deta ils.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated by a n umera l of
55 or
le ss
in t he tire 's s ize designation . T he numera l rep resents the ratio o f
the tire's sidewall he ight in relat ion to its tread width exp ressed in
pe rcen tage . Co nven tional ti res have a heig ht/w idth r atio o f 60 o r
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires i s particularly sensitive to
improper inflation pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflation pre ssure is regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a
long trip~
page 320, "Che cking t ire press ure".
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage
Low aspe ct ratio tires ca n be damaged more eas ily by imp act wi th
potholes, curbs, gul lies or ridges on the road, part icu lar ly if the tire is
unde rinfl ated.
I n order to minimize the occu rrence of impact damage to the tires of
your vehicle, we recommend that yo u observe the follow ing p recau ­
tions:
• Always ma inta in recommen ded inflation p ressures. Check your
t ire press ure every 2,000 m iles (3,00 0 km) a nd a dd air i f ne cess ary.
• Drive ca ref ully on roads with potho les, dee p gullies or ridges. The
i m pact from d riving t hrough or over such obsta cles can damage you r
tires. Impact w it h a c urb may also cause damage to your tires . .,_

Tires and wheels -________________ fWII
• After any impact, immediately inspect your tires or have them
inspected by the nearest authorized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible.
• 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, wh ich could eventually 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 also remember that, while these tires deliver responsive
handling, they may ride less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes. The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance tires originally installed on your vehicle are
intended for maximum dry and wet road performance and handling.
Th ey are not su itable for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If you
drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle with
all -season or winter tires, which offer better traction under those
conditions. We suggest you use the recommended snow or all-season
tires specified for your vehicle, or their equiva lent.
Refer to~
page 330 for more detailed i nformat ion regard ing w inter
tires. •
Tire pressure monitoring system
General notes I)
Each tire, including the spare (if prov ided), should be checked
month ly when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire
inf lation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a different size
than the size ind icated o n the vehicle p lacard o r tire inflation pressure
Safety first
label, you should determine the proper tire inflation pressure for
t hose tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a t ire
pressure monitoring system ( TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pres ­
s ur e telltale when one or more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. According ly, when the low tire pressure te lltale illuminates,
you should stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly under- inflated
tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Unde r­
inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle's handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper t ire ma inte­
nance, and it is the driver's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if unde r-inflation has not reached the level to trigge r
illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been eq uipped with a TPMS mal function indi­
cator to indicate when the system is not operating properly . The
TPM S malfunction indicator is combined with the low tire pressure
telltale . When the system detects a ma lfunct ion, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated . T his sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indica tor is illum inated, the system may not
be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
ma lfunctions may occur fo r a variety of reasons, including the instal­
lat ion of replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the veh icle that
prevent the TPMS from functioning properly. Always check the TPMS
malfunction telltale after replac ing one or more tires or wheels on
your vehicle to ensure that the rep lacement or a lternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function properly .•
Vehicle care Technical data

lffll __ T_ i_ r_e _s_ a_ n_ d _ w _h _e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument cluster
informs you if the ti re pressure is too low or if there is a
system malfunction.
Fig. 2 44 D ispla y:
u nd erinfl ation
warni ng
Fi g. 2 45 Display:
Syst em m alf un ction
Us ing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitoring system compares
t he t ire tread c ircumference and vibrat ion characte rist ics o f the indi ­
vidual tires. If the pressure decreases in one or more tires, this is indi­
cated in the ins trument cl uste r wi th a warning symbol
1 and a
message=> fig. 244 . The dr iver message in the display goes o ut after
5 seconds . T he driver message can be disp layed again by p ressing the
[ CHECK ] button. If only one t ire is affected , the display will ind icate
its position . The tire press
ure monitoring must be reset via MMI each time the
pressu res are adju sted (e.g. when sw itching between partial and full
load pressure) or after chang ing or replacing a t ire on your veh icle
=>
page 335. You can find the recommended tire pressures fo r your
vehicle on the label o n the dr iver's door pillar=>
page 318.
Ti re tread circumference and v ibration characterist ics can change and
c ause a tire p ress ure warning if:
• the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low,
• t he ti re has s tructur al damage,
• the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotated or rep laced but the
T PM S w as no t rese t=>
page 335.
Warning symbols
' ' Loss of press ure in at least one tir e=> .&. Chec k the t ire or t ires
and rep lace or repair if necessary. The indicator light in the instru-
me nt cluster a lso illumina tes=>
page 14. C heck/co rrect t he p res­
sures of all four ti res and reset TPMS via MMI.
( T ire Pressure Monitor ing System)
Tire pre ssure! System
malfunction .
If appears afte r sw itch ing the ignition o n or while
dr iv ing =>
page 334, fig. 24 5 and the indicator ligh t in the ins tru­
me nt clus ter blinks for approx imately one minu te and then s tays on,
there is a system ma lfunction . See your a uthorized Audi dealer as
soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the tire pressure indicator appear s in the instrument cluster
display, one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Reduce your speed imm ediately and avoid any hard steering or
brak ing maneuvers . Stop as soon as possible and check the tires
and their pres sures. Inflate the tire pre ssure to the proper pres­
s u re as indicated on the vehicle 's tire pressure label=>
page 318.
Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire cau ses the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure . Under-inflat ion also is l ikely
to impair the vehicle 's handling and stopping ability .
~