-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 . .,_
_______________________________________________ W __ h_a _t_ d_o_ I_ d_o_ n_ o_ w_ ? _ __._
- As soon as poss ible, have the tig htening torqu es on all
wheel bolts checked with a torque wrench . The correct
tightening torque is 120 ft lb (160 Nm).
- Have the flat tire
rep laced as soon as possible.
(I] Tips
• If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to turn
while chang ing a tire, they should be replaced before you check the
tightening torque.
• Drive at reduced speed until you have the t ightening torques
checked. •
Applies to ve hicl es: w ith dec orative wheel covers
Decorative wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed first to
access the wheel bolts.
Removing
Fig . 251 Changing a
wheel: Remov ing the
wheel cover
- Insert the hook provided with the vehicle tool k it in the
hole in the hub .
- Pull off the
deco rative whe el co ver => fig . 251 . •
Vehicle OP-eration
Applies to vehicles : w ith wheel bolts w ith caps
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
The caps must be removed first from the wheel bolts
before the bolts can be unscrewed.
Removing
F ig. 252 Ch angi ng a
wheel : removing the
wheel bolt c aps
- Push the plastic clip provided with the veh icle tool kit over
the wheel bolt cap until it engages .
Pull on the
plastic cli p to remove the cap=> fig . 252.
Refitting
- Place the caps over the wheel bolts and push them back
on .
The caps are to pr otect and keep the wheel bolts clean .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service iTechnical data
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• We recommend that you pay particular attent ion to t his fact
dur ing we t we ather and t hat you a dju st yo ur sp eed to mat ch ro ad
conditions.
• Rep lace t he fla t tir e w ith a new one a nd h ave it ins talled o n your
vehicle as soon as poss ible to resto re the handling advantages o f a
unid irectiona l t ire .•
Notes on wheel changing
P le ase re ad the in form ation=> page 326 , "N ew tires and r eplacing
t ires and wheels" if yo u are going to use a spa re t ire wh ich is different
fr om the tires on yo ur vehi cle.
After you change a t ire:
• Check the tire pressure on the spare immediately after installa
tion.
• Have the wheel bolt tightening torque checked with a torque
wren ch as soon as po ssible by yo u r autho rize d Audi deale r or a qual
ified workshop.
• With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel bolts are correctly
tightened at a torque of 120 ft lb (160 Nm).
• 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.
• Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it installed on your
vehicle as soon as possible. Remount the wheel cover .
Until then, dr ive with e xtra care and at reduced speeds.
& WARNING
• If you are going to equip your vehicle with tires or rims which
differ from those which were factory installed, then be sure to
read the information =>
page 326, "New tires and replacing tires
and wheels ".
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Always make sure the damaged wheel or even a flat tire and
the jack and tool kit are properly secured in the luggage compart ment and are not loose in the passenger compartment.
• In an accident or sudden maneuver they could fly forward,
injuring anyone in the vehicle .
• Always store damaged wheel, jack and tools securely in the
luggage compartment. Otherwise, in an accident or sudden
maneuver they could fly forward, causing injury to passengers in
the vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data