-~_C_ le_ a_n_ i_ n_ g=- a_ n_d___. p_ ro_ t_e _c_ t_ i_o _n ___________________________________________ _
Use only special acid-free cleaners formulated for a lloy r ims . Sa fe
pro ducts are availabl e at your A udi de aler. Never leave t he cle aner on
the rims longe r tha n spec ified on the label. If not rinsed off promptly,
the ac id contained in some cleaners can attack the t hreads on the
w heel bolts.
Never use abrasive or metal po lish ing cleaning agents.
If the protec
t ive coa ting ha s been ch ipped, e.g. by k icked up road dirt, touch it up
as soon as possible.
& WARNING
• Moisture and ice on brakes may affect braking efficiency
=> page 254, "General information ". Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=:>page 270 . •
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be checked .
All body cavit ies which cou ld be affected by corrosion have been thor
oughly p rotected at the factory .
Th is sea ling does not require any inspection or additiona l treatment.
If any wax sho uld seep ou t of the cavi ty when the ambien t tempera
ture is h igh, it can be removed w it h a plastic scraper and a suitable
so lvent .
& WARNING
Solvents can be dangerous.
• Benzine is flammable and toxic. If you use benzine for
removing the wa x, keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away. Never dump benzine on the ground, into open st reams or
down sewag e drains.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Be su re to observe all safety and environmental regulations.
Follow all instructions on the container.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
=:>page 270 . •
Chassis
Hav e the undercoa ting checked fo r damage f rom time to
ti me.
The lower body shell of your Audi is a lso thoroughly protected against
c orrosion .
Any damage to the u nde rcoat ing caused by road ha za rds sho uld be
repaire d promptly.
& WARNING
Too mu ch undercoating in the wrong places can caus e a fire.
• Do not apply additional undercoating or rustp roofing on or
near the exhau st manifold , exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or
heat shields. While dr iving, the substance used for undercoating
c ould overheat and cau se a fire.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other info rmation
=> page 270 . •
E x haust tail pipes
Road s alt and ot her c orrosive mater ials w ill damage the m ate rial in
the exhaust ta il pipes if they a re not cleaned regularly. Do not clean
t he t ail pipes w ith w heel cleaner, p aint polish, chrome po lish or o ther
abrasive cleaners. C lean the tail pipes with car care products that are
sui table for sta inless s teel.
~
-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib rat ion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 341 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, drive with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km) .
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. .,_
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
0
-
©
®
@
-
@
U.S . DOT tire identification number
Audi Original tire
Sever snow conditions
Tire ply composition and materials used
Treadwear, traction and temperature grades Ma ximum perm issible inflation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design . The tires
and rims approved by Audi are specially matched to the characteris
tics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good road
holding and safe handling when in good condition and properly
inflated =>
&.
We recommend that all work on tires and wheels be performed by an
authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with recommended proce
dures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as well as
the proper facilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about tech
nical requirements for installing or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not individually (for
example both front tires or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to the tire pressure moni
toring system* =>
page 320.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have the same specifications
as the tires approved for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires must
always have the same load rating specification as the original equip
ment or approved optional tires listed in the table=>
page 310.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially matched to your
vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important road-
Safety first
holding, driving characteristics, and safety of the vehicle. The table
(=>
page 310) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Audi
models covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located either on driver's side B-pillar or inside
the fuel filler flap (=>
page 310, fig. 253) lists the specifications of
the original equipment tires installed 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 318, fig. 256. This infor
mation identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics, the
quality grade of the tire and also provides a tire identification number
for safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it easier to choose the correct
tires. Radial tires have the tire specifications marked on the sidewall,
for example:
255/45 R 18 99 H
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
45 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (in inches)
99 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 tire has some mud and snow capa
bility
The tires could also have the information of direction of rotation
=>
page 306 .
Vehicle care Technical data
-Tires and wheels
---------------------------------------------
Tire manufacturing date
The manu fac tu rin g date is also indica ted on the tire sidewa ll
(poss ibly only on the
inner s ide of the w heel):
"DOT . .. 2209 ... "means, fo r example, the t ire was prod uced in the
2 2n d week of 200 9.
Speed rating (letter code )
The speed rat ing lett er code on the w heels ind icates t he maxim um
permissible road speeds => & in "Winter t ires" on
page 323 .
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 1 06 mph (1 70 km/h)
S up to 110 mp h (1 80 km /h)
T up to 118 mph ( 190 km/ h)
U up to 124 mp h (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 16 8 mph ( 270 km/h)3
)
Y up to 186 mp h (298 km/h)3>
Your vehicle is normally factory eq uipped with t ires, which possess
ex cellen t dr iv in g ch aract eri sti cs a nd give your Audi op timum driv ing
comfort. A n elect ronic spe ed limiter=>
page 26will normally prevent
your vehicle from goin g faste r tha n the t ire speed rating =>& .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
Th is is the t ire's "ser ial nu mber" . It begi ns w ith t he letters "DOT" a nd
ind ic at es that t he tire mee ts all f ed eral stan dards. The nex t two
numbe rs or lette rs i ndicate the p lant where it was ma nufactu red, and
the last four numbers rep resent t he week an d year of manu fact ure.
For example, the numbers 2209 mean the tire was produced in t he
3l For t ire s w ith a m axim um spee d capability ove r 14 9 mph (240 km/h), t ire
man ufac turers somet imes use the l etters "ZR. "
22nd week of 2009 . The other numbers are market ing codes that
m ay o r m ay not be use d by the tire ma nufa cture r. T his inf orm ation is
used to contact cons umers if a ti re de fect requires a recall.
Audi original tire
T ires with t he ident ification "AO" or "RO" have been specially
mat ched w ith yo ur Audi. We recommend using o nly these t ires
b ecause t hey meet the hig hest standards regarding safety a nd
dr iv in g ch arac teris tic s when use d cor rec tly. Yo ur au thor ized Audi
dealer will g lad ly provide you with more info rmation .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of p lies indicates the number of layers of rubber-coated
f a b ric in the tire. In ge ne ral, the g rea ter the n umbe r of plies, the
more weight a t ire can support. Tire manufacture rs also must indi
c a te the mate rials in the t ire, w hich incl ude stee l, nylo n, polyester,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in kilograms and pounds
th at can be ca rr ied by the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades=> page 322.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Thi s number is the greatest amo unt o f air press ure t hat should eve r
be pu t in the tire unde r norm al driv in g cond iti ons.
Replacing tires or rims on vehicles equipped with
tire pressure monitoring system*
T he wheels on yo ur vehicle are eq uipped w ith a senso r which
con stantl y m onitor s the a ir pressure insid e the tire, an d th en tra ns
m its this info rmation to the tire press ure monito ring system *.
If you
a re goi ng to repl ace t he w heel rims on your ve hicle, m ake sur e the
new rims also have these sensors . The sensors m ust be compat ible
w ith the tire pressure mo nitoring sys te m* on you r ve hicl e. ..,_
Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
If you install rims, which do not have the sensors, or have sensors
w hich are not compa tible, then the tire pressure moni toring sys tem *
w ill not wo rk p roperly. I n this case, t he tire pressure monitor ing
system * wo uld not be ab le to monitor the tire pressure or warn yo u if
it is necessary .
• The battery inside of the tire pressure sensor has a limited service
l ife.
• Always dr ive wit h the
valve stem caps securely mo unted. We
recommend using factory ins ta lled
valve stem caps. As k your autho
r ized Audi dea ler to rep lace lost
valve stem caps .
Th e insta llation of repl acement tir es w ith s teel co rd bo dy plies in the
t ire sidewa ll may ca use ma lfunctio n of the tire pressure mo nitoring
system *, and is not recommende d (cord material informat io n i n
molded on the ti re s idewall).
Always check your tire pressure monito ring system* indicator afte r
re plac ing one or mo re tires on your vehicle. If the tire press ure m oni
to ring system* indicator flashes, or is on, your system is not working
pro perl y. Yo ur repla ceme nt tire might be incomp atible with your t ire
pressure monitoring system*, or some component of the tire pres
sure mon itor ing system * may be damaged.
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and / or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can lead to loss of cont rol, collision
and seriou s per sonal injury .
• Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifica
tions of original fa ctory-in stalled tires or other combination s that
have been specifically appro ved by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be u sed in an emergen cy and then with special care and at
lowe r speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
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 tr ead pattern.
Driving with different t ires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a lo ss of control.
• If the spare ti re is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle - for example with w inter tires - only use the spare
tire fo r a sho rt pe riod of t ime and drive with extra care. Refit the
normal road wheel as soon as safely possible.
• Never drive faster than the ma ximum speed for which the tires
on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Overloading 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 reasons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicles - in some c ases not even wheel s from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels , make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increasing stopping distance s
and causing a collision.
• Run flat tires may only be u sed on vehicles th at were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassis designed
fo r run flat tires and a factor y-in stalled tire pres sure monitoring
system* that indicates a loss of tire pre ssure. 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 with run flat tires . If run flat tires are used , they must
be installed on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted . ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data
-Tires and wheels
PW-------------------
0 Note
• For techn ica l reasons, it is not generally poss ible to use the wheel
rims from other vehicles. This can hold true for whee ls of the same
vehicle type.
• If the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted
on your vehicle (for example w inter tires or wide profile tires), then
use the spare tire for a short period of time only and drive with extra
care . Replace the flat tire with the tire match ing 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 compatib le with the tir e pressure monito ring system*.
Otherwise the system will register a malfunction and a fault message
w ill be displayed . For more info rmation, contact your Audi dealer .
0 Note
• When install ing new tires, be careful not to damage the valves or
tire pressure monitoring system* sensors.
• Never drive without the valve stem cap. The valves could get
damaged .
• If the sensors must be replaced, then the valve must also be
replaced at the same time.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the local requirements. •
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wear
• Traction AA A B C
• T emperatu re A B C Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire side wall
between tread sho
ulder and maximum section width =>
page 318,
fig. 256.
Fo r example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Requirements
in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
of the tir e when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (11/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actua l conditions
of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characte ristics 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 con trolled conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor trac
tion 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.
Susta ined high temperature can cause the materia l 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
Tires and wheels -_______________________________ f!:f'II
[I) Tips
Where snow cha ins a re mandatory on certain roads, this no rmally
also applies to vehicles with All W heel Dr ive .•
Wheel bolts
Wheel b olts must al ways be tig hten ed to the correct
torque.
Th e design of whee l bo lts is matc hed to the facto ry installed rims. If
different r ims are fitted, the correct wheel bolts wi th t he r igh t lengt h
and correctly s haped bolt heads must be used . Thi s ensures that
w heels are fi tted secure ly and tha t the br ake system f unc tion s
correctly.
I n cert ain circumst ances, yo u may not us e wheel bolts from a
different veh icle -even if it is the same model=>
page 363.
& WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become
loose causing lo ss of control, a collision and serious per sonal
injury .
• Always keep the wheel bolts and the thread s in the wheel hub s
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 d riving 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 loo sen and come out when the
vehicle is moving. If the tightening torque is too high, th e wheel
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The speci fied tor que f or th e wheel bolts is 90 ft lb (1 2 0 Nm) wi th a
tolerance of ± 7,4 ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bolts diagonally.
After ch anging a wheel, the to rque mu st be checked a s so on as
poss ible with a torque w rench -prefe rab ly by an authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified workshop. •
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is fa cto ry -equ ip ped wi th low aspec t ratio tires. These tire s
have been thorough ly tested and been selected specifically for your
mode l for the ir supe rb perfo rmance, roa d fee l an d han dling un der a
var iety of driv ing cond it ions. Ask your author ized Audi dea ler for
more deta ils.
Th e low a spect rat io of these tires is indica ted by a nu meral of
55 or
less
in the tire's size designation. The numeral represents the ratio of
t he t ire's s idewall heigh t in relat io n t o its t re ad wi dth expressed in
percentage. Conventiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low -aspect -ratio tires is particularly sen sitive to
improper inflation pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflation pressure is regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres
s ure s should be checked at lea st once a month and always before a
long trip =>
page 313, "Checking tire pressure".
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage
Low aspect ratio ti res can be damaged more easi ly by impact w ith
potholes, curbs, gull ies or ridges on the road, p articular ly if the tire is
underinflated. .,_
Vehicle care Technical data
_______________________________________________ W __ h_a _ t_ d_o_ I_ d_o_ n_ o_w _ ? __ _
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be mounted
w ith their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Using a spare tire w ith a tread pattern intended for
u se in a specific direction
When using a spare tire w ith a tread pattern intended for use in a
spec ific direction, please note the fo llow ing:
• The d irect ion of rotation is marked by an arrow on the side of the
tire.
• If the spare tire has to be installed in the incorrect direct ion, use
t he spare t ire only temporar ily since the tire w ill no t be ab le to
achieve its optimum pe rformance character istics with rega rd to
aquap lan ing, no ise and wear.
• We recommend that you pay particular attent ion to t his fact
during wet wea ther and that you adjust you r speed to match road
conditions .
• Rep lace the flat tire w it h a new one and have it ins talled on your
vehicle as soon as poss ible to resto re the handling advantages of a
unidirectio na l tire .•
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the in forma tion => page 318, "New t ires and replacing
tires and wheels" if you are going to use a spare t ire which is different
from 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 t ightening torque checked with a torque
wren ch as soon a s possible by your authorized Audi dealer or a qua l
i fied serv ice stat ion.
Safety first • With steel and alloy wheel rims
, the wheel bolts are correctly
tightened at a torque of 90
ft lb (120 Nm ).
• If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn while changing a tire, they should be replac ed before you check
the tightening torque.
• R epla ce the flat tire with a new one and have it install ed on your
vehicle as soon as possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, drive with extra care and at reduced speed s.
& 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 318, "New tires and replacing tire s
and whe els ".
• Always make sure the damaged whe el or ev en a flat tire and
the jack and tool kit are prope rly secured in the luggage compart ·
ment and are not loo se in the pa ssenger compartment.
• In an accident or sudden maneu ver they could fly forward ,
injuring anyone in the vehicle .
• Always store dam aged wheel , jack and tools secu rely in the
luggage compartment. Otherwi se, in an accident or sudden
maneuver they could fly fo rward , caus ing inju ry to passengers in
the vehicle .
• Do not u se commercially available tire sealants . Otherwi se, the
electrical component s of the tire pre ssure monitoring system * will
no longer work properly and the sensor for the t ire pressure moni ·
toring sy stem* will have to be replaced b y a qualified work shop .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data