2010 AUDI S8 tire type

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Adaptive Air Suspension
Adaptive Air Suspension and
Damping
Description
Adaptive Air Suspension and damping can be regulated and they adapt automatically to a request from the
driver and the drivin g situati on at the time.
Adaptive Air Suspens ion is an e lectron ically controlled springing and
damping system. This chass is system makes it eas ie r on the d river by
adapting to the particular situation t hrough imperceptible contro l
processes.
T he
Adapt ive Air Su spen sion component regu lates ground clea rance
depending on vehicle speed, load condition and driver input. Acce le r·
a ting to a speed above a predetermined limi t will make the vehicle
lower itself. On the other hand, driving more slow ly results in the
vehicle raising aga in at spe cific speeds .
Th e
damping component provides individua l contro l of the damping
forces. For example, with damp ing characte rist ics set to provide
greater comfort, damp ing is set som ewhat harder for a br ief period
only as req uired, for example, whe n going around a curve or over
roug h road surfaces as we ll as when bra king.
Settings
Adaptive Air Suspension provides the drive r with the opportu nity to
set the chassis characte ristics also to the ir individual preference.
W ith the dr iv in g m odes
standard, automatic and dynamic the d river
has three chassis sett ings available, ranging from comfort to sporty.
In add it io n,
lift prov ides a fourth mode whi ch can be sele cti ng fo r
dr iving over poor stretches of road =:>
page 177, "Chass is Controls".
T he modes a re set in MM I
=:> page 179.
On veh icles equipped w ith the sport su spen sion Adaptive A ir Suspen­
sion -Sport *, there is genera lly more emphasis on a sporty chassis
sett ing. Setti ngs ra nge from comfo rtable to fi rm=:>
page 178, "Spo rt
Chassis Cont rols" .
0 Note
• Whenever you park you r vehicle, always ma ke su re there is
adeq uate clea rance above and below t he ve hicle. The heig ht of the
parked veh icle ca n change as the res ult of temperature fluctuat ions,
c hanges in loa d cond ition and changes in the dr iv ing mode (ground
cleara nce) .
• M ount t he tie-down ch ains/ cables over the r unning s urfa ce
(circumfere nce) of the tires . Never secu re the vehicle by the axle, the
suspension st ruts or the front o r re ar tow line eye . For technical
reaso ns, the pressure in t he suspension struts may change dur ing the
transport and this will adverse ly affect vehicle handling.
• To prevent damage to the vehicle u nderbody, remembe r th at your
veh icle is no t an off- road vehicle, even in the lift mode. The ground
cleara nce is insufficient for this type of operation .
• If yo u are go ing to tow a tra il e r, you mus t act iv a te the trai le r oper ­
ation mode =:>
page 179 .
[I] Tips
Before you ca n ra ise your vehicle using the vehicle jack (fo r examp le ,
w hen changing a flat tire) you must activate the jacking mode
=:>
page 179 . •

-~_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_ r _e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Inco rrect wheel al ignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause excessive tire wear, impairing
the safety of the vehicle . If tires show excessive wear, have the wheel
alignment checked by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop .
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must always have tires of the same s ize,
constr uction and tread type . For details see~
page 257.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure c an lead to loss of control , a cra sh and seriou s
personal injur y!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire i s worn down
to the wear ind icators .
• Worn tire s are a s afety hazard, they do not grip w ell on wet
roads and increa se your risk of "h ydroplaning" and lo ss of control.
• Always keep chemical s that can cause tir e damage, su ch as
grea se , oil , gasoline and brake flu id away from tires .
• Tires age even if they ar e not b eing used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds .
• Never mount u sed tir es on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used tires m ay have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 256 Tire specifica tion cod es on t he sidewall of a tire
No.
©
@
®
©
©
©
Descript ion
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nom inal width of tire in mi llimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
Rim diameter code
Load index and speed rating

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!ffl
Safety Standa rd No. 109 . G rades Ba nd A rep resent higher levels of
p erf or ma nce on t he laborato ry tes t w hee l than t he mini mum
r e q uir ed 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 tir es co n imp rove ve hi cle ha ndlin g on sno w an d
ice. At temp eratur es be low 45 °F (7 °C) w e rec ommen d
ch angin g to wi nte r tires .
In some heavy snow areas, loca l gover nme nts may requ ire t rue
w inter o r "snow" tires, those with very deep ly cut trea d. These tires
sho uld only be used in pairs and be installed on all four wheels . Make
s ur e you pu rc h ase snow ti res t hat a re the same size and const ruction
type as the ot he r tir es o n your veh icle .
If your ve hicle is equ ipped w ith all-whee l drive* , this will improve
tra ction durin g w inte r dr iving, even wi th th e sta ndard ti re s . Ho wever,
we st rongly recomme nd that you a lways equip all four w heels on your
vehicle wi th co rrec tly fitte d win ter tires o r all- season tires, when
w inter road conditions are expected . T hi s also improves the veh icle 's
bra king perfo rma nce and re duces stop ping distances .
S um mer tir es p rovide less gr ip on ice and s now .
Safety first
Wi nter tires (snow tires) m ust always be fitted on all fo ur whee ls .
Compat ible tire press ure monitor ing sensors * must be installe d on
all four w in te r tir es fo r the tire pr essure mo nitoring sys te m * to func­
tion pro per ly ~
page 320.
Ask your a uthor iz e d Audi dealer or qualified wor ksho p fo r per mitt ed
winter tire sizes . Use only rad ia l w inte r tires .
W inter tires lose their effectiveness w he n the trea d is wor n down to
a dep th of0 .1 57 inch (4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inte r tires under w inte r con ditions. S ummer ti res
h and le be tter w he n t here is n o sno w or ic e on t he ro ads and the
temperature is above 45
°F (7 °().
If you have a flat tire, see notes on s pa re w hee l~ page 318 .
Please always re m em ber tha t win ter tires may have a lower speed
rating t han the t ires originally insta lled on yo ur veh icle at t he t ime it
w as manuf act ur ed . P lease see ~
page 320, "Spee d ratin g (le tter
code)" for a listing of the speed rating lette r codes and the maxim um
s peed a t whi ch the tires can b e driven.
T he spe ed rat ing letter code(~
page 309) is on the s ide wall of the
ti re ~
page 318.
& WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limit s that may be lower than
your veh icle's maximum speed. Always know the maximum speed
before driving off. Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific winter tires. This will cause damage to the tires
leading to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
passengers.
& WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause tire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation, loss of control, crashes and serious _,,
Vehicle care Technical data