2011 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET ESP

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Tires age even if they are not be ing used and can fail suddenly ,
e specially 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 low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weigh t (in excess of those sta ndard items wh ich
may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steer ing, power
bra kes, powe r win dows, power sea ts, radio, and heate r, to the exte nt
that these items are available as factory-insta lled equipment
(whet her i ns ta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
means the r atio of t he he ight to t he widt h of the t ire in percent.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
res ponse and bet ter over all h andling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part of the t ire that is made of stee l wi res, w rapped or
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the ti re.
Safety first
& W ARNING (co ntinued )
• Never mount u sed tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibr ation or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire pressu re recom mended by the vehicle manufa ctu rer
for a tire of a desig nate d size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree hour per io d
before the tire pressu re is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehicle wit h standard equipment
incl uding the max imum ca pac it y of fue l, o il, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weig ht of optional eq uipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflat ion
pressures than t he co rresponding sta ndard t ire. Extra load tires may
be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the loa d-carrying capac ity of a sing le ax le system, measure d at
the t ire-grou nd interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
mea ns the maximum tota l loaded we ig ht of the vehicle .
Vehicle care Technical data

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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.

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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
la bel: loc ate d 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. .,

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If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 o ccupant s), you can adjust tire pres sures to
those specified for normal vehicle load . Before operating the
vehicle at maximum lo ad, you must increase the tire p res sures to
those specified for maximum vehicle load=>& .
Bear in mind that the tire press ure monitor ing system* can only
mon itor the t ire pressu re s you h ave sto red . T he sys tem does no t
recogn ize the load cond it ion of your vehicle.
Th e effectiveness of the ti re pressure monitoring system* wi ll be
impa ired if you store normal load pressu res but then operate the
vehicle at its maxim um loa d=> & . See the
illustration=> fig. 227 for the location of the label on driver's
side B- pillar (colo r of the act ual la bel and ex act l ocation on the
vehicle will vary slig htly).
N ote that the fo llow ing tab le is accurate at the time of going to press
and is subjec t to change. I n the even t of discrepancies , the tire pres­
sure label is located on the driver 's side B-pillar always takes prece­
dence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold t ire inflation pressures
for the Audi model covered by your Owne r's Literature at t he ve hicle's
capac ity weight and the tire sizes insta lled on the respective models
as original equipment, or as a factory option .
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load normal load
ment in
liter) condition (up
full load condition (up
full load
to 2 occu- condition to 2 occu- condition pants) pants)
kPA PSI PSI kPA PSI kPA
4-cylinder 225/50 Rl 7 94H All Season
33 230
36 250
30 2
10 39 270
2.0 245/45
Rl 7 95H All Season 32 220 35 240
29 200 38 260
245/45
Rl 7 99H XL All Season 32 22 0 35 240 2 9 200 3 8 260
245 /40 R18 93H All Sea son 35 240 38 260 32 220 41 280
255/35 R19 96V
XL High Performance 32 220 35 240
29 200 38 260
XL= reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall .
The correct tire p ress ure for t he spare wheel is loca ted on a labe l o n
the driver 's s ide B-pillar.
Beca use technical c hanges may be made to vehicle equipment dur ing
the model year, always compare the tire size des ignation on the t ire
pressu re labe l on yo ur vehicle with the t ires on your vehicle. Make
sure that the tire size informat ion on t he v ehicle labe l is the same as
the size of the t ires o n the vehicle. This is especially important if the
vehicle belo ngs to so meone else or you bo ug ht the vehicle with
Safety first
differe nt r im s/ tires or you bo ugh t the vehicle as a prev iously owned
vehicle.
Remember, yo ur safety and t hat of your passengers also depends o n
making sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes
everybody and everything in an d on the vehi cle. These load limits are
t e chnically refer red to as the veh icle's G ross Veh icle Weig ht Rating
("GVW R"). The Gross Axle Weight Rati ng ("GAWR") is the maximum
load tha t can be applied at ea ch of the ve hicle's two ax les . T he G ross ..
Vehicle care Technical data

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gauge a nd keep chec king the press ure until you reach t he press ure
th at i s cor rect fo r t he lo ad ( pass en ge rs and l uggage) and kind of
dr iving you plan to do .
If the press ure i n any t ire is too low, note the difference betwee n th e
pressu re in t he cold tire a nd the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for t he ve hicle load
( pass enge rs and lugg age) f or th e tires on yo ur vehicle as l ist ed on t he
on your vehicle and in this manua l and the kind of driving you p lan to
do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the ve hicle m anufac tur er, no t the tire manufa cture r,
determines t he correct tire press ure for the t ires on your veh icle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when the t ires a re co ld .
• Read the requ ired t ire pr essure from t he t ire pr essure lab el. T he
tire pressure labe l is located on the dr ive r's side B-p illar.
• Turn t he valve stem cap co unter-clockw is e t o remove it from the
tire valve.
• Place th e air press ure gauge on the valve .
• Th e tire p res su res sho uld on ly be che cked and adju sted whe n the
tires are cold . The slightly raised press ures of warm tires must not be
re duc ed .
• Adjust the tire press ure to the load you are carry ing.
• Re install the valve s tem cap o n the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
Th e correct tir e press ure is especially import ant a t hi gh s peeds. The
pressu re s ho ul d t herefore be chec ke d at least once a mont h and
a lways before sta rt ing a jou rney. Do not fo rget to check the tire pres­
sure for the spare w heel.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust t he tire pressure to the loa d you are ca rry ing . After ch ang ing a
w hee l
or replac ing wheels yo u have to adjus t th e t ire press ures on all
Safety first
wheels . In add itio n, you m ust t hen store the new tire pressu res in the
tir e press ure m oni torin g sy stem* =>
page 316.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, loss of control, collision , serious personal injury or even
death.
• When the warning symbol appears in the instrument
cluster, stop and inspect the tires .
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increa sed tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
causing loss of vehicle control.
• The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all
tires on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on
a sticker on the driver's side B·pillar.
• Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure , the ti re pressure monitoring system* can work correctly.
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents or
other damage. Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the
specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres­
sure before driving off.
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and/overloading can cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
Vehicle care Technical data

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Unbalanced wh eels must be rebalanced to avoid e xcessive w ear o n
st eeri ng, sus pens ion and tires. A w heel must a lso be re balan ced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect whee l alignm ent can ca use excessive ti re wea r, impairing
th e safe ty o f the vehicle. If tir es show excessive we ar, ha ve the w heel
alignment checked by a n authorized A udi dealer or qualif ied wo rk ­
s hop .
All wheel drive
Vehicle s wi th qu att ro ® mus t alw ay s ha ve tires of the sa m e siz e,
construct ion a nd tread type. For details see~
page 246.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control , a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning " and loss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as
grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• 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 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
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle OP-eration
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and w heel s hav e to b e brok en in .
Fig. 231 Tire specificat ion codes on the sidewall of a tire
No.
©
®
®
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where app licable)
Nom inal width of ti re in mil lim eters
Ratio of hei9ht to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
jj Rim diameter code
L oa d index and speed rating
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Alway s use tire s, rim s and wheel bolts that meet the specifica­
tions of original factory-installed tires or other combinat ions that
have been specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer .
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speed s. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tir es on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used t ires m ay have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
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 tire s 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 w ith winter tires - only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care. Refit the
normal road wheel as soon as safely possible.
• Never drive fa ster than the maximum speed for which the tires
on your vehicle are rated because ti re s 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 properl y inflated
and not over or underinflated.
• For technical reasons it is not always possible to u se wheels
from other veh icles- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel tr im discs on the vehicle wheels , make sure
that the air flow to the brakes i s not blocked . Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances
and cau sing a collision.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Run flat ti res may only be used on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassi s designed
fo r run flat tires and a factory-installed tire pressure monitoring
system* that indicates a loss of tire pressure. Incorrect use of run
flat tires can lead to vehicle damage o r accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire speciali st to see if your vehicle can
be equipped w ith run flat tires . If run flat t ires are used , they must
be installed on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted.
0 Note
• F or tech nical reasons, it is no t gene rally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from other vehicles . This ca n hold t rue for w heels of the same
veh icle type .
• If the spare tire is different from the tires th at you have mou nted
on yo ur vehi cle (fo r ex am ple w inte r tir es o r wide profile tires), then
use the spa re t ire for a short period of time on ly and d rive with extra
care . Replace t he f lat tire w ith the tire matching the others on your
veh icle as soon as possible.
• N ever dr ive witho ut the valve s te m c ap. The valves coul d get
damaged .
'£> For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the loca l req uirements.
(]] Tips
Tires with t he ident ification "AO" have been specially matched with
your Audi. We recommend us ing only these ti res beca use they meet
t he highest standa rds rega rding saf ety and dr iv ing c ha racteristics
when used correct ly. You r autho rized Audi dealer w ill gladly provide
you with more info rmation. •

Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wea r
• Tr act io n AA A B C
• T empera ture A B C
Quali ty g rades c an be fou nd where ap plica ble on t he tire side wa ll
between tread shou lde r and max imum section widt h=>
page 307,
fig. 231.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Tract ion AA , Temp era ture A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Federa l Safety Requirements
in addi tion to these g ra d es.
Tread wear
The tr ead wear grade is a comp arati ve ra ting based o n the wear rat e
o f the tire when teste d un der co ntro ll ed conditions on a specifie d
governme nt test co urse.
For examp le, a tire graded
1 50 would wear one and one half (1 1/2)
ti mes a s well on t he governmen t course as a tire graded 10 0 .
Th e relat ive performa nce of tires d epends u pon t he ac tual cond it io ns
o f their use, however, an d m ay de pa rt sig nifi cantly from the norm
due to var iat io ns in d riv in g ha bits, se rvice prac tices and differences in
road characterist ics and climate .
Traction
The trac tion gra des, from highes t to lowest, are AA, A, Band C. Those
grades represent the t ire's ab ility to s top o n wet pav ement as
measu red under contro lled condit ions on s pecified government test
surfaces of asphal t and conc re te . A tire marked C may have poo r trac­
tion performance =>& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (t he hi ghest), B, a nd C, rep resenting
t he t ire's resistanc e to the generat io n of he at and its ab ility to dissi­
pate heat when teste d un der contro lled conditions o n a s pecifie d
indoor laboratory t est wh eel.
Safety first
S ustai ned high temperat ure ca n cause the material of the tire to
degener ate a nd re du ce tire li fe, and exces sive tem per at ure c an lead
to sudde n tire failu re=> &.
T he grade C corresponds to a leve l of perfo rmance which a ll
p assenger c ar tires m ust meet under the Federal Motor Veh icle
Safety Stan dard No. 1 09. Grades Band A represent higher levels of
perfor man ce on t he laborat ory tes t w heel th an t he m ini mu m
req 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 tires can improve veh icle h andlin g on s now and
i c e. At t emper atures belo w 45 °F (7 °C) we re com mend
c h anging to winter tires.
In some heavy snow areas, loca l gover nments may require true
wi nte r or "s n ow" t ires, th ose wi th very dee ply cut t read . Th ese tire s
should only be used in pairs and be i nstalled on all four wheels . Mak e
s u re you purchase snow tires tha t are the same si ze and constr uction
t ype as the other t ires on your ve hicle .
Yo ur vehicle is equi pped with a ll-w heel d rive, this will improve trac­
t ion dur ing w inter dr iv ing, even wit h th e standar d tir es. However, we
st rongly recommend that you a lways eq uip a ll four w heels on you r .,_
Vehicle care Technical data