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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
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Ill Tires and wheels
-------------------
vehicle with correctly fitted w inter t ires or all -season ti res, when
w inte r road condi tio ns ar e ex pect ed . Thi s also improve s the veh icle's
brak ing perfo rma nce and reduces stopping distances .
S umme r tires provide less g rip on ice and snow.
Wint er ti re s (sn ow tire s) m ust alway s b e fi tted on a ll fo ur wheel s.
Ask your aut horized Audi dea le r or qualified workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes. Use on ly ra dial winter tires .
Wint er tires lose their effe ct iveness w hen the tread is wor n down to
a depth of 0.1 57 inch (4 mm).
O nly dr ive w it h w inte r tir es und er w inte r co ndition s. Summe r tires
hand le better w hen there is no s now o r ice on t he roads and the
temperature is a bove
4 5 °F (7 ° C ).
If y ou have a flat tire, see notes on s pare wheel ~
page 307.
Please always remember that winter tires may have a lower speed
r a tin g th an th e t ires origin ally inst alled on y our vehicl e a t th e time it
was man ufact ured , Please see::::;, page 309, "Spe ed rat ing ( letter
c ode)" fo r a listing o f the speed ra ting le tte r codes and t he maxim um
speed at which the tires can be driven.
T he spee d rat ing letter code( ~
page 299) is on the side wa ll of the
ti re ::::;,
page 3 0 7.
& WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits that may be lower than
your vehicle'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
& WARNING (co ntinued )
blowout and sudden deflation , loss of control, crashes and serious
personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tire s replaced immedi
ately.
• Winter tires have maximum speed rating that may be lower
than your vehicle's maximum speed.
• Never drive fa ster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic conditions.
Never let the good acceleration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Always remember:
• When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle handles in the same
way as a front drive vehicle.
• Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy and slippery roads,
even winter tires cannot help under black ice conditions .
For the sake of the environment
Use summe r tires when wea ther co nd itio ns perm it. They are qui ete r,
do not wear as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt io n. •
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to th e fro nt wheels, and only to
c er ta in tire siz es. As k yo ur a uth orized Audi de aler on which ti re si zes
snow c hains ca n be used .
The snow c hains m ust have low-profile lin ks an d must not be thicker
t han 0.53 inch (1 3.5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim d iscs before putting snow
c hains on you r veh icle ::::;,
0. For safety rea so ns co ve r caps m ust t he n ~
Page 315 of 364

Tires and wheels -______________________ Effll
be fitted ove r th e wheel bo lts . These a re available from a uthorized
Au di d eal er s.
& WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehicle or installing them
incorrectly can increase the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
• Snow chains are available in different sizes . Always make sure
to follow the instructions provided by the snow chain manufac
turer.
• When driving with snow chains never drive faster than the
speed permitted for your specific snow chains.
• Always observe local regulations.
0 Note
• Remove snow chains befor e driving on roads not covered w it h
snow to avoid dama gin g tir es and wearing t he snow chai ns dow n
unnece ssaril y.
• Snow chains, which come into direct contact with t he wheel rim,
can scratch o r damag e it. Ther efore, ma ke sure th at th e snow cha ins
are suitably covered. C hec k the pos it io n of the snow cha ins afte r
dr iv in g a few yar ds and correct if ne ce ssa ry . Fo llo w the i nstructions
from t he snow chain ma nufact urer w hen doing so.
[ i ] Tips
W here snow c hains are mandatory on certain roads, this no rmally
a lso a ppl ies to vehicl es wi th a ll w hee l dr ive . •
Safety first
Wheel bolts
Whe el bolts must alway s be tight en ed to th e corre ct
to rqu e.
T he design of wheel bolts is matche d to the fac to ry installed rims. If
differe nt rims ar e fitte d, the cor rec t wheel bolts with the r ight length
and co rrectly s haped bolt hea ds must be used. Th is ensures that
w heel s are fitted s ecur ely and that t he brak e sys te m fun ction s
correctly .
I n certai n circumstances, yo u may not use wheel bolts from a
different veh icle -even if it is th e sam e mode l~
page 345.
& WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become
loose causing loss of control, a collision and serious personal
injury .
• Always keep the wheel bolts and the thread s in the wheel hubs
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 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.
• 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 loosen and come out when the
vehicle is moving. If the tightening torque is too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The sp eci fied tor qu e for th e wheel bolts i s 90 ft lb ( 120 Nm) wi th a
tole rance of ± 7,4 ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diagonally. .,_
Vehicle care Technical data
Page 316 of 364

___ T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
After changing a wheel, the torque must be checked as soon as
possible with a torque wrench -preferably by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop. •
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ratio tires. These tires
have been thoroughly tested and been selected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road feel and handling under a
variety of driving conditions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated by a numeral of
55 or
less
in the tire's size designation. The numeral represents the ratio of
the tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width expressed in
percentage. Conventional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is 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 pressure is regularly checked and maintained. Tire pres
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a
long trip=>
page 302, "Checking tire pressure" .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more easily by impact with
potholes, curbs, gullies or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact damage to the tires of
your vehicle, we recommend that you observe the following precau
tions:
• Always maintain recommended inflation pressures. Check your
tire pressure every 2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary.
• Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep gullies or ridges. The
impact from driving through or over such obstacles can damage your
tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires. •
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, which 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.
They are not suitable 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 equivalent.
Refer to=>
page 311 for more detailed information regarding winter
tires. •
Tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
General notes '
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recom
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a different size .,
Page 317 of 364

Tires and wheels Ill _______________ _____.
than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure
label , you sho uld determine the proper tire infla tion pressure fo r
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressu re monitoring sys tem (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pres
sure telltale when one o r more of your t ires is s ignificantly under
inflated. Accord ingly, when the low tire pressure tellta le illumi nates,
you should stop and check your tires as soon as possib le, and inflate
them to the proper p ress ure. D riving on a sign ificantly under-inflated
tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under
inflation also reduces f uel 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 tire mainte
nance, and it is the d river's responsibility to mainta in correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level to trigger
ill umination of the TPMS low tire press ure te lltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped w ith a TPMS malfunction indi
cato r to indica te when the system is not operating properly . The
TP MS ma lf u nction indicator is combined with the low tire p ress ure
telltale. When the system detects a malfunct ion, the telltale will
fl ash for approximate ly one minute and then rema in continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
sta rt-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the ma lfunction indicator is illum inated, the system may not
be able to de tect or signa l low ti re pressure as intended . TPMS
ma lfunctions may occur fo r a var iety of reaso ns, includ ing the instal
lation of replacement o r alternate tires or wheels on the vehi cle that
prevent the T PMS from functioning properly . Always check the TPMS
ma lfunction tellta le after replacing one or more tires or whee ls on
yo ur vehicle to ensure that the replacement o r alte rnate t ires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to funct ion proper ly .•
Vehicle OP-eration
App lies to vehicles : wi th t ire p ressu re mon it ori ng system
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument cluster
informs you if the tire pressure is too low or if there is a
system malfunction.
M
"'
j
Fi g. 23 2 Dis pl ay:
un der infl ation
wa rning
Fi g. 23 3 Dis play :
Sys tem malfun ction
Us ing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor ing system compares
the t ire tread c ircumference and vibration characteristics of the ind i
vidual tires .
If the pressure decreases in one or more tires, this is indi -
cated in the instrument cl uster with a warning symbol and a
message ~ fig. 232 . The d river message in the display goes o ut after
5 seconds . The driver message can be displayed again by p ressing the
!SET ] button. If only one tire is affected, the display will indicate its
posit ion. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
Page 318 of 364

IIIIL-_T.:..:..: ir:....:e~ s=---= a~ n:..:..: d:......: w..:....:.. h:....:e~ e= ls=--------------------------------------------------
The tire pressure monitor ing must be reset via rad io or MMI* each
t ime t he press ures are adjusted (e.g. w hen sw itching be tween p artial
and full load pressure) o r after changing or replac ing a tire on yo ur
vehicle => page
316. You ca n find t he recommen ded tire pressures
for your veh icle on the labe l on driver's s ide B-pilla r => page
300.
Tire tread circ umference and vibrat ion characteristics can change and
c a u se a tir e pressure war ning if:
• the t ire pressure in one or more tires is too low,
• t he tire ha s structur al dam age,
• the tire press ure was changed, wheels rotated or rep laced but the
TPM S was no t reset=> page
316.
Warning symbols
1..1' Loss of press ure in at least one tire=> &. Check the tire or tires
and replace or repair if necessary. The indicator light (• in the instru
me nt cluste r a lso illuminates=> page
12. Check/correct the p res
sures o f all four tires and reset TPMS via rad io or MMI *.
rr :; (T ire Pressu re M on itor ing System) Tire pres sure! System
malfunction.
If T ,.;> appears after switching the ignition on or w hile
dr iv ing => page
315, fig. 23 3 and the indica to r lig ht 'in th e instr u
me nt clus ter b links for approx ima tely one m inute and the n stays on,
there is a system ma lf u nct io n. See your authorized Audi dealer as
soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the tir e pres sure indicator appears in the instrument cluster
display, one or more of your tires i s significantly under-inflated.
Reduce your speed immediately and avoid any hard steering or
braking maneuvers. Stop as soon a s possible and check the tires
and their pressures . Inflate the tire pressure to the proper pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle 's tire pressure label=>
page 300.
Driving on a significantly under -inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under -inflation also is likely
to impair the vehicle's handling and stopping ability.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• The driver is re sponsible for maintaining the correct tire pres
sures . You must check the tire pres sures regularly .
• Under certain conditions (such as a sporty driving style , winter
conditions or unpaved roads) , the pressure monitor indicator may
be delayed.
• Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run-flat tires may be used on
your vehicle . Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you u se
the se tires when not permitted. Damage to your vehicle or acci
dents could also result.
[ i ] Tips
• T he tire pressure monito ring system stops working when there is
an ES P/ABS malf u nctio n.
• Using snow cha ins may res ult in a system ma lf u n ct ion .
• The tire pressure mon itor ing system on your Au di was calibrated
using t ires with the "AO" or "RO " id ent ificat ion . We re comme nd
using these tires. •
Applies to vehicles: with tire p ressure monito ring sys tem
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
I f the tire pressure is adjus ted, wheels are rotated or
changed, th e TPfvf S must b e re set via radio or fv1fv1 I*.
- Turn on the ign it ion .
- Sele ct: Fu nct ion bu tton
[C AR]> Tire pressure monitoring
> Store now.
[ i ] Tips
Before resett ing the TPMS, the current pressures of all four t ires
mus t co rrespo nd to the specifie d val ues. A djust the tire pre ssure and
~
Page 319 of 364
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ nn
reset the pressure in the tire pressure mon itoring system accord ing
t o the loa d you are car rying ~
page 300 . •
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data
Page 320 of 364

ffll.,___W_ h_ a_t _ d_ o_ I_d_ o_ n_o _w_ ? ___________________________________________ _
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be opened from
the inside using the trunk escape handle.
To open rear Lid
F ig . 234 Trunk esca pe
ha ndle : vie w from
i n side th e clo se d trun k
- Pull the hand le down towards the bumper~ fig. 234.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is made of fl uorescent
m aterial to glow in the dark.
& WARNING
The trunk e scape handle is to be u sed only in an emergency.
(I) Tips
T he emerge ncy re lease lever should never be used as a handle for
closing the rear lid. •
Vehicle tool kit
The tools are sto red undern eath the floor panel in the
luggage compartment.
Fi g. 2 35 Luggag e
c omp art me nt: to ol kit
When you need access to the vehicle tool kit or jack* , yo u will need to
t ake out the spare ti re * and cover =>
page 319.
The ve hicle too l kit includes:
• Hook for removing whee l covers*
• Plast ic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
• Alignmen t pin fo r ch anging the whee l
• Screwdriver with reversib le blade
• T ool for changing lig ht bulbs
• Revers ible bit (reversible Torx bit for changing lig ht bulbs)
• Rod for jack
• Jack
• Lug wrench
• Towing eye
Some of the vehicle items listed above are prov ided on certain models
only or a re opt io nal ext ras.
~