2011 AUDI A5 COUPE warning

__________________________________________________ T_i_ r _e _s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e _ l_s __ _
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 appreciated and most abused pa rts of a motor
vehicle . Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle , pa rticul arly conside ring the comparat ive ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assures that all-important contact between
you, your veh icle and the road.
Maintai ning t he cor rect tire pressu re, mak ing su re that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight t han they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and regularly inspecting
tires for damage includ ing cuts, s lashes irregular wea r and ove rall
condi tion a re the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoid
sudden t ire failure including tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to d rive ove r a cur b or sim ilar obstacle, d rive very slowly
and as close as possible at a rig ht angle to the curb .
Always keep chemicals incl ud ing grease, oil, gaso line and brake f luid
o ff t he t ires .
Ins pect the ti res regularly for damage (cu ts, cracks o r blisters, e tc.) .
Remove any foreign bodies embe dded in the treads.
Storing tires
M ark tires w hen yo u remove t hem to indica te t he d ire ct io n of rota ­
tion . This ensures you to be ab le to mount them correctly when you
re insta ll them.
Whe n removed, t he wheels or tires should be sto red in a cool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace.
Safety first
Store tires in a v ertica l pos it io n if they a re not mount ed on rims, in a
hor izonta l posit ion if they are mounted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be broken in~ & .
Th e tre ad d epth of new ti res may v ary, accor ding t o th e type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often not readi ly visible. If yo u notice
unu sual vib ra ti on o r the ve hicle pulls to one side, t his may in dica te
that one of the t ires has been damaged. The tires must be checked
im media tely by an auth oriz ed A ud i d eale r or qual ifie d wor ks hop.
Unidirectional tires
A un id irectional tire can be identified by arrows o n th e sidewall , th at
point in the direct ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must fo llow
t he s peci fied dire ction o f ro tat io n . This is neces sary so t hat t hese
tires can deve lop their optimum cha racte ristics regard ing g rip, road
noise, we ar an d hy dropl aning res ist an ce. F o r more informat ion
~page 321 .
& 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 also 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. _..
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Tire s age even if they are not being 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 low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (in excess of those sta nda rd items which
may be rep lace d) of automatic transmission, power steering, power
bra kes, powe r w indows , power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent
that these items are avai lab le as factory- installed equipment
(w het he r i nsta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
me ans the ratio of t he he ight to t he w id th of the tir e in percent .
Numbe rs of 55 o r lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
respo nse an d be tter overa ll handling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part o f the tire that is made of stee l w ires , wrap ped o r
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bon d between components in the bead .
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the tire.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous hi story ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unu sual vibration or if the vehicle pull s to one side
when driving, alway s stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle ma nufa cturer
for a tire of a des ignated size t hat has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree ho ur period
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed.
Curb weight
mea ns the weig ht of a motor vehicle wit h standard equ ipment
including the max imum cap aci ty of f ue l, oil, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loa ds and at higher inflation
pressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewal l.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load -ca rry ing capacity of a s ingle ax le system, measured at
t he t ire-grou nd inte rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded we ight of the vehicle .

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h) =>
page 304. You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is mo lded on the tire
sidewall and indicates the maximum permissible road speeds=>
& in
"Winter tires" on
page 307.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
unde rinflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning te lltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the princ ipal grooves designed to give a
visual ind ication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See=>
page 301,
"Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire informat ion system developed by the United States National
H ighway Traff ic Safety Adm inistration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buye rs make relative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles (ki lometers) or perform in a certain way . It simp ly
gives tire buyers additional information to combine with other
considerations, such as price, brand loyalty and dea ler recommenda­
tions. Under UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three areas: treadwear, traction, and temperature
resistance. The UTQG
info rmat ion on the tires, molded into the sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire 's "serial numbe r". It beg ins with the letters "DOT" and
ind icates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it was manufactu red, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For examp le,
DOT ... 2209 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2009. The
o ther numbers are marketing codes that may or may not be used by
the t ire manufacturer. Th is informat ion is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and l uggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle 's total seating capacity as listed on the label located
either on the driver's side B-pillar or on the ins ide of the fu el filler
flap.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib­
ut ing to each axle its share of the max imum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib­
ut ing to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with tab le below
=>
page 295) and dividing by two. ~

______________________________________________ T_i_r _e _s _ a _ n_d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls __ l!'II
Remember, your safety and t hat o f your passengers also depends o n
making sure th at load limit s are not exc ee ded . V ehicle load in cludes
every body and everything in a nd on the veh icl e. These load limits are
tec hnically refer red to as t he ve hicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating
("G VWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat ing ("GA WR") is th e max imum
load that can be a pplied at each of the ve hicle's two ax les. The Gross
Vehicle Weigh t Rating and the G ross Ax le W eig ht R ating are listed on
the safety comp liance st ic ker label located either on the driver's side
B -pillar or on t he inside of th e f uel fi ller f lap. T he tire press ure label
on yo ur Audi lists the maximum comb ined weig ht of all of the occu­
p ants a nd lugg age o r othe r car go tha t t he ve hicl e c an ca rry . Fo r the
location of t he tire pressure label~
page 295, fig. 212.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death .
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the risk of a loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
& WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressure s and/or underinflation can lead to a
serious or fatal accident .
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
Safety first
& WARNING (cont inued )
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control. •
Checking tire pressure
The cor rect t ire pres sure fo r the tires o rig inall y installed
on you r veh icle is list ed o n the t ire pr ess ure la bel l ocat ed
e ither on driver's s ide 8-pillar or insi de th e fue l fill er flop.
Th e recommended tire pressure s are on the tire pressur e l abe l and in
the table ~
page 295, "Cold tire inflation press ure" .This means that
t he pressure must be check ed an d a dju sted w hen the tire h as no t
been dr iven for more tha n a cou ple of m iles (k ilometers) at low
s peeds dur ing t he pr evious t hree hour s. Air in the tires ex pands w hen
t he tire heats up as a resu lt of i nterna l fric tion as it flexes in use. The
tire pressu re is hig he r when the t ire has warmed up than when it is
"cold ."
It is the in flation press ure in a "cold" t ire that counts. Therefore, yo u
sh oul d n eve r le t a ir ou t of a warm t ir e to ma tch "C old tire in flatio n
pressure" recommendations~
page 295. The t ires would then be
unde rin flat ed and co uld fail su ddenly.
Th e tire pressu re labe l on yo ur Audi lists t he recommended co ld t ire
inflation pressures at ma ximum capacity fo r th e new, o rigina l equip ­
me nt t ires that were on yo ur vehicl e at th e time it wa s manuf actured .
For the location of t he label ~
page 295, fig. 212.
M ost t ires lose air natura lly ove r time. T hey c an also lose some air if
you d rive over a potho le or hit a curb while pa rking . It is usually not
poss ible to see whether the radia l ti res used today are unde rinflate d
just by loo king at them .
T he refore, be sure to check t ire pressures at least once a month and
alw ay s before go ing on a lo ng trip. Make sure to take the num ber of
people and the amount of luggage into account whe n ad justing tire .,.
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
pressure for a trip -even one that you would not consider to be
" long. " See =>
page 299, "Tires and vehicle load limits" for more
important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge when checking and
adjusting inflation pressures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire is too high when the
tire is "cold ," let air out of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until you reach the pressure
that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the difference between the
pressure in the cold tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for the vehicle load
(passengers and luggage) for the tires on your vehicle as listed on the
on your vehicle and in this manual and the kind of driving you plan to
do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the tir e manufacturer,
determines the correct tire pressure for the t ires on your veh icle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when the tires are cold.
• Read the required tire pressure from the tir e pressure label. On
USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on the driver's side 8-
pillar. On Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is located either on
the driver 's side 8 -pillar or inside the fuel filler flap. The tire pressure
label lists the recommended cold t ire inflation pressures for the
vehicle at its maximum capac ity weight and the tires that were on
your vehicle at the time it was manufactured. For recommended tire
p ressures for normal load cond it ions, please see chapter
==> page 295.
• Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockw ise to remove it from the
tire valve.
• Place the air pressure gauge on the valve. •
The tire pressures should only be checked and adjusted when the
ti res are cold . Th e slightly raised pressures of warm tires must not be
reduced .
• Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are carrying .
• Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially important at high speeds . The
pressure shou ld therefore be checked at least once a month and
always before starting a journey . Do not forget to check the tire pres ­
sure for the spare wheel.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the t ire pressure to the load you are carrying . After chang ing a
wheel
or replacing whee ls you have to adjust the tire pressures on all
wheels. In addition, you must then initialize the new tire pressures in
the tire pressure monitoring system*=>
page 310.
& 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
increased 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 or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap. .,_

________________________________________________ T_i_r _e _s _ a_n _ d_ w_ h_ e _ e_l_s __ _
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Only when all tire s on the vehicle are filled to the correct pre s­
sure, the tire pressure monitoring sy stem* can work correctly .
• The u se 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 pre ssure monitoring system *.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct ti re pre s­
sure before driving off.
• Driving with underinflated tire s bend more , letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separat ion, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and /overload ing 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.
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the neare st service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as requ ired.
0 Note
Dr iv ing without valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, a lways make su re t hat fac tory ins talle d va lve stem
caps on all wheels a re securely mo unted on the valve.
'£> For the sake of the environment
Under inflated t ires will a lso increase the fuel consumption .•
Tires and vehicle Load Limits
T here are lim its to the amount of load or we ight that any vehicle a nd
any t ire can c arry . A veh icle t hat is over loaded w ill not hand le well an d
Safety first
is more difficult to stop . Overloading can not only lead to loss of
veh icle co ntro l, bu t ca n also d amage important p art s o f the ve hicl e
and can lead to sudden ti re failure, including a blowout and sudden
deflation that can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety a nd tha t of you r passe ngers also depe nds o n mak ing s ure
that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load incl udes everybody
and everyt hing in and on t he ve hicle. T hese lo ad lim its are techn ic a lly
referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR").
Th e "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehi cle, all facto ry
installed accessories, a fu ll tank of fue l, o il, coo la nt and other fluids
plus maxim um loa d. Th e maxim um loa d includes t he nu mber of
passeng ers th at t he ve hicl e is intended to car ry ("sea ting capa city ")
with an ass umed weig ht of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passenger at a
design ated seating posit ion a nd the to tal weig ht of any luggage in
the vehicle. If yo u tow a tra iler, the weight of the trailer hitch and the
t ongue weig ht of the lo ad ed t railer mus t be include d as pa rt of the
vehicle load.
Th e
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that
can be a pplied at each of t he ve hicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the Gross Ax le We ight Rating
are li sted on the safety comp lia nce s tick er label loca ted either on the
dr ive r's side B-pilla r o r on the inside of the fuel filler flap . Aud i has
4 se ating posi tions, 2 in the fron t and 2 in the rea r for tot al s eating
capacity of 4. Each seating position has a seat belt~
page 181,
"Safety be lts".
Th e fact t hat there is an upper lim it to your v eh icle 's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating means that t he tota l weight of whatever is being
c a rried in th e veh icle ( in cl ud ing the w eight of a t railer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded tra iler) is limited. The mo re passengers
in the veh icle or p assengers who are heavier th an the sta ndar d
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carried as luggage.
Th e ti re pressure label on yo ur Audi also lis ts th e maxim um combined
we ight of all of the occupants and luggage or other cargo that the
vehicle can car ry. For the location o f the labe l~
p age 2 95, fig . 21 2. ~
Vehicle care Technical data

-Tires and wheels
in. WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. •
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage
or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1.Locate the statement "THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure label)==>
page 295J
fig. 212.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker==>
page 295J fig. 212.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lbs. passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400- 7 SQ (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.) ~

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wea r a nd can cause sudden
t ire blow-out. For this reason, ti re p ressure must be checked at least
once a month ~
page 297.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acce le ra tion and hard brak ing
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your veh icle to have the same service life, we
re commend that the fron t and re a r tires are rotate d according to the
tire manufact urer's suggested tire rotation interva ls . Please
remember the fo llow ing:
• Tir e rotat ion inte rvals may differ from t he ve hicl e service intervals
outlined in your Maintenance and War ranty Booklet .
• T he longer one tire is used in one location on the veh icle, the more
it wears at certa in points; therefore, we recommend that you follow
t he t ire m anufac ture r's suggested tire rotation in terva ls.
• V ehicles with front-whee l drive expe rience mo re tread wea r on t he
fron t wheels compa red to all-whee l drive (quattro
® ).
• Please rotate tires as s hown ~fig. 215.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating d irection-specific tires
~ page 321.
Wheel balancing
The w heels on new vehicles are balanced. Howeve r, va rious sit uat io ns
dur ing eve ryday dr iv ing can cause them to become unbalanced,
re su lt ing in v ibr ations yo u can usually fee l throug h the steering
wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wea r on
steeri ng, suspension and t ires . A wheel must also be rebalanced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrec t whee l alignment can ca use excessive tire wear, impai ring
t he sa fety of the veh icle . If tires show excess ive wear, have the wheel
alignment checked by an authorized A udi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop .
All wheel drive
Vehicles w ith q uattro ® must always have ti res of the same size,
const ructio n and trea d type. For details see~
page 242 .
& 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 wea r ind icato rs.
• Worn tire s are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and in crease your risk of "hydroplaning" and lo ss 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 tire s 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. •