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Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seat ing capacities
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 •
Co ld tire inf lation pressure
Tire pr essur e aff ects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
F ig . 2 12 Tire pre ssure
label : loca te d e ithe r on
drive r's s ide B -pillar or
i ns ide th e fuel fille r
flap
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount of air in a tire that it
nee ds it to do its job and safe ly ca rry the combi ned load of t he en tire
vehicle and its contents. Tire pressure is measured in kilopascals
(kPa), the inte rn ational measuri ng un it and in pou nds per square i nch
(PSI) . Tire pressure is based in part on the ve hicle's design and load
limit -the greatest amount of weight that the vehicle can ca rry safe ly
and the t ire size . The proper tire pressure is frequent ly refe rred to as
the "recommended cold t ire inflation pressure ." Air in t he tires
expands when the t ire hea ts up because of i nternal fric tion whe n it
flexes in use . The tire press ure is higher when the ti re has warmed up
t han whe n it is "cold."
It is the inflat io n pr essu re in a "co ld" t ire that
counts. The refore, you sho uld never let air out of a warm t ire to
match "cold ti re infla tion pressure" recommendations . The t ires
would then be under inflated and could fail suddenly.
Vehicle OP-eration
(.
~ ( SEATING CAPACllY JOTAL l:FRONT l:CENTER I )!EAR I )
TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION
Tot--""'91"dOCC10-,ndQ,gc>"""-"1 ___ "90<- lb$.
TIRE SIZE COW TIRE PRESSURE
FRONT -KPa, - PSI
REAR -KPa, -PSI
Fig . 213 Tire pres sure
label
Ma intain ing proper tire pressure is one of the most important things
you can do to he lp avoid sudde n tir e f ailur e. Under infl ated tires a re a
major cause of sudden tire fa ilure. Keep ing t ires at the rig ht pressure
is a lso important for s afe and responsive vehi cle ha nd ling, tractio n,
braking and load carrying.
Tire pressures are particularly important
when the vehicle is being driven at higher speeds , and then e spe·
cially when heavily loaded even within the permissible load
carrying capacities approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi depend on the kind of
ti res on your vehicle and the numbe r of passengers and/or amou nt of
l u ggage you will be transpo rting .
On USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on the d river 's side
8 -pi lla r. O n Ca nada vehi cles, the tire pressure label is located either
on t he driver's side 8- pilla r o r i nside the f uel filler flap . The tire pres ·
s u re labe l lists the recommended co ld tire inflation press ures for the ..,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
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-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and tires that were on your
vehicle at the tim e it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 occupants) , you can adjust tire pressures to
those specified for normal vehicle load. Before operating the
vehicle at maximum load, you must increase the tire pressures to
those specified for maximum vehicle load
=> &.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring system* ca n only
monitor the tire pressures you have stored. The system does not
recogn ize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system* wi ll be
impaired if you store normal load pressures but then operate the
vehicle at its maximum load
=> &.
See the illustration => page 295, fig. 212 for the locat ion of the label
either on driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap (color of the
actual label and exact location on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following tab le is accurate at the time of going to press
and is subject to change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire pres
sure label (On USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on the
dr iver's side B-pillar. On Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is
located e ither on the driver's s ide B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap)
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures
for the Audi model covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehicle's
capacity weight and the tire sizes installed on the respective models
as origina l equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine
(displace ment in liter) Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
normal load normal load
condition (up full load condition
(up
full load
to 2 occu- condition to 2 occu- condition pants) pants)
PSI Jl kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI II kPA
4-cylinder 225/50 Rl 7 94H All Season 32 220 33 230 29 200 33 230
2.0
245/45 Rl 7 95H All Season 32 220 33 230 29
200 33 230
245/40 R18
93H All Season 33 230 35 240 29 200 35 240
255/35 R19 96V XL High Performance 32 220 33 230 32 220 33 230
265/30 R20 94Y XL High Performance 30 210
33 230 29 200
33 230
XL=
reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xi, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is located on a label
either on the driver's s ide B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
Beca use technica l changes may be made to vehicle equipment during
the model year, always compare the tir e s ize designation on the tir e
pressure label on your vehicle with the tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire size information on the vehicle label is the same as
the
size of the tires on the vehicle. This is especially important if the
vehicle belongs to someone e lse or you bought the vehicle with
different rims/tires or you bought the veh icle as a previous ly ow ned
vehicle. _.,,
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______________________________________________ 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
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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. .,_
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& 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
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-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.) ~
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5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
Check the tire sidewall(~
page 303~
fig. 216) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific tire .•
Vehicle OP-eration
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of different
things including proper installation and balancing,
correct tire pressure and driving style .
(-----~
_____ __,,:)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
N
"' 0 9
"" ~
Fig. 214 Tire tread:
tread wear indicators
(TWI)
Fig. 215 Rotating
tires for more even
wear
Th e original tires on your vehicle have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear
indicators "~ fig. 214 running across the tread. Depending on the
make, there will be six to eight of them even ly placed around the tire.
Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other symbols) indi
cate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tires must be
rep laced. Different figures may apply in other countries ~
&- .,_
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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. •