-~_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_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Groove
means the spa ce between two ad jacen t tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
mea ns the max imu m load th at a tir e is ra te d to c arry fo r a give n infla
tion pressure. You may not find this information on all t ires beca use
i t is no t required by law .
Maximum load rat ing
me ans the load r ati ng for a t ire at th e maxi mum p ermis sib le in flation
pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weig ht
(c) Vehicle ca pacity we ight, and
(d) Pro duct ion op tions weigh t
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the m aximu m cold infla tio n pr essur e to whi ch a t ire may be
inflated . Also called "maximum inflat ion press ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilog rams) times t he num ber of occupants seate d
in t he vehi cle up to the total sea ting cap aci ty of yo ur vehicl e.
Occupant distribution
means d is tribut ion of occ upan ts i n a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the ove rall d iameter of an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance betwee n the exter iors of the s idewalls of
a n in flated tire, in cludi ng eleva tions due to la beling, dec ora tions, o r
protective bands or ribs.
Safety first
Ply
means a layer o f rubbe r-coate d para llel co rds.
Production options we ight
me ans the co m bine d we ight of tho se in stalled regu lar pr oduction
options weighi ng over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of t hose standard
i t ems w hic h they replace, not previously considere d in c urb we igh t o r
accessory weight, includ ing heavy duty brakes , ride levelers, roof
rack, heavy duty battery, and s pecial tr im.
Radial ply tire
me ans a pneuma tic tir e in wh ich the pl y cords that extend to t he
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
t rea d.
Recommended inflation pressure
see => page 292, "C old tire in fla tion pr essu re".
Reinforced tire
mea ns a t ire desig n to operate at h ig her loads and at h igher i nflat io n
pressures tha n the corresponding standard tire . Re inforced tires may
be iden tifi ed as " XL", "x l", "E X TR A LOA D", or "RF " on t he sidew all.
Rim
means a metal suppo rt fo r a tire or a tire and tube assemb ly up on
wh ic h the t ire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat . If you change yo ur whee l
si ze, yo u w ill have to purchase new tires to ma tc h the new r im diam
eter .
Rim size designation
means r im diamete r and width.
Rim width
mea ns nom inal dis tance be twee n rim flanges.
Vehicle care Technical data
________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... JIII
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
-~_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. _.,,
______________________________________________ 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_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... JIII
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 21 6 Tire s pecificati on co des on th e sidew all of a tire
No .
©
@
®
©
©
©
Descript ion
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nominal width of tire in mil limeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
Rim diameter code
Load index an d speed rating
Vehicle OP-eration
(j)
®
®
@
@
U.S. DOT tire identification number
Audi Orig inal tire
Sever snow conditions
Tire p ly composition and materia ls used
Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pressure
T he tires and rims are essential pa rts of the vehicle's design . The tires
and r ims approved by Audi are specially matched to the character is
t ics of the vehicle and can make a major contribut ion to good road
holding and safe handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
=> & .
We recommend that all work on t ires and wheels be performed by an
authori zed Au di deale r. They are fam il ia r with recommended proce
dures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as well as
the proper facilities for disposing of the o ld tires.
Authorized Aud i dea lers have the necessary info rmation about tech
nical requirements for insta lling or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pa irs and not ind iv idually (for
example both front tires or both rea r tires together) .
Be sure to read and heed the in formation to the tire pressure mon i
t o ring system *=>
page 310.
Always b uy replacement radial tires t hat have the same specificat ions
a s t he tires approved for yo ur ve hicl e by Audi. Re placemen t tires must
always have the same load rating specification as the orig inal eq uip
me nt or approved optiona l tires listed in the table =>
page 295.
Audi -app roved spe cifica tion tires are spec ially ma tched to yo ur
vehicle and its load lim its, and can contrib ute to the important road- _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it was manufactured, and
t he last f our num be rs represen t the wee k an d ye ar of man ufacture.
For examp le, t he numbers 2209 mean that the t ire was prod uced in
the 2 2nd week of 2009. The ot her num bers are marketing co des that
may or may not be used by the t ire manufacturer . Th is information is
used to contact consumers if a tire defect requires a reca ll.
Audi Original tire
Tir es wi th the identifi cat io n "A O" or "RO" have bee n specially
matched w it h your Aud i. W e recommend using only these t ires
because t hey meet the hig hest standards regard ing safety and
driv ing c ha racteris tics when used correct ly . Yo ur aut ho rize d Aud i
dealer wi ll gladly p rovide you with more information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
T he num ber o f plies ind ica tes the numbe r of layers o f rubber -coa ted
fab ric in the tire. I n ge neral, th e greater the n umber of plies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufacture rs a lso must in di
cate the mater ials in the t ire, which incl ude stee l, nylon, polyes ter,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This num ber indicates t he maximum load in kilog rams and pounds
tha t can be carr ied by the t ire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
T read wea r, traction and tempe rat ure gra des => page 306 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the g rea tes t a mou nt o f air pressure th at sh ould ever
be put in the t ire under normal driv ing cond itions.
Safety first
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combination s can lead to loss of control, collision
and serious personal injury.
• Always u se tire s, rim s and wheel bolts that meet the specifica
tions of original factory -installed tires or other combinations that
have been specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
e specially 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 speed s.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamage cannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial t ires of the same
type , size (rolling circumference ) and the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a loss of control.
• If the spare ti re is not the same as the t ires that are mounted
on the vehicle -for example with 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 faster than the ma ximum speed for which the tires
on your vehicle are rated becau se tire s that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Overloading tire s cau se heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated
and not over or unde rinflated.
• For technical reasons it is not always possible to u se wheels
from other vehicles- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model. ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data