2011 AUDI A6 Owners Manual

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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 325 .
& 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 be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, dri ve 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 t ire designe d to operate at higher loads and at higher infla­
t ion p ressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard t ire. Ext ra load tires
my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
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 .

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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 296, "C old tire in fla tion pr essu re".
Reinforced tire
mea ns a t ire designe d to ope rate at hig her loads an d at higher infla­
tion pressures than the co rresponding standard ti re. Reinforced t ires
my be i de ntified as "X L" , "xi", "EX TRA LOA D", o r "RF " on the sidewall.
Rim
mea ns 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_ 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 309. 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 311.
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 306,
"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 or perform in a certain way. It simply gives tire
buyers additional information to comb ine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. Under
UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three areas: treadwear
, traction and temperature resistance. The UTQG informa­
tion on the tires, molded into the sidewa lls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "ser ial number" It begins with the letters "DOT" and
indicates 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 ... 2210 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2010. 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
on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by dist rib­
uting to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is determined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with table below
=>
page 299) and dividing by two. .,_

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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
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
Co ld tire inf lation pressure
Tire pr essur e affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 216 Tire pressure
label : lo cated o n
dr iver 's sid e B·pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to t he amo unt of a ir i n a tire tha t it
needs it to do its job and safe ly carry the comb ined load of t he entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire p ressure is measured in kilopasca ls
(kPa), the inte rnationa l measur ing unit and in poun ds per squar e in ch
(PSI). Tire press ure is based in part on the ve hicle 's design and load
limit -the greatest a mount of weight that the vehi cle can c arry safe ly
and the tire s ize. The proper tire pressure is frequently refer red to as
the "re commen ded cold t ire inflation p ressure. " Air in t he tires
expands when the tire heats up because of internal friction when it
flexes in use. T he tire press ure is hig her w hen the tir e h as warme d up
than whe n it is "cold." It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
c o unts. The refo re, you sho uld never let air o ut of a warm t ire to
match "cold ti re inflation pressure " recommendations . The t ires
wou ld then be under in flated and could fail s uddenly.
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RENS£1Gf\1£MENTS Fig . 217 Tire pre ssur e
label
Ma intain ing prope r tire pressure is one o f the most importa nt things
you can do to he lp avoid sudde n tir e fa il u re . Under inflated tires are a
majo r ca use of sudden tire fa ilure . Keeping t ires at the rig ht pressure
is a lso important for safe and responsive vehicl e ha nd ling , traction,
braki ng an d load ca rryi ng.
Tire pressures are particularly impo rtant
when the vehicle is being driven at higher speed s, and then espe·
cially when heav ily loaded even within the permissible load ·
carrying capacities approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi depend on the kind of
t ires on your vehicle and the num be r of passengers and/or amou nt o f
luggage you will be tra nspo rt ing .
The t ire pressure labe l is located on t he dr iver's side B-pilla r. The tire
pressure labe l lists th e recommended cold tire inflat ion p ress ures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and t ires t hat were on
•
your vehicle at the time it was manu fact ured. _,,,
Vehicle OP-eration Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 o ccupants ), you can adjust tire pre ssures to
those specified for normal vehicle load . Before operating the
vehicle at maximum load, you must inc rease the tire pressures to
those specified for maximum vehicle load
=> & .
Bear in mind that the tire press ure monitoring system* can on ly
m oni tor the tire pressu res you have sto red . The system does no t
recogn ize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system * w ill be
impaired if you store norma l load p ressu res b ut the n operate th e
vehicle at its maxim um loa d=> & .
Tire designation
See the illustration=> fig. 216 for the locat ion of the labe l on dr iver's
side B-p illar (colo r of the actu al labe l and ex act loc ation o n the
veh icle will vary slight ly) .
N ote that the following tab le is accurate at the time of going to press
and i s su bje ct to change. I n the even t of discrepancie s, t he tire pres­
sure label is located on the driver's side B-pillar always takes prece­
de nce.
The table below lists the recommended co ld tire inf lation pressures
fo r the Audi mode l covered by your Owner 's Literat ure at the vehicle's
capacity weight and t he tire sizes installed on the respective mode ls
as o rigina l equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine
(displace­
ment in liter) normal load
normal load
6-cylinder
3.0
6-cylinder
3 .2
245 /45 Rl 7 99H XL All Season
245 /40 R18 97H XL All Season
245/40 R18 97Y XL High Performance
255 /35 R19 96Y XL High Performance
245/ 45 Rl 7 99 H XL All Season
245 /40 R18 97H XL All Season
245 /40 R18 97Y XL High Performance
255 /35 R19 96Y XL High Performance
condition (up
to 3 occu- pants)
PSI
35
38
3 5 24 0
39 270
33 230
36
33
39
full load
condition
PSI kPA
38 260
41 280
3 5 260
44 300
36 250
39 270
36 250
44 300
condition (up
full load
to 3 occu- condition
pants)
PSI kPA kPA
32 220 270
35 240 42
290
3 2 220 38 260
33 230 45 310
30 210 36 250
33 230 39 270
30 210 36 250
33 230 45
310

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Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front II Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load normal load
ment
in
liter) condition (up full load condition (up full load
to 3 occu-condition to 3 occu- condition
pants) pants)
PSI II kPA PSI II kPA II PSI ll kPA PSI II kPA
a-cylinder 245/45 Rl 7 99H X L All Season 36 250 39 270 33 230 39 270
4
.2
245/40 R18 97H XL All Season 39 270 42 29 0 35 2 40 42 290
245 /40 R18 97Y XL High Performance 36 250
39 270
33 230
39 270
255
/35 R19 96Y XL High Performance 39 4 4 300 33 230 45 310
XL = reinf orced or extr a load t ire. It m ay a lso ap pear a s xl, EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire sidewa ll.
The correct tir e press ure for th e
spare wh eel is l ocat ed on a labe l on
the driver 's s ide B-pillar.
B eca u se technical c hanges may be ma de to vehicle e quipment dur ing
the model year, always compare the tire s ize des ignation on the tire
pressu re la b el on yo ur vehicle with the t ires on your veh icle. Make
sure that the tire size in forma tion on the vehicle labe l is the same as
the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle. This is especially important i f the
vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle with
different r ims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previously owned
vehicle. that the vehicle can carry.
For the loc atio n of t he ti re p ressure label
~ page 299, fig. 216 .
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control , a cra sh or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death .
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle wa s de signed to carr y
will prevent the veh icle from handling properly and increase the
risk of a los s of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe di stan ce.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly
c ausing lo ss 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
I
I
Remember, your safety and that of your passengers also depends on
m aki ng sure th at lo ad lim its are no t ex ceeded. Vehicle lo ad includes
everybody and everything in and on the veh icle. These load limits are
t echnically re fer red to as t he ve hicle's G ross Vehicle Weig ht Ra ting
("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat ing ("GA WR") is the max imum
load that can be applied at each of the veh icle's two ax les. The Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the G ross Ax le We ight Ra ting are listed on
the safety comp liance sticke r label located on the driver's side B­
pillar. The tire p re ssur e label on your Audi lists the maxim um
combined weight of a ll of th e occ upants and luggage or other cargo
vehicle 's Gros s Vehicle Weight Rating. ._
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ls _________________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can lead to a
s eriou s or fatal a ccident .
• Incor rect tire p ressu res and /or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
• Incorrect tire pressu res and /or underinflation can also lead to
s udden tire failur e, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
caus ing loss of vehicle cont rol. •
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires ori ginally installed
on your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure la bel located
on driv er's side 8-pillar.
Th e recommended tire pressures a re on the tire press ure labe l and in
t he table~ page 299, "Cold tire infla tion pressure" . This means that
the pressure m ust be checked an d adju sted when the tire has not
bee n dr iven for more than a co uple of miles (kilometers) at low
speeds dur ing the previous three hours. Air in the tires expands w hen
the tire heats up as a resul t of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in use. The
tire press ure is higher when the t ire has warmed up than when it is
"cold."
It is the inflation press ure i n a "cold" t ire that counts . Therefore, you
should never let air out of a warm tire to match "Co ld tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions~
page 299 . The t ires would t hen be
underinflated and co uld fail sudden ly .
T he tire p ress ure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire
inflation pressures for the new, or iginal equipment t ires that were on
your vehicle at t he time i t was man ufa cture d. For the location of t he
label~
page 299 , fig. 216.
Most tires lose a ir nat urally over time. They can a lso lose some a ir if
you d rive over a pot hole or hi t a curb while pa rking .
It is usua lly not possible to see whether the rad
ia l tires used today are underinflated
jus t by loo king at th em.
T herefore, be sure to check t ire pressures a t least once a month and
always before go ing on a long trip. Make sure to take the number of
peop le and the amoun t of lugg age i nto a ccount whe n ad justi ng tire
pressure for a trip -even one that you would not consider to be
" lo ng." See ~
page 303, "Ti res and vehicle lo ad lim its" fo r mo re
important informat ion.
Always use an accurate t ire pressure ga uge when check ing and
ad justing i nflat io n pressures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the s pare tire . If the press ure in any ti re is too hig h when the
t ire is "co ld," let ai r out of t he tire slowly with t he edge of the ti re
gauge and keep checki ng the press ure unt il yo u reach the press ure
that is co rrect for the load (p assenge rs a nd luggage) a nd kind of
driving yo u plan to do.
If the press ure in any t ire is too low , no te the difference between t he
pressure in the cold tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
t ha t you need to reac h the co rrect pressure fo r the vehi cle load
(passengers a nd luggage) fo r the tires o n yo ur vehicle as listed on the
on your vehicle and in this man ual and the k ind of driving yo u plan to
do .
Never exceed the ma ximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
s idewall for any reason .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the t ire manufacturer,
determines the cor rec t tire p ress ure for the tires on your ve hicle.
It is important to chec k the tire pressu re whe n the t ires a re co ld.
• Read the required t ire pressure from the t ire pressure label. The
ti re press ure la bel is located on t he dr iver's s ide 8 -pilla r.
• Turn t he va lve stem cap counte r-clockw ise to remove it from th e
t ire v alve .
• Place the air press ure gauge on the valve.
• Th e tire press ures s houl d only be ch ecked and adjus ted whe n the
tires are cold. The slightly raised pressures of warm ti res must not be
re du ced.
~