2011 AUDI Q7 flat tire

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Adaptive Air Suspension
Air suspension and damping
Applies to veh icles : w ith Adap tive Air Suspens ion
Description
Air suspension and damping can be adjus ted separately.
Adaptive Air Suspens ion is an e lectron ically controlled springing and
damping sys tem. This chass is sys tem makes it eas ie r on the d river by
adapting to the particular si tuation through imperceptible control
processes.
T he
Adaptive Air Su spen sion component regu lates ground clea rance
depending on vehicle speed and driver input . It funct ions indepen ­
dently from the load cond it io n. Ac ce le rating to a speed above a
predetermined limit will make the vehicle lower itse lf. On the other
hand, dr iv ing more slowly res ults in the vehicle r aising again at
specific speeds.
T he
damping component provides individua l control of the damping
forces . For example , w ith damping characte rist ics set to p rovide
greater comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for a brief period
only as req uir ed, for example, whe n going a ro und a curve or when
brak ing.
Sett ings
Adaptive Air Suspension provides the driver with the opportun ity to
set the chass is characte rist ics also to their individual p refe rence.
With the driving modes
Comfort, Automatic and Dynamic the dr iver
has three chass is sett ings available, ranging from comfort to spo rty.
The
Offroad mode ca n be selected for dr iv ing on poor quality
s tr etc hes of road. In addition,
Li~ provides a fif th mode, w hich can be
selected when exceptiona lly high g round clearance is needed
==> page 179, "C hass is controls ".
T he modes are set in MMI
==> page 180 .
& WARNING
The height of th e parked vehicle can change du e to temperature
fluctuations or changes in load.
0 Note
• Whenever you park yo ur vehicle, always make sure there is
ade qua te clearance above and below t he ve hicle. The height of the
parked vehicle can change as the result of temperature fluctuations,
c hanges in loa d condition and changes in the dr iv ing mode (ground
cleara nce).
• If the veh icle is be ing transported (e .g . by tow truck, tra in , sh ip,
etc.), mount the tie-down cha ins/cables over the running su rface
(circumference) of the tires. Never se cure the vehi cle by the ax le, the
suspension struts or the front or rear tow line eye. For technical
reaso ns, the p ressure in the suspension st ru ts may change dur ing the
t ransport, whic h could result in the vehicle no longer being secured
pro perly.
• If you are goi ng to tow a trailer w ith a tra iler h itch that was
not
ins talled accor ding to f actory s pecifi cations, you mus t activa te t he
t rai ler operation mode manually:::::,
page 182.
[{] Tips
• Before you ca n raise your vehicle using the vehicle jack (for
example, when c hangi ng a flat tire) or a vehicle lift, you must activate
t he jac kin g mode :::::,
page 182.
• On some mode ls, the vehicle can reach its maximum speed on ly in
t he
Automatic and Dynamic modes .•

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Raising and l owering
If a rrow (Dis solid red=> page 181, fig. 180 or white => page 181,
fig. 181, the veh icle is raised .
If arrow
0 is solid red or white, the vehicle is lowered .
T he respective arrow stays on until the level change is complete . The
time required for a level change can vary, depending on the current
dr iving cond it ions .
Displ aying the vehicle le vel
The current vehicle leve l is show n wit h segments fi lled ou t in the
segment display@. If only the bottom segment is filled out, the
vehicle is at highway leve l. If all segments a re filled o ut, the vehicle is
at high level 2 and has the greatest amount of ground clearance
possible.
W hile the vehicle is being ra ised or lowe red, t he target leve l is ind i­
cated by an arrow © next to the correspond ing segment. The arrow
disappe ars aga in whe n the vehicle is a t the target level. •
Applies to veh icles: w ith Ad ap tiv e A ir Suspens ion
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
This mod e must be activated in the MMI bef ore raising
the vehicle with a jack or on a vehicle
li~ .
-Select: Fu nction button [CAR)> function butto n [SETUP ]
> Jacking mode .
The veh icle jack mode must be activated before c hanging a whee l so
that the automatic contro l processes for t he air s uspensio n do not
make lifting w ith the vehicle jack more difficult.
The check lamp in the instr ument cluster display illuminates in
vehicle jac k mode.
W Tips
Th e veh icle ja ck mode is switc hed off automat ica lly at speeds above 9
mph (15 km/h). •
Appli es to veh icles : with tow ing h itc h and Adaptive Air Sus pen sion
Towing a trailer
Automatic lowering is not desirable when towing a
trailer.
- Selec t: Fu nct ion button [CARI > fun ction but ton [S ETUP I
> Towing mode .
As long as towing mode is activated, a ve hicl e w ith a t railer appears
in the
adaptive air suspension main menu.
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
• Before h itching up the trailer and befo re adjust ing the tongue
we igh t at the trailer, the automatic or com fort mode mu st be
selected so that the vehicle can be at normal leve l=>
page 180, "MMI
se ttings" .
• If dr iv ing in dynamic mode is desired, this mode
must be selected
befo re hitc hing up the tra iler and before adjus ting the tongue
we ight. However, note that yo ur vehicle is lowered and ground clear­
ance is reduced.
• If you have to drive under diff icu lt road conditions, you can select
offroad or li ft mode, aft er hitching up the trai le r or after adjust ing
the tongue weight .
• If the vehicle is at
normal level, an d you se lec t offro ad mode wh ile
traveling at speeds higher than 22 mph (35 km/h), the vehicle will
no t b e raised. O ffroad mode will a ppear as t he active mode in the
MMI D isplay.
• If the veh icle is in o ffro ad mode at
high level 1, it automatic a lly
lowers to
normal level when the vehicle is traveling at speeds
exceeding approximate ly 31 mph ( SO km/h). The vehicle is automat -...

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& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Pleas e obse rve information on s afe driving => page 190.
& WARNING
To help prevent poi sonous exhau st ga s from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport object s larger than tho se fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
• If you ab solutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the
following notes to reduce the ris k of po isoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Pano ramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Swit ch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the h ighest speed.
& WARNING
Alway s make sure that the doors, all windows, the Panorami c
sliding sunroof* and the rear lid are secur ely closed and locked to
reduce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
clo sed and locked .
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open . A child could crawl into th e vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must alway s be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle 's seating positions.
W Tips
• Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Sta le air escapes
to the outside th rough vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these
slo ts free and open.
• Th e tire pressure m ust correspond to the load . The tire pressure is
shown o n th e t ire pressu re label. The tire pressure label is located o n
the driver's side 8-pillar . The tire p ress ure label lists the recom­
me nded co ld tire inflation pressures fo r th e ve hicle at its max imum
capacity weight and the tires that were on your vehicle at t he time it
was manufactured. For recommended t ire pressu re s for normal loa d
conditions, p lease see chapter=>
page 322. •
Tie-downs
The lug gage c omp artm ent is equ ipped with fo ur tie­
do wns to secur e luggag e and oth er items .
Use the t ie-downs to sec ure yo ur cargo properly => page 197,
"Load ing the l uggage comp artmen t".
In a co llision , the laws of physics mean that even smaller items that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy m issi les t hat can ca use
ser ious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which va ry with
veh icle speed and the weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most
sign ifi cant factor .
For example, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed of 30 mp h (48 km/h),
the forces a cting on a 1 0-lb (4.5 kg) o bje ct are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item
wou ld sudden ly be abo ut 200 l bs. (9 0 kg). You can imagine the inju ­
r ies that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through the passenger
compar tment cou ld cause in a collision like this .
liJ,

safety belt is being used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not being used. It is impo rtant that nothing in terfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sensors can send the correct information about safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved
tire-rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electronic control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
W For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified as
Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswas te/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules and safety
belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regu la­
tions mus t be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer
perform th is service for you .•
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 204 Side airbag
location in the driver's
seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
~ fig. 204 and the rear backrest* facing the doors . They are identi ­
fied by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
• the electronic control module and external side impact se nsors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
• two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
Th e airbag system is monitored elect ronically to make certain that it
is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds
(self d iagnostics).
The side airbag system supp lements the safety belts and can he lp to
reduce the risk of injury to the dr iver 's, front and rear* passenger 's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision.
The airbag deploys on ly in s ide impacts and only when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough. If this rate
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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Under certain circumstances, weekly washing may be necessary .
Under o ther conditions, a mont hly w ashi ng and waxi ng may be
adequate.
After the winter, the underside of the vehicle s hou ld be tho roughly
washed, p refe rably in a profess ional car was h.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 278. •
Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any mod ern auto­
matic car wash.
T he vehi cle p aint is so dura ble tha t the vehicle c an norm ally be
washed without problems in an automatic car wash . H owever, the
effect on t he pa int depends to a la rge ex ten t on t he desig n of the
facility, the filter ing of the was h water, t he type of wash and care
material, etc . If t he pa int has a dull appearance after going through
t he ca r wash or is sc ratched, bring this to the attention of the ope r­
ator immediately . If necessary, use a different car wash .
Be fore goi ng th ro ugh a car wash, be s ure to take the usual precau­
tions such as clos ing the windows and the Panoramic s lid in g su nroof.
Fa cto ry inst alled a ntennas must no t be removed .
If you have installed addit ional accessories on the vehicle -such as
spoilers, roof rack, etc . - it is best to ask the car wash ope rator if these
sho uld be removed.
& WARNING
Please take note of the following points before going through an
automatic car wa sh with your vehicle , so that you can avoid
damage to your veh icle.
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Compare the tra ck of your vehicle with the d istance between
the guide rails of the facility -there is a risk of damage to the
wheels and tires.
• Compare the height and width of your vehicle with the height
and width of the tunnel at the facility.
• Fold the exterior mirrors flat -there is a risk of damaging the
e xterior mirrors . Power folding e xterior mirrors* must not be
folded in or out by hand. Use the power function!
• Do not allow the wiper blade to fall onto the wind shield after
the vehicle is dr ied · there is a risk of damag ing the paint on the
hood .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~page 278. •
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed wh en washing a vehicl e by hand.
- Before you start washing , ma ke sure you have read and
u nders tood the WARNIN GS =>
& in "General informa­
t io n" o n page
278.
- Fir s t soak all dried dir t until it is soft, the n rinse it off.
- As yo u clean yo ur vehic le, start w ith th e roof and work you r
way do wn to the bottom, us ing a sponge , a sponge g love
or a clean bru sh .
- Rin se the sp ong e or t he s po nge glo ve o ften, flushing it
cl ean each t im e.
- U se spe cia l car shampoo only for ve ry pe rsiste nt dirt .
- Rinse the car thoroug hly with wate r.
- U se a ch amo is leat her to gently w ipe t he ex ter ior d ry . •
Vehicle care Technical data

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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 apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota ­
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib rat ion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 348 .
& 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, 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. .,_

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Tires age even if they are not be ing used and can fail suddenly ,
e specially 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 weigh t (in excess of those sta ndard items wh ich
may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steer ing, power
bra kes, powe r win dows, power sea ts, radio, and heate r, to the exte nt
that these items are available as factory-insta lled equipment
(whet her i ns ta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
means the r atio of t he he ight to t he widt h of the t ire in percent.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
res ponse and bet ter over all h andling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part of the t ire that is made of stee l wi res, w rapped or
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the ti re.
Safety first
& W ARNING (co ntinued )
• Never mount u sed tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibr ation or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire pressu re recom mended by the vehicle manufa ctu rer
for a tire of a desig nate d size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree hour per io d
before the tire pressu re is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehicle wit h standard equipment
incl uding the max imum ca pac it y of fue l, o il, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weig ht of optional eq uipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflat ion
pressures than t he co rresponding sta ndard t ire. Extra load tires may
be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the loa d-carrying capac ity of a sing le ax le system, measure d at
the t ire-grou nd interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
mea ns the maximum tota l loaded we ig ht of the vehicle .
Vehicle care Technical data

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Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given infla­
tion pressure. You may not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating fo r a tir e at the maximum permissible inflation
pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be
inflated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the number of occupants seated
in the vehicle up to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distr ibution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of
an inflated tire, including elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated paralle l cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed regular production
options weigh ing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not previously considered in curb weight or
accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof
rack, heavy duty battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see=> page 319, "Cold tire inflation pressure".
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation
pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced t ires may
be identified as "XL ", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon
wh ich the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat . If you change your wheel
size, you w ill have to purchase new tires to match the new rim diam­
eter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim flanges.