2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es 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 tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their" previous histo ­
ry ." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 199
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 153 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal w idth of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Origina l tire
® Severe snow conditions
@ T ire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

200 Tires and wheels
contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ ,& .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be performed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
tools and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
installing or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and
not individually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢page 201.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci­
fication as the original equipment or approved optional tires listed in the table
¢page 193.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table(¢
page 193) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure label located on driver's side
B-pillar (
¢ page 193, fig. 151) lists the speci­
f ications of the original equipment tires in­
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 153. This information
identifies and describes the fundamental
characteristics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire identification number for
safety standard certification and in case of
a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewall, for example:
P235 / 35 R 18 91 Y
This contains the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
235 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ra-
tio)
R Tire construction: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF") indicates
that the tire is a"Reinforced" or an "Extra
Load" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotation¢
page 189.
Tire manufacturing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only on the
inner
side of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2210 ... " means, for example, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2010.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on the wheels in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 204.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)

T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/ h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
1 )
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your veh icle is no rma lly factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac ­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort ¢&. .
U.S. DO T Tire Identification Numbe r (TIN )
a nd ti re manufa cture d ate
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
ti re meets all federal standards. The next two
numbe rs or letter s indicate the plant where it
w as manufac tured, and the las t four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
For example, the numbers 2210 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
20 10. The othe r numbe rs a re mar keting co­
des tha t may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con ­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi original tire
Tires wi th the ident ificat io n "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ia lly matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authori zed Audi dealer will
glad ly provide you wi th more information .
Tire ply compo sit ion and materials u sed
The number of p lies ind icates the n umbe r of
l ayers of rubber-coat ed fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weig ht a tire can support. Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the ma terials in the
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d cap abil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire man ufacturers some times u se
th e le tters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 201
tire, which incl ude stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kil ograms and pounds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempera tu re grades
¢ page 203.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pr essure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
Replacing tires or rim s on veh icles
equipped with tire p ressure monitoring
system
T he wheels on yo ur vehicle are equippe d with
a sensor which constantly monitors the ai r
pressure inside the tire, a nd then transmits
th is information to th e tire press ure monitor ·
ing system. If you are going to replace the
whee l rims on your veh icle, make s ure the new
rims also have these sensors . The sensors
must be compatible with the t ire pressure
monito ring system on your vehicle .
If you install rims, wh ic h do not have the sen­
sors, or have senso rs which are not compati­
ble , then the t ire p ressure monitoring system
will not wor k prope rly. In t his cas e, the tire
pressure monitoring system wou ld not be
able to moni tor the tire pressure or warn you
i f i t is necessary .
- The battery inside of the tire pressure sen­
sor has a limited se rvice life .
- Always dr ive with the valve stem caps se­
curely mounted . We recommend using fac­
t o ry installed valve stem caps. As k your au­
t hor ized A udi dealer to rep lace lost valve
stem caps .
•
•

202 Tir es and whee ls
The installation of replacement tires with
steel cord body plies in the tire sidewall may
cause ma lfunction of the tire pressure moni­
toring system, and is not recommended (cord material information in molded on the tire
sidewall) .
Always check your tire pressure monitoring
system indicator after replacing one or more
tires on your vehicle. If the tire pressure moni­
toring system indicator flashes, or is on, your
system is not work ing properly.
A WARNING
- Us ing incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper t ire and whee l
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
co llision and serious persona l injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed t ires or other combina ­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer .
- Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail su ddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you a re not sure of their "previous histo­ ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- Only the wheel/tire s izes spec ified by the
manufactu rer may be used on veh icles
with all-wheel dr ive.
- Never drive faste r than the maxim um
speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are ra ted because tires that are driven
f aster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly .
- Overloading ti res cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control. -
Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same veh icle model.
- Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle.
Using run-flat t ires can lead to veh icle
damage or crashes .
@ Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er veh icles . Th is can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type .
- If you should put different wheels and
tires on your veh icle (e.g . winter wheels
and tires), you must be certain that the
wheels and tires are compatible with the tire pressure monitoring system. Other ­
w ise the system will register a malfunc­
tion and a fau lt message w ill be dis­
played. For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
(D Note
- When installing new tires, be care ful not
to damage the va lves or tire pressure
monitoring system sensors.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves cou ld get damaged.
- If the sensors must be replaced, then
the valve must also be replaced at the
same time .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements .
@ Tips
Tires with the iden tificatio n "RO l" have
been specially matched with your A udi. We
r ecommend using on ly these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characteristics when used correctly . Your authorized Audi R8

dealer will g ladly provide you with more
information.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- T emperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the ti re side wa ll between tread shoulde r
and maximum section wid th ¢ page 199,
fig. 153 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Tract ion AA ,
Tempe ratu re A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requi rements in addition to these
grad es.
Tread we ar
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a spec ified
government test course.
For example, a t ire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) t imes as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100 .
The relat ive perform a nee of ti res depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to var iat ions in dr iv ing habits, serv­
i ce practices and differences in road cha racter­
i stics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's abil ity to stop on wet pavement as
measured unde r controlled cond it ions on
spec ified gove rnment test su rfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire ma rked C may h ave poor
tr action perfo rm ance¢ &..
Temp erature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and C, repr ese nting the t ire's resistance to
the gene rat io n of heat and i ts ab ility to dissi-
Tire s an d wheel s 203
pate heat when tested under controlled condi ­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
whee l.
Sustaine d high temperature can cause the
mater ia l of the tire to degenerate and red uce
tire life, and excessive tempe rat ure ca n lead
to s udden tire failure ¢ &. .
T he gr ade C correspon ds to a level of pe rform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet u nder the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand­
ard No . 109 . Grades Band A represent higher
l evels of performance on the laboratory test
whee l than the minimum requ ired by law.
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to th is tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include accele rat ion,
cor neri ng, hy droplaning or peak t ra ction
ch aracte rist ics.
A WARNING
T he temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a tire that is properly inf lated
and not overloaded . Excess ive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, e it h er
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possible tire failure.
Winter tires
Winter tires con improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true w inter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. T hese tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
fou r wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
ti res that a re the same si ze and construction
type as the othe r ti res on you r vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive*, th is w ill improve traction during winter
driv ing, even with the s tanda rd tires . Howev-
er, we stro ngly recommend that you always ..,.
•
•

204 Tir es and whe els
eq uip all four wheels on your vehicle with cor ­
rectly fitted winter tires or all-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected. This a lso improves the vehicle's braking per­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter t ires (snow t ires) must always be fitted
on all four wheels.
Compat ible tire pressure mon itor ing sensors
must be installed on all fou r winter tires for
the tire pressure monitoring system to func­
tion proper ly ~
page 201 .
Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified
wo rkshop for permitted
winter tir e sizes. Use
only radia l winter tires .
W inter t ires lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with winter tires under winter con­
d itions . Summer tires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C).
Please always remember that w inte r tires may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi­
na lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime i t
was manufactured. Please see
r:!> page 200 ,
Speed roting (letter code) for a list ing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed ra ting letter code
(~ page 191) is
on the s ide wall of the tire
r::!> poge 199.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
im um speed . Always know the maxim um
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal in ju ry to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your veh icle
were designed can cause t ire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
l oss of cont ro l, crashes and ser ious per­
sonal injuries. Have wo rn o r damaged ti res
r eplaced immediately.
- W inte r ti res have maxim um speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle 's
maximum speed.
- Never drive fas ter than the speed for
which the win ter or othe r ti res installed
on yo ur vehicle are rated.
A WARNING ~
A lways ad just your driving to the road and
traffic condit ions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
veh icle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
~ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
-
S now cha ins may be fitted only to the rea r
whee ls, and o nly to certa in tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i dea le r o n whi ch tire sizes
snow c hains ca n be used.
T he snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be t hicker than 0 .53 inch
(13 .5 mm), in cl ud ing the lock.
Remove wheel center covers before putt ing
snow c ha ins on your vehicle~@ . For safety
reasons cover caps must then be f itted over

the wheel bolts. These are available from au­
thorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains, never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
Tires and wheels 205
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r:!> page 211.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose causing loss of
control, a collision and serious personal in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ erly tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle.
-Always maintain the correct tightening
torque for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of ± 7 .4
ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bolts diago­
nally. After changing a wheel, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been selected specifically for your model for their superb performance, road feel
and handling under a variety of driving
IJ>,
•
•

206 Tires and wheels
conditions. Ask your authorized Audi dea ler
for more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
tional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the inflation pressure is reg ­
ularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pressures
should be checked at least once a month and
a lways before a long t rip
~ page 195, Check­
ing tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
eas ily by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies
or ridge5 on the road, particu larly if the tire i5
underinflated.
I n order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2.000 miles (3.000 km) and add air if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authori zed Audi dealer. Rep lace a damaged
tire as soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2.000 miles (3.000 km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu ­
ally cause t ire failure . If you believe that a tire
may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices .
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
t ir es originally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions . If
you drive under those c ircumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle w ith winter t ires,
which offer better traction under those condi­
tions . We suggest yo u use the recommended
snow tires specified for your vehicle, or their
equivalent.
Refer to~
poge 203 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Ti re pressure
monitoring system
General notes
E ach tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when cold and in­
flated to the inflat ion pressure recommended
by the vehic le manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label (If your
vehicle has tires of a different si ze than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat ion pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire in flation pressure for those
t ir es .) .
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
Ill>-