2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER tires

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>-

soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a significant ly un­
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation a l­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread l ife,
and may affect the veh icle 's handling and
stopping ab ility.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper t ire maintenance, and it is the dr iv­
er's responsib ility to ma inta in correct t ire
p ress ure , even if under- inflation has not
reached the leve l to t rigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale .
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indicate when
the system is not ope rating properly. The
TPMS malfunc tion indica to r i s combined wi th
the low t ire p ressu re tell ta le. When the sys ­
tem detec ts a malf unct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain continuo usly ill uminated . This se­
q uence will cont inue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists.
When the malfunction indicator is ill uminat ­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signa l low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occ ur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the ins talla tion of replace­
ment or alternate tires o r whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
t ellta le afte r replacing one o r more t ires or
wheels o n your veh icle to ensure tha t the re­
p lacemen t or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Introduction
The tire pressure monitoring system monitors
air pressure in all four road wheels while the
vehicle is moving .
As soon as the tire pressu re mo nitor ing sys­
tem senses a s ignificant loss o f air pressure in
one or severa l ti res, text messages and yellow
symbo ls appear in the instr ument cluster dis ­
p lay to alert the driver. The
[al warning light
Tire s an d wheel s 207
in the instrument cluster comes on when the
ti re is significant ly underinflated
Q page 34.
The wa rni ng lig ht [al also illu minates i n the
case of a system mal fun ct io n.
Be aware that t ire pressure is a lso dependent
o n the tempe ratu re of the t ire. For eve ry 18 ° F
(10 °C) incre ase in tir e te mper ature, tire pres­
s u re inc reases by about 1.5 psi (0 .1 bar). The
ti re warms up while the vehicle is moving and
ti re p ress ure rises . So you sho uld ad just tire
pressure only when they a re
cold, when the
temperature of the tires is roughly the same
as the ambient a ir temperature.
In order to keep the tire press ure monitoring
system p roperly ca librated, t ire press ure on
all four tires sho uld be checked at regu lar in­
terva ls.
The tire pressure is shown on the label located
on the dr iver's side B-pillar (v is ib le when the
door is open) .
A WARNING
When the tire pressure mo nitoring system
war ning light is lit , one o r more of your
tires is s ignificantly under-infla ted . You
shou ld stop and check your tires as soon as
pos sib le, and in flate t hem to the proper
p ress ure a s in dic ate d on the ve hicle's ti re
p ress ure lab el
¢page 19 3. D riving on a
significantly under -inflated ti re causes t he
tire to over heat and can lead to tire failure .
Under-inflat ion also is like ly to impair the
vehicle's handling and stopping ab ility.
@ For the sake of the environment
D riving wit h un der -inflated tires red uces
fuel efficiency an d tire t read life.
(D Tips
- E ach tire should be chec ked monthly
w hen the tem perature of the tires is
about the same as amb ient a ir tempera­
t u re and set to the recommended infla­
tion pressure as specified on the tire
pressure label
¢ pag e 193.
•
•

208 Tir es and whee ls
- The tire pressure monitoring system
helps the driver to keep an eye on tire
pressures. But the driver st ill has the re­
sponsibility for maintaining the correct
tire pressure.
- Tire pressure must only be adjusted
when the temperature of the tires is
about the same as ambient air tempera­
ture.
- When tires are replaced, the sensors and
valves should not be exchanged . The
valve core, nut, valve sealing and seal
washer (rep lacement kit) needs to be re­
placed. If necessary, the valve and the
whee l electronics have to be rep laced.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was calibrated us ing tires w ith
"RO" identification. We recommend us­
i ng these tires.
- If you should put different whee ls and
ti res on yo ur vehicle (e.g. w inter wheels
and tires), yo u m ust be certain that the
whee ls and tires are compatible with the
tire pressure monitoring system . Other­
wise the system w ill reg ister a ma lfunc­
tion and a fault message will be d is­
played . For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer .
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions
~ page 212 .
Programming a new set of tires
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitor ing system
When driving with a new set of ti res, you can
p rogram them to the t ire pres sure monitoring
system using the menu disp lay.
"' Turn the ign ition on .
"' Se lect the menu :
Set > Tir e pr ess ure >
Wheel chang e.
"' Confirm that you wo uld like to begin the
programming p rocess. The message
Wheel
s ens ors are being in it iali sed. Thi s m ay ta ke
a fe w minute s .. .
appears in the instrument
cluster disp lay. You can switch between programmed tire sets
at any time without reinitializing the system .
(D Tips
If the programming process was not com­
pleted successfully, the message
Wheel
s en sor s could not be initi alised
appea rs in
the disp lay and the
11118' indicator light
turns on. If this happens, repeat the pro­
cedure .

210 Consum er Inf orm ati on
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Als o, sa fe ty a nd en vir onm ent al con­
cerns p lace very strict limits on the nature of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans­
miss ion parts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing devices and oth­
er equipment available to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure proper pe rformance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi­
cle and its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and re­ pa irs can impair the operation and reliab ility
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war­
ranty. Therefore , proof of servic ing in accord­
ance w ith the ma intenance schedule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible warranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, c reating unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers .
If in doubt about any se rv icing, have it done
by your author ized Audi dealer or any other
p roperly equipped and qualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give yo ur a utho rized
Aud i dealer the opportunity to perfo rm all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs.
Your dea ler has the facilities, original parts
and trained spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing limit ed ma int enance your self
The following pages describe a limited num­
ber of proced ures which can be performed on
your ve hicle with ordinary too ls, shou ld the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila­
ble. Before performing any of these proce­
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li­
cable text and carefully follow the instruc ­
tions given . Always rigorously observe the
WARNINGS p rovided.
Before you ch eck a nything in th e eng ine
co mpartm ent , alwa ys re ad and h eed all
WA RNINGS
c::> .&. and c::> ..&. in Working in the
engine compartment on page 175.
A WARNING
- Serious personal injury may occur as a re­
sult of improperly performed mainte­
nance, adjustments or repa irs .
- Always be extremely careful when work­
ing on the vehicle . Always follow com­
monly accepted safety pract ices and gen­
eral common sense. Never r is k personal
injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance ,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol­
lowing pages if you are not fu lly fam iliar
with these or other procedures with re ­
spect to the vehicle, or are uncertain how
to proceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessa ry
work done by your authorized A udi deal­
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop.
- Always remove the ignition key before
anyone gets under the veh icle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work under­ neath the vehicle . The jack* is not ade­
quate for this purpose and cou ld collapse
causing ser ious personal inju ry.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on level ground,
that the wheels a re a lways secure ly
b locked and that t he engine cannot be
started.
- Always make sure the transmission se­
lec to r l ever is in "N" (Neut ral) (R t ron ic)
or Neutral (manual transmission) and
the hand bra ke is f irmly app lied.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Changing the engine sett ings will ad­
verse ly affect emission leve ls. Th is is det­
r imental to the environment and increas­
es fuel consumpt ion .
- Always observe environmenta l regu la­
tions when disposing of old eng ine oil,
used brake flu id, dirty engine coo lant,
spent batte ries o r worn out tires.

214 What do I do now?
Using TM S, tire damage caused by foreign
bodies up to about
0.16 inch (4 mm ) in diam­
eter can be sealed reliably.
The foreign object must s tay in the t ire.
The tir e sea lant mu st not be us ed :
- for cuts or punctures in the tire which are
larger than 0.16 inch (4 mm)¢ fig. 155
(D
- for damage to the rim@
- if you have been driving with very low tire
pressures or tires with no air @
Using the
TM S is described in the section
¢ page 214, Preliminary steps.
TMS can be used at temperatures down to -
4 °F (-20 °C).
A WARNING
Take the following precautions after re­
pairing the tire:
-
- Do not drive faster than SO mph (80 km/
h)!
- Avoid full-throttle acce leration, heavy
braking and fast cornering.
- The vehicle's road behavior can be affect­
ed.
- Tires sealed w ith
TMS are intended only
for
temporar y, short-te rm u se . Dam­
aged tires must be rep laced . Drive care­
fully to the next professional repair fa ­
cility.
- After using the tire sea lant the tire pres­
sure monitoring system may no longer
work properly. Drive carefully to the next professional repair fac ility.
- TMS must NOT be used,
- for cuts or pu nctures in the ti re whi ch
are larger than 0.16 inch (4 mm)
- for damage to the r im
- if you have been dr iv ing with very low
tire pressures or t ires with no air
- Seek profess ional assistance if it is not
poss ible to repair the tire with the tire
sealant.
- The tire sealant must not come into con­
tact with sk in, eyes or clothing. -
If you get any ti re sea lant in yo ur eyes or
come into contact w ith it, rinse the af­
fected area thoroughly with clean water. Find a phys ician immediately!
- Change any clothing contaminated with
tire sealant immediately.
- Do not inha le the vapor!
- If you have swallowed tire sealant, rinse
your mouth thoroughly right away and
drink plenty of water.
- Do not induce vomit ing! Find a physi­
c ian immediately!
- I f you have allergic react ions, find a
phys ic ian immediately.
- Keep the tire sealant away from children.
(D Note
Do not use commercially avai lab le tire
sealants. The e lectr ica l components of the
tire pressure monitoring system will no longe r work properly .
@) For the sake of the environment
Used sealant bottles can be dropped off at
a recycling facility.
(D Tips
- If sea lant has run out, allow it to dry.
Then you can peel it off.
- Have the t ire sea lant rep laced every 4
years at a dealership.
Preliminary steps
Some preliminary steps are necessary for tire
repair.
.. If you have a flat tire, park the vehicle as far
as possible from moving traffic .
.. App ly the
parking b rake firmly .
.. Engage a gear.
.. Check whether a repair using the Tire Mobili­
ty System is poss ible ¢ page 213 .
.. Have a ll passengers
leave the vehicle and
stay away from the danger zone¢.&_ .
.. Take the
se alant bottl e and the electric air
pump from the luggage compartment un-
de r the floor ¢ page 213, fig. 154. ...

216 What do I do now?
• Switch the electric air pump off - switch in
position
0. If the required tire pressure of at
l east 1.8 bar has not been reached, it is not
poss ible to make a repa ir with the tire seal­
ant. Seek professional ass istance.
Di sas sembling T ire Mobilit y Sy stem
• Remove the hose from the valve and pull the
plug out of the socket.
• Screw the dust cap onto the valve.
• Place the empty sealant bottle back in the
original packaging and clip it in place under
the floor so that no tire sealant can run out into the vehicle .
• Start driving right away so that the sealant
is d istr ibuted in the tire.
.&_ WARNING
- Follow the manufacturer's safety instruc­
tions on the deca l for the air pump and
the sea lant bott le .
- If a tire pressure of 1.8 bar cannot be
achieved after pumping for S minutes,
the tire is too severely damaged. Do not continue to drive.
- Seek professional assistance if it is not
poss ible to repair the tire with the tire
sealant.
(D Tips
- Do not operate the electric ai r pump for
more than 8 min utes without stopping,
otherwise it can overheat. When the air
pump has cooled down, you can continue
to use it.
- If sealant has escaped, allow it to dry, then you can peel it off.
Final check
After driving for a short distance, t ire pressure
must be checked .
• After driving for about 10 minutes, stop and
check the t ire pressure.
• If tire pressure is still at least 1.3 bar, in ­
flate the t ire to specified pressure (see driv­
er's side B-pillar), dr ive to the next repair shop and have the tire and the sealant bot
­
tle replaced.
• If tire pressure is less than 1.3 bar, the t ire
is too severely damaged. Do not continue to
drive . Seek professional assistance.
.&_ WARNING
If t ire pressure is less than 1.3 bar after
d riving for 10 minutes, the t ire is too se­
ve rely damaged. Do not cont inue to drive.
See k professional ass istance.
(D Tips
After a tire repair, have the sealant bottle
r eplaced at a dealership. This restores full
funct ionality to the T ire Mobility System .
What should I be
aware of when
changing a tire?
Tires with unidirectional tread design
-
Tires with unidirectional tread design mu.st be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed the
right direction.
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
row s on the sid ewall , which point in the di rec­
t ion of the rota tion. Yo u m ust follow the
speci fied direction o f rotation. This is necessa­
ry in order for these tires to develop t heir op ­
timum characteristics regarding grip, road
noise, wear, and hydrop lan ing .
· Anti-theft wheel bolts
A special adopter is needed to turn the anti­
theft wheel bolts.
Fi g. 158 Anti-theft wheel bolts w it h adapte r

Tightening wheel bolts
.,. Fit the wh eel b olt wrench ove r the wheel
bolt and push it down as far as it will go
1l.
.,. Close your grip around the
end of the
wrenc h handle fo r maximum torque and
turn each wheel bolt
clockwi se u nti l it sits
t ight.
H ave the
tightening torque of the whee l bolts
checked as soon as possible with a torque
wrench . It shou ld be 120 Nm.
Chec k the
tire pre ssure as soon as possible.
Return the vehicle tool kit to its proper place.
A WARNING
Loose ning t he wheel bo lts is prohib ited;
da nger of an accident!
@ Tips
- Never try and use the hexagona l socke t
i n the handle of the screwdr iver to loos­
en or tighten the w heel bolts.
- If yo u have dete rm ined t hat wheel bolts
a re cor roded and difficult to t urn, the
bo lts must be rep laced befo re checking
the to rque.
- Unti l the tig hte ning torque is checked,
d rive at redu ced speeds as a pre caution.
Notes on wheel change
Pl ease read the information¢ page 199, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels,
if you are
going to use a spare tire which is different
from the tires on your veh icle.
Afte r you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
dia tely after mounting.
- Have the whee l bolt t ightening torque
chec ked w ith a torq ue wrench as soon as
poss ible by your author ized A udi dealer or a
qu alified service sta tion.
1 ) You need th e appropr iate adapter to tighte n the a nti­
t h eft wheel bolts
c:, page 216.
What do I do now? 219
- With stee l and alloy whee l rims, the whee l
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
- If you notice while changing a tire that the
wheel bo lts are corroded and difficu lt to
turn, then they should be rep laced before
you check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then , d riv e with e xtra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were facto ry installed, then be
sure to read the information ¢
page 199,
New tires and replacing tir es and
wheels.
- Always sto re the tools secu rely in lug­
gage compartment. Othe rwise, in a n ac­
cident o r su dden maneuver they cou ld fly
forwdrd, CciU5ing injury to pd55enger5 in
the vehicle.
(D Note
Do not use comme rcially avai lab le tire
sea lants. Otherwise, the e le ctr ic al com po­
nen ts of t he tire p ressu re monitoring sys­
tem * wi ll no longe r work proper ly an d the
sensor fo r the tire pressure mon itor ing
system will have to be rep laced by a quali­
fied wor kshop.
Jump-starting
General
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it ta the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engi ne should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery ca n be.,.. •
•