2011 AUDI S8 warning

Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
a re AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance¢ .&..
Te mp era tu re
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the tire 's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure ¢.&. .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher
leve ls of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_& WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering, hydrop laning or peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es ­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
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Tire s an d wheel s 253
Winter tires
Winter tires can 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 gove rnments
may require true w inter o r "snow" t ires, those
with very deeply cut t read. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
f o ur wheels . Make sure you p urchase snow
tires that are the same size and cons truction
type as the other tires on yo ur vehicle .
If your veh icle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive *, th is w ill improve trac tion d uring win ter
driv ing, even with the s tanda rd tires. Howev ­
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four whee ls on your veh icle w ith cor­
rect ly fitted winter tires or all-season t ires,
when winter road conditions are expected.
This also improves the veh icle 's b rak ing per­
formance and reduces stoppi ng d ista nces .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all fo ur whee ls .
As k your au thori zed A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
winter ti re size s. Use
on ly radial winter tires .
Win ter tires lose their effec tiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth o f 0.1 57 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w ith w inte r tir es under w inte r con­
di tions. S umme r tir es handle bette r when
t h e re is no snow o r ice on the ro ads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
If you have a flat t ire, see notes on spare
whee l¢
page 249.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed rating than the tires o rigi­
nally i nstalled on your veh icle at the time it
was ma nufactu red. P lease see¢
page 250,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a lis ting o f th e
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
111>-
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254 Tir es and whe els
The s peed ra ting le tter code( ¢ page 24 0) is
on the side wall of the tire¢ page
249.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum s peed limits
that may be lower t han your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
pe rsonal inj ury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING I>=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fai lure in ­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflat ion,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immed iate ly .
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
w hich the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your d rivi ng to the road and
tr affic conditions. Neve r let the good ac­
celeration of the wi nte r t ir es and all-whee l
dr ive temp t you in to taking extr a ris ks . A l­
ways remember :
- Whe n bra ki ng , an a ll-wheel d rive vehicle
hand les in the s ame way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive caref ully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summe r ti res when weathe r cond i­
tions perm it. They are quieter, do not we ar
as quickly and red uce fue l consumption.
Snow chains
S now cha ins may be fitted only to the front
whee ls, and o nly to cer tain ti re si zes . As k your
a uthorized Aud i dea ler on whi ch tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you a re go ing to use snow cha ins, then you
mus t install t hem on the front whee ls a t
l east.
T he snow chains must have low-p rofile links
and mus t not be t hicker than 0.4 inch
(10,S mm) , in cl ud ing t he loc k.
Remove whee l center cove rs and trim discs
before putt ing snow chains on your vehicle
¢ (!) . For safety reasons cove r caps must then
be fi tted over the wheel bo lts. These are ava il­
able from authorized Aud i dea lers .
A WARNING
=
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi -
cle or insta lling them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of contro l leading to
serious pe rsonal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions prov ided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- W hen driving with snow cha ins never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before dr iving 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 whee l rim, ca n scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains afte r
dr iving a few yards and co rrect if necces­
sary. Follow the inst ruct io ns from the
snow chain m an uf actur er when do ing so.
- If the Ada ptive Ai r Suspe nsio n should
m alfu nction, do not mount o r use snow
11-

chains because t he vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
@ Tips
Where snow cha ins 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 whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. 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
secure ly and that the brake system f unctions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a d iffe rent vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l
¢page 285.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig hte ned or maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose causing loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury .
- Alw ays keep the w heel bolts and the
th reads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the w heel h ubs. They can
become loose wh ile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintai n the co rrect tightening
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
Tire s an d wheel s 255
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tighte ning torque is
too h igh, the wheel bol ts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(I) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb ( 120 Nm) wi th a tole rance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r cha nging a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque w rench -prefe rably by an au thor­
ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is facto ry-eq uipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handling u nder a variety of driving cond i­
tions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation . The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewall height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in pe rce ntage. Conven ­
tiona l tires have a he igh t/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspe ct-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitiv e to improper infla tion
pres sure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s·
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 244, Checking tire pressure.
What you can d o to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes , curbs, gul lies ..,.
•
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remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­ ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le after replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 189 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 190 Display: System malfu nctio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru-
Tires and wheels 257
ment cluster with a warning symbol [I) and a
message
r::!) fig. 189.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each t ime the pressures are ad ­
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle
r::!) page 258. You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on driver's side 8-pil­
lar
r::!) page 242 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tir e pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
r::!) page 258 .
Warning symbols
[I) Loss of pressure in at least one tire co& .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The indicator light
[I) in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
r::!) page 11.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and resetTPMS via MMI.
lli§ffl (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction.
If llilffl appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving co
fig. 190 and the indica­
tor light
[I) in the instrument cluster blinks
for approximately one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction . See your
authorized Audi dea ler as soon as possible .
A WARNING
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display , one or
more of your tires is significant ly under­
inflated . Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures . In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire .,.

What do I do now? Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle .
Fig. 191 Trunk escape hand le : View from inside the
closed trunk
To o pen r ear lid
.,. Pull the handle down towards the bumper
~fig. 191.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
(D Tips
The emergency release lever should never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
What do I d o now ? 259
Emergency warning
triangle
App lies to veh icles: w ith emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig. 192 Trunk lid: Wa rning triangl e
.,. To remove the warning triangle, press the
retainer in the direction of the arrow
~ fig. 192 and fold the holder down .
The rear lid is only des igned to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program. If you would like to retrofit your ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your authorized Audi dealer.

260 What do I do now ?
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 193 Luggage compartmen t: ca rgo floo r cover
folded upwar d
Fig. 194 Trunk lid: Vehicle tool k it
• Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
• Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
men t weather strip
c> fig . 193.
• Remove the spare wheel to reach the vehicle
tool kit .
• Remove the foam p iece .
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers* or whee l
hub covers
- Plastic hook to remove whee l bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Towing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as fa r as it will go.
A WARNING
-Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an acc ident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles or othe r loads; you risk in­
ju ring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an ac ciden t.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro ­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
- Never use the ja ck supplied with your Au­
di on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional ext ras .
- Before yo u can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking mode
c::> page 265 .

Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)*
A pplies to vehicles: with space-sav ing spa re tire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
F ig . 195 Spare t ire
Tak ing ou t the sp ar e whee l
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
¢ fig. 195.
.. Hook the hand le into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw
¢fig. 195 counter­
clockwise .
.,. Take out the spare tire.
.,. Unhook the ca rgo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Securing the repl aced tire
.. Place the wheel with tire in the spare wheel
well and secure the wheel with the large
screw .
.,. Unhook the ca rgo f loor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is only intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop .
Replace it as quickly as poss ible with a stand­
ard wheel and t ire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare t ire . The compact spare t ire
has been des igned specifically fo r your type of
ve hicl e. It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle.
What do I d o now ? 261
Snow chains
For technical reasons, the use of snow cha ins
o n the compact spare tire is
not permitted .
If you do have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, moun t the spare wheel wi th
ti re i nste ad of a rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defective front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It s hould be
replaced as soon as poss ible with the
normal whee l and tire .
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the t ire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible . T he tire pressu re of the
compact spare t ire must be
4.2 ba r; oth­
erwise, you risk having an a ccident.
- Do not dr ive faste r than
SO mph (80 km/
h). You ris k having a n accide nt.
- Avoid full-throttle acceleration, heavy
brak ing, and fast corne ring . You risk hav­
i n g an accident .
- Never d rive using more than one spare
wheel and t ire. You r is k having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mou nted on the compact spare w heel
nm.
- For t echnical reasons, the use of tir e
chains on the spa re tire is not permit ted .
I f it is ne cessary to drive with t ire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounte d on the
fro nt ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The newly available front whee l
must then be insta lled in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire . Installing
the t ire cha in before mounting the whee l
and tire is recomme nded .

262 What do I do now ?
-Loose items in the passenger compar t­
ment can cause serious personal inj ury
during hard braking or in an acc ident.
- Never store the inflatable spa re tire or
jack and tools in the passenger com­
partment .
- Always s to re a ll jack ing equipmen t,
too ls, and the inflatab le spa re tire in
the l uggage compa rtment .
- Tighten the kn ur led retaining screw for
the inflatable spare tire sec urely.
Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
Fi g. 1 96 Lu ggage co mp artm ent: spare whee l
Taking out the spa re wh eel
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
¢ fig. 196 .
.. Hook the hand le into the luggage compart­
men t wea ther s trip.
.. Tu rn the l arge screw
¢ fig. 196 coun ter­
clockwise .
.. Take out the spare tire .
.,. Unhook the ca rgo floor before clos ing the
rear lid .
Securing the replaced tire
.. Place the wheel with tire in the sp are wheel
well and secure the wheel with the large
sc rew .
.,. Unhoo k the ca rgo f loor before clos ing the
r ear lid.
A WARNING
-Loose items in the passenger compart-
ment can cause serious persona l injury
d uring hard b rak ing o r in an accident .
- Never store the spa re wheel or jack and
too ls in the passenger compartment .
- Always store all jack ing equipment,
tools, and the spare wheel in the luggage
compa rtment .
- Tighten the knurled retaining screw for
the spare wheel securely .
@ Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the t ire ready for
use.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
.,. After you experience a t ire failur e, pull the
car we ll away from mov ing traffic and try to
re ach
level ground before you stop ¢ .&,.
.. All passengers should lea ve th e car and
move to a safe location (for instance, b ehind
the guardrail) ¢
_A .
.. Engage the pa rking brake to prevent your
ve hicle from rolling uninten tionally ¢
_A .
.. Move selecto r le ver to pos ition P ¢ _A .
.,. If you are towing a tra iler, unhitch the trailer
from your ve hicle .
.,. Ta ke the
jack a nd the spare tire out of the
luggage compartmen t¢
page 260,
¢ page 261.
A WARNING
You o r your passengers could be i nju red
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
l ow these sa fety precaut ions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the eme rgency flashers on and use
-