2011 AUDI S8 tire size

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death .
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents . For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
impaired persons must also use safety
belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are
more likely to be seriously injured if they
do not wear safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. In some
vehicles, there are four seat ing positions : two
in the front and two in the rear. Each seating
position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death .
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small chi ldren, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child sitting on your lap.
Safety belts 13 7
-Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~-Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling-up.
Fig. 138 Safety bel t warning light in the instrument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age.
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is on as a reminder
to fasten the safety belts. In addition, you will
hear a warning tone for a certain period of
time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving. •
•

Replacing wh eels/ tire s
Vehicles w ith All Wheel Dr ive must always
have tir es of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
pag e¢
page 249 , N ew tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Aud i does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle. It is
therefor e best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
¢ page 198.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions . Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the All Wheel Drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by t ire traction . Yo u
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or s lippery road surfaces.
- On wet road su rfaces, be ca reful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to s lide on top of the wa ter
(aquaplaning). If this sho uld occ ur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash .
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle wit h a conventional energy system
i s not driven for a long period of time , the bat­
tery is discharged by idling cu rrent consumers
(e .g. immobilizer) . In certain circumstances it
can result in there being ins ufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
Int ellig ent technolog y 195
Intelligent energy management in your vehi ­
cle hand les the distribution of e lectrica l ener­
gy. Start ing ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the b attery is extended.
Bas ica lly, energy management consis ts of
batte ry diagnosi s, idling cur rent m anage­
ment
and dynamic energ y management.
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously de termines
the state of the battery . Sensors de termine
batte ry voltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the batte ry .
Idling current management
Id lin g cur ren t management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ig nition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­ nents. Data from battery diagnos is is cons id­
ered.
Depend ing on the battery's state of cha rge ,
individua l cons umers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the batte ry
and th us maintain starting capability .
Dynamic energy manag ement
While the ve hicle is being driven, dynamic en ­
ergy management distrib utes the energy ge n­
erated according to the needs of the individ u­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for the battery .
@ Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
t hat the powe r and l ife of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light
(•i appears ¢ page 16, c:::3
Battery.
•
•

-Never mount used tires on yo ur 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.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed eq uip ­
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 o r lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improve d steer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r reinforce d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
com ponents in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire .
Cold tire infl ation pres sure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 239
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i­
tion ing and addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
r espondi ng s tan dard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOA D", o r
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rate d
to ca rry for a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the loa d ra ting f or a t ire a t the maxi­
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
•
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...

240 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means t he sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) P rod uction options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
me ans t he max imum co ld inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be in flate d. Also called
"maxim um inflation p ress ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilog rams) times the
nu mbe r of o ccupants seated in t he vehicle up
to the tota l sea ting capaci ty of yo ur vehicle .
Occupant distribution means dist ribution of occupants in a veh icle .
Outer diameter means t he overa ll diameter of a n in flated new
tire.
Overall width
means t he linear dis tan ce between the ex ter i­
ors o f th e sidewalls of an inflated tire, in cl ud­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
p rotective bands o r ribs.
Ply
means a laye r of r ubber-co ate d parall el c ords.
Production options weight
means t he comb ined we ight of those installed
regular produc tion options weigh ing ove r 5
l bs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of t hose standard items
which they repla ce, no t previously considered
in cur b weight o r acc essory weig ht, incl uding
h eavy duty brakes, r ide leve le rs, roof ra ck,
h eavy duty ba tte ry, a nd specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in which the p ly co rds
t ha t ex tend to the beads are laid a t sub stan ­
ti ally 9 0 degrees to the ce nt erline o f the
trea d. Recommended inflation pressure
see
<=>
page 239, C old tire infl atio n pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate a t higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than t he cor­
r espondi ng stan da rd tire. Reinforced tires
may be identifie d as "X L", "xl" , "EX TRA LOAD",
o r "RF " on t he sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal su ppo rt for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match th e new r im di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal dista nce between rim flan ges .
Sidewall
means tha t port ion of a t ire betw ee n t he
t read a nd bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
r a ti ngs range from 93 mph ( 150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 250. Yo u may
not fi nd this information o n all ti res because
it is no t re quir ed by law.
T he speed rating letter code, wh ere applica­
ble , is molde d on the tire sidewall a nd indi­
c ates the max imum pe rmissibl e road speeds
<=> A in Winter tire s on page 2 54.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
mea ns a system that detects when o ne or
more of a veh icle 's tires are unde rinf lated an d
ill uminat es a low tir e pr es sure wa rning t ell­
t a le.

242 Tires and wheels
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
I ± ...
"'
Fig. 184 Tire pressure label: located on driver's side B ·
pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents. Tire pressure is measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna·
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safely and the tire size. The prop·
er tire pressure is frequently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal friction when it flexes in
use. The t ire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
inflation pressure in a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflat ion pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly.
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load -carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle.
------------------.. ,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - ­u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fig. 185 Tir e pressure label
SU OWNER'S MANUAl FOR AD0"10NAL l10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR Pl.US DE
REHSEKi.\'IEME NTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold t ire inflation pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
we ight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
c::> .&,.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system* can only monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recog­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system* will be impa ired if yo u store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi­
cle at its maximum load
c::> .&..
See the ill ustration c::> fig. 184 fo r the locat ion
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actua l lab el and exact lo cation on the ve­
hicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to

Tires and wheels 243
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (On USA vehicles, the tire pres­
sure label is located on the dr iver's side B -pil­
lar always takes precedence.
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the A udi model covered
by your Owner 's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the ti re sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load full load normal load full load
ment in
li-conditiona l
condition conditional
condition
ter) kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
a-cylinder 235/55 Rla 104H XL all
35 240 36 250 32 220 38 260 4.2
season
255/45 R19 104H XL all
240 36 250 32 220 38 260
season
265/40 R20 104V XL
33 230 33 230 30 210 35 240
a-cylinder 235/55 R18 104H XL all 240
36 250 32 220
38 260
4.2L season
255/45 R19 104H XL all
35 240 36 250 32 220 38 260 season
265/40 R20 104V XL 240
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
al normal load co ndit io n c:, page 24 1.
The correct tire pressure for the spore wheel is
located on a label on the driver's side B-p illar.
Because technical cha nges may be made to
vehicle equipment during the model year , a l­
ways compa re the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your ve hicle with the
tires on your vehicle . Make sure that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
T his is especially important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle wi th different rims/ tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle .
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
veh icle. These load lim its are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
in g ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo tha t the veh icle can carry . For the
location of the tire pressure label
c::> fig. 184.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con­
trol.
•
•

248 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv·
ing style.
F ig. 1 86 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icators (TWI)
( r------ ,1
\ ...__ _____ ____,.
F ig. 1 87 Rotat ing t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origi na l t ires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 186 running across the tread. Depend ·
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different fig ures may apply in o ther countries
c::> & .
Tire p ressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
a nd can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 244 .
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acce leration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
F o r all four tires on your ve hicl e to h ave the
same service life, we recommen d that the
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufact urer's suggested tire rota·
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that y ou
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Veh icles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the fro nt w heels com·
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 187.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di·
rection-specific tires
c::> page 267 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during eve ryday
driving can cause them to become unba l·
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel t hrough the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impai ring the safety of the veh i·
de . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 194 . ..,.

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)l)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)l)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)l)
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 . An e lectronic speed limiter
c::> page 28 wi ll normally prevent you r vehicle
from go ing fa ster th an the tire speed ra ting
c:::> .& .
U.S . DOT T ire Identificat ion Numb er (TIN )
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "se rial number" . It begins
wi th the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers r epresent the week and year of manufacture.
F or
examp le, the numbers 22 10 mean the ti re
was prod uced in the 22nd week of 2010. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not b e used by the tire manufacturer .
T his information is used to contact consumers
i f a t ire defect requires a reca ll.
Aud i original tir e
Tires with t he identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched w ith your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
sa fety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply compo sit ion and materi als used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac -
llFt· "h · or ires wit a m ax im um spee 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 251
ture rs also must indicate the mate rials in the
tire , which include stee l, nylon , po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and t emp eratur e resistanc e
Tre ad wear, t raction and tempera ture grades
c::> page 2 52 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_&. WARNING ,-=
-Using incorrect o r unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inations can lead to loss of control
'
coll is ion and serious personal inj ury.
- Always use tires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- insta lled tires 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 suddenly , especially at high
speeds . Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of thei r "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tir es may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four whee ls must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
~
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