104 Driving Safely
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
• Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as possible.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv ing
~ page 98.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
-
those fitting completely into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the convertible top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that the doors, all win-
dows, the convertible top and the rear lid
are securely closed and locked to reduce
the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es pecially with the rear lid left open . A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
@ Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
left side of the luggage compartment.
Be sure to keep these slots free and
open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar .
The tire pressure label lists the ..,
164 Cleaning and protection
regular basis, fo r example when
refuelling your vehicle.
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water.
@J For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the env ironment, the ve
hicle sho uld only be washed in special
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high
pressure power washer is safe as long as you observe a few simple rules .
.. Before us ing the power washer, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN INGS
c> & in General information on
page 162.
.. Always fo llow the operating instructions for
the power washer .
.. Make sure that the jet on the spray hose pro
duces a "fan shaped spray".
.. Do
not hold the spray nozzle too close to
soft materia ls.
N eve r u se a pow er w asher to clean the power
top itse lf.
When clea ning t he vehicle w it h a powe r wash
e r
always fo llow the operating instructions.
This applies particularly to the
o pera tin g
p re ssu re
and the s p ra yi ng dist ance. Maintain
a sufficient distance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses and so und/vibration deadening
materia ls (part icularly on the underside of the
engine hood). Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
dire ct st ream or one that has a ro
tat ing
jet .
Water temperature shou ld not exceed 140 °F
(60
°() .
A WARNING
Never wash tires w ith a jet that sprays wa
ter in a d irect stream. This could cause in- visible damage to the tires and weaken
them, even
if the spray is from a relative ly
long distance and for a short time. Dam
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal inju ry.
(D Note
- Never use a power washer to clean the
power top itself.
- To avoid damaging your veh icle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis
tance between the spray head and soft
materials like rubber hoses, plast ic parts
and sound-deadening materials. Never
aim the spray head at the same point for
a long time. This also app lies to cleaning
head lights and pa inted b umpe rs. Re
member: the closer the nozz le is to the
surface of the material, the greate r the
stress on the materia l.
Convertible top care
The convertible top requires special care.
Keeping you r top looking great and mak ing
certain tha t it lasts a long time depend to a
great extent on proper use and care . Remove
bird droppings as soon as possible, since the
corrosive chemicals in them will cause the
rubber impregnation in your top to swell and
poss ibly allow the fabric to leak .
With
normal soiling, all you need to do is
clea r the top with a soft br ush and clear wa
ter. A lways brush in the direction of the fabric
from front to rear.
If the top is very dirty and has spotted areas
clean it with a brush using a convertible top
cleaner . Always brush in the direction of the
fabric from front to rear. R inse with plenty of
clear water, and allow the top to air-dry.
Chamois are not suitable for drying the top.
Never use gaso line, spot remover, benzene,
paint thinner or solvents to remove spots . We
recommend that you on ly use cleaners espe
cia lly formulated for use on convertib le tops,
and that you fo llow the produce use directions ...
194 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-important contact between
you, you r vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your veh icle and its t ires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han
d le, avoiding damage from roa d haza rds and
r eg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid s udden tire failure in
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls incl ud ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the t ires .
Inspect the t ir e s regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark ti res when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one side, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sid ewa ll, that po int in the direc
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You must
f ol low the specified d irec tion of rot ation . This
is necessa ry so tha t these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information ¢
page 226.
A WARNING
-New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in jur ies, d rive w ith special ca re fo r the
fi rst 3 50 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de
fla tion, crashes and seriou s personal in
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re
p laced immediate ly .
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.
-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 195
-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 designed to operate at higher
loads and at highe r inflat ion p ressu res tha n
th e co rresponding standard tire. Extr a load
tir es my be i dent ified as "X L", "xl", " EXTRA
L O AD", or "RF" on t he sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
mea ns 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 . •
•
...
196 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation p ressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter means the overa ll diameter of an inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a laye r of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined we ight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tir e in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 195, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation p ressures than
the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced
ti res my be ident ified as "XL" "xl" "E XTRA
, ,
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
r atings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 206 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
T he speed rating letter code, where applica
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi
cates the maximum perm iss ibl e road speeds
~ A in Winter tires on page 209 .
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
i lluminates a low tire pressure warning tell-
tale. ..,_
198 Tires and whe els
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 14 6 Tire p ress ure labe l: loca ted on dr iver 's side B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a t ire 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 kilopasca ls (kPa), the interna·
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
squa re inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part o n the vehicle's design and load limit
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size. The prop·
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
i n flat ion pressure in a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tir e infla tion p res
sure" recommendations . The tires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M aintaining p roper t ire press ure is one o f the
most impo rtan t things you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated ti res
are a major cause of s udden tire failure. Keep
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tir e pres
s ur es are part icularly important wh en th e
vehicl e is being driven at higher speed s, and
then es pecially wh en heav ily loaded even
w ithin th e permis sible load -carrying capa ci
tie s approv ed for y our vehi cle.
,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
Fig . 14 7 Tir e pressure labe l
SEE OWNER'S MANUAl FOR
A DOMlONAL
T10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR P\.US DE
REHSEKiloiEMENTS
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 w ill 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 inflat io n pressures
for the vehicle at its maxim um capac ity
we ight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufa ctu red .
If you wish to impro ve comfort when operat
ing the v ehicle at normal lo ad (no luggag e)
up to 2 occupant s, you can adju st ti re pr es
sures to tho se spe cified f or normal vehi cle
load. Before oper ating th e vehicl e at maxi
mum load, yo u must increase the tire pr es
sure s to tho se spe cified f or ma ximum vehicle
load ~.&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system c an only moni to r the tire pressu res
you have stored. The sys tem does not recog
nize the load condition of your veh icle.
T he effec tiveness of the t ire press ure monitor
i ng system will be impaire d if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load
~ .&. .
See the ill ustration ~ fig. 146 fo r the locat io n
of the label on d river 's s ide B-pillar (colo r of
the actual label and exact location on the ve-
hicle will vary slight ly) .
IJi,,
Tires and wheels 199
Note that the following tab le is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepanc ies, the tire
pressure label (on dr iver's side B-pillar) always
takes precedence .
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inf lation pressures for the Audi model covered
by your Owner 's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine II Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear l
(dis-
full load full load
place- normal load
condition normal load
condition
ment in condition
(2 occupants condition
(2 occu-
liter) (up
to 2 oc-
plus lug- (up
to 2 oc-
pants plus
cupants) gage) cupants)
luggage)
PSI
ll kPA PSI kPA
PSI JI kPA PSI Jl kPA
-
4-cylin-
der
2.0 225/50
Rl 7 94H All Sea-
son
225/50 R17 94W XL High
Performance
245/45 Rl 7 95H All Sea-
son
245/45 R17 95YXL High
Performance
245/40 R18 93H All Sea
son
245/40 R18 93V XL High
Performance
255/35 Rl9 96V XL High
Performance
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220 32
220 29 200 29 200
32 220 29 200 29 200
32 220 29 200 29 200
•
32 220 29 200 29 200
I
32 220 29 200 29 200
•
33 II 230 29
200 30 210 I
32 220 29 200 29 200
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spore wheel is
l ocated on a label on the drive r's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
ve hicl e equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l
ways compa re the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehi cle w ith t he
tires on your vehicle . Make sur e that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be
longs to someone else or you bought the veh i
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle. Remember, you
r safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer
red to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We ight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar. The tire pressure label on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage or
Ill>
•
•
200 Tires and wheels
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
r=:>fig. 146.
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 veh icle con
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con
tro l and a crash.
A WARNING ,~ -
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil
lar.
The recommended t ire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the table
r=:> page 198, Cold tire inflation pressure . This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
A ir i n the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l fr iction as it flexes in use.
The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "co ld."
It i s the inflation pressure in a "cold" tir e that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
r=;, page 198. The
t ir es wou ld then be underinf lated and co uld
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the new, original eq uipment tires that were
on your veh icle at the time it was manufac
tured. For the location of the labe l
r=:>page 198, fig . 146.
Most tires lose air natura lly over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check t ire pressures at
least once a month and a lways before going
on a long trip . Make sure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac
count when adjust ing tire pressu re for a trip -
even one that yo u wou ld not consider to be
" long." See
r=;, page 202, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres
sures. Check all of the tires and be s ure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire s low ly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
dr iv in g you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this manual and the kind
of driving you plan to do. .,..