
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 governments may require true winter or "snow " tires, those
with ve ry deeply cut tread. These t ires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be insta lled on all
fou r wheels. Ma ke sure yo u pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle .
If your vehicle is equipped with all -wheel
d rive*, this wi ll improve tract ion during w inter
driving, even with the standard tires . Howev
er, we strong ly recommend t hat you always
eq uip a ll four whe els on your v ehicle with cor
rectly fitted winter t ires o r all -season tires,
when winter ro ad conditions are expec ted.
T his also improves the vehicle's braking per
formance and reduces stopping distances .
Summe r tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter tires (snow tir es) must a lways be fitted
on all four whee ls .
Ask yo ur autho rized Aud i dea ler o r qualified
wo rkshop fo r permi tted
w inter tire siz es . Use
only radia l wi nter tires.
W inte r tir es lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.15 7 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with winter tires under winter con
d it ions . Summer tires hand le better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F ( 7 °C).
I f you have a flat tire, see notes on spa re
wheel <=?
page 205.
Please always remember that w inter tires may
h ave a lower speed rating than the t ires origi
na lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime it
was manufactured. Plea se see <=?
page 206,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a List ing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the maxim um
speed at whic h the tir es can be driven.
Tire s an d wheel s 209
The speed rating letter code (¢ page 196) is
o n the side wall of the tir e<=?
page 205.
A WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle 's max
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before driv ing off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for you r specific
winter tires . This wi ll cause damage to the
tires leadi ng to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen
gers .
A WARNING ,._.__
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fail ure in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation, loss of contro l, crashes and ser ious per
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately .
- Wi nter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the w inter or othe r tires installed
on you r vehicle a re rated .
A WARNING
Always ad just yo ur dr iv ing to the road and
traffic condit ions . Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter t ires and al l-wheel
drive tempt yo u into ta king extra risks. Al
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive ca re fully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are qu iete r, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion .
•
•
-

210 Tir es and whe els
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains , then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.S mm), including the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and tr im discs
before putting snow cha ins on your vehicle
¢ Q) . For safety reasons cover caps must the n
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are avai l
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for yo ur vehi
cle or installing them incorrectly can in
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
ser ious personal inj ury.
- Snow chains are ava ilable in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in
struct ions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- When driving w ith snow chains never
dr ive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow cha ins.
- Always observe local regulat ions.
([) Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wear ing the snow
chains down unnecessar ily.
- 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
sa ry. Follow the i nstructions from the
snow cha in manufacture r when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to ve
hicles with All Whee l Dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
T he design of wheel bo lts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit
ted, the correct whee l bolts with the right
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. Th is ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions correctly.
In certa in circumstances, you may not use
whee l bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
¢page 243.
A WARNING
-Imp roperly t ightened or ma inta ined wheel
bo lts can become loose causing loss of
control, a coll is ion and serious pe rsonal in
jury.
- Always keep t he wheel bo lts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bo lts can turn easily and be prop
erly tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the whee l hubs . They can
become loose while driving if g reased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Onl y use whee l bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bo lts on yo ur
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce the
risk of a whee l loss. If the tightening tor
que of the whee l bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is mov ing. If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
II>-

can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diago
nally. After chang ing a wheel, the torque
must be checked as soon as possib le wit h a
torque wrench -preferab ly by an author
ized Aud i dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio t ires. These t ires have been thorough ly
tes ted and been selected spec ifica lly for your
model for the ir superb pe rformance, road feel
and handling under a variety of driving condi
tions . Ask your a uthorized Audi dea le r for
more deta ils.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relat ion to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven
tional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or more .
The perfo rmance of low -aspect -rat io ti res i s
part icularl y sensit ive to improp er i nflation
pr essu re. It i s th erefore importan t that low
aspect r atio tire s are infla ted to th e specifi ed
pr ess ure and that the inflation pressure is
regu lar ly che cked and maintained. Tir e pr es·
s ur es sh ould b e chec ked at l ea st once a
month and alw ay s before a lon g trip
<=> page 200, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damag e
Low aspec t ratio t ires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, cu rbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, part icu larly if the tire is
underinflated .
I n o rder to m inimize the occu rrence o f impact
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom -
Tires an d wheel s 211
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma inta in re commended inflation
pressures . Check your tire pressu re eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary.
- Drive caref ully 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, immediate ly inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
au thor ized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000
km) for damage and wear. Damage is no t al
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and under inflat ion, which could eventu
ally cause tire failure .
If you believe that a
tire may have been damaged, rep lace the
tire as soon as possib le .
- These tires may wear more quickly tha n oth
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
de live r responsive handling, they may ride
less comfo rtably and make more noise than
other choices .
Reduced performanc e in winter /cold
season conditions
A ll ti res are designed for certa in p urposes.
T he low aspect ratio, ult ra h igh performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are in
tended for maxim um dry and wet road per
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold , snowy or icy weather condi tions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle w ith all-season or
winter tires, which offer bette r traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow o r all-season t ires specified
f o r yo ur vehicle , or thei r equivalent .
Refer to
<=> page 209 fo r more detailed infor
mation regard ing winter tires .
•
•

212 Tires and wheels
Tire pressure
monitoring system
General notes
Appl ies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and in
f lated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has t ires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates 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 should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly un
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation al
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv
er's responsib ility to ma inta in correct tire
pressure , even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger 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 operating properly. The
TPMS malfunction indicato r is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale. When the sys
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
f lash for approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated. This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction exists. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be ab le to detect or
s ignal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions 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 malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ens ure that the re
placement or alternate ti res and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to veh icles : w ith 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. 151 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 152 Display: System malfunction
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 t ires, this is indicated in the instru
ment cluster with a warning symbol
g and a
message
r=:> fig. 151. Th e driver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
11--