2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER spare tire

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. .,..

New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 150 Tire specification codes on the sidewall of a
t ire
No. Description
(D Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
@ Radial
@ Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Original tire
@ Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres­
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
veh icle's design . The tires and r ims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major
contribution to good road holding and safe
Tires and wheels 205
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&..
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be performed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
tools and spare parts as well as the proper fa ­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
installing or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and
not ind ividually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢page 212 .
Always buy replacement radial tires that have
the same spec ificat ions as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 198.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important roadhold­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table( <=>
page 198) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located on driver's side
B-pillar ( <=>
page 198, fig. 147) lists the speci­
fications of the original equipment tires in­
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side­
wall of all tires<=>
fig. 150 . This information
identifies and describes the fundamental
characteristics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire identification number
for safety standard certification and in case of
a recall. .,.

general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Ma ximum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire qualit y gr ad ing for treadw ear,
tract ion , an d temp erature resis ta nce
Tread wear , traction and temperature grades
c::> pag e208.
M aximum Permis sibl e Inflation Pr essur e
This n umbe r is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving conditions .
& WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or whee ls or improper tire and whee l
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
collision and serious personal injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed tires or other combina­
t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer .
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . T ires that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on you r vehicle if
yo u are not s ure 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.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i-
Tire s an d wheel s 207
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
contro l.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for examp le w ith winter t ires -only use
the spare t i re for a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor ­
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i­
ble .
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fa il
suddenly.
- Ove rloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of contro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires tha t
are properly infla ted and not over or un­
derinf lated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same ve hicle mode l.
-If you install wheel trim discs on the ve ­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not b locked. Reduced air­
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopping d istances and caus­
ing a co llision .
- Run flat tires may only be used on vehi­
cles that were equ ipped w ith them at the
factory. The veh icle must have a chassis
des igned for run flat ti res and a factory­
installed t ire p ressure monito ring sys­
tem that indicates a loss of ti re p ressu re.
I nco rrec t use of run fl at tires can lead to
veh icle damage o r accidents. Check with
an authorized Audi dealer or tire special­ ist to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit-
ted .
Ill>
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208 Tires and wheels
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the whee l rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­ hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare t ire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire match ing the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The valves could get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requ irements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- T read wear
- Traction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum sect ion width ¢
page 205,
fig . 150 .
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
F or example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relat ive performance of tires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how -ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest
to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under contro lled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢
,&.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­ pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
t ions on a specified indoor labo ratory test
wheel.
Sustained h igh 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 Vehicle Safety Stand ­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent h igher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
whee l than the minimum required by law.
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight -ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction
characterist ics .
A WARNING i- -
The temperature grade for this tire is es-
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excess ive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combinat ion, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire failure.

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--

~ Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bo lts
slightly .
~ Unscrew the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt s light ly
like the rest.
~ T urn the jack handle counter-clockw ise to
l ower the vehicle unti l the jack is fully re­
leased .
~ Use the whee l bolt w rench to t ighten al l
whee l bolts firmly <=>
page 222 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap ­
proximate ly) opposite one, to keep the
whee l cente red.
Q;) Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
(D} Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le b lade from the screw­
driver before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make su re the tread pat­
te rn is poi nted the r ight way
<=> page 226.
- The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing s urfaces of both the wheel
and the hub. Rem ove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before rem ounting the wheel.
Notes on wheel change
Please read the information <=> page 205 , New
tires and replacing tires and wheels ,
if you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you change a tire :
What do I do now? 225
-Check the tire pre ssure on the spare imme­
diately after mounting.
- Have the whe el bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon a s
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel rim s, the wheel
bolt s are cor rectly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you noti ce while changing a tire that the
wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn , then they should be replaced before
you check the tightening to rque.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the whee l co ver.
Until then , dr ive with extra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
w it h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be
sure to rea d the information
¢ page 205,
New tire s and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always sto re the too ls secu rely in lug­
gage com partmen t. Othe rwise , in a n ac­
cident or s udden m aneuver they cou ld fly
forwa rd, causing inj ury to passengers in
the vehicle.
(D Note
D o not use comme rcially ava ilab le tire
se alants . Ot herwise, t he e lectr ic al c ompo­
nen ts of the tire pressu re monitoring sys ­
tem will no lo nger work p roperly and the
sensor fo r the tire pressure mon itor ing
system will have to be rep laced by a quali­
fied workshop. •
•