2012 AUDI A5 COUPE warning

Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the correct
tire pressure for the t ires on your vehicle .
It is importan t to check the tire pressu re when
the t ires a re cold .
- Read the requ ired ti re p ressure from the tire
pressure label. On USA veh icles, the t ire
pressure label is located on the drive r's side
B-pi llar . On Canada vehicles, the tire pres ­
s u re label is located either on the driver's
s ide B-pi llar or inside the fue l filler flap . The
t ire press ure label lists the recommended
cold tire inflation pressures for the veh icle
at its max imum capacity weight and the
t ires that were on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured . Fo r recommended t ire
pressures fo r normal load condit ions, please
see chapter
9page 256.
- T urn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressu re ga uge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires a re cold . The
s li ghtly raised p ressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you a re
c a rrying.
- Re install the valve stem cap o n the valve .
When should I check the ti re pres sure ?
The correct tire pressure is espec ially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways befo re start ing a journey . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I ad ju st the tire p re ss ures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After chang ing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition , you must then in it i­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure mon itor ing system*
9 page 270.
Tire s an d wheel s 259
_& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serio us pe rsonal injury
or even death.
- When the
ti] warn ing symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
s topping ability.
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or unde rin­
f lation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudd en de­
f lation, ca using loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- T he drive r is responsi ble for the co rrec t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The appli cable pressure values a re locat ­
ed on a sticke r on the dr iver's side B -pil­
lar or on the inside of the fuel filler flap.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil ­
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres­
sure mon itor ing system * can work cor ­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressu re va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of th e ti r e p ress ure monito r­
ing system*.
- Always inf late tires to the recommended
a nd correct t ire p ress ure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with unde rinflated tir es bend
mo re, lett ing t hem get too hot resulting
in tre ad separation, sudden tir e fa ilure
and loss of cont rol.
- Exces sive speed and/overloading can
cause heat b uild- up, s udden tire failure
an d l oss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prema turely and the
vehicle wi ll not handle well.
- I f the tire is not fla t and you do not have
to change a wheel immedia tely, drive a t •
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to c heck t he tire pressure a nd add
air as required.
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the valve .
@I For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is ove rloaded w ill not ha ndle
well and is more difficult to stop. Over load ing
can no t on ly lead to loss of vehi cle contro l,
but can also damage important pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudd en deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are techn ically referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle W eight Rat ing
(" GVWR ").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all f actory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load . T he maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is in tended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weig ht of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for e ach
passenger at a des igna ted seat ing pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve ­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
tra iler hitch and the tong ue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
ve hicle load . T
he
Gro ss Axle We ight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weigh t Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located either
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the ins ide of
the fuel fi ller flap . Audi has
4 seating pos i­
t ions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for to tal
seat ing capac ity of 4 . Each seating position
has a seat belt ¢
page 154, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle 's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle ( includ ing t he weight of a
t railer hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra ile r) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier tha n t he standard we ights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug ­
gage.
T he tire pressure label o n your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combi ned weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e vehicle can carry. Fo r the location of the
label ¢
page 256 , fig. 210.
A WARNING
-Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The b rakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be abl e to stop the
veh icle w it hi n a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s udden ly, incl uding a blowo ut
a nd sud den defla tion, causing loss of
con trol an d a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g tr anspor ted - incl ud ing t he weight o f
a trailer hitch and the tongue we igh t of a
~

A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your 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.
Tires and wheels 263
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 214 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD 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 rat ing
(f) 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
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/
h)
s up to 1 10 mph (180 km/ h)
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)ll
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1l
y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1l
Your veh icle is normally factory equipped with
tires, which posse ss excellent driving charac ­
ter ist ics and give your Audi opt imum dr iving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
q page 27 w ill normally p revent your vehi cle
from go ing faster than the tire speed ra ting
Q .&. .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufa ctur e date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the lette rs "DO T" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the p lant where it
w as manufactured, and the last four numbers
represen t the week and ye ar of manufacture .
For example, the numbers 2209 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
2009 . The othe r numbe rs are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer. This informa tion is used to con ­
t act consume rs if a tire defect requires a re ­
call.
Audi Original tir e
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO " have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only t hese tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving characteristics when used
correctly. Your authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly p rovide you with mo re info rmation .
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e le tters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 265
Tire ply composition and material s used
The number o f plies indicates the number o f
l aye rs of r ubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
genera l, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tir e can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, po lyester, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
T his number indicates the maximum load in
ki lograms and po unds that can b e carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
tract ion , and temperature resistance
Tread w ear, traction and t emperat ure grades
q page 266.
Ma ximum Permissible Inflat ion Pre ssure
T his number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder normal dr iving conditions.
A WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and I
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
col lis ion and serious personal injury.
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina ­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old c an only be used in an emerge ncy
an d then w ith special care and at lower
spee ds.
•
•

tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
t raction performance¢ .&,.
Temp eratu re
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
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 ¢.&, .
T he grade
C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.8, WARNING
The trac tion grade assigned to this t ire is
b ase d on stra ight-ahead brak ing t raction
t ests, and does not inclu de acceleration,
co rnering, hydrop laning or peak traction
characteristics .
.8, WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es ­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible ti re fa ilu re.
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 a reas, loca l governme nts
may require t rue winter or "snow" tires, those
Tires an d wheel s 267
with very deeply cut tread. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
fo ur wheels. Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same si ze and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with a ll-wheel drive,
th is w ill imp rove traction d uring winter driv ­
ing, even with the standard tires. However, we
strong ly rec ommend that you always equip all
fou r wheels on you r vehicle with correctly fit­
ted w inter t ires or al l-season t ires, when win­
te r road cond itions ar e expected . This also im­
proves the veh icle's b ra ki ng perfo rman ce and
reduces stopping d ista nces .
Summe r tires p rovide less grip on ice and
snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all four wheels .
Ask your authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use
only rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires under winte r con ­
ditions. S ummer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °().
If you have a flat t ire, see no tes on spare
whee l ¢ page 263.
P lease alway s remember tha t win ter tire s m ay
have a lowe r speed ra ti ng than the tires orig i­
nally installed on your vehi cle at the time it
was man ufactured. Please see ¢page 264,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
T he spee d rating letter code (¢ page 254) is
on the side wall of the t ire ¢page 263.
.8, WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max-
imum speed . Always know the max imum
~
•
•

268 Tire s and wheel s
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING
Driv ing faster than the maximum speed
for which the w inter t ires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fa ilu re 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 rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster t han the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winte r tires and all -wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. Al­
ways remembe r:
- When brak ing, an all -wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
canno t he lp under black ice condit io ns.
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather cond i­
tions permit . They are quieter, do not wea r
as quickly and reduce fue l consumption .
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, a nd only to certa in tire sizes. Ask yo ur
author ized Audi dealer on wh ich tire sizes
snow chains can be used. The snow chains must have
low -profile links
and must not be thicker than 0 .53 inch
(13.S mm), includ ing the lock.
Remove whee l cen ter cove rs and t rim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
¢ 0 . For safety reasons cover caps m ust then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail ­
a ble from authori zed Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your veh i­
cle o r instal ling them incorrectly can in ­
crease the risk of loss of cont rol leading to
serious pe rsonal injury .
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions p rov ided by t he snow cha in
manufac turer.
- When driving with snow cha ins never
d rive faster than the speed permitted for
your specifi c snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains down un necessa rily .
- Snow chains, which come into direc t con­
tact with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage i t. Therefo re , make sure tha t the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
t he pos ition of t he snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces ­
sary. Follow the inst ructions from the
snow chain man ufacturer when do ing so.
(I) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer ­
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to ve ­
hicles w ith all whee l dr ive .

Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If differen t rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -eve n if it
i s the same model
¢ page 295.
_&. WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
whee l bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. 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 maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor ­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cl e is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
Q;) Note
The spec ified torque fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) with a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lbs.(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts
Tire s an d wheel s 269
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque m ust be checked as soon as possi­
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
a uthori zed Audi dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory -equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a var iety o f driving cond i­
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l rep resents the ra tio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
T he performance of low-a spe ct- ra tio tire s is
p ar tic ul ar ly se nsi tiv e to i mprop er i nfl ation
pre ssure. It is the refo re important that low
a spect ratio t ires are inflated to the specified
pr ess ure and that th e inflation pr essur e is
r e gula rly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tir e pre s­
s ure s should b e check ed at l east once a
m onth and alwa ys befo re a long trip
¢ page 258, Checking tire pressure.
What you c an do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, g ull ies
o r ridges on the road, pa rticularly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
In orde r to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following p reca u­
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressu res. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces-
sary . .., •
•

wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly .
Tire pressure indicator appears
Appl ies to vehicles: w ith t ire pressure monitoring sys te m
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 . 2 15 Display: underin flati on wa rning
Fig. 216 Disp lay: System malfunction
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
tor ing system compares the t ire tread circum ­
fe rence and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires.
If t he pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indica ted in the instru­
men t clus ter with a
[I] warning symbo l and a
message ¢
fig. 215. The driver message in the
disp lay goes out after 5 seconds . The drive r
message can be d isplayed again by pressing
the
! SET ! button. If only one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos ition.
The tire press ure monitoring system must be
reset via radio o r MM! * each time the p res­
sures are adjusted (e.g . when sw itching be­
tween partial and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
<::> page 2 72 . You can find the recommended
Tires and wheels 2 71
tire p ressu res for your vehicle on the label on
drive r's side B-pillar
c!;> page 256 .
Tire tread circumference and vibrat ion charac­
teris tics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- t he t ire p ress ure in one or mo re tires is too
low,
- t he tir e has s tructural damage,
- the t ire pressu re was changed, w heels rotat-
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
c::>page272 .
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire c::> .&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary . T he
[I] indicator l ight in the instru­
ment cluster also illum inates
<::> page 13.
Check/cor rect the p ress ures of all fou r tir es
and reset TPMS via radio o r M MI*.
11@1@1 (Ti re Pressure Monito ring System) Tire
pre ssure! Sy stem ma lfunction .
Ifll@lf:1 appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving
c::> fig . 216 and the [I] indi­
cator light in the instr ument cluster blinks for
approximately one m inute and then stays on,
there is a system malfunction. See your au­
thorized Aud i de aler as soon as possible .
& WARNING ~
- If the tire pressure ind icator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or more of your tires is significant ly unde r­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or b raking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressures . In­
flate the tire pressure to the prope r pres­
sure as indica ted o n the v ehicl e's tire
p ressu re labe l
c::>page 256. Driving on a
sig nifican tly un der- infla te d tire causes
the t ire to ove rheat and can lead to ti re
fa ilu re . Unde r-inflation also is l ikely to
impair the vehicle's hand ling and stop­
ping ability .