
258 Tire s and whee ls
vehicle from handling properly and in
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle
control.
- 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.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be
ing transported -including the weight of
a tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating.
_& WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can lead to a serious o r 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 fai l
ure, including a blowo ut 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 either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
¢ page 256, 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 in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in
use. The ti re p ress ure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflat ion pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefo re, you should never let air out of a warm tire to match "Cold tire
inflation
pressure" recommendations ¢
page 256. The
t ires wo uld then be underinf lated and co uld
fail suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca
t ion of the labe l
¢page 256, fig . 210 .
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 look ing
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 ti re pressu re for a trip -
even one that yo u wou ld not consider to be
" long." See
¢ page 260, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for mo re important information.
Always use an accurate tire p ressu re ga uge
when checking and ad justing inflat ion pres
sures . Check a ll 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 o ut
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 k ind of
dr iv ing you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
t ire 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 vehi cle as listed on the on
yo ur vehicle and in th is m anu al and the kind
of d riving you plan to do.
Ne ver e xceed th e maximum infl ation pre s
sure lis ted o n the tir e side wall for any rea
s on.

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
~

loaded traile r - does not make the
vehicle heavi er than the vehicle's G ross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth
er things that you plan to trans
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 256 ,
fig. 210 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the drive r and pa s
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers from
" XXX " kilo
grams or
"XXX " pounds
shown on the sticker
¢page 256 , fig. 210.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car-
Tires and wheels 261
go and luggage load capaci
ty. For exampl e, if the
"XXX"
amount equal s 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lb s. passengers in your vehi
c le, the amount of available
c argo and lugga ge load ca
pacity is 650 lb s. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs .)
5. Dete rmine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehi cle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capa city
cal culated in Step
4.
6 . If your vehi cle will be towing
a trailer , load from your trail
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re duce s the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
~ Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 263 , fig. 214) to de
term ine the designated load
rating for a specif ic t ire.
•
•
'

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.
•
•

fall f rom a lift if the re is a change in ve
h icle we ight d istr ibut ion and balance.
This might happen, for examp le, when
heavy components such as the engi ne
b lock or transmiss io n are removed .
- Whe n removing heavy components like
these, ancho r vehicle to ho ist o r add cor
r e spond ing w eig hts to ma intai n the cen
te r of g ravity . Othe rwise, the vehicl e
mi ght til t or slip off th e hoi st, causi ng
s er ious perso nal inju ry.
(D Note
- Be awa re of th e f ollowing po in ts b efore
li fting t he vehi cle:
- The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil pan, the transmission housing, the
front or rear axle or the body side
members. This could lead to serious
damage .
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle .
Emergency situations 289
•
•

2 90 General information
General information Explanation of
technical data
Some of the technical data listed in this man
ual requires further explanation .
The technical data for your vehicle is listed in
the charts starting on
r:::> page 292. This sec
tion provides general information, notes and restrictions which apply to this data .
Vehicle identification
The key data is given on the vehicle identifica
tion number (VIN) plate and the vehicle data
sticker.
Fig. 238 Veh icle Ide ntific atio n Number (VlN) p late: lo
cation on driver 's sid e das h panel
Fig. 239 The vehicle identi fication label -inside the
luggage co mpa rtmen t
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
is located on the driver's side so that it is visi
b le from the outside through the windshield
r:::> fig . 238. You can also display the Vehicle
Identification Number of your vehicle in the
radio or in the MM!*. Select :
!CAR ! function
button> Vehicle ID number (VIN). The
vehicle identification label
is located in the luggage compartment near
the battery .
The label¢
fig. 239 shows the following vehi
cle data :
(D Production control No.
@ Vehicle identification No.
® Type code number
@ Type designation/engine output in Kilo-
watts
® Engine and transmission code letter
@ Paint No./Interior
(f) Optional equipment No.'s
Vehicle data 2 to 7 are also found in your War
ranty
& Maintenance booklet.
The safety compliance sticker
is you r assurance that your new vehicle com
plies with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards which were in effect at the
t ime the vehicle was manufactured . You can
find this sticker on the left door jamb.
It
shows the month and year of production and
the ve hicle ident ification number of your vehi
cle (perforation) as well as the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR) .
The high voltage warning label is located on the lock carr ier .
The spark ignition system complies with
the Canadian standard ICES-002.
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
front and rear are Listed on a sticker on the
left door jamb.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating includes the
weight of the basic vehicle plus full fuel tank,
oi l and coolant, plus maximum load , wh ich in
cludes passenger weight (150 lbs./68 kg per
Ill>

designated seating position) and luggage
weight~&. .
Gros s Axle W eight Rating
The G ross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle
q .&. .
Vehicle capacit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max. load) is list
ed either on the dr iver's side B-pillar or inside
the fuel filler flap.
Roof weight
The maximum perm issible roof weight is 165
lbs. (7 5 kg). The roof we ight is made up of
the we ight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object be ing transported
qpage 74, Roof load .
.&, WARNING
- The actual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles shou ld not ex
ceed the permiss ible weights, and their
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing .
- Exceeding permissib le weight ratings can
result in vehicle damage, accidents and
personal injury.
CD Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is distributed evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
transporting a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as possib le so that the vehi
cle's handling is not impa ired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axle loads or the maximum gross vehicle
weight. Always remember that the vehi
cle's handling will be affected by the ex
tra load. Therefore, adjust you r speed ac
cord ingly.
- Always observe loca l regu lations.
-
G ene ral in formation 29 1
Dimensions
The specifications refer to the basic model.
Differences may occur depending on the mod
el type and options ordered, for example, tire
sizes.
CD Note
When driving up steep ramps, on rough roads, over curbs, etc. it is important to re
member that some parts of your vehicle,
such as spoilers or exhaust system compo nents, may be close to the ground . Be
careful not to damage them .
•
•