254 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, 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 layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight 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, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l 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 253, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
o r "R F" 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 nom inal d iameter of the bead seat.
If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim 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
t read and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 264 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica
ble , is molded on the tire sidewall and indi
cates the max imum perm issible road speeds
~ A in Winter tires on page 268.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell
tale.
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.
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 .,.
•
26 6 T ire s and whee ls
- 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.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driv ing with different ti res reduces veh i
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare t ire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
f or example with winte r tires -on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the nor
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading t ires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
poss ible to use wheels from other vehi
cles -in some cases not even whee ls
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus
ing a collision.
0 Note
- For technical reasons , it is not general ly
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth
er vehicles . This can ho ld 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 (fo
r example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possib le.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves could get damaged.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
D ispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality g rades can be found where applicab le
on the tire side wall between tread sho ulder
and maximum section width
~ page 263,
fig . 214.
For exampl e: Tread wear 200, Trac tion AA ,
Tempe rature A.
All passenge r car t ires must conform to Feder
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread w ear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
under controlled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one ha lf (1 1/2) times as well on the
gover nment course as a ti re g raded 100 .
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how
ever, and may depart s ignificantly from the
no rm due to va riations i n driving hab its, se rv
ice practices and differences in road charac ter
istics and cl imate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the ..,.
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 . .., •
•
274 What do I do no w?
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand
ard whee l and tir e.
There are some restric tions on the use of the
compact spare t ire . T he compact spare t ire
has been designed specifically fo r you r type of
vehicle . It must not be swapp ed with a com
pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle .
Snow cha in s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not p ermitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear t ire. Install the snow
cha ins on the rear t ire and use it to rep lace
the defective front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex
treme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possib le w ith the
normal wheel and t ire .
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare tire must be 4 .2 bar; oth
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than SO mph (80 km/
h) . You risk having an acc ident .
-Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . You risk hav
ing an acc ident.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire . You risk having an acci
dent .
- Normal summer or winte r tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to dr ive with tire chains, the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
must then be installed in place of the
rea r whee l w ith the flat tire . Installing
the t ire cha in before mounting the whee l
and tire is recomme nded .
- Loose items in the passenger compa rt
ment can cause se rious personal injury
du ring hard bra king or in a n accident.
- Never store the inflatable spare ti re or
jack and too ls in the passenger com
partment.
- Always store all jacking equipment,
tools, and the inflatable spare t ire in
the luggage compartment.
-Tighten the knurled retaining screw for the inflatable spare tire securely .
Changing a wheel
· Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel.
" After you experience a t ire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
l evel ground before you stop ¢ A_.
" All passengers should leave th e car and
move to a safe location ( for ins tance, behind
t he guardrail) ¢&_ .
" Engage the
pa rking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally¢&_ .
" Shift into
1st gear on veh icles with manual
transmiss ion, or move the
selector leve r to
the P posit ion
on vehicles w it h automatic
transmiss io n*.
" If you are towing a trailer : unhitch the trail
er from you r vehicle.
" Take the
ja ck ¢ page 2 73 and the spare tire
¢ page 2 73 o ut o f the luggage compart
ment .
A WARNING ,~ -
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se
curely.
0 Note
If you are changing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps* . For more details see
What do I do now? 275
also ~ page 2 76, Decorative wheel cov
ers
or ¢ page 2 76, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2. Loosen the wheel bolts ¢ page 276.
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢page 277 .
4.
Lift the car with the jack ¢ page 2 77.
5. Remove the
wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
spare tire ¢page 278.
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
7.
Lower the vehicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts in a crisscross pat
tern ¢
page 2 76.
9. Replace the
decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps* .
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information ~.&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page
277 and ¢page 279.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
"' Store and secure the wheel you replaced in
the spare wheel well.
"' Replace the tools and the jack in their prop
er location.
"' Check the
tire pressure of the spare tire as
soon as possible.
"' As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor
que is 90 ft lbs. (120 Nm).
"' Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque .
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked. •
•
282 Fuses and bulbs
Right luggage compartment fuse
assignment
Fig. 229 Rig ht luggag e compar tmen t: fus e pan el w ith
pla stic cl ip
No. Consumer
Amps
Fuse panel @ (black)
1 Luggage compartment lid con-
30
trol module (Avant)
2 Trailer control module 15
3 Trailer control module
20
4 Trailer control module 20
I 5 Electromechanical parking
5
brake
6 Electronic damping control
15
7 Electromechanical
parking
30
brake
8
Vehicle electrical system control
30
module 2
35
10 Vehicle electrical system control
30
module 2
11 Vehicle electrical system control
20
module
12 Terminal 30 5
Fuse panel C (brown) No. Consumer
1
Luggage compartment lid con-
30
trol module
2 Right front seat heating
3 DCDC converter path 1
4 DCDC converter path 2
5 Socke t
7 Electromechanical parking
30
brake
8 Rear seat heating 30
9
Passenger side door control
30
module
11 Passenger
side door control
15
module
Fuse panel @ (red)
1 Rear center console outlet 15
2 Front center console outlet 15
3 Luggage compartment outlet 15
4 Cigarette lighter
15
5 V6 FSI 5
6 Rear Seat Entertainment supply
5
7 Parking
system 7,5
8 Rear wiper (Avant) 15
9
Electromechanical parking
5
brake switch
10 Audi side assist 5
11 Rear seat heating
5
Terminal 15 control modules
Fuse panel© (black)
3 DSP amplifier, radio
MMI
Rearview camera
5 Radio/navigation/cell
phone
prep 7,5
7 cell phone prep
5