2012 AUDI A6 inflation pressure

252 Tire s and wheel s
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length 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 bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 280.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tightened o r maintained wheel
bolts can becom e loose ca using loss of
c ont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the w heel bolts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
w heel bolts can turn easily and be p rop­
er ly tigh tened .
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lt s an d
the threads in the w heel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- N ever use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Alw ays maintain the co rrec t tighten ing
torq ue fo r th e wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is facto ry-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specific ally fo r your
model fo r their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving condi ­
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
month and always before a long trip
r=> page 241, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ra tio tires can be d amage d more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, g ull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.

In o rder to minimize the occurrence o f impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­ mend that you observe the following precau­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefu lly 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, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer . Replace a damaged
t ire as soon as poss ible .
- In spect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and unde rinflation, wh ic h could eventu­
ally cause ti re fail ure.
If yo u be lieve that a
ti re may have been damaged , replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wear more quick ly than oth ­
ers.
- Please a lso remembe r that, whi le these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other c hoices.
Reduced p erformance in winter /cold
s ea son condit ion s
All ti res are designed for certain purposes .
The low aspect ratio, ultra hig h performance
tires originally installed on your veh icle are in­
tended for max imum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather cond it ions . If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, whi ch offe r better traction under
those cond it ions . We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all -season tires specified
for your ve hicle, or their equiva lent .
Refe r to ~
page 250 for mo re deta iled info r­
mat io n regarding w in ter t ires.
Tire s an d wheel s 253
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
App lies to vehicles : wi th tire p ress ure mo nito rin g system
Each tire, incl uding the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in ­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a d ifferent size than the
s iz e indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat io n pressu re labe l, you shou ld dete rmine
the p roper t ire inflation p ress ure fo r those
t i r es).
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low ti re
pressure te lltale whe n one or more o f your
ti res is significant ly under -inflated . According­
ly, when the low tire pressure te lltale i llumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check your tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un­
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel effic iency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's hand ling and
stopp ing abil ity.
Please note that the TPMS is not a subst itute
fo r proper tire ma intenanc e, and it is the d riv­
er's respo nsibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the leve l to tr igger illum inat ion of the
T PMS low ti re p ressu re tellta le .
You r vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lf u nction indicator to ind icate w hen
the sys tem is not operating prope rly . T he
T PMS ma lfunction indicator is combined w ith
the low tire pressure te lltale. When the sys ­
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale wi ll
flash for approximate ly one min ute and then
rema in con tinuously i llum inated . T hi s se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunct ion exists . ..,.
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254 Tires and wheels
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal 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 funct ioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire p ressure mo nitoring syste 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. 183 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 184 Display : Syste m mal functio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d ividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, th is is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster with a warning symbol
'9] and a
message
<=>fig . 183.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad- justed
(e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle <=>
page 255. You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on driver' s side B-pil­
lar
<=> page 239 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat -
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
<=> page 255.
Warning symbols
'9] Loss of pressu re in at least one t ire r=> & .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The indicator light
'9] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
<=>page 12 .
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
••MIS, ( Ti re Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction .
If IIMIS, appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving
r::!> fig. 184 and the indica­
tor light
'9] in the instrument cluster blinks
f or approximately one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction . See your
authorized Audi dealer as soon as possible .
A WARNING
--If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or more of your tires is significant ly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label
<=>page 239. Driving on a
significantly under- inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to

Tire pressure monitoring system .... .. . 253
Loss of air pressure .......... ... .. . 254
Malfunct ion ..... ....... .... ... .. . 254
Resetting tire pressures .... .. .. .. .. . 255
Tires .. .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 235
Service life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Speed rating letter code ............ 247
T ire manufacturing date ............ 247
Tire specifications ........ .. .. .. .. . 247
Tread depth ............. .... .. ... 245
Uniform tire quality grading .. .. ... .. 249
W inter t ires ..... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 250
T ires and vehicle load limits ... ... .. .. . 243
Tires and wheels Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 241
Cold tire inflation pressure ....... .. . 239
Dimensions ................. ... ... 246
General notes .................. ... 23S
Glossary of tire and loading terminolo-
gy .. .. ... . .... ............. .. .. . 236
Low aspect ratio tires ...... .. .. .. .. . 252
New tires and wheels ......... .... .. 246
Replacing ............ ...... .... .. 247
Snow chains ............. .... .. ... 251
Tires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. . 243
Wheel bolts ............. .. .. .. .. . 252
Winter tires ................ ... ... 250
Tire serv ice life ............. ... ... .. 245
T ools . .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 257
Torn or frayed safety belts ..... .. .. .. . 136
T ouch-up paint ............. ... ... .. 208
Towing Tow truck procedures ......... ..... . 270
TPMS Tire pressure monitoring system .. .. . 254
Trailer towing ................ ... ... 201
Operating instructions ..... .. .. .. .. . 201
Technical requirements . . . . . . . . 201, 202
Trailer towing tips ........ .. .. .. .. . 202
Transmission multitronic ........... ...... .... .. 101
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
T ransmission ma lfunction (indicator
light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106, 111
Transport Canada .................. . 131
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) ...... . ... . 245
Inde x 293
Trip odometer ..... .................. 26
What does it mean when DEF appears in
the tr ip odometer display? ........ .. . 26
T runk
refer to Luggage compartment ... .. .. . 59
Trunk escape handle ..... ....... .... . 256
Trunk lid
refer to Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
T urn signals . .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 43
Warning/indicator lights ............. 22
u
Undercoating ... .. ................. 209
Unfastening safety belts ............. 138
Unidirectional tires ... ............... 235
Uniform tire quality grading .......... 249
Unlocking Power locking switch ........... .... . 35
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Using the key .. ... ...... ........... 35
V
Valet parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Vanity mirrors ..... .................. 45
Vehicle-care products .. .. .... ........ 204
Vehicle electrical system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Vehicle identification label .......... .. 274
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) .. .. 274
Vehicle jack .......... ......... 257,261
Vehicle literature ...... ......... .. .. .. 5
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
w
Warning/indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Airbag system . .. .. ............... . 18
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) ... .. .. . 19
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Electromechanical parking brake ... .. . 16
Electronic power control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Electronic stabilization program (ESP) . . 19
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ... .. 20
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