2012 AUDI A6 wheel

214 Cleaning and protection
-When cleaning your safety belts, inspect
them for damage.
If you discover dam­
age, see your Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c> page 204.
Engine compartment
Be especially careful when cleaning the en­
gine compartment.
Always switch off the ignition before clean­
ing the engine
c> .&..
Plenum panel
Remove leaves from the plenum pane l in front
of the windsh ield under the engine compart­
ment. This prevents the water dra in ho les
from becoming blocked, and it prevents de­
bris from entering the vehicle interior through
the heating and venti lation ducts .
Corrosion protection
The engine compartment and transmission
have been corrosion -protected at the factory.
Good ant i-corrosion treatment is very impor­
tant, particularly in the winter. If the veh icle
is frequent ly driven on salt treated roads , the
enti re engine compartment and plenum panel
should be tho roughly cleaned at the end of
winter and retreated to prevent sa lt damage.
At the same time, the underside of the vehicle
should be washed as we ll.
If the engine compartment is cleaned at any
time with grease removing solutions
1l, or if
you have the engine washed, the anti-corro­ sion treatment is a lmost always removed as
well. It is therefore essential to have a long­ lasting corrosion protection reapplied to all
surfaces, seams, joints and components in the
engine compartment .
1l Use o nly the co rrect cle anin g so lu ti on s. Ne ver use gas­
o lin e or d ie se l fuel.
A WARNING
Be aware: The eng ine compartment of any
motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous
area .
- Before work ing in the engine compart­
ment, be sure to read the information
c> page 220.
-Before reach ing into the front panel, al ­
ways sw itch off the ignition . Otherwise,
the windshield wiper system could unin­
tentionally be switched on, possibly
causing personal injury from the moving
wiper linkage .
- Never reach into the area around or
touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary fan
is temperature controlled and can sw itch
on suddenly -even when the ignition is
off.
- Do not wash, wax or dry the engine with
the engine running . Moving or hot parts
could injure you.
- Do not clean the underside of the chas­
sis, fenders, wheel covers, or other hard
to reach parts without protecting your hands and arms . You may cut yourself on
sharp-edged metal parts.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
c> page 204.

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . T ires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on eac h tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, you r vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspec ting t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 235
New tires
New tir es have to be broken in ¢ & .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat io n or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the s idewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 263.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re fo r the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, c ras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
spee ds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

236 Tires and wheels
-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.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory -installed equip ­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of
steel wires, wrapped o r reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a tire of a designated size that has not been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted. -
If you notice unusual vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor vehicle w ith
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
terfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded weight of
the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at the maxi­
mum permissib le inflation pressure for that
tire.

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 pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressu re."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) 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 overall diameter of an inflated 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 para llel 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 t ire in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Tires and wheels 237
Recommended inflation pressure
see~
page 236, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL ", "x l", "E XTRA 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 w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim fla nges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread 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 247 . 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 pe rm issib le road speeds
~ .&. in Winter tires on page 251.
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.
•
•

238 Tires and wheels
Tread
means t hat port ion of a tire that comes into
con tact w it h t he road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the t read from the ti re
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the pr inc ipal
grooves designed to give a v isua l ind ication of
the deg rees of wea r of the tread . See
~ page 245, Tread W ear Indicator (T WI) for
mo re info rmat io n on measu ring ti re wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States Nat io nal Highway Traffic Safety
Admi nistration (N HTSA) that is designed to
h e lp buye rs make relat ive compa risons among
tires. The UTQG is not a safety rating an d no t a
g ua ran tee t hat a tir e will las t fo r a presc ribed
nu mber of m iles (kilome ters) or perform in a
certain way. It s imply gives tire buye rs addi ­
tional informat ion to com bine with ot her con­
side rat ions, s uch as pr ice, brand loya lty and
dea ler recommendations. Under UTQG, t ires
are g raded by t he tire manufacturers in th ree
areas: treadwear, tract io n, and temperature
res ista nce. Th e UTQG i nfo rmation on the tires ,
mo lded into t he s idewalls.
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the t ire 's "serial number". It begins
with the lette rs "DOT" and indicates that the t
ir e mee ts a ll fede ra l standards. The nex t two
numbe rs o r letters in dicate the plant where it
was man ufactu red, and the last four numbers
represent the wee k and year of man ufact ure.
For example,
DOT . .. 2211 ...
me ans th at the tire w as produ ced in t he 22nd
wee k of 2011. T he othe r num bers are m arket­
ing co des that may or may not be used by the
t ir e manufacturer . This information is used to
contact consume rs if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the ra ted ca rgo an d luggage lo ad plus
150 lbs. ( 68 kilog rams) times the vehicle's to ­
ta l seating ca pacity as listed on the la bel lo ­
cated on the driver's side B-pilla r.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
me ans tha t load on an individu al tire tha t is
de termined by dis tributi ng to eac h axl e its
share of the maxim um loa ded vehicle weight
and dividing by two .
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means th at l oad o n an individua l tire tha t is
de termined by dis trib uti ng to eac h axle its
share o f the cur b weight , accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weig ht (distr ibuted in
accordance with tab le be low ~
page 238)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading and distribution for veh icle normal lo ad fo r variou s designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants
5
Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants _____ malty loaded vehicle
3 2 in front , 1 in back s eat

Tires and wheels 239
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig . 1 78 Tir e pr essur e labe l: located on drive r's s ide B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressu re genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire tha t it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
square inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
pa rt o n the vehicle's desig n an d load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi­
cle can carry safe ly and the ti re size . The prop ­
er tire pressure is freq uent ly referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inf lation pressure ."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of interna l frict io n when it flexes in
use . The ti re p ressu re is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
i nflat io n pressure i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefo re, you s ho ul d never let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " cold tire infla tion p res­
sure" recommendations . The tires wo uld then
be underinf lated a nd could fail suddenly.
M ain taining proper t ire press ure is one of the
most impor tan t thi ngs you c an do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinfla ted tires
are a major cause of s udden tire failure . Keep­
ing tires at the r ight pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, b rak ing and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sures are part icularly important wh en th e
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds , and
then especially when h eavily loaded even
within the permi ssible load -carrying capaci­
tie s approved for your vehi cle.
~
"' ~
,.------------------- ~
•(=~: I := I ~ I )§ :ll
,.,,. ........................ ...., .... ~----.... _ ... t.._.. .... _..,.. .... ......,... .. ~--......... ·- ..
- KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
Fig. 17 9 Tir e pressu re labe l
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires on your ve hicle
and t he number of passe ngers and/or amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side 8-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n pressures
for the veh icle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires that we re o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was manufactu red.
If you wish to improve comfort when op erat­
ing the ve hicle at normal load (up to 3 occu­
pant s), you can adju st tire pres sures to those
spe cified for normal vehi cle load . Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressure s to those
speci fied for maximum vehicle load
¢ .&.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system* can on ly mon itor the tire p ress ures
yo u have sto red. The sys tem does not recog ­
nize the load condi tion of your veh icle.
T he effectiveness of the t ire p ress ure monitor­
ing system * w ill be impa ired i f you s to re no r­
m al load pressures but t hen opera te the veh i­
cle a t its maximum load
¢ .& .
See the ill ustration 9 fig. 178 fo r the lo cat ion
of the label o n driver's s ide B-pillar (color of
the actu al label a nd exact lo cat ion on the ve­
hicle will vary s light ly).
Note t hat the follow ing table is accu rate at
the time of going to press and is s ubject to

240 Tires and wheels
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure labe l is located on the driver's side B­
p ill ar a lways takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the Audi model covered
by your Owner's Literature at the vehi ­
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
I Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear I
(displace-
normal load full load normal load full load
ment
in li-condition condition condition condition
I
ter) PSI II kPA PSI JI kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA :
4-cylinder 225/55 Rl 7
97H
2.0 All 5eason
32 220 35 240 29 200 38 260
245/45 Rl8 lOOH XL '
32 220 35 240
29 200 38 260 All Season I
255/40 Rl9 lOOH XL
32 220 35 240 29 200 38 260
All Season
255/40 Rl9 lOOY XL
30 210
33 230
30 2 10 36 250
High Performance
255/35 R20 97V XL
35 240 38 260 32 220 41 280
High Performance
I 6-cylinder 225/55 Rl7
97H '
35 240 38 260 32 220 41 280
3.0 All Season .. -. • .. .. .. .. ..
All Season 35 240 38 260 32 220 41 280
245/45 Rl8 100H XL
255 /40 R19 lOOH XL
'
35 240 38 260 32 220 41 280 All Season I
255/40 Rl9 lOOY XL 36 250
39 270
33 230 42 290
High Performance
255/35
R20 97V
XL '
39 270 44 300 36 250 46 320
High Performance
I
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel i s
located on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during the model year, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle. Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle . These load limits are techn ically refer­
red to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We ight Rat­
i ng ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label on .,.

your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the locat ion of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 178.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carry ing 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
t rol.
- The bra kes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may no t be able to stop the
vehicle within a sa fe distance.
- T ires on a vehicle that has been ove rload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
tro l and a c rash.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing t ransported -including the we igh t of
a tra iler hitch and the tongue weight o f a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi ­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
& 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
fla tion, 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 label and in the tab le
Tire s an d wheel s 241
¢ page 239, Cold tire inflation pressure .This
means that the pressure m ust be checked and
adjusted when the t ire has not been dr iven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the t ire heats up
as a result of internal frict io n as it flexes in
u se . T he tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up t han whe n it is " cold. "
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never le t air out
of a wa rm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat io n
pressure" recomme ndat io ns ¢
page 239. Th e
t ir es wo uld then be unde rinflated and co uld
fail suddenly.
T he tir e pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum cap acity for the new, or ig inal
equipmen t tires tha t were on your ve hicl e at
the time it was ma nufactured. For the loca ­
tion of the labe l
¢page 239, fig. 178.
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if yo u drive over a pot­
ho le or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire press ures at
l east once a month and a lways befo re going
on a long trip. Make s ure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long. " See
¢ page 243, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and ad justing inflation pres ­
sures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any t ire
is too h igh when the ti re is "cold," let a ir out
of the t ire s low ly w ith the edge o f 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
driv ing you plan to do. •
•