2012 AUDI A6 wheel bolts

248 Tires and wheels
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)
1l
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)l)
Your veh icle is normally factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
c:> page 29 will normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
c:> & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
r epresent the week and year of manufacture.
F or example, the numbers 2211 mean the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2011. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not be used by the tire manufacturer .
T his information is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specially matched with your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characteristics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac -
ll F t· "t h . or ires w 1 a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity ove r
1 4 9 mp h (240 k m/h) , tire man ufactur ers sometimes
use the lette rs " ZR."
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
Th is number ind icates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction , and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c:> page 249.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
un der normal driv ing conditions .
_& WARNING
= -
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control
collision and serious personal in jury.
'
-Always use tires, 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 manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four whee ls must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­ cumference) and the same tread pattern . ..,_

The speed rating letter code (c::> page 23 7) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 246.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than 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 winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@l For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
-
Tires and wheels
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch
(10,S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> (]) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING ,..__
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so. ..,.
251
•
•

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.

Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 187 Luggage co mpa rtmen t: ca rgo f loo r cover
fol ded upwar d/spare t ire
Fig . 188 Trunk lid : Vehicle too l ki t
.. Lift the cargo floo r by the plastic handle
c:> fig . 187.
.. Hook the handle in to the luggage compar t­
ment weather strip .
.. Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise
c:> fig . 187 and remove the spare tire to
reach the vehicle too l kit.
.,. Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wh eel bolt wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- T owing loop
- Jack
Before stor ing the jack, m ake sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
What do I d o now ? 257
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injur ies.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for yo ur vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in­
ju ring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied wit h your Au­
di on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional ext ras .
- Before yo u can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
c:!) page 261.
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire )
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartmen t under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for short-term use only.
T a king out th e spare tir e
.. Lift t he cargo floor by the p lastic handle
<=) page 257, fig . 187 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw ¢
page 257, fig. 187
counter-clockwise .
.,. Take out the spare tire .

• Move select or lever to p osition P q ,& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your veh icle.
• Take the
jack and the spare t ir e out of the
luggage compartment
q page 257,
q page 257.
A WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a f lat t ire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the eng ine,
turn the emergency f lashers on and use
other warning devices to alert o ther mo­
torists.
- Make su re that passengers wait in a safe
pla ce away from the ve hicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- T o help preven t the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automat ic Transm iss ion in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the ground is level and fi rm. If necessa ry,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spa re wheel, make
sure that you replace the flat tire/whee l
in its sto rage area properly and tighten
the kn u rled re taining screw securely.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exa ctly that order .
-
1. Remove the decorati ve wheel cov er* . For
mo re deta ils see also
Q page 260, Deco­
rative wheel covers
o r q page 260,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel b olts q page 260.
What do I do now? 259
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9 .
jack and align the jack below that point
q page 261.
Raise the car with the jack q page 261.
Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll
th e spare c> page 262.
Tighte n all wheel bolts lightly.
Lower the vehicle wi th the jack.
U se the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten a ll wheel bolts q page 260 .
Replace the decora tive wheel co ver*.
A WARNING
A lways read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
informat ion¢
& in Raising the vehicle on
page 261
and r::> page 263.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
• Replace the too ls and the jac k in their prop­
er locat ion .
• The fault whee l wi ll not fit inside the spare
wheel well. Store it in the luggage compart­
ment and secure it so that it does not slide
r::>page 59.
• Check the tire pressure on the spare wheel
immed iate ly after mounting it.
• As soon as possib le, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts c hec ked with a
t o rque wrenc h. The co rrec t tighte ning tor­
que is
90 ft lb (120 Nm).
• Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi ­
b le.
(D Tips
- I f you not ice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked. ..,_
•
•

260 What do I do now?
-After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
i n a ll four ti res must be checked/cor rect­
ed and t he tire pressure mo nitor ing indi ­
cator m ust b e stored in the MMI
Q page255 .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicl es: with decorative wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 189 Chan ging a w hee l: R em ovin g the whee l cove r
Removing
.. Inse rt the
hook (provided with the ve hicle
tool kit) in the hol e in the wheel hub cove r .
.. Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
c> fig. 189.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The caps must b e removed first from the
wheel bol ts before the bol ts can be u n­
s cre wed.
Fig . 19 0 Chang ing a w hee l: remov ing t he w heel bo lt
caps
Removing
" Push the
plastic clip (provide d w ith the ve­
hicle too l ki t) over the w heel bo lt ca p un til the inner
reta iners on the clip a lign with t he
edge of the cover .
.. Remove the cap with the
plastic clip (veh i­
cle tool kit)
c> fig. 190.
Refitting
.. Pla ce t he caps over t he whee l bolts and
push them back o n.
T he cap s are to pro te ct and kee p the w heel
b olts clean .
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
T he wheel bol ts mu st be loosened befo re rais ­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 191 Cha ng ing a w heel: loosenin g th e w hee l bol ts
Loosening
.. Slide the
wheel wrench ont o the wheel bo lt
as far as it w ill go.
.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
ha ndle a nd turn th e wheel bo lts
counter­
clockwise
about on e single tu rn in the dire c­
tion of ar row
c> fig. 191.
Tightening
.. Slide the wheel wrenc h onto the wheel bolt
as far as it w ill go .
" Take tig ht hold of the
end of the wr ench
ha ndle a nd turn each wh eel bo lt
clockwise
until it is seate d .
.8_ WARNING
- Do n ot u se forc e or hurry whe n ch ang ing
a w heel -yo u can ca us e the vehicle to sli p
off the jack and ca use ser io us pe rso nal
i njur ies.

-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
@ Tips
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a whee l bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully push ing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your ba lance
and take care not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jock first
before the wheel con be removed .
Fig. 1 92 Changing a w hee l: mou nting po ints fo r the
jack
F ig . 19 3 Close -up: proper positioning of jack
.. Engage the parking bra ke to prevent your
vehicle from rolling un intentionally.
.. Move the
selector le ver to position P .
.. Position the jack below the door sill under
the
mounting point that is closest to the
wheel to be changed¢
fig. 192.
What do I d o now ? 261
.. Extend the jack under the lifting point on
the door sill until its arm is positio ned di­
rectly under the lifting point ¢,&. .
.. Align the jack so that its arm@¢
fig. 193
engages in the designated lifting point in
the doo r si ll and the movable base @ lies
flat o n the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under th e lifting point @.
.,. Wind the jack up fu rther until the f lat t ire
comes off the gro und ¢ ,&. .
The jack mus t be installed
only at the places
i ndicated ¢
fig. 192. The re is exactly one loca­
tion for each wheel. The j ack mus t not be
pos it ioned at any other location ¢
&.
An unstable surfac e under the jack ca n cause
the ve hicl e to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the ja ck on the g ro und . If nec­
essary p lace a sturdy board or sim ilar support
u nder the jack . On
hard, slippery surface s
(such as tiles) use a rubbe r mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
¢ & .
A WARNING
- You or your passengers co uld be in jured
while c hanging a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safety precautions:
- Positioning the j ack under the vehicle
at any o ther place than those indicate d
above may damage the vehicle or may result in persona l injuries .
- A soft o r uns table surf ace unde r the
j ac k may cause the veh icle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a f irm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary, u se a st urdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as ti les)
use a rubber mat or similar t o prevent
the jack fr om slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yo urself and
your passengers:
- Do not ra ise the veh icle until you are
s ur e the jack is securely engaged .
- Passe ngers must not remain in the ve­
h icle when i t is ja cke d up.

262 What do I do now ?
-Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe p lace away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad­
just as necessary and then continue to ra ise the jack.
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow th es e ins truc tions st ep-by-st ep for
changing the wheel.
F ig . 194 Chan gin g a w hee l: us ing t he sc rew drive r han ·
die (w ith t he bla de re moved) t o tu rn the b olts
Fig. 195 Chang ing a w hee l: alignm en t pin insid e t he
to p hole
Aft er you h ave loosened all wheel bol ts and
ra is ed the veh icle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwd riv ·
er handle to comp lete ly remove the top­
mos t wheel bo lt and set it as ide on a
clean
surface ¢ fig . 194 .
.. Screw the threaded end of the alignment
pin from the too l kit hand-tig ht into the
empty bolt hole
r::;, fig. 195.
.. Then remove the other whee l bolts as de­
scrib ed above.
.. Take off the whee l leaving the a lignment
pin in the bolt hole
¢ 0) .
Putting on th e spar e wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and carefully s lide it
over the alignment pin to g uide it in place
¢ (D .
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the sc rewd river
handle to screw in and tig hten all whee l
bolts
slightly .
.. Remove the a lignment pi n and insert and
tighten the rema in ing wheel bolt slightly
like the rest .
.. Turn t he jack hand le co unter -cloc kwise to
lowe r the veh icle un til the jack is fully re­
leased .
.. Use the wheel bo lt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts firm ly
r::;, page 260 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposi te one, to keep the
wheel cen tered.
(D Note
When remov ing or installing the whee l,
the rim cou ld hit the brake rotor and dam·
age the rotor . Work carefu lly and have a
second pe rson help you .
@ Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
d le of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bolts.
- Pull the revers ible blade from the screw·
dr iver before you use the hexagonal
sock et in the hand le to turn the w heel
bolts.
- Whe n mount ing tires w ith unidirectional
tread design make sure the tread pat·
t er n is po inted the right way
r::;, page 2 63.
- T he wh eel bolts s hou ld be cl ean and easy
t o tu rn . Chec k for dirt and corrosion on
t he m ating surfaces of bot h the wheel
an d t he hub . Remove all d irt from these
surfaces befo re remounting the whee l.