2012 AUDI A8 wheel

252 Tire s and wheel s
chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(D} Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­hicles 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 installed r ims. If different rims
are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly 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 mode l
¢page 282.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bol ts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, 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
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the risk of a whee
l loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tighte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd 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. Afte r changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque wrench -pre ferably by an au thor­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a var iety of d riv ing condi ­
t ions . As k your author ized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low -a sp ec t-ratio tires i s
pa rticularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure . 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 checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 241, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies .,..

or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is underinflated .
I n o rder to m inim ize the occu rrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your veh icle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflat ion
pressures. Chec k your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3 ,000
km) and add air 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 a lso
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 possible .
- Inspect 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 underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause tire failure . If you be lieve that a
t ir e may have been damaged , replace the
t ire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r mo re qui ck ly than ot h­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, whi le these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
l ess comfortably and make mo re noise than
othe r choices.
Reduced performance in winter /cold
season condition s
All tires are des igned for certa in pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally installed on your veh icle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold , snowy or icy weather condit ions .
If
you dr ive under those circums tances, you
should equip your veh icle with all -season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond itions . We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
for your ve hicle, or their equ ivalent.
Tire s an d wheel s 253
Refer to q page 250 for more detailed infor­
mation regard ing winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith t ire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, incl uding the spare (i f provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in ­
flated to the inf lation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle ha s tires of a different size than the
s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire i n­
flat ion pressu re labe l, you shou ld dete rm ine
the p roper t ire inflation p ress ure fo r th ose
t ir es).
As an added safety feature , your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon ito ring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low ti re
pressure te lltale when one or more of your
tires is significant ly under -inflated . Acco rding­
l y, 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 ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er's respons ibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
rea ched the leve l to tr igger illum inat ion of the
T PMS low tire p ressure tellta le .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lfunction indicator to ind icate when
the system 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 ..,_
•
•

254 Tires and wheels
remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
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 functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires 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
Appl ies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring sys te 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. 188 Display: underinflation warning
Fig. 189 Display: System malfu nction
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru- ment
cluster with a warning symbol
[I] and a
message
r=> fig. 188.
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
plac ing a tire on your vehicle
r=> page 255. You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the Label on driver's side 8-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
r=> page 255.
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressu re in at least one tir e ¢ ,&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The indicator light
[I] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 11 .
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
IIQllfl (Tir e Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction .
If IIQIS, appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving¢
fig. 189 and the indica­
tor light
[I] 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 you r speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering 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
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability .
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the correct tire pressures. You must check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­ ty driving style, winter conditions or un­paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
-Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could also result.
@ Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- To ensure a proper TPMS function use
AUDI Original Tires which are marked
with "AO" or "RO" on the tire sidewall.
¢page 246.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was syntonized using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification. We rec­
ommend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring syste m
If the tire pressure is adjusted , wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
~ Switch on the ignition.
~ Select in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
Car systems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures> Yes, store now .
Tires and wheels 255
(D Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of all four tires must correspond
to the specified values. Adjust the tire
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying ¢
page 239.
-Do not store the tire pressures if you are
driving with snow chains. Otherwise, a
system malfunction may occur .
•
•

Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 192 Luggage co mpa rtmen t: ca rgo f loo r cover
fol ded upwar d
Fig. 193 Trunk lid : Vehicle too l ki t
.. Lift the cargo floo r by the plastic handle.
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
men t weather strip ¢
fig. 192.
.. Remove the spare wheel to reach the vehi -
cle tool kit .
.. Remove the foam piece.
T he onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers* or wheel
hub covers
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Al ignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Towing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make 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
¢ page 262 .

2 58 What do I do n ow ?
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)*
Applies to vehicles: with space-saving spare tire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
Fig. 194 Spare tire
Tak ing out th e spar e tir e
• Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
¢fig. 194.
• Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
• Turn the large screw¢
fig. 194 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire .
• Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the repla ced ti re in the l uggage com­
partment~
page 130.
• Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as poss ible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare t ire
has been des igned specifically for your type of
vehicle.
It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare tire from another type of vehicle .
Snow chains
Fo r technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compa ct 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 whee l w ith ti
re instead of a rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defect ive front t ire.
A WARNING
=
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
d icators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as poss ible with the
normal whee l and tire.
-Afte r mounting the compact spare tire,
the t ire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire must be 4. 2 bar; oth­
e rwise, you risk having an a cciden t.
- D o not dr ive faste r th an 50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u ris k havi ng a n accident.
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
b rak ing, and fast corne ring. You risk hav­
i n g a n accident.
- Neve r d rive using more than one spa re
wheel and ti re. You r is k having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or win ter t ires must not
be mou nte d on the compa ct spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of t ire
chains on the spare tire is not permit ted .
If it is necessary to drive with t ire 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
rear whee l with the flat tire. Installing
the t ire chain before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause se rious personal injury
du ring hard b raking or in an accident.
Never store the i nflatable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
men t.

Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 1 95 Luggag e compartment: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 195.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart ­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 195 counter­
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment
c:> page 130 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 259
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 tire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 257,
c:> page258 .
& WARNING
You or you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert 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 possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
- After insta lling the spare wheel , make
sure that you replace t he f lat t ire/wheel
-

260 What do I do now ?
in its storage area properly and tighten
the knurled retaining screw securely.
@ Tips
Before changing the wheel, you m ust acti ­
vate t he jacking mode , so that the auto­
matic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus­
pension do not make it more diff icu lt to
lift the vehicle with the jack
q page 262.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence de scribed below s tep-by-s tep and in
exac tly tha t order.
1. Act ivat e the vehicle jack mod e
¢page 262.
2. Remove the de corat ive wh eel co ver* . For
more details see also¢
page 260, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 261 ,
Wheels with wheel bolt cops.
3 . Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 261 .
4. Locate the proper mo unt ing po int for the
jack and align the jac k below that point
¢ pag e 262.
5. R ais e the car with the jack¢ page 262.
6. Remove the wheel with the fl at tire and
then in stall
the spare ¢ page 263 .
7. Tigh ten all wheel bol ts ligh tly.
8 .
Lo wer the veh icle with the jack .
9 . Use the whee l bolt wrench and
firml y
tighte n all whee l bolts ¢ page 261.
10. Replace the decorative wheel c over*.
11. De activate the veh icle jack mode in the
MMI:
! CARI function button> Ca r syst em s
control button > Se rv icing & chec ks > Air
sus p.: jack mode > Off.
The vehicle jac k mode sw itches off automati­
cally at speeds above 10 km/h.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
¢ &. in Raising the vehicle on
page 262
and ¢ page 264.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
.,. Alw ays store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the repl aced tire in the luggage com­
pa rtment
¢ page 130.
... Check the tir e pres su re on the spare wheel
immed iate ly afte r mounting it.
.,. As soon as possib le, have the
tight ening
torque s
on all whee l bolts checked with a
torque wrench . The correc t tightening tor ­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
... Hav e the flat tire
repl aced as soon as possi­
ble .
@ Tips
-If you notice that the wheel bo lts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Dr ive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the t ire press ure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire pressure monitoring ind i­
cator must be stored in the MMI
¢ page 255.
' Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: w ith decorative whee l covers
The decora tive wheel covers mus t be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fi g. 1 96 Chang ing a whee l: Re mov ing th e w hee l cov er
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (prov ided with the vehicle
too l kit) in the ho le in the whee l hub cover . .,..