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.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can a lso damage importan t pa rts of the
ve hicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash.
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are technica lly referred to as the
vehicle's
Gros s Vehicle We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fue l, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the total we ight of any l uggage in the ve
hi cle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gro ss Axl e W eight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pillar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. Vehicles with pow
er individual rear seats* have 4 seating posi
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total
Tire s an d wheel s 243
seating capacity o f 4 . Each seating position
has a safety belt~ page 134, Safety belts .
T he fact th at there is a n upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
l oaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also 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
label ~page239, fig.183.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
hicle contro l, a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we igh t than your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be
ing transported -includ ing the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make t he vehi
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se the exa mple be lo w t o cal
c ulat e th e t otal weight of the
pa sse ngers a nd lu gg age or
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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 .,..
286 Index .:..:..:..::....::.....:..._ ___________________________ _
Auto Safety Hotline ....... ... .. .... . 132
Average consumption ........... .. .... 24
Ave rage speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .. .. .... . 195
B
Battery ... .. .. . .. ..... ..... .. .. .. . 230
Charging . .. .. . ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 233
Important warnings .. .... .. .. .... . 231
Location ... ... ............ .. .... . 231
low ..... .. ................ ..... . 192
Replacing the battery ....... ... ... . 234
State of cha rge .... .... ....... .. .. . 192
Winter operat ion .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . 230
Working on the battery .. ... ... .... . 231
Before driving .............. ... .... . 124
Blended gasoline ....... .... ... .. .. . 215
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 77
Body cavity sealing .. ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 208
Booster seats ................ ... ... 174
Brak e fluid
Ch anging the brake fluid ... .. .. .. .. .
230
Che cking the brake f luid level ... .. .. . 229
What is the correct brake flu id level? ..
229
What should I do if the brake fluid warn -
ing light comes on? ........ .... ....
229
Brake system
Anti-lock b raking sys tem ... .. .. .... ..
19
Brake a ssi st s ystem ...... ..... .. .. . 187
Brake booster ............. ... .. ... 190
Brake fluid .... ... .... ..... .. .. .. . 229
Brake fluid spec ificat ions for refill and re-
p lac ement ....... ....... .. .. .. .. .
230
Brake light defect ive .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 21
Brake pads ............... ... .... . 194
Electromechanica l parking brake .... .. 82
Fluid reservoir ............ ... .... . 229
How does moisture or road s alt affect the
br akes? .. ...... .. ... .... .. .. .. .. .
189
Warning/indicator lights .... .... ..... 14
Worn brake pads symbol ....... .. .... 19
braking guard .............. ... .... .. 87
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Se ttings . .. .. . .. ..... ..... .. .. .. .. 94
Break-in period .............. .. .... . 194
Brake pads ............... ... .... . 194
Tires 194
Bulbs ..... ..... .. ............. .... 269
C
Cal iforn ia Proposition 65 Warn ing . .. .. 220
Battery specific . .................. 232
Capacities .. .. .. .. .. ...... ..... .. .. 278
Engine oil ....... ................ . 222
Car care ...... .. .. .. ....... .... .... 203
Exterior ... .. .. .. ...... ..... .. .... 203
Interior .......... .... ........... . 209
Car carrier
Transporting your vehicle .......... .
274
Catalytic converter 195
Center armrest
Cockpit ...... ... .. .............. ..
5 7
Rear .... ... .. .. .. ...... ..... .. .. . 64
Central locking .. .. .... ... .. .. .. .. .. . 30
Eme rgency locking ... ... .... ... .. .. . 34
Certification .. .. . .. ... ..... ... ... .. 283
Chang ing a wheel .. .......... ...... . 259
Changing engine oil ................ . 226
Chassis (undercoating) .. ....... .... .. 208
Checking
Engine coolant level ............... .
227
Tire pressure ... .. ....... ...... .. .. 241
Child restraints
Danger of using child restraint s in the
front sea t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
144
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and the ir use? ..
184
Child restraint system anchors ..... ... 178
Child safety . .. .. .. ...... ..... .. .... 166
Convertib le locking retractor ..... .. .. 175
Guidance fixtures for lower anchorages 180
Important safety instructions for using
child saf ety seats ................. .
169
Important things to know when driving
wi th children .. .. ....... ...... ....
166
Tether anchors ... ....... ...... .. .. 1 82
Tether straps .. .. ................ . 182
Child safety lock
Rear doors (mechanical) . ..... .. .... .
37
Rear doors (power) ...... ..... ..... . 38
Child safety seats . ................. . 171
Booster seats .... ................. 174
Convertib le child sea ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Pressure malfunction ............ .. .. 17
Recommended oil check int ervals .. .. . 224
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Specification and viscosity .. .. .. .. .. . 222
Engine speed limitation ....... .. .. .. .. 20
Engine start system (indicator lights) .. .. 17
Entry assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Environment Break-in period ........... .... .. .. . 194
Catalytic converter ................. 195
Disposing of your vehicle battery . ... . 234
Driving at high speeds ........ ... .. . 197
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 196
Fuel . .... .. .. .. ........... .. .. ... 217
Fuel economy ............ .... .. .. . 196
Leaks under your vehicle ........ .... 219
Letting the vehicle stand and warm up . 197
Proper disposal of drained brake fluid . 230
Proper disposal of drained engine coo l-
ant . .. .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 228
Proper disposal of drained engine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225, 226
Recycling used engine oil ............ 225
Unleaded fuel ............ .... .. ... 215
What should I do with an old battery? . 234
ESC (Electronic Stability Control)
Warning/indicator lights ............. 18
Event Data Recorder (EDR) ........ .... 187
Exhaust tail pipes .......... .... .. .. . 209
Expansion tank .............. .. .. .. . 227
Exterior lighting ................. ... . 43
Exterior mirrors Adjusting .. .. ........... .. .. .. .... 51
Dimming . .. ............. .... .. .... 51
Heating .. .. ... ... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 51
Exterior temperature display ....... .. .. 23
F
Fa stening
Booster seats .................. .. . 174
Convertible child safety seats . . . . . . . . 172
Infant seats . ............... ... ... 171
Floor mats . .. ............. .... .. .. . 130
Folding table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Foot pedals . ... .............. ... ... 129
Index 289
For the sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and the environment .. 217
Reduc ing engine noise by early upshift-
ing ......... .. .. .................. 10
Refueling . .. .. .. .... ............. 217
Saving fuel by early upshifting ........ 10
Four zone automatic climate control ... .. 76
Front airbags Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
How they work . .. .. . .......... .... 151
Frontal collisions and the laws of physics 135
Front passenger seat adjustment . . . . . . . 60
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Adjust ing . .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 126
Child restraints in the front seat ..... . 144
Fuel Additives ........ .. ............... 215
Blended gasoline . ................. 215
Current consumption ........... .. .. . 24
Fuel filler flap emergency release ... .. 218
Fuel filler neck ... .. .............. . 216
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Gasoline .. .. .. .. .. ............... 215
Gasoline additives .... ......... .. .. 216
Low fuel level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Octane rating .. ... ...... ......... . 215
Recommendation ... . .. .... ........ 215
Refuelling ....... .. ............... 217
Reserve ... .. .. .. .... ............. . 11
Tank capac ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,278
Fuses Assignment . .. .. .. ... ....... .... . 265
Replacing ....... .. ............... 265
G
Garage door opener (Homelink ®) .. ... . 121
Garment hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Gas discharge lamps ................. 269
Gauges Engine coolant temperature . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Speedometer .. .. .. . .. .... ........ . 25
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Trip odometer . .. .................. 25
General illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Generator (warning/indicator lights) .... 16
G lossary of tire and loading terminology 236
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