2012 AUDI Q7 brake

Tires an d wheel s 2 79
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label located on the driver's side 8-
p ill ar a lways takes precedence.
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inf lation pressures for the A udi model
I Engine Tire designation
covered by your Owner 's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal­
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
normal load condition full load condition front rear front rear
I
PSI II kPA PSI kPA PSI j[ kPA PSI kPA
2 55/5 5 Rl8 109H XL
All Sea son
265 /50 Rl9 ll0H XL
All Sea son
3.0 /3 .0 TDI 275 /45 R20 ll0H XL
6 -cy lind er All S ea son
275 /45 R20 110V XL
High Performance
295 /35 R21 107V XL
High Performance
35 240 35
35 240 35
35 240 35
35 240 35
36 250 35 240
44
300 49 340
240 44 300 49 340
240 44 300 49 340
•
240 44 300 49 340
I
240 44 300 49 340
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
l ocated on a label on the driver's side 8-pilla r.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year , al­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on you r vehicle. Ma ke su re that the tire
si ze information on the ve hicle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­ l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
ve hicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that
l oad limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­ red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
i ng ( "GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be appl ied at each of the veh icle's two axles.
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weig
ht Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
drive r's side 8-pillar . The tire pressure labe l on
yo ur A udi lists t he maxim um combined
weight of all o f the occ upants and luggage or
othe r cargo that t he vehicle can carry. Fo r the
location of the tire press ure label ¢
fig. 23 7.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a 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.
- T ires on a vehicle that has been overload ­
ed can fail suddenly ca using loss of con-
trol and a crash . ..,.
•
•

28 2 T ire s and wheel s
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded wi ll not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle control
,
but can a lso damage impo rtant parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure in-
,
eluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are tech nically referred to as the
vehicle 's
Gr oss Vehicl e W eig ht Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories , a full
tank of fuel , oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maxim um 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 designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer h itch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
ve hicle load .
The
G ro ss Ax le We ight Rat ing ("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 compliance st icker label located on the
driver's side B -p illar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 i n the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. On vehicles w ith
six seats*, your veh icle has two front seats,
two seats in the second row seating and two
seats in the third row seating . On vehicles
with seven seats*, your vehicle has two front
seats, three seats in the second row seating
and two seats in the third row seating . Each seating position has a seat belt
q
page 170,
Safety belts .
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded 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 carr ied as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weig ht of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . Fo r the location of the
label qpage278, fig. 237.
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro 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 s uddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavi er than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se t he exa mple b elo w t o ca l­
c ulat e th e t otal w eight of the
pa sseng ers a nd luggage or

A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your 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.
Tires and wheels 285
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 241 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rat ing
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

288 Tire s and whee ls
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (rolling c ir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the no r­
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi ­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maxim um
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly.
- Overloading ti res cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
poss ible to use wheels from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even whee ls
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve­
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked . Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping d istances and caus­
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on vehi­
cles that were equipped with them a t the
facto ry. The vehicle mus t have a chassis
desig ned for run flat tires. Incorrect use
of run flat tires can lead to vehicle dam­
age or accidents. Check with an a uthor­
ized Audi dea ler or tire specialist to see if
your vehicle can be equ ipped w ith run
flat tires. If run f lat tires are used, they
must be installed on all four wheels. M ix­
ing t ire types is not permitted. (D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er veh icles. T his can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w it h the
tire mat ching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possib le.
- Never d rive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves cou ld get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
D ispose of o ld tires in accordance w ith the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the t ire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 285,
fig. 241 .
For e xample: Tread wear 2 00 , Traction AA ,
Temperature A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread w ear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 1S0 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.

driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary . Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains beca use 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.
(0 Tips
W here snow cha ins 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 installed r ims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the cor rect wheel bolts wit h the right
lengt h and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ens ures t hat w heels a re fitted
secure ly an d that the brake system f unctions
correctly.
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a d ifferent vehicle -even if it
is the s ame mode l~
page 3 21.
& WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tig hte ned to the specified
torq ue.
Tire s an d wheel s 2 91
-On ly use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce t he
risk o f a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when t he vehi­
cle is mov ing.
If the tig hte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
120
ft l b ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7, 4
ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque w heel bo lts
d iagon ally . After changi ng a w heel, the
torque m ust be chec ke d as soon as poss i­
b le with a to rque wrench -preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or q ua lified work­
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped with tow aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road feel
and handli ng under a var iety of drivi ng condi­
tions. As k your au thori zed A udi dealer for
more de tails.
The low asp ect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a nu mera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n ume ra l rep resen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidew all height in rel ation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven ­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important th at low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres-
sures should be checked at least once a .,..
•
•

2 98 What do I do now?
The compressor must not be connected to
the c igarette lighter socket, as this socket
does not provide the required power.
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 moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop r::::> /.1. .
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrai l)
r::::> /.1. .
• Engage th e parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
r::::> /.1. .
• Move selector lever to position P r::::> /.1..
• If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle .
• Block the diagonally opposite wheel with
the fo ld ing chocks or other objects .
• Take the
jack and the inflatable spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
r::::>page 295.
& WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if yo u do not fol­
low these safety precautions :
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis ­
tance
off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic .
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the whee l being changed with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one front wheel is lifted
off the ground, plac­
ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se­
curely.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these ­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only vehi­
cles w ith Adaptive Air Suspens ion)
r::::> page 154.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also
r::::> page 299, Deco­
rative wheel covers or r::::> page 299,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts r::::>page 299 .
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the jack and align the jack below that point
r::::>page 300.
S. Lift the car with the jack r::::> page 300.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll the
inflatable spare tire
r::::>page 301.
7. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack.
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts r::::> page 299.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. De activate the vehicle jack mode (only ve­
hicles wi th Adaptive Air Suspension)
r::::> page 154.
& WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
in format ion
c:::> &. in Raising the vehicle on
page 301
and c:::> page 302.

300 What do I do now?
Loosening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
c> fig. 251.
Tightening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
A WARNING
- Do not use force or hurry when changing
a wheel - you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack. - You risk an injury.
@ Tips
If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find it
easier to loosen by carefully pushing 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 balance and take care not
to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
Fig. 252 Sill pane ls: mar kings
Fig. 253 Sill: posit ioning the jack
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode* (only vehi­
cles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
<::> page 154.
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
.,. Move the
selector lever to position P .
.,. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that
is nearest the wheel that will be changed
c> fig. 252. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the jack.
.,. Turn the
jack located under the lifting point
on the sill to raise the jack until its arm@
c> fig. 253 is located under the designated
plastic mount
c> & c::> (D .
.,. Align the jack so that its arm @ c::> fig. 253
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door sill and the movable base® lies
flat on the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under the lifting point@.
.,. Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground
c> ,& .
Position the jack only under the designated
lifting points on the sill
c>fig . 252. There is
exactly
one location for each wheel. The jack
must not be positioned at any other location
c> .&. c> CD.
An unstable surface under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground. If nec­
essary place a sturdy board or similar support under the jack . On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
c> ,&.. liJI,

302 What do I do now?
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat­
tern is pointed the right way
¢ page 302.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy
to turn. Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing surfaces of both the wheel
and the hub. Remove all dirt from these
su rfaces before remount ing the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in
the right direction.
Using a spare t ire w ith a tread pattern
int ended fo r use in a specific direct ion
When us ing a spa re tire w ith a t read patte rn
i n te nded for use in a specific direction, p lease
note the fo llowing:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an ar­
row on the side of the tire .
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the in­
correct d irection, use the spare tire only
temporarily since the t ire will not be able to
a chieve its optimum perfo rma nce character­
ist ics w ith reg ard to aquapl ani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend tha t you pay pa rticular at ­
tent ion to this fact du ring wet weather and
that you adjust your speed to ma tch road
con ditions.
- Replace the fla t tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your veh icle as soon as
poss ible to restore the handling advantages
of a unid irect iona l tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read t he i nfo rmat ion Q page 285, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if yo u are
go ing to use a spa re tire which is different
from the tires on yo ur vehicle.
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spar e imm e­
diately after installation .
- Ha ve the wheel bolt tightening torque
ch ecked with a torque wr ench as soon a s
po ssible by your authorized Audi deal er or
a qua lifi ed workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rim s, the wheel
bolt s are corre ctly tightened at a torque of
120 ft lb (160 Nm) .
- If you notice that the wheel bolts ar e cor ­
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be repla ced before y ou
c heck the tightening torque .
- Re pla ce the flat tire wi th a new on e and
have it in stalled on y our vehi cle a s soon a s
po ssible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until th en , dr ive with extra car e and at re­
duc ed speed s.
&_ WARNING
-
- If you a re going to eq uip you r vehi cle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be
sure to read the information
Q page 285,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always make s ure the damaged wheel o r
even a flat tire and the jack and tool kit
are property secured in the luggage com­
partment and are not loose in the pas­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, injuring anyone in the
ve hicle.
- Always store damaged wheel, jack and
too ls securely in the luggage compa rt­
ment. Othe rwise, in a n accident o r sud­
den maneuve r they could f ly forwa rd,
causing inj ury to passengers in the ve hi­
cle.