2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

The Gross Axle Weight Rating ("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 sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B-pi llar . Your Audi has 2 seating
positions in the front for total seat ing capac i­
ty of 2. Each seating posit ion has a safety belt
c::> page 101, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
ve hicle's Gross Veh icle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the veh icle is limited . The more passen­
gers in the veh icle or passengers who a re
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The t ire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
occupants and luggage o r othe r cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
la be l c::>page 187, fig. 148.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
r ious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than yo ur vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of veh icle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, includ ing a b lowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
Tires and wheels 191
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 187,
fig. 148.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 187, fig. 148.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci-
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
c le, the amount of available .,..
•
•

192 Tires and wheels
cargo and lugg age load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs . (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lb s.)
5. De termine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the a vailable cargo
and luggage lo ad capacity
c alcul ated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a tr ailer , load from your trail­
er w ill be tran sferred to your
vehi cle . Consult this manual
to determine how thi s re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 193 , fig. 151) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
diff erent things i ncluding prop er installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv ·
ing s tyle.
Fig. 150 T ire tread: trea d wea r ind icators (TWI)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI )
The orig inal tires on yo ur vehi cle ha ve
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wear indic ators"
¢ fig . 150 ru nning acro ss the tread . Depend·
ing on the ma ke , t here will be six to e ight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire . Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the pos itions of the tread
wea r indica to rs. Wor n tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in othe r countries
¢ .&_ .
Tire pressure
Incor rect t ire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
o nce a month
¢ page 189 .
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy accele rat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
However, va rious s ituations dur ing eve ryday
driv ing can cause them to become unbal·
anced, resulting in vib rations you can usually
feel th rough the steer ing whee l.
Un balanced w hee ls m ust be rebalance d to
avo id excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
whe n a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
s ive tire wear , impa iring the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle.
If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment chec ked by an authoriz ed
Audi deal er or qualified wo rksh op.
All-wheel drive
Only the wheel/ti re sizes specif ied by the
manufacture r may be used on veh icles with
all-wheel d rive. For details see
c::> page 147.

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 193
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 151 Tir e specifica tion codes on t he s idew all o f a
t ir e
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal w idth of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S . DOT tire identification number
® Audi Origina l tire
® Severe snow conditions
@ T ire 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 spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

194 Tire s and wheel s
contribution to good road ho lding and sa fe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ ,& .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ire s and wheels
Tires sho uld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢page 195.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 187.
Audi-approved specification ti res are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(¢page 187) lists spec ifica­
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on driver's side
B-pillar (
¢ page 187, fig. 149) lists the speci­
f ications of the orig inal equipment tires in­
stalled on your veh icle at the time it was man­
ufactured.
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 151 . This information
i dent ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ident ificat ion number f
or sa fety standard ce rtification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of ti re specificat ions makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P 23 5 / 35 R 18 91 Y
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the t ire is for passenger cars
2 35 Nom inal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construction : Radial
18 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF") indicates
that the t ire is a"Re inforced" or an "Extra
Load" t ire
M +S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The t ires could also have the information of
direction of rotatio n ¢
page 183.
Ti re manufa ctur ing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
" D OT ... 2211. .. " means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2011.
Speed rating (lette r co de)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 198.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)

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)
1 )
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your veh icle is no rma lly factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac ­
teristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort ¢&. .
U.S. DO T Tire Identification Numbe r (TIN )
and ti re manufacture date
This is the ti re's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
ti re meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufac tured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
For example, the numbers 2210 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
20 11. The othe r numbe rs a re mar keting co­
des tha t may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con ­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi original tire
Tires wi th the ident ificat io n "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ia lly matched with your Aud i. We
r ecommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authori zed Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composit ion and materials u sed
The number of p lies ind icates the n umbe r of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weig ht a tire can support. Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 km/ h), ti re ma nufa ctur ers some times use
t h e l ett ers " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 195
tire, which incl ude stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the max imum load in
kil ograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempe ra tur e grades
¢page 197 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
Replacing tires or rims on veh icles
equipped with tire p ressure monitoring
system
T he w heels on yo ur vehicle are equippe d with
a sensor which constantly monito rs the ai r
pressure inside the tire, a nd then transmits
th is information to the tire p ress ure monitor ·
ing system. If yo u are going to replace the
whee l rims on your veh icle, make sure the new
rims also have these sensors . The sensors
must be compatib le with the t ire pressure
monito rin g sys tem on your vehicle .
If you install rims, wh ic h do not have the sen­
sors, or have senso rs which are not compati­
ble , then the t ire p ressure monitoring system
will not wor k prope rly. In t his case, the tire
pressure monitor ing system wou ld no t be
able to moni tor the tire pressure or warn yo u
i f i t is necessary .
- The battery inside of t he tire pressure sen­
sor has a limited se rvice life .
- Always dr ive with the va lve stem caps se­
curely mounted . We recommend using fac­
t o ry installed valve stem caps. As k yo ur au­
t hori zed A udi dealer to rep lace lost valve
stem caps .
•
•

196 Tire s and wheel s
The insta llation of replacement tires with
steel cord body plies in the tire sidewall may
cause ma lfunction of the tire pressure mon i­
toring system, and is not recommended (cord material information in molded on the t ire
sidewall) .
A lways check your tire pressure monitoring
system ind icator after replacing one or more
tires on your vehicle. If the tire pressure mon i­
toring system ind icator flashes, or is on, your
system is not work ing properly.
A WARNING
- Us ing incorrect or unmatched ti res and/
o r wheels or imp roper tire and whee l
c ombin ations can lead to loss of contro l,
co llision and serious persona l injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of or ig inal
f ac to ry-installed t ires or other combina ­
tions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer .
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, es pecially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
o ld 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 a re 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 s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle control.
- Only t he wheel/tire s izes spec ified by t he
ma nufactu rer may be used o n veh icles
with all-wheel dr ive.
- N ever drive faste r th an the maxim um
speed for whi ch the tires o n your ve hicle
are ra ted because ti res that are driven
f as ter than their rated speed can fail
s u dden ly .
- Overloading t ires cause heat build- up,
s u dden tire failure, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control. -
Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technica l reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same ve hicle model.
- Do not use run-flat tires on yo ur vehicle.
Using run-flat t ires ca n lead to veh icle
damage or crashes .
@ Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the w heel rims from oth­
er ve hicles . Th is can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type .
- If you should put different wheels and
tires on your veh icle (e.g . winter wheels
and tires), you must be certain that the
wheels and tires are compatible with the ti re pressure monitor ing system. Other ­
w ise the system will regi ste r a mal func­
t ion and a fa ult message w ill be dis­
played. For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
(D Note
- When installing new tires, be care ful not
to damage the va lves or tire pressure
monitoring system sensors.
- N ever drive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves co uld get damaged.
- If the sensors must be replaced, then
the valve must also be replaced at the
same time .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dis pose o f old tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements .
@ Tips
Tires with the iden tific ation "ROl " have
been specially matched with you r A udi. We
r ecommend using on ly these tires because
they meet the highest standards rega rding
safety and driving characteristics when used correctly . Your authorized Aud i R8

dealer will g ladly provide you with more
information.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- T emperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the ti re side wa ll between tread shoulde r
and maximum section wid th ¢ page 193,
fig. 151 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Tract ion AA ,
Temperatu re A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requi rements in addition to these
grad es.
Tread we ar
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a spec ified
government test course .
For example, a t ire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) t imes as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100 .
The relat ive perform a nee of ti res depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to var iat ions in dr iv ing habits, serv­
i ce practices and differences in road character­
i stics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B and
C. Those grades represent the
tire's abil ity to stop on wet pavement as
measured unde r controlled cond it ions on
spec ified gove rnment test su rfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire ma rked C may h ave po or
t ra ction perfo rm ance¢ &..
Temp erature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and C, repr ese nting the t ire's resistance to
the gene rat io n of heat and its ab ility to dissi-
Tire s an d wheel s 197
pate heat when tested under controlled condi ­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
whee l.
Sustaine d high temperature can cause the
mater ia l of the tire to degenerate and red uce
tire life, and excessive tempe rat ure ca n lead
to s udden tire failure ¢ &. .
T he gr ade C correspon ds to a level of pe rform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet u nder the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand­
ard No . 109 . Grades Band A represent higher
l evels of performance on the laboratory test
whee l than the minimum requ ired by law.
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to th is tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include accele rat ion,
cor neri ng, hy droplaning or peak t ra ction
ch aracte rist ics.
A WARNING
T he temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablishe d for a tire that is properly inf lated
and not overloaded . Excess ive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, e it h er
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possible tire failure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true w inter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. T hese tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
fou r wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
ti res that a re the same si ze and construction
type as the othe r ti res on you r vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive*, th is w ill improve traction during winter
driv ing, even with the s tanda rd tires . Howev-
er, we stro ngly recommend that you always ..,.
•
•

198 Tire s and wheel s
equip a ll four wheels on your vehicle with cor ­
rectly fitted winter tires or all-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected .
This a lso improves the vehicle's braking per­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter t ires (snow t ires) must always be fitted
on all four whee ls .
Compat ible tire pressure mo nitor ing sensors
must be installed on all fo ur winter tires for
the tire pressure monitoring system to func­
tion proper ly
i=;, poge 195 .
Ask your autho rized Aud i dea ler o r qualified
wo rkshop fo r permitted
winter tir e size s . Use
on ly radia l w inte r tires .
W inter t ires lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with wi nter tires under winter con­
d itions . Summer tires hand le better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C).
Please always remembe r that w inte r tires may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi­
na lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime i t
was manufactured. Please see
r=;, page 194 ,
Speed roting (letter code) for a list ing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed ra ting lette r code
(i=;, poge 185) is
on the s ide wall of the tire
i=;, poge 193.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max ­
im um speed . Always know the maxim um
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal in ju ry to you and yo ur passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your veh icle
were designed can cause t ire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
l oss of cont ro l, crashes and ser ious per­
sonal injuries. Have wo rn o r damaged ti res
r eplaced immedia tely.
- W inte r ti res have maxim um speed rating
tha t may be lower than your vehicle 's
maximum speed.
- Never drive fas ter than the speed for
which the win ter or othe r ti res installed
on yo ur vehicle are rated.
A WARNING ~
A lways ad just your driving to the road and
traffic condit ions. Never let the good ac­
celeration o f the winter tires and a ll-wheel
drive tempt yo u into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
veh icle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
~ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi ­
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
-
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the rea r
whee ls, and o nly to certa in tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i dea le r o n whi ch t ire si zes
snow c hains ca n be used.
T he snow chains must have low-p rofile links
and must not be t hicker than 0 .53 inch
(13 .5 mm), in cl ud ing the lo ck.
Remove wheel center covers before putt ing
snow c ha ins on your vehicle
r=;, @ . For safety
reasons cover caps must then be f itted over