2013 AUDI A4 warning

234 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on r ims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au ­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the s id ewa ll, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 263.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
also be broken-in. To reduce t he risk of
losing control, a collision and se rious
pe rsonal injuries, drive w it h specia l care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.

240 Tires and wheels Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 3 occupants )
front rear front rear
I
PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA :
S4 Sedan : 245 /40 Rl8 93H
3 .0 liter All Season
36 250 32 220 41 280 41
280
6-cylinder
24S/40 Rl8 93V
I High Performance
39 270 35 240 41 280 41 280
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
High Performance
39 270 33 230 41 280 41 280
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 o cated on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical cha nges may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compa re the tire siz e designation on the
tire pressure labe l o n you r vehi cle w it h the
tires on your vehicle. M ake s ure that the t ire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the t ire s on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be ­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you boug ht the
ve hicle as a p reviously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing s ure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on t he
ve hicle . These load lim its are technically refer ­
red to as th e vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rati ng ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
i ng ( "GA WR ") is the ma ximum load tha t can
be applied at each o f the veh icle 's two axles.
T he G ross Vehicle We ig ht Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance st ic k er labe l located on the
driver's side B-p illar. The tire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
A WARNING
Overloadin g a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n 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 distanc e.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s uddenly ca us ing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g transported - including the weight of
a trailer hitch and t he tongue we igh t of a
loaded tr ail er -does not ma ke t he ve hi­
cle he avier th an the vehicle' s Gro ss V ehi­
cle Weigh t Ra tin g.
.&_ WARNING
- In cor rect tire pressure s and /or u nderin­
fl ation can lead to a serio us or fatal acci ­
dent .
- I nco rrec t tire pressures an d/or un derin­
fla tion ca use increased ti re wear an d can
'
I
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo tha t the vehicl e can carry . For the
l ocat io n of the ti re pressu re labe l~
fig . 191 .
affect the handling of the vehicle. ..,_

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
-Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I a dju st the tire p re ss ures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels . In addition, you must then initi­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*
r:!> page 253.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
II] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
t ion can cause increased t ire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
t ire press ures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressure va lues are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B -pil ­
lar.
- Only when a ll ti res on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work cor­
rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified t
ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the ti re pressure monitor­ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not ha ndle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wh eel immediately, drive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
air as required.
Q) Note
D riving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure tha t factory insta lled
valve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
U nderinflated tires w ill also incre ase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is over loaded will not handle
well and is more d iff icult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
cl ud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation tha t
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are .,..

not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
l oad limits are techn ica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle Weight Rat ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
veh icle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fu el, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
in tended to carry ("seating capacity") w ith a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des igna ted sea ting pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weig ht o f the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
l oaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load.
The
Gro ss A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two ax les.
The G ross Vehicle We ight 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 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
tota l seating capacity of 5. Each seating posi­
tion has a seat belt¢
page 137, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer) is limited. The more passen­
ge rs in the veh icle or passengers who are
h eav ier than the standa rd weights assumed
mean that less weight can be ca rr ied as l ug­
gage.
The tire pressure labe l on you r Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
oc cu pants and luggage o r othe r ca rgo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location o f the
l abe l
¢page 238, fig. 191.
Tires an d wheel s 243
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal 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 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 overload­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden defla tion, causing loss of
contro l and a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the total load be­
ing transpor ted - incl uding the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle We ight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e example below to ca l­
culate the total weight of the
pa ssengers and lu ggage or oth­
e r thing s that you pl an t o tran s­
po rt so that you can make sur e
that your vehicle will not b e
o verloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1 . Lo cate th e statement "THE
C OMBINED WEIGHT OF O C­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi-
c le 's pla card (tire inflation ..,
•
•

symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other co untries
c:> .&. .
Tir e pres sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c:> page 241.
Driving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for mo re even wear
For all four t ires on your vehicle to have the
same se rvice life, we recommend that the
fro nt and rea r tires are rotated according to
the t ire manufacture r's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow ­
ing:
- T ire rotat ion inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Maintenance and Wa rranty Booklet .
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
fo llow the t ire manufacturer's suggested
t ire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all whee l drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c:> fig. 194.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c:> page 263 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H oweve r, va rio us situations d uring eve ryday
driving can cause them to be come unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can us ually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing , suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Tire s an d wheel s 245
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
<=:> page 191.
_8 WARNING
Sudden tire fa ilure 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 ti res are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires .
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. T ires 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 ." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control. •
•

248 Tire s and whee ls
Tir e pl y c ompo sit ion and materi als used
The numbe r of plies ind icates the number of
l ayers of rubber -coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Max imum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadw ear ,
tr act ion, a nd t emper ature re sis tan ce
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c:> page249.
Max imum Permiss ibl e Inflation Pressur e
This numbe r is the greatest amo unt of air
p ressure that should ever be put in the ti re
under normal driving conditions .
A WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
collision and serious persona l injury .
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed t ires or other combina­
t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- 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
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not su re 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.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir- cumference) and the same tread pattern
.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare t ire fo r a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i­
b le.
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on you r vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fai l
suddenly .
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of contro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinf lated .
- For technica l reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other
veh icles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same veh icle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the a ir flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopp ing distances and caus­
ing a co llision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on veh icles that were equipped with them
at the factory. The veh icle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
f a ctory -insta lled tire pressure monitor­
ing system* that indicates a loss of tire
pressu re . I ncorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equ ipped w ith run flat t ires. If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all fou r wheels . Mix ing tire types is not
pe rm itted.

(D Note
-For technica l reasons, it is not genera lly
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare ti re is different from the tires that you have mounted on your ve­hicle (for example w inter t ires or wide
profile t ires), then use the spare t ire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra ca re. Replace the flat tire with the
tire match ing the others on you r vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never dr ive without the valve stem cap.
The valves could ge t damaged.
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the
local requ irements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- T read wear
- T raction AA A BC
- T emperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum sect ion w idth
¢ page 246,
fig . 195.
For e xample: Tread wear 200 , Tract ion AA ,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must confo rm to Feder­
a l Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tr ead wea r
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
F or examp le, a tire graded 150 wou ld wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100 .
The rela tive performance of t ires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how -
Tires an d wheel s 249
ever, and may depa rt s ignificantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits , serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and cl imate.
Traction
T he traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those g rades represent the
ti re's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under contro lled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
¢ A .
Temper ature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­ pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specif ied indoor laboratory test
whee l.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the
mater ial of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
¢ A .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand ­
ard No . 109 . Grades Band A represent higher
levels of perfo rmance on the labo rato ry test
whee l than the minim um requ ired by law.
,&. WARNING
The t ra ction gr ade assigned to t his tire i s
based on s traight -ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acce leration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak t raction
characterist ics .
,&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a tire that is properly inf lated
and not overloaded. Excess ive speed, un­
de rinflation, or excess ive l oad ing, e ither
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
h eat bui ldup and possib le tire failure.
-
•
•

250 Tire s and wheel s
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 winter or "snow " tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These t ires shou ld
only be used in pairs and be ins talled on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
Your veh icle is equipped with all whee l drive ,
this wi ll improve tract ion du ring w inter driv­
ing,
even with the standard tires. Howeve r, we
strongly recommend that you a lways equip a ll
four wheels on you r vehicle with correctly fit­
ted winter tires or all -se ason tires, when w in ­
t e r r oad conditions are expected . This also im­
proves the vehicle's braking performance and
reduces stopping distances .
Summe r tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all four wheels.
Ask your autho rized Aud i dea ler or qualified
workshop for permitted
wi nter tir e sizes . Use
only radia l winter tires.
W inte r tir es lose the ir effe ctiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0.15 7 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires unde r 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).
I f you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
wheel
9 page 246.
P lease always remember that w inter t ires may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi­
na lly installed on your vehicle at the t ime it
was manufactured. Please see
9 page 247 ,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a List ing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maxim um
speed at which the tires can be driven . The speed rating letter code
(
¢ page 23 7) is
on the side wall of the tire
9 page 246 .
A WARNING ,-
Winter tires have maximum speed lim its
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
i mum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off . Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur specific
winter tires. This wi ll cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING ,..___ -
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause tire fail ure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation, loss of control, crashes and ser ious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately .
- W inter 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 yo ur vehicle are rated .
A WARNING
-Always ad just your dr iv ing to the road and
traffic condit ions . Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter t ires and al l wheel
drive tempt yo u into ta king ext ra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive c arefully a nd 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 whe n weather condi­
tions permi t. T hey are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption .