180 Intelligent technology
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys
tem, anti-slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif
ferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering" and
e lectronic interaxle differentia l lock* /selective
wheel torque control* . ESC is switched on all
the t ime. I n certa in s ituations whe n you need
l ess t raction, you can switch off ASR by p ress
i ng the bu tto n
[ru ¢ fig. 167 or ¢ fig. 168. Be
sure to sw itch ASR on ag ain when you no lon
ger need less trac tion.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents t he wheels from locking up
when braking. The veh icle can still be st eered
even d uring ha rd b rak ing . Apply steady p res
sure to the br ake pedal. Do no t pu mp the ped
a l. A puls ing in t he bra ke peda l ind icates that
the system is he lping yo u to b rake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease bra king
d ista nce. It increases braking powe r w hen the
d river p resses the brake pedal quickl y in eme r
gency situa tions . You mus t press and ho ld the
brake peda l until the situation is over. In
ve hicles with adaptive cruise contro l", the
brake assist system is more sensit ive if the
d ista nce detected to t he vehicle a head is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engi ne power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
tra nsfers t he d rive powe r to the other d rive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches
off to help keep the bra ke on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL will switch on aga in au
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles wi th dynam ic s teering *, ESC he lps
sta bilize the steer ing in crit ica l sit uat ions.
Electronic interaxle differential lock*/
selective wheel torque control*
T he ele ctroni c in te raxle di fferentia l lock ( fron t
whee l drive) o r th e se lective whee l torque
control (all -whee l drive) operates when driv
ing t hro ugh cu rves. The front wheel on the in
s ide of the c urve or both whee ls on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
Th is mi nimizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more precise d rivi ng through
cu rves . The a ppl icable syste m may not acti
vate when dr iv ing in wet o r snowy cond itions.
_&. WARNING
- E SC, A BS, ASR, ED L d ynam ic steering *
a nd the elect roni c in ter ax le d ifferenti al
loc k* /se lective whee l torque control *
cannot ove rcome the laws of physics .
This is especia lly important on slippery
or wet r oads. If the systems beg in acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im
mediately change you r speed to match
the road and t raff ic conditions. Do not
let the increased safety prov ided by
t hese systems temp t you to ta ke r is ks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a lo ss of
veh icle cont ro l, col lision an d ser io us per
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to ro ad, traff ic
an d wea ther conditions . The risk of los
ing contro l of t he vehicle increases when
driving too fast, es pec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
a head. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys
t e m, ASR, EDL dynam ic s teer ing* and the
elec tronic inte raxle differe ntia l lock*/se
lective whee l to rque contr ol* cannot p re
vent co lli sion s.
- Always accelerate wi th special care on
eve n smooth s urfaces su ch as those that
'
ar e we t or covered w ith i ce and snow.
T he drive whee ls can spin even w ith
-
these assistance systems that can not ~
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do n ot tow a tra ile r during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
t h e ext ra load
o page 269.
Trailer towin g 193
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
"' Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
"' With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.. Tur n the whee ls towa rds t he curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake.
.. Move the se lector lever to P.
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Sta rt t he engine .
.. Move the se lector lever to D/S .
.. Release the pa rking brake and s low ly pull
out a nd away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto
matic transmission to P befo re a pplying
the parking brake and before bloc king the
whee ls, you may have to use more force
l ater to move the l ever out of the P posi
tion .
•
•
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. You
may not find this information on all tires be
cause it is no t req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 229
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in wh ich the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see¢ page 228, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor
re sp onding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
•
•
232 Tires and wheels
you have stored. The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monito r
ing system* will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢.&. .
See the illustration¢
fig. 182 for the location
of the label on driver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l label and exact location on the ve
hicle wi ll vary slightly) .
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
Model Tire designation
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tir e
pressure label is located on the driver's side 8-
pillar always takes precedence.
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressu res for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as original
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)
front rear front rear
AS Cab- 225/50 Rl 7 94H
riolet: All Season
2.0 liter 24S/40 R18 93H
4-cylinder All Season
245/45 Rl 7 95H
All Season
255/35 R19 96V High Performance
55 Cabrio- 245/40 R18 97V
let: High Performance
3.0 liter
6-cylinder 255/35 R19 96V
High Performance PSI kPA PSI
33 230
30
35 240 32
32 220 29
32 220 32
39 270
35
39 270 35
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
210 36 250 39 270
220 38 260 41 280
200 35 240 38 260
'
220 35 240 38 260
I
240 42 290 44
300
.
240 42 290 44 300
I
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
located on a label on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
ve hicle equipment during the model year, al
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be
lo ngs to someone else or you bought the veh i- cle
with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
l oad lim its are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are techn ically refer
red to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at eac h of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the .,.
th e f unct ion of the tire pressure monitor
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a w heel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest serv ice sta
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as requi red.
{Q) Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves . To preve nt this,
always ma ke s ure t hat facto ry installed
va lve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mounte d on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflat ed tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are l imits to the amo un t of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not handle
w ell and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an a lso damage import ant parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are n ot exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . Th ese
Tire s an d wheel s 235
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a f ull
tan k of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
max imum load. The max imum load incl udes
the n umber of passengers t hat the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for eac h
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and the tota l weight of a ny luggage i n the ve
hicle. If you tow a tra ile r, the we igh t of the
tra iler hi tch and the tongue we igh t of t he
loaded tra iler mus t be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR ") is
the max imum load th at can be appl ied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fe ty comp lian ce sti cke r la bel lo cate d on the
driver's side B-pillar. Audi has
4 seating pos i
tions, 2 in the front an d 2 in the rear fo r total
seating capacity of 4 . Eac h seati ng position
has a seat belt
q page 132, Safety belts.
T he fac t 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 ( includ ing 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 w ho are
heavier than the sta ndard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be ca rried as lug
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and l uggage or other cargo that
the ve hicl e can ca rry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
la bel
q fig. 182 .
_&. WARNING
--==
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss o f ve -
h icle cont ro l, a crash or other accide nt, se-
rious pe rsonal in ju ry, and even death. ..,
•
•
246 Tires and wheels
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
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. 187 Display: underinflation warning
N :;:; 9 a:
l:l
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
tor ing system compares the tire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
dividual tires.
If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, this is indicated in the instru
ment cluster with a
[I] warning symbol and a
message
r:!> fig. 187 . The driver message in the
display goes out after S seconds. The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! SET ! button. If only one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its position.
The tire press ure monitoring system must be
reset via radio or MMI* each time the pres
sures are adjusted (e. g . when switching be
tween partial and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a tire on your veh icle
r:!> page 247 . The TPMS indicator only moni
tors the tire pressure that you have prev iously
stored . You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on driv
er's side 8-pillar
¢page 231.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
ter istics 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
c;, page 247.
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire c;, .&,..
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The
[I] indicator light in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via radio or MMI*.
11Nl~1 (Tir e Pressure Mon itor ing System) Tire
pressure: System malfunction!.
IfllilB appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving and the
[I] indicator light
in the instrument cluster blinks for approx i
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunction .
Attempt to store the correct tire pressu re
c;, page 247. If the indicator light does not
turn off or if it turns on shortly thereafter, im
mediate ly driv e your vehicle to an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized repair facility to
have the malfunct ion corrected.
A WARNING
-
- If the tire pressure ind icator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is sign ificantly under
inflated . Reduce yo ur speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In
f la te the tire pressure to the prope r pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label
r:!> page 231. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the t ire to overheat and can lead to tire
fa ilure . Under -inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the co rrect tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
-Under certain conditions (such as a spor
ty driving style, winter conditions or un
paved 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.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction .
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was developed using tires with the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall ~
page 238. We recom
mend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro
tated or changed, the
TPMS must be reset via
radio or
MMI*.
~ Before resetting the TPMS, the current pres
sures 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 231.
~ Turn on the ignition.
~ Select: the ICARI function button> Tire
pressure monitoring
> Store now . Or
~ Select: the ICARI function button > Car sys
tems*
control button > Servicing & checks >
Tire pressure monitoring > Store tire pres
sures.
(D Tips
Do not store the ti re pressure if there a re
snow chains on the tire.
Tires and wheels 24 7
•
•
250 What do I do n ow ?
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks or other objects . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automatic Transmiss ion in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before yo u change a wheel, be su re the
ground is leve l and firm. If necessa ry,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the
jack * and the replaced ti re in the l uggage
compartment
r=>page 12 7.
(D Note
If you are chang ing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or s imilar object to
bloc k the opposite wheel to prevent the
veh icle from mov ing.
@ Tips
Obey a ll laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly tha t order .
1. Remove the decorativ e wheel c over* or
the
wheel bol t cap s* . Fo r more details see
a lso
r=> page 250, Decorative wheel cov
ers
or ¢ page 251, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel bo lts r=> page 251.
3 . Locate the proper mount ing point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
r=> page 252.
4 . Lift the car with the jack r=> page 252.
5. Remove the wheel with th e flat tire and
then i nstall the
spar e tire r=> page 253 .
6. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly .
7 .
Low er the ve hicle w it h the jack.
8 . Use the wheel bolt wrench an d
firmly
tighte n all whee l bolts in a crisscross pa t
tern
r=> page 251.
9. Replace the decorative wheel c over* or
the
wheel bolt cap s*.
A WARNING
A lways read and follow all WARNINGS and
i nformation
r=> .& in Raising the vehicle on
page 252
and r=> page 254.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
r=> page 127.
.,. Check the tire pressure of the spare tire as
soon as possible .
"' As soon as poss ible, have the
tighteni ng
torqu es
on all wheel bolts checked w ith a
t orque wrenc h. The correct tig hte ning tor
que is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
repl aced as soon as possi
b le.
(D Tips
- If
you not ice that the wheel bo lts ar e
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they shou ld be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Dr ive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: w ith decorative w hee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 19 0 Cha nging a whee l: removing t he w heel cove r Ill>