The speed rating letter code (c::> page 230) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 238.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter 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 your vehicle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter tires and all wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al
ways remember :
- When braking, an all wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@l For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Tires and wheels 243
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
~ Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi
cle or installing them incorrectly can in
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different sizes . Always make sure to follow the in
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all wheel drive .
•
•
24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If differen t rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system funct ions
correctly .
In ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
i s the same model~
page 2 71.
_& WARNING
Improperly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
jury.
- Always keep the wheel 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 bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque .
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle .
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and com e out when the veh i
cl e is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
@ Note
The spec ified torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) wi th a toler ance of
± 7,4 ft lbs. (± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque m
ust be checked as soon as possi
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
a uthori zed Audi dea ler or q ua lified work
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . T hese tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety o f driv ing condi
t ions . As k your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-r atio tire s is
pa rt icul arly s ens itive to imp ro per i nfl ation
pressure. It is therefore import ant that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pre ssure and that the inflation pressure is
r e gularly checked and maintained . Tire pres
sur es should be checked at l east once a
month and always before a long trip
~ page 233, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w it h potholes, c urbs, g ull ies
o r ridges on the road, pa rticul arly if the tire is
u nderinfla ted .
In orde r to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to t he tires of your vehi cle, we recom
mend tha t you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressu res. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2 ,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces -
sary. ..,.
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.
248 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 188 luggage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the vehicle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take out the spare
tire* and cover¢
page 248.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignment p in for changing the whee l
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- Tool for changing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang-
ing light bulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some of the vehicle items listed above are provided on certain models on ly or are opt ion
a l extras.
Before returning the jack* to its place, retract
the jack arm fully.
A WARNING
-
-Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can
not attain the necessary tightening tor
que if yo u use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir- cumstances should it be
used to lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a potential risk for injury .
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
App lies to vehicles: with space -saving spare t ire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
Fig. 189 Spa re tire
Removing the spare tire
.. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
¢ fig. 189 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart
ment weather strip .
.. Turn the large screw ¢
fig. 189 counter
clockwise .
.. Take out the spare tire .
.. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
¢ page 127.
.. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tire)
The compact spare t ire is only intended for
emergencies until you can reach a repair shop .
R ep lace it as quickly as possible with a stand-
ard wheel and tire. ..,.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been des igned specifically for your type of
ve hicle.
It must not be swapped with a com
pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle.
Snow cha in s
For technica l reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not permitted .
If you do have to dr ive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mou nt the spare whee l w ith
tire instead o f a rea r ti re . Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
o r if it is worn down to the tread wear in
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex
t reme caution and careful driving .
- The spare tire is intended only for tem
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possib le w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire, the tire pressure must be checked as soo n as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c ompac t sp are tire must be 4.2 bar; o th
erwise, yo u risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You risk having an a ccident.
- Avoid fu ll-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing. Yo u risk h av
ing an acc iden t.
- Never drive us ing more t han one spa re
whee l and tire. You risk having an acci
dent.
- No rma l su mmer or wi nte r tires m ust not
be mounted on the comp act spare whee l
rim.
- F or technical reasons, t he use of ti re
chains on the spare tire is not permitted .
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare whee l must be mounted on the
front axle in the event of a flat in a rear
What do I do now? 249
tire. The newly available front whee l
m ust then be insta lled in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the t ire cha in before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compart
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard bra king or in a n accide nt.
Never store the spa re tire or jack and
too ls in t he passenger compa rtment.
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 t ire failure, p ull the
car we ll away from moving traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop¢ A.
"' All passengers should lea ve the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢ &, .
"' Engage the
park ing brak e to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢&, .
"' Move the
se lec tor lever to th e P position .
"' If you are towing a t ra iler : unhit ch the trail
er from you r vehicle.
"' Take the
jack ¢ page 248 and the spare tire
c::> page 248 out of the luggage compart
ment .
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l-
l ow these safety precaut ions :
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use other warning devices to a le rt other mo
torists.
- Ma ke sure that passenge rs wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
-
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the ..,. •
•
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>
Removing
• Inse rt the hook provided with the veh icle
tool kit in the hole in the hub.
• Pull
off the decorative wheel cover
¢fig. 190 .
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Appl ies to vehicles: with whee l bo lts w it h cap s
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un
screwed .
Fig. 191 Changing a wheel: remov in g the wheel bo lt
caps
Removing
• Push the plastic clip provided w ith the vehi
cle tool kit over the whee l bolt cap until it
engages.
• Pull on the
plastic clip to remove the cap
¢fig . 191.
Refitting
• Place the caps over the wheel bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protec t and keep the wheel
bol ts clean.
What do I do now? 251
Loosening and tightening the wheel
, bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais
ing the vehicle.
Fig. 192 Changing a whee l: loosening the wheel bolts
Loosening
• Insta ll 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
¢fig . 192.
Tightening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bo lt 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 .
.&_ WARNING
-Do not use force or hurry when chang ing
a wheel -you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
inj uries.
-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
befo re you raise the vehicle with
the jack . - Yo u risk an injury .
{D Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
hand le of the screwdr iver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully pushing
Ill>
252 What do I do now?
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 li~ed with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
Fig. 193 Sill panels: mark ings
Fig. 194 Sill: posit ion ing t he veh icle jack
The location of the jack point is indicated by
an indentat io n on the underside of the vehicle
~fig.193 .
• Activate the parking brake to prevent the
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
¢ fig. 193. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the vehicle jack.
• Turn the
vehicle jack located under the lift
ing point on the si ll to raise the jack until
the jaw
Q fig . 194 @ covers the notch on
the vehicle¢ &¢(D .
• Align the vehicle jack so the jaw@ covers
the notch and the base p late @ is flat on
the floor . The base plate@ must be
vertical
under the lifting point @. •
Insta ll the rod on the vehicle jack: Insert
the rod into the opening on the handwheel.
Turn the rod left or r ight to secure it.
• Continue raising the jack with the rod unti l
the wheel lifts off the ground slightly.
Position the vehicle jack
only under the desig
nated lifting points on the si ll
¢fig. 193.
There is exactly one location for each wheel.
The jack must not be positioned at any other location ¢ ,& ¢Ci) .
Soft ground under the jack can cause the ve
hicle to slip off the jack. Always place the jack
on firm ground. Use a flat, stable support if
necessary. Use a non -slip surface such as a
rubber mat on a
slippery surface such as tile .
.&, WARNING
-You or your passengers could be inju red
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l
low these safety precautions:
- Position the vehicle jack on ly at the
designated lifting points and align the
jack. Otherw ise, the vehicle jack could
slip and cause an injury if it does not
have sufficient hold on the vehicle.
-A soft or unstable surface under the jack may cause the vehicle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a firm base for
the jack on the ground. If ne cessa ry,
us e a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery su rface (such as tiles)
u se a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping.
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the veh icle and
well away from t he road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad
ju st as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack. .,_