2013 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET tire pressure

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. ..,
•
•

236 Tires and wheels
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer - does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
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)
¢fig. 182.
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 pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢fig. 182.
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
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 SO
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­ duces the available cargo

and luggag e load c apaci ty of
y our vehicle.
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(c:::> fig . 18 6) to d etermine th e
de sign ated load rating f or a
s p ecific tir e.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balan cing , correc t tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fi g. 1 84 Tire t rea d: tread we ar ind ic a tors (TWI)
.__ __ __,, ,.)
Fig . 185 Rotat ing t ires for more eve n wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
<=> fig. 184 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
t hem evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example ''TWI " or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires m ust be replaced.
D ifferen t fig ures may apply in o ther co untries
¢ ,& .
Tires and wheels 23 7
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire press ure c auses prema ture wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
reason , tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
r:!) page 233.
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy acce le ra ti on
and har d brak ing inc rease tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even w ear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life , we recommend that the
front and rear t ires a re rotated a ccording to
the tire man ufactur er's suggested tire ro ta­
tion intervals . Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation in tervals may differ from the
veh icle servi ce inte rv al s o utli ned in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Boo klet.
- The longer one tire is used in one lo cation
on t he veh icle, the more it wears a t cer tain
points ; the re fore, we recommend that you
follow the tire man ufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehi cles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to a ll wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown¢
fig. 185 .
-Extra care mus t be taken when ro ta ti ng di -
rection -specific tires
q page 2 54.
Wheel balancing
T he w heels on new ve hicles are balanced .
Howeve r, various s ituations duri ng eve ryday
driv ing ca n ca use t hem to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vib rat ions you ca n usually
feel through the steer ing whee l.
Un balanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avo id excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled .
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exc es­
s ive tire wear, impa iring the safe ty of the vehi-
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
)I>-

contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&. .
We recommend that all work on t ires and
wheels be performed by an authorized A udi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as we ll as the proper fa ­
cilities for dispos ing 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 ires and wheel s
Tires shou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be s ure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢ page 245.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the t ires approved
for your ve hicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci ­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 231.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits ,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving character istics, and safety of the
veh icle. The table
( ¢ page 231) lists spec ifica­
tions o f the t ires approved for the Audi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner 's Literature .
T he tire pressure labe l located on dr iver 's side
B-pillar
( ¢ fig . 183) lists the specifications of
the orig inal equ ipment tires insta lled on your
ve hicle at the time it was manufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standa rd iz ed information on the s ide­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 186. This information
ident ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire identificat ion number
for safety standard certificat ion and i n case of
a recall. Tire
s an d wheel s 239
Tire specification s
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
i er to choose the co rrect tires . Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 35 Rl9 96V XL
This conta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where applicab le)
2 55 Nom inal ti re w idth in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general , the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idt h ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "E XTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
that the t ire is a"Re in forced" or an "Ex tra
Load" t ire
M+S (or "M/S") Indica tes that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotat ion
¢ page 22 7 .
Tire manuf acturing d ate
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2212 ... "means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2012 .
Speed rating (letter c ode)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 243 .
P up to 93 mph (1S0 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (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)
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24 0 T ire s and wheel s
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)ll
Your vehicle is norma lly factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
c::> page 29 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r than the tire speed rating
¢ & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It beg ins
with the lette rs "DO T" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indica te the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
F or examp le, the numbers 2212 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2012 . The other numbers are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . This information is used to con ­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and d riving character istics when used
correctly. Yo ur au tho riz ed Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of pl ies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the g rea ter the numbe r of p lies, the
mo re weig ht a t ire can support. Tire man ufac ­
turers a lso must indicate the materials in the
ll For tir es w it h a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity ove r
1 4 9 mp h (2 40 k m/h) , t ire ma nufact urers somet imes
u se the lette rs "ZR. "
tir e, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilog rams and po unds t hat can be ca rr ied by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, tra ct ion and tempera ture grades
c::>page 241 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_& WARNING
- Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinat ions can lead to loss of control
'
collis ion and serio us personal i nju ry .
- A lways use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of origina l
factory- insta lled tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w it h specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previo us histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sud den tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted with r adial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) an d the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tires reduces ..,_

vehicle 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 tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble .
- Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including 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 technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing a collision .
- Run flat tires may only be used on
vehicles that were equipped with them
at the factory. The vehicle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
factory-installed tire pressure monitor­
ing system* that indicates a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect 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
equipped with run flat tires . If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not
permitted .
0 Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth-
Tires and wheels 241
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as possible .
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width 9 fig. 186.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
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.
For example, a tire graded ISO would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
1J1>
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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. ..,.

-Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
thro ugh or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer. Replace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause ti re fail ure. If you be lieve that a
t ire may have been damaged , replace the
t ir e as soon as possible.
- These tires may wea r more q uick ly than oth­
ers.
- Please also remember that, wh ile these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make mo re noise than
othe r choices .
Reduced performance in winter /cold
season condit ions
All t ires are des igned for certa in pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high pe rformance
tires originally installed o n your vehicle are in­
tended for max imum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather condit ions. If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your veh icle with all-season or
winter t ires, which offer better traction under
those cond itions . We suggest you use the re c­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
for your ve hicl e, or their equ ivalent .
Refer to~
page 242 for more deta iled info r­
mat ion regarding win ter t ires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
U) General notes
Ap plies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
Each t ire , includ ing the spare (if provided),
should be che cked mo nth ly when cold and in-
Tire s an d wheel s 245
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufact urer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflat ion pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
s ize indicated o n the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat ion pressure labe l, you shou ld determine
the proper t ire inflation pressu re for those
tires) .
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pr essure te lltale when one o r more of you r
tir es is s ignificant ly unde r-inflated. Acco rding ­
ly, when the low tire pressure tell tale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure . Driving on a significant ly un­
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure. Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel effic iency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's hand ling and
stopp ing abil ity .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substit ute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er 's respons ibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to tr igger illuminat ion of the
T PMS low ti re p ressu re tellta le.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lfunction ind icator to ind icate when
the system is not operating p rope rly . T he
T PMS ma lfun ction indicator is comb ined w ith
the low tire pressure te lltale . Whe n the sys ­
tem detects a malfunc tion, the telltale will
flash for approximate ly one mi nute and then
remain continuously i lluminated. T his se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunct ion exists .
When the malfunction indicato r is illum inat­
ed, the system may not be ab le to detect or
s ignal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfu nctions may occur for a var iety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­
ment or a lternate tires or wheels on the vehi ­
cle that p revent the TPMS from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
t e llt ale after rep laci ng one or more tires o r ..,.
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