-Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the sunroof and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk
of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
@ Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom-
-
Driving Safely 131
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
r::> page235 .
Tie-downs
The luggage compartmen t is equipped with
four tie -downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly
r::> page 130, Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre
vent items from shifting or flying for
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down , always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
•
•
232 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined we ight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power br akes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in
dicate a low sidewall fo r improved steer ing re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means t he pa rt of the tire that is made of
steel wires, wrapped o r reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire inflatio n pre ssure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
ve hicle manufacturer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure i s measu red or adjusted. -
If you notice unusual vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment including t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coola nt, a ir cond i
tion ing and additional weig ht o f option al
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at h igher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor
respondi ng standa rd tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOA D", o r
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rat ing (code )
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the lo ad r ating for a tire a t the m axi
mum pe rm issib le inflation pressure for that
t ir e.
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 pressu re."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 k ilograms) 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 overall diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated para llel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing 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, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Tires and wheels 233
Recommended inflation pressure
see~
page 232, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL" , "x l", " EXTRA LOAD",
o r "R F" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire 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 w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim fla nges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 243 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi
cates the max imum pe rm issib le road speeds
~ .&. in Winter tires on page 247 .
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell
tale.
•
•
Tires and wheels 235
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig . 17 6 Tir e pr essur e labe l: located on drive r's s ide B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressu re genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire tha t it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
square inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
p ar t o n the vehicle's desig n an d load limit
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi
cle can carry safe ly and the ti re size . The prop
er tire pressure is freq uent ly referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inf lation pressure ."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of interna l frict io n when it flexes in
use . The ti re p ressu re is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
i nflat io n pressure i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefo re, you s ho ul d never let air ou t of a
warm tire to matc h "cold tire infla tion p res
sure" recommendations . The tires wo uld then
be underinf lated a nd could fail suddenly.
M ain taining proper t ire press ure is one of the
most impor tan t thi ngs you c an do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinfla ted tires
are a major cause of s udden tire failure . Keep
ing tires at the r ight pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, b rak ing and load carrying .
Tire pres
sures are part icularly important wh en th e
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds , and
then especially when h eavily loaded even
within the permi ssible load -carrying capaci
tie s approved for your vehi cle.
~
"' ~
,.------------------- ~
•(=~: I := I ~ I )§ :ll
,.,,. ........................ ...., .... ~----.... _ ... t.._.. .... _..,.. .... ......,... .. ~--......... ·- ..
- KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
Fig. 17 7 Tir e pressu re labe l
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires on your ve hicle
and t he number of passe ngers and/or amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv
er's side 8-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n pressures
for the veh icle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires that we re o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was manufactu red.
If you wish to improve comfort when op erat
ing the ve hicle at normal load (up to 2 occu
pant s), you can adju st tire pres sures to those
spe cified for normal vehi cle load . Before op
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressure s to those
speci fied for maximum vehicle load
¢ .&.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system* can on ly mon itor the tire p ress ures
yo u have sto red. The sys tem does not recog
nize the load condi tion of your veh icle.
T he effectiveness of the t ire p ress ure monitor
ing system * w ill be impa ired i f you s to re no r
m al load pressures but t hen opera te the veh i
cle a t its maximum load
¢ .& .
See the ill ustration 9 fig. 176 fo r the lo cat ion
of the label o n driver's s ide B-pillar (color of
the actu al label a nd exact lo cat ion on the ve
hicle will vary s light ly).
Note t hat the follow ing table is accu rate at
the time of going to press and is s ubject to
236 Tires and wheels
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure labe l is located on the driver's side B
p ill ar a lways takes precedence.
The table below lis ts the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the Audi model
I Model II
Tire designation
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)
front rear front rear
I
PSI Jl kPA PSI Jl kPA PSI Jl kPA PSI Jl kPA
AS Coupe: 225/50 R17 94H
2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl 7 95H
I Au Season
245/40 R18 93H
All Season
2SS /35 R19 96V
High Performance
55 Coupe: 245/40 R18 93V
3 .0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder
-255/35 R19 96V
High Performance
32 220
32 220
33 230
32 220
38 260
38
260
29 200 33 230 33 230
.
29 200 33 230 33 230
I
29 200 35 240 35 240
'
32 220 33
230 33 230
I
32 220 41 280 38 260
32 220 41 280 38 260
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 is
located on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during the model year, a l
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with 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 t ires 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 o r you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle .
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
l oad limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle . These load limits are technically refer
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat- ing
("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
G ross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
drive r's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupa nts and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 176.
A WARNING ._
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
hicle contro l, a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con
trol.
-The brakes o n a vehicle t hat has been
overloaded may not be a ble to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra ile r hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer - does not make the veh i
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi
cl e Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
fla tion can lead to a serious o r fatal acci
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
fla tion cause increased tire wea r and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lea d to sud den tire fa il
ure, incl uding a blowo ut and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
.
The correct tire pressure for the tires original
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure Lobel located on driver's side 8-pil lor.
The re commended t ire press ures a re o n the
tire pressure label and in the tab le
c=> page 235, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adj usted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours .
A ir i n the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of inte rnal fr iction as it flexes in
use. The t ire p ress ure is higher w hen the tire
h as wa rmed up th an when it is "cold."
It is the inflat io n pressu re in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you shou ld never let air out
of a warm t ire to ma tch "Cold tire in flation
p ressu re" recommend ations
c::> page 235. T he
Tire s an d wheel s 237
tires wo uld then be unde rinflated and co uld
fail suddenly.
T he tire pressure label on your Aud i lis ts the
re commended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your ve hicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca
tion of the labe l
c::> page 235, fig. 176.
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if yo u drive over a pot
ho le or hit a curb while par king. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ia l tires
u sed today are underinflated just by looking
at them .
There fore, be sure to check t ire p ress ures at
l east once a month and always before going
on a long tr ip. Make sure to take the n umber
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac
count when adjust ing tire pressure for a tr ip -
even one that you wou ld not conside r to be
"long." See
c::> page 239, Tires and vehicle
food limits
f or mo re import ant inform ation .
Always use an accurate ti re pressu re gauge
when checking and ad justing inflation pres
s ur es. Check a ll of t he tires and be s ure not to
forge t the spare tire.
If the pressure in any t ire
is too high when the ti re is "cold", let air out
of the ti re s low ly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any ti re is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the ve hicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on you r veh icle as listed on the on
you r vehicle and in this ma nual and the kind
of d rivi ng you plan to do .
Never exceed th e maximum inflation pr es
sure listed on the tire sidewall for any rea
s on.
•
•
238 Tire s and whee ls
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the correct
tire pressure for the t ires on your vehicle.
I t is important to check the tire pressu re when
the tires are cold.
- Read the requ ired t ire pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure labe l is lo
cated on the drive r's side 8-p illar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its maximum capacity we ight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man ufactured . For recommended tire pressures
for normal load condit ions, please see chap
ter ¢
page 235 .
-Turn the valve stem cap coun ter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should on ly be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
s lightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re install the valve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check th e tire p ressur 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 adju st the tire pre ssure s?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then init i
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres
sure mon itor ing system*
¢ page 249 .
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of contro l, collision, ser ious persona l inju ry
or even death. -
When the
[ti warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, caus ing loss of veh icle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values a re locat
ed on a sticker on the dr iver's s ide 8-pil
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressu re, the t ire pres
sure mon itor ing system* can work cor
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire p ressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage .
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spe<;ified tire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
-Always inf late tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iving
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 control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
tion to check the t ire press ure and add
ai r as requ ired .
240 Tires and whee ls
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 Lim it
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMB INED W EIGHT OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
c::> page 235,
fig. 176.
2.
Determ ine the comb ined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle .
3. Subtract the combined weigh t of the dr iver and pas
sengers from
"XXX " kilo
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
c::> page 235, fig . 176 .
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of cargo and luggage load capaci
ty . F or examp le, 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 -750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs .)
5 . D etermine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo be ing loaded on the vehicle.
That we ight 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 . Consu lt this manual
to determine how this re
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehic le .
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(c::> page 242, fig. 180) to de
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire .