134 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci
dents. For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- P regnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns mu st also use safety
bel ts. Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat
ing position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases th e risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and dea th.
- N ever st rap more than one pe rson, in
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe
ty belt or child restra int.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and (on USA models only) front seat
passenger to remind you about the impor
tance of buckling-up .
Fi g. 130 Safety belt warni ng lig ht in the instrument
cluster -en larged
Before driving off, always :
.. Fasten you r safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect your children w ith a child rest raint
system approp riate fo r the size and age of
t he children.
The . war ning light in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is switched on as a
rem inder to faste n the safety belts. In addi
t ion, you will hea r a warning tone for a certa in
per iod of t ime.
Fasten your safety b elt now and make sure
that your pas sengers also properly put on
their safety belts.
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.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv
ing style.
F ig. 178 Tire tread: tread wea r ind ica tors (TWI)
___ __,J.)
Fi g. 179 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 in ch (1.6 mm) high "wear ind icators"
r::!;> fig . 178 run ning across the tread. Depend
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them 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 must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other countries
r::!) & .
Tir e pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premat ure wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
r::!;> page 23 7.
Dri ving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear. Tires and wheels 241
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your ve
hicl e to have the
same service life, we recomme nd that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com
pared to all w heel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
r::!;> fig. 179.
-Extra care must be taken when rotat ing di-
rection-specific tires
r::!;> page 258 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Inco rrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impair ing the safety of the vehi
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
r=> page 190 .
-All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare 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.
Tires and wheels 245
@ Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth
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 ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
c:> page 242,
fig. 180 .
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 1S0 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
1JJ>
•
•
246 Tires and wheels
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.
Traction
The traction grades , from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢.&, .
Temperature
The tempera ture grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under controlled condi
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure~.&, .
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand
ard No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law.
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction
characteristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
-
separately or in combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread . These tires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle .
Your vehicle is equipped with all wheel drive,
this will improve traction during winter driv
ing, even with the standard tires. However, we
strongly recommend that you always equip all
four wheels on your vehicle with correctly fit
ted winter tires or all-season tires, when win
ter road conditions are expected. This also im
proves the vehicle's braking performance and
reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all four wheels.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use
only radial winter tires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
O .15 7 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires under winter con
ditions. Summer tires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °().
If you have a flat ti re, see notes on spare
wheel
¢page 242.
Please always remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi-
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it .,.