vehicle speed excee ds the set speed by about
3 mph (3 km/h). At the same time, a wa rning
symbo l appears in the d isp lay . The symbol's
appearance might be different in some mod
e ls.
The speed warning system has two warning thresholds that function independently of
each other and that have somewhat different
pu rposes:
Speed warning 1
You ca n use speed warnin g 1 to set the maxi
mum s peed w hile you are driv ing. Th is sett ing
will remain in effect until you t urn off the igni
tion, assuming that you have not changed or reset the setting.
The . (USA
models) ;a (Canada models)
speed warning symbol in the warning 1 dis
p lay appears when you exceed t he maximum
speed. It goes o ut w hen t he speed fa lls below
the stored max imum speed.
The speed warning symbo l wi ll also go out i f
the speed exceeds the stored maximum speed
by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The stored maximum speed
i s deleted .
Speed warning 2
Storing warn ing 2 is recommended if you al
ways want to be reminded of a certa in speed ,
for example when you a re traveling in a coun
try that has a general maximum speed limi t,
or if you do not want to exceed a spec ified
speed fo r winter tires.
The . (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada models)
speed war ning 2 symbo l appea rs in the d is
p lay w hen you exceed the stored speed lim it.
Unlike war ning 1, it will not go out u nti l th e
ve hicl e spee d drops be low the stored spee d
limit.
Se tti ng s pee d wa rning 2 <=;>page 79.
@ Tips
Even t hough you r vehicle is equipped with
a speed wa rning system, yo u should st ill
On the road 79
watch the spee dome ter to ma ke sur e yo u
are not dr iv ing faste r th an the speed limit .
Speed warning 1: setting a speed limit
Warning threshold 1 is set by the !SE TI but
ton.
Fig . 79 SE T button in the instr um ent cl uste r
Storing the maximum speed
.. Drive at the des ired maximum speed.
.,. Press the
!SETI button in the instrument
pane l d isp lay ¢ fig . 79 for 1 second .
Resetting the maximum speed
.. Drive the vehicle at a speed of at least
3 mph (5 km/h)
.,. Press the
ISETI button for more than 2 sec-
onds.
T he . (U SA models)/ . (Canada models)
speed warning symbo l wi ll appear brief ly in
the d isplay when you re lease the
!SE TI button
to indicate that the ma ximum speed has been
stored successfully .
The maxim um speed rema ins stored until it is
c h anged by pressing the
!SE TI button again
briefly or until it is deleted by a lengthy push
o n the button.
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
The radio or MMI* control unit is used to set,
change or delete warning th reshold 2 .
.,. Select:
I CA R I function b utton> Instrument
cluster > Speed warning .
Or
.,. Select: I CAR I function butt on > Car systems
cont ro l butto n > Driver assist > Speed warn-
ing .
II>
190 Intelligent technology
steering wheel will be easy to move. Re
initia lization might be necessary if the steer
ing whee l was moved hard to the left and
right while the vehicle was not moving. The
d isplay goes out as soon as in itia lizat ion is
comp lete.
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system ma l
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authori zed A udi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
- If the . or
l:r-ij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue
drivi ng.
- The dynamic steering * stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- Fo r additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring*, refer to ¢
page 109.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive, power is distribute d to
a ll fo ur whee ls. This happens automat ica lly
d epending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also¢
page 185 .
A cen ter different ial d istr ib ut es the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle. It
wo rks together with se lective whee l torque
control, which activates when driving throug h
curves ¢
page 186. With the sport differen
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with Audi drive se lect ¢
page 109 .
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power . Your vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac
terist ics bot h under normal driving conditions and on snow and
ice . Always read and follow
safety precautio ns ¢ &. .
Winter tires
When driving in t he win ter, yo ur vehicle wi th
all-wheel d rive h as an adv antage, eve n w it h
r egular tires. In wi nte r road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak
i ng : these tires must be mounted on
all fou r
wheels . See also ¢ page 246, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 247, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles wi th a ll-wheel drive m ust always
have ti res of t he same s ize. A lso avoi d tires
with differe nt t read depths . For detai ls see
page ¢
page 242, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road dr iving?
You r A ud i does no t have e nough gro und clea r
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle .
It is
t h e refore best to avoid roug h tracks and u n
even te rrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 193.
A WARNING
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking ext ra risks .
-Al though the a ll-wheel drive is ve ry ef
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire t raction. You
s hould t herefore no t drive at ex cessive
speeds on i cy or slippe ry road surfa ces.
- On wet road surfa ces, be careful not to
d rive too fast because the fr on t whee ls
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If thi s should occur, you
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.
•
•
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 249.
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 235.
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 235) 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 (¢
page 235, fig. 177) lists the speci
fications o f the orig inal equipment tires in
stalled on your veh icle at the time it was man
ufactured .
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace s tanda rd iz ed information on the s ide
wall of all tires¢
fig. 180 . This information
i dent ifies and desc ribes the fundamental
characterist ics , the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ide ntificat io n number
Tire s an d wheel s 243
for sa fety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas
ier to choose the co rrec t tires . Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 35 Rl 9 96Y XL
This co nta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
255 Nom inal tire width i n mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra -
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
1 9 Rim diameter code (i n inches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed ra ting letter code
XL (or "xl", " EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
t h at the t ire is a"Re info rced" or an " Extra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the ti re has
some mud and snow capab ility
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotation ¢
page 231 .
Tire manufacturing d ate
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only 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 cod e)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 247.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (1 58 km/h)
R up to 106 mph ( 170 km/h)
•
•
-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 .,.
was manufacture d. Please see ¢ page 243,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and t he maxim um
speed at whic h the tires can be driven .
The s peed rating letter code(¢
page 233) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 242 .
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
w inte r tir es . This will cause damag e to the
ti res leading to an ac cident and serious
pe rsonal in jury to you and yo ur passen
gers .
A WARNING
Driv ing faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can ca use tire fai lure in
cl uding a blowout and sudden deflat ion,
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immed iate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower tha n your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
w hich the winter or other tires installed
on your veh icle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your d rivi ng to the road and
traffic conditions. Neve r let the good ac
c eleration of the w inte r ti res and all whee l
drive temp t you in to taking extra r is k s . A l
ways remember:
- When bra king, an a ll whee l dr ive vehicle
hand les in the s ame way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp un der blac k ice conditions.
Tire s an d wheel s 24 7
'
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the front
whee ls, and o nly to certain tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i deale r on which tire sizes
snow c ha ins can be used.
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be t hicker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm) , includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow cha ins on your vehicle
c::> Q) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are ava il
able from autho riz ed Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your vehi
cle o r insta lling them in co rr ect ly can in
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious pe rsonal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. A lways make sure to follow t he i n
structions p rov ided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove s now c hain s be fo re dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains down unnecessa rily.
- Snow chains, which come into direc t con
tact with the whee l rim , can scratch or
damage it . Therefo re, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after
•
•
In o rder to minimize the occurrence o f impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom mend that you observe the following precau
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if neces
sary.
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through 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 poss ible .
- In spect 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 unde rinflation, wh ic h could eventu
ally cause ti re fail ure.
If yo u be lieve that a
ti re may have been damaged , replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wear more quick ly than oth
ers.
- Please a lso remembe r that, whi le these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other c hoices.
Reduced p erformance in winter /cold
s ea son condit ion s
All ti res are designed for certain purposes .
The low aspect ratio, ultra hig h performance
tires originally installed on your veh icle are in
tended for max imum dry and wet road per
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather cond it ions . If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, whi ch offe r better traction under
those cond it ions . We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow or all -season tires specified
for your ve hicle, or their equiva lent .
Refe r to ~
page 246 for mo re deta iled info r
mat io n regarding w in ter t ires.
Tire s an d wheel s 249
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
App lies to vehicles : wi th tire p ress ure mo nito rin g system
Each tire, incl uding the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a d ifferent size than the
s iz e indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flat io n pressu re labe l, you shou ld dete rmine
the p roper t ire inflation p ress ure fo r those
t i r es).
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low ti re
pressure te lltale whe n one or more o f your
ti res is significant ly under -inflated . According
ly, when the low tire pressure te lltale i llumi
nates, you shou ld stop and check your tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly 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 subst itute
fo r proper tire ma intenanc e, and it is the d riv
er's respo nsibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the leve l to tr igger illum inat ion of the
T PMS low ti re p ressu re tellta le .
You r vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lf u nction indicator to ind icate w hen
the sys tem is not operating prope rly . T he
T PMS ma lfunction indicator is combined w ith
the low tire pressure te lltale. When the sys
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale wi ll
flash for approximate ly one min ute and then
rema in con tinuously i llum inated . T hi s se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunct ion exists . ..,.
•
•