24 6 T ire s and whee ls
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle . Make sure that the tire
si ze information on the vehicle label is the
same as the si ze of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be
longs to someone else or you bought the veh i
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a p reviously 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
ve hicl e. These load limits are technically refer
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR") . The Gross Ax le Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the veh icle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
driver 's side B-p illar . The tire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
o ther cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
l ocation of the tire pressu re labe l
i=:> fig. 191.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
hicle control, a cras h or other accident, se
r ious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than yo ur vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in
crease the risk of a loss of veh icle con
trol.
- The brakes on a veh icle 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 causing loss of con
trol and a crash . -
Always make sure that the total load be
ing transported - including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi
cle heavier than the vehicle's G ross Vehi
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
-- I ncorrect tire pressures and/or underin-
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci
dent.
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation cause increased ti re wear and can
affec t the handling of the vehicle .
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de
flation, ca using loss of veh icle cont ro l.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressur e label located on driver's side 8-pil
lar .
The recommended tire pressures are on the
t ir e pressure label and in the table
i=:> page 244, Cold tire inflation pressure.This
means that the pressure m ust be checked and
adjusted when the t ire has not been dr iven for
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up as a result of inter nal frict ion as it flexes in
u se . T he t ire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up t han whe n it is "co ld. "
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" t ire that
counts . The refore, you should never let a ir out
of a wa rm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recomme ndat ions
i=:, page 244 . The
t ir es wo uld then be unde rinflated and co uld
fail suddenly .
T he t ire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
m aximum cap acity for the new, or ig inal
equipmen t tires tha t were on your vehicle at ..,.
248 Tire s and whee ls
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fi l
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure monitoring* system can work cor rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the funct ion of the tire pressure mon itor
ing system*.
- Always inflate t ires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driv ing with under inflated ti res bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden ti re fail ure
and loss of control.
- Excess ive speed and/overloading can
cause heat bui ld -up, sudden ti re fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the tire press ure is too low or too high,
the tires wi ll wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely mounted on the valve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase the
fuel consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any veh icle and any t ire ca n carry.
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Over load ing
can not on ly lead to loss of veh icle contro l, but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fai lure, in
clud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
G ro ss Vehicl e We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The max imum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to car ry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenge r at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve
hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
G ro ss Axle We ight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar . Your Audi has 5 seat ing
pos itions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5 . Each seating posi
t ion has a safety belt
Q page 136, Safety
belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
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
t ra ile r hi tch and the tongue weigh t of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug-
gage.
~
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installation of replace ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi
cle that prevent the TPMS from function ing
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 196 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 197 Display : Syste m malfun ctio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the tire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
dividual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires , th is is indicated in the instru
ment cluster with a warning symbol
RE and a
message
¢fig . 196.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad-
Tires and wheels 259
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re
plac ing a tire on your vehicle¢
page 260. The
TPMS indicator only monitors the tire pres
sure that you have previously stored. You can
find the recommended tire pressures for your
vehicle on the label on dr iver's side B-pillar
~page 244.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if :
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢page 260.
Warning symbols
RE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
necessary. The indicator light
RE in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates
¢ page 12.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
11;;~, ( T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction.
If11NIS, appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving¢
fig. 197 and the indica
tor light
RE in the instrument cluster blinks
for approximately one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction.
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢
page 260 . If the indicator light does not
turn off or if it turns on shortly thereafter, im
mediately drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized repair facility to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-If the tire pressure ind icator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and .,.
260 Tire s and wheel s
check the tires and their pressures. In
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire pressure label
c> page 244. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to impair the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability.
- T he driver is responsible for ma inta ining
the correct tire pressures. You must check the t ire pressures regular ly .
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor
ty driving s tyle, win ter condit ions or un
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi
cator may be de layed .
- Ask your author ized Audi dealer if r un
flat tires may be used on your vehicle .
You r vehicle regist ration becomes invalid
if yo u use these tires when not permit
ted. Damage to your veh icle or accidents
cou ld also resu lt.
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops wor king when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction .
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your A udi was developed using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identif ication on the
tire sidewall <:>page 251. We recom
mend using these t ires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
., Switch on the ignition .
., Se lect in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
(Car )* syst ems contro l butto n > Serv icing &
checks > Tire pres sure mon itoring > Store
tire pre ssure s> Yes, store n ow .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow cha ins on the tire .
264 What do I do now?
&_ WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if yo u do n ot fol
low t hese safety precautions:
- If you have a flat t ire, move a safe dis
tance
off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use other warning dev ices to alert other mo
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- T o help p revent the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
ja ck, always fully set the parking b rake
and bloc k the whee l diagona lly opposite
the whee l being changed. When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac
ing the Automat ic Transmiss ion in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced t ire i n the luggage com
partment
¢ page 132.
Before chang ing the wheel, yo u m ust acti
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto mat ic cont rols for the Adaptive Air S us
pens ion* do not make it more difficult to
lift the vehicle with the jack
c> page 266.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
~page 266.
-
2. Remove the decorative wheel cov er* . For
mo re details see also ¢
page 265, Deco
rative wheel covers
or c> page 265,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3 . L oosen the wheel bolts¢ page 265.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and alig n the jack below that point
¢ page 266 .
5.
Raise the car with the jack¢ page 266.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll
the s pare ¢page 267.
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly.
8 . Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and firmly
t igh ten al l w heel bo lts¢ page 265.
10. Rep lace the decorat ive wh eel co ver* .
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode* in the
MMI:
ICARI f u nction button > (Car )* sys
tems
control button > Se rvicing & chec ks
> A ir susp .: jac k mode > Off .
The vehicle jack mode * switches off automati
ca lly at speeds above
6 mph (1 0 km/h) .
&_ WARNING ,.__
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
i nformat ion¢ &.
in Raising the vehicle on
page 266
and c> page 268.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack *
and the rep laced tire in the luggage com
partment
¢ page 132.
.,. Check t he ti re pressu re on the spare whee l
immed iate ly after mounting it .
.,. As soon as possib le, have the
tightening
torques
on all whee l bolts checked with a
t o rque wrenc h. The co rrect tighte ning tor
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi
b le.
(D Tips
- If you not ice th at the wheel bo lts a re
co rroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked .
ll-
266 What do I do n ow ?
-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury .
@ Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bo lts.
- If a whee l bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench w ith
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your balance
and take care not to slip .
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be li~ed with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
Fig. 20 5 Sill pa nels : m ark ings
~
9
---;~ :~-;;:--~
Fi g. 20 6 Sill: pos ition ing the ve hicle jack
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode* in the MMI :
I CAR! func tion button > (C ar)* sy ste m s con
t ro l butto n
> Servici ng & che ck s> Air su sp. :
j a ck mode > On .
.,. Engage the parking br ake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally.
.,. Move the
sel ector le ve r to po sit ion P .
.,. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that
is nearest the wheel that wi ll be changed
¢
fig. 205. Be hind the marking, there is a
lift ing point on the sill for the vehicle jack .
.,. Vehicles with a sill: remove the cover from
the sill before lift ing the veh icle w ith a vehi
cle jack ¢
page 267.
.,. Turn the vehicl e jack located under the lift
ing point on the sill to ra ise the jack u nti l its
arm @¢
fig. 206 is located under the des
ignated p lastic mount ¢_&. ¢(!).
.,. Align the jack so that its arm@¢
fig. 206
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door si ll and the movable base @ lies
flat on the ground. The base ® must be
ver
t ical
under the lifting point @ .
.,. Wind the jack up fu rther until the f lat t ire
comes off the ground ¢
,&..
Position t he veh icle jack onl y under the desig
nated lifting points on the s ill ¢
fig . 205.
T here is exactly one locat ion for each wheel.
T he jack must not be positioned at any other
location ¢ _& ¢(j) .
An
un stab le surfa ce under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack . Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground .
If nec
essary place a sturdy board or sim ilar support
u nder the jack. On
h ard , s lipp ery surf aces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
preve nt the jack from slipping ¢
.&..
A WARNING
--You or your passengers co uld be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l
low these safety precautions:
- Position the vehicle jack on ly at the
designated lifting poi nts and align the
jac k. Otherw ise, the vehicle ja ck could
slip and cause an injury if it does not
have sufficient hold on the vehicle.
- A soft or uns table su rface under the
j ack may cause the vehicle to slip off
the jack . Always provide a firm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack. ,...
-On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubbe r mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- To he lp prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until yo u are
sure the jack is secu rely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve
h icle when it is jac ked up.
- Make sure that passengers wa it in a
safe p lace away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and t raffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct , ad
just as necessary and then continue to
r ai se the jack.
- Changes in temperatur e or load can af
fect the height of the ve hicl e.
(D Note
Do not lift the ve hicle by the s ill. Position
the vehicle jack only at the des ignated
lift
ing points on the sill. Othe rwis e, your vehi
cle will be damaged.
(D Tips
The vehicle jack mode* switches off auto
mat ica lly at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/
h).
Removing and installing the sill cover
Applies to vehicles : wit h sill
Fig. 207 Sill: remov ing t he cover
.,. Pull the cover down to remove it c::> fig . 207.
.,. To install the cover again, inse rt it into the
retainers and then sw ing it upward unt il it
cl icks into place . T he cover m ust be flush
with the sill.
What do I d o now ? 267
@ Tips
Some models may also have a cover for the
rear vehicle lift po int.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing th e wheel.
Fi g. 208 Cha ngi ng a w heel: us ing th e screwd rive r ha n
d le (w it h th e blade re m oved) to turn the bo lts
F ig . 209 Chang ing a whee l: a lig nment p in in sid e the
top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bo lts and
raised the vehicle
off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows :
Removing th e wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwd riv
er handle
to complete ly remove the top
most wheel bolt and set it aside on a
clean
surface c::> fig. 208 .
.,. Screw the threaded end of the alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-t ight into the
empty bolt hol e
c::> fig. 209 .
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de
scribed above .
.,. Take
off the whee l leaving the alignment
pi n in the bolt hole
c::> (l).
268 What do I do no w?
P uttin g on the spare wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and ca refully slide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place
¢ (D .
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly.
.. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
L ike the rest .
.. Turn the jack handle cou nter -clockw ise to
lower the vehicle unt il the jac k is fully re
leased.
.. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly¢
page 265 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you .
(j) Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversible blade from the screw
driver before you use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to turn the wheel bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat
tern is pointed the right way
¢ page 268.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy
to tu rn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
and the h ub. Remove al l dirt from these
surfaces before remo unting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Using a sp are t ire w ith a tre ad pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare t ire with a tread patter n
intended for use in a spec ific d irection , please
note the following :
- The direct ion of rotation is marked by an ar
row on the side of the tire .
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the in
correct direct ion, use the spare tire only
temporarily s ince the tire will not be able to
achieve its optimum performance cha racter
isti cs wit h regard to aquap lan ing, no ise and
wear .
- We recommend that you pay part icu la r at
t ention to th is fact d uring wet wea ther and
t ha t you adjust you r speed to match road
conditions .
- Replace the fl at tir e with a new one and
have it insta lled on you r vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the handling advantages
of a u nidirectional tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information¢ page 251, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if you a re
going to use a spare tire which is different
from the ti res on your vehicle .
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pre ssure on the spar e imm e
diately after install ation.
- Have th e whe el bolt tight ening torqu e
c hecked with a torque wrench as soon a s
pos sible by your author ized Audi de aler or
a q ualified service stat ion.
- With steel and allo y wheel r im s, the wheel
bolt s ar e cor re ctl y tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (1 20 Nm ).
- If you noti ce th at the wheel bolts are cor
roded and diffi cult to turn while changing
a ti re , they should be repl aced before you
check the t ightening torque. .,..