2013 AUDI A7 warning

252 Tires and wheels
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that
load 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
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker label located on the
driver's side 8-pillar. The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure labe l
¢fig . 196.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, 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
vehicle from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
tro l and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer - does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout 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 label located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
¢ page 250, Cold tire inflation pressure.This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven 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 internal friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is highe r when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations¢
page 250. The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, original
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
tion of the label¢
fig. 196.
Most tires lose air naturally over time . They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires ..,.

used today are underinflated j ust by looking
at them.
Therefo re, be sure to check tire pressures at
l eas t once a mon th and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See¢
page 254 , Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when check ing and adjusting inflation pres­
sures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare t ire . If the pressure in any tire
i s too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the t ire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the p ress ure th at is cor re ct for the
l oad (passengers and luggage) and kind of
d riving you plan to do .
I f the p ressu re in any tire is too low , note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure yo u need and add the ai r
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manual and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do.
Never e xceed the m aximum inflation pre s­
su re li sted on th e tir e sidewall for any rea ­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the co rrect
tire p ressure for the tires on your vehicle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold .
- Read the requ ired ti re p ressu re from the tire
pressure label. The ti re pressu re labe l is lo­
cated on the drive r's side 8-p illar.
- T urn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressu re gauge on the valve.
- T he tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires a re cold . The
Tire s an d wheel s 253
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
car rying.
- Reins tall the valve stem cap on the va lve.
When should I check the tire pr essure?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at h igh speeds . T he p ressure should
therefore be chec ked at least once a month
and always before sta rting a jo urney. Do not
f orge t to chec k the ti re p ressu re fo r the spare
whee l¢
page 268.
When should I adjust the tire pressures ?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After chang ing a whee l
or replacing
whee ls yo u have to adj ust the ti re press ures
on all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres ­
s u re monitoring system*¢
page 264.
A WARNING
-
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
[IE 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 .
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowout a nd sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- The drive r is respons ib le for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the ve hicle.
T he appli cable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker on the dr iver's s ide B-pil­
lar .
- On ly when all tires o n the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressu re, the t ire pres ­
sure monitor ing * system can work cor­
rectly. •
•

the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
label
~ fig. 196.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, 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
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con ­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload ­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX
Tires and wheels 255
KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ fig. 196.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ fig. 196.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the "XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 SO
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
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Unbalanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed .
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety o f the vehi­
cle. If tires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
All-wheel d rive
Vehicles w ith quattro ® must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
F or detai ls see
r=!:> page 201 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil , gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age eve n if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with spe cial care a nd at lower
s peeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u a re not s ure of their "prev ious histo­
ry." Old used ti res may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control. Tires and wheels 25
7
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 20 0 Tir e spec ificat io n codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. De sc ription
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nomina l w idth of t ire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Aud i Origina l tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ T ire ply composition and mater ials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperat ure
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts o f the
vehicle's design . The ti res and rims app roved
by Audi a re spec ia lly matched to the charac­
teris tic s of the ve hicl e and can m ake a major .,.
•

V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1 )
Your veh icle is norma lly factory equipped with
t ires, which posses s excellen t driving charac­
ter istics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An electronic speed limiter
~ page 30 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r th an the tire speed rating
~ &. -
U.S. DOT T ire Identification Number (TIN )
and tire manufactur e date
This is the t ire's "serial numbe r" . It begins
with the le tters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufactu re.
Fo r example, the numbers 2212 mean the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2012. The
other numbers are market ing codes that may
or may not be used by the t ire manufacturer.
This informat ion is used to contact consumers
if a t ire defect requires a reca ll.
Aud i Original tire
Tires with the iden tifica tion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and d riving charac ter istics when used
correctly . Yo ur au thori zed Audi dealer w ill
g lad ly provide you with more information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The numbe r of p lies ind icates the n umber of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric i n the t ire. In
gener al, the grea ter the numbe r of p lies, the
more weig ht a tire can s upport. Tire man ufac­
turers a lso must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include ste el, nylon, polyest er, and
others.
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over
1 4 9 m ph (24 0 k m/h) , tire m an ufa ctur ers somet ime s
use the let ters "ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 259
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max imum load in
k ilograms and po unds t hat can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temp eratu re resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempe ra tu re grades
¢ page
260 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_& WARNING ~
- Using incorrect o r unmatched tires and I
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
coll is ion and serious personal in jury.
- Always use t ires , rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specif ications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been sp ecifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds . Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
-All four whee ls 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.
•
•

measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
c::> & .
Temp erature
The temperature grades a re 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 materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire fa ilure
c::> & .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law .
&, WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop laning or peak traction
character istics .
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
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
Winter tires
Win ter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At tempera tures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These t ires should
Tire s an d wheel s 261
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
fo ur wheels. Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
If your vehicle is eq uipped w ith all -whee l
drive*, this wi ll improve traction during winter
driv ing, even with the standard tires. Howev ­
er, we strongly recommend that you always equip all four wheels on your veh icle w ith cor­
rectly fitted winter tires or all -season t ires,
whe n w inter road cond it ions are expected.
T his also improves the veh icle's brak ing per­
fo rmance and reduces stoppi ng d istances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all four wheels.
Ask your authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
wi nter ti re size s. Use
on ly rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .1 57 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive w ith w inter tires under w inter con­
ditions. S umme r 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 tire, see no tes on spare
whee l c::> page 257.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed ra ting than the tires o rig i­
nally installed on your veh icle at the time it
was man ufactured. P lease see
c::> pag e 258,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed rating le tter code
(c::> page 249) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 257.
A WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off . Never dr ive faster
~
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26 2 T ire s and wheel s
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING
Driv ing faster than the maximum speed
for which the w inter t ires on your vehicle
we re designed can cause tire fai lu re in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflat ion,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immediate ly .
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed.
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-whee l
drive tempt you into taking extra r isks. A l­
ways remember :
- When brak ing, an all-w heel drive vehicle
hand les in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice condit ions .
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather cond i­
tions permit . They are quieter, do not wea r
as quickly and reduce f ue l consumption .
Snow chains
-
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, and only to certa in tire sizes. Ask yo ur
author ized Audi dealer on wh ic h tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must i nstall them on the front whee ls at
l east.
T he snow chains mus t have low-p rofile links
and must not be th icker than 0 .4 inch
(10,5 mm) , includ ing the lock .
Remove whee l cen ter covers and t rim discs
before pu tting snow c hains on your veh icle
¢ (D . For safety reasons cover caps m ust then
be fitted over the wheel bo lts. These are avail­
able from autho rized Aud i dealers .
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your veh i­
cle or installing them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of contro l leading to
se rious pe rsonal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions p rov ided by t he snow chain
manufacturer.
- W hen driving with s now cha ins never
driv e faster than t he speed permitted for
your specifi c snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down un necessa rily.
- Snow chains, which come i nto direct con­
t act with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefo re, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
t he pos ition o f th e snow cha ins afte r
dr iv ing a few yards and correct if ne ces ­
sary. Follow the inst ructions from the
snow chain ma nufactu rer when do ing so .
- If the Adaptive Air Suspens ion * sho uld
ma lf u nction, do not mount or use snow
chains because the vehicle wi ll be ex­
treme ly low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, t he snow cha ins might seve rely dam­
age the whee lhouse and o ther parts of
the vehicle.

@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are f itted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
<=> page 291.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can becom e loose caus ing loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
w heel bolts can t urn easily and be prop ­
erly t ightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use whee l bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
Tire s an d wheel s 263
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
You r Aud i is facto ry-equ ipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho ro ughly
tested and been se lec ted spe cifically for you r
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi­
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ra tio tire s is
particularly sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio t ires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressur e is
regularly che cked and maintain ed. Tire pre s­
s ures should be checked at least on ce a
m onth and alwa ys before a long trip
¢ page 2 52, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damage d mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, g ull ies
or ridges on t he road, partic ularly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
Ill>-
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