2013 AUDI A7 load capacity

62 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
can cause the roof rack or the items at­
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the road .
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury .
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig­
nated locations on the roof
c> fig. 60.
-The roof rack system must be insta lled
exactly according to the instructions pro­
vided.
- When driving with a roof rack system,
changes to the center of gravity and wind
resistance can change the veh icle han­
dling and lead to a collision . Always
adapt your driv ing and your speed to the
cu rrent conditions .
@ Note
-Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the veh icle caused by using
r oof racks or mount ing structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle . The
same applies to damage resulti ng from
i n co rrec t roof rack installation .
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each t rip and dur­
i ng a tr ip to make sure eve rything is se­
cu rely tightened . If necessary, retighten
the mo untings and check the entire sys­
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or when you transport objects on the roof
of your ve hicle, the height of the vehicle
i s natura lly increased. Be careful when
driving under low br idges or i n parking
garages for examp le . This could cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle i tse lf.
- Make sure the open rear lid and the sun ­
r oof* do not come into contact with the
r oof rack .
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down .
.. Always distribu te the loads on the roof rack
eve nly .
.. Always attach items to the roof rack sec ure-
ly before yo u drive off.
The maximum permissible roof weight is
2 20 lb (100 kg ). The roof we ight is the total
of the we ight of the roof rack, t he attach­
ments and the cargo you a re ca rrying. You
must also not exceed the max imum load
weight for the roof rack yo u are using .
When using a roof rack system which has a lower load ca rrying capaci ty, you must not use
u p the tot al maxim um permiss ible load car ry­
ing capacity specif ied above . Ins tead, you
sho uld load the roof rack system only to the
maximum capacity specified by the manufac ­
turer of the roof rack system .
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a coll is io n and
cause ser ious personal inju ry .
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact­
ly
as specified above i:> page 61.
-Always use su itable mount ing straps for
secur ing items to the roof rack to help
p revent items from sh ifting or flying for­
ward .
- Items on the roof rack must always be securely mounted .
- The use of a roof rack can negatively af ­
fect the way a veh icle hand les . Cargo
that is large, heavy, bulky, long or flat
will h ave a greater negat ive i nfl uence on
t he vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
grav ity and overall handling . Always
drive s lowly, avoid sudden braking and
maneuvers when t ransporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle .
ll>-

-Never exceed the maximum permissible
load carry ing capacity of the roof of your
vehicle, the perm issible axle weights and
the permiss ible total weight of your veh i­
cle
c;, page 285, Weights.
@ For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased wind resist­ ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
using fue l unnecessarily. So remove the
roof rack after using it.
Luggage compartment
Loading luggage compartment
Luggage items must be stowed securely.
Fig . 61 Place heavy objects as far forward as possib le.
Not e the following to preserve the vehicle's
good handling characterist ics .
.. Distribute the load as evenly as possible .
.. Place heavy objects as far forward as possi ­
ble
c;, fig. 61 .
.. Secure luggage items with the cargo net* or
with non-elastic retaining straps to the tie­
down rings*
c;, page 65.
A WARNING
-Loose objects in the luggage compart­
ment can slide about suddenly and alter
the vehicle's handling characterist ics.
- Loose objects in the passenger compart­
ment can fly forward during abrupt ma­
neuvers or accidents and injure occu­
pants.
Seats and storage 63
-Always store objects in the luggage com­
partment and use suitable straps, partic­
ularly with heavy objects.
- When you transport heavy objects, al­
ways remember that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity may result in a change in
the vehicle's handling characteristics.
- Follow all warnings
c;, page 130, Driving
Safely.
(D Tips
The tire pressure must be adjusted to the
load - see the tir e pressure sticker located
on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Luggage compartment cover
The luggage compartment cover consists of
two parts.
... ...
Fig. 62 Cover in the open rear lid
Fig. 63 Cove r behind the rear bench seat
Removing the cover in the rear lid
.. Remove the knobs (D c;, fig. 62 from the
ball mounts .
.. Pull the cover @ out of the retainers @ in
the direction of the arrow.
~

A WARNING ,~
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­ dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
Gj) Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open .
-
Driving Safely 137
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured. For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
r:!)page250.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly<>
page 136, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example , in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs in
'
•
•

196 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u 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.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age .
(D Note
Please note that summe r and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic transmission, power steer ing ,
power brakes, 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 rat io o f the height to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overa ll handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the part of the t ire t hat is made o f
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead .
Cord means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 24 7
typica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
dec rease the e lasticity of summer t ires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer t ires are used i n very co ld tem ­
peratures, cracks ca n form o n the tread
bars , res ulting in perma nen t tire damage
that can cause loud driving noise and un­
bala nced ti re s. Audi i s not respon sible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire p ress ure recommended by t he
vehicle manufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ignated
s ize t hat has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire press ure
is m easured or adjusted.
Curb weight
me ans the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
st andard equipmen t incl ud ing the max imum
capacity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weig ht of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to oper ate a t higher load s
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standa rd tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", o r
"RF" on the sidewal l.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the load-ca rry ing capac ity of a single
axle system , measured at the tire -ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,..
•
•

248 Tires and wheels
Groove
means the sp ace between two ad jacent tread
ribs .
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry fo r a g iven inflat ion pressu re. You
may not find this in fo rmat io n on all t ires be­
c a use i t is no t re quir ed by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means t he sum of:
(a) Curb weig ht
(b) Accessory weight
( c ) Vehicle c apa city we ight, and
(d) Prod uction opt ions we ight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means t he maximum co ld inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated . Also called
"maxim um infla tion p ressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilog rams) times the
n umber of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the tota l seating capacity of yo ur vehicle .
Occupant distribution
means dist ribution o f occ upants in a veh icle.
Outer diameter
means t he overa ll diamete r of a n inflated new
tire.
Overall w idth
means the linea r distance between the exter i­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
ing e levations due to labeli ng, decorations, or
p rotectiv e bands o r ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated para llel cords.
Production options weight
me ans the com bine d we igh t of tho se ins tall ed
regular prod uction opt ions we ighing over 5
lb s. (2 .3 kg) in excess of those stan da rd item s
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory we ight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers , roof rack ,
heavy duty battery, and special tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic tire in wh ich the ply cords
t h at exte nd t o the beads are laid at substa n­
t ia lly 90 deg rees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see<=> page 247, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire des ign to operat e at h igher loads
and a t higher in flation pressures than t he cor­
re spondi ng s tand ard tire. Reinfor ce d tires
may be iden tifie d as "X L" "xl" "E X TRA LOAD"
' ' '
or "RF " on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal s upport for a ti re or a tire and
tube assembly upon whi ch t he tire beads are
sea ted.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wh eel s ize, you wi ll have to
purchase new ti res to match the new r im di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal d istance between rim fla nges .
Sidewall
means tha t po rtion of a tire betwee n the
t read and be ad.

Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire is des igned to
be driven for extended periods of t ime . The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢page 258. You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­ ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 262.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warn ing te ll­
tale .
Tread
means that port ion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the pr incipal
grooves designed to give a visual ind ication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 256, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat ion on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (N HTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires . Th e U TQG is not a safety rating and not a
g ua ran tee that a tir e will last for a prescribed
number of mi les (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way. It simply gives tire buyers addi ­
tional information to combine with other con-
Tires and wheels 249
siderations, such as price, brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the t ire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwear, traction, and temperature
resistance. The UTQG informat ion on the tires,
molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2212 ...
means that 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
tire manufacturer. This information is used to
contact consumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to­
tal seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated on the driver's side B -pillar .
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distr ibuted in
accordance with table below¢
page 250)
and dividing by two.
•
•

250 Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants Vehicle normal load
, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants _____ mally loaded vehicle
4 2 _________ 2infro nt
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fi g. 196 Tire pressure label: located on drive r's si de 8 -
pilla r
Tire pressure gene ra lly refers to the amo unt
of air i n a tir e th at i t needs it to do its job and
s a fe ly c arry the combined load of the entire
ve hicl e and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna ­
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
squa re inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part o n the vehicle's design and load limit -
the greatest amount of we ight that the vehi ­
cle can car ry safely an d the t ire s ize. The prop­
e r tire p ressu re is freq uen tly referred to as the
"recommende d cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires exp ands when the ti re heats up
beca use of in ter nal fri ct ion when i t flexes in
use. The tire p ress ure is higher when the tire
has warmed up tha n when it is "cold." It is the
inflat ion pressure in a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you sho uld never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold ti re inflation pres­
sure" recommendations. The t ires wo uld the n
be underinflated a nd could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper t ire p ressure is one of the
most important things you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated t ires
a re a majo r ca use of s udden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires a t the r ight pressu re is also impor-
-~
-
( • (==. ~r: I := I :... 1)-~- -:-i
n. ........... ....,. .................... ,...,,.. ...... ...... .. '--............................................... ·-..
TN IIZE CO.O TN.,,.... ,.,._u OWlHSIONt ......,., DU ,.,._ua .-,--
-.....
--...........
- KP a PSI
- ICPA. a PSI
- ICPA. a PSI
Fig. 197 Tire p ressu re labe l
SEEOWHf:ft"S
MA. NUAl FOR
IHFOll:MA TION Va.t Lf M>.MJ!:L OU PltOPfllE f A.IN: ,ol.M"-.UtDf NNSCIOM.:MErtf5
tant for safe an d respo ns ive ve hicle ha ndling,
t raction, br aking and load ca rrying .
Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle i s being dr iven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci ­
ties approved for your vehicle .
The recommende d tire pressures for your Audi
depen d on t he kind of tires o n your vehicle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you w ill be transporti ng.
T he tire pressure label is located on the d riv­
er's side B -pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures
fo r the vehicle at its maxim um capac ity
weight and tires t hat were on your veh icle at
t h e time it was ma nufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 2 /3*
occupants ), you can adjust t ire pressures to
those specified for normal vehicle load. Be·
fore operating the vehicle at maximum load,
you mu st increase the tire pres sures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
i:::> .&, . II>-