If yo u have a flat tire, see notes on spa re
wheel
¢ page 260 .
P lease always remember th at w inte r ti res may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi
na lly installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. Please see ¢
page 262,
Speed rating (letter code) for a list ing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the m aximum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
The speed rating letter code( ¢
page 252) is
on the s ide wall of the tire ¢
page 260.
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 inter t ires. This will cause damage to the
t ires leading to an acc ident and serious
personal in jury to you and yo ur passen
gers .
& WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fai lure in
cluding 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 max imum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for wh ich the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your d rivi ng to the road and
t raffic conditions. Neve r let t he good ac
celeration of the winte r tires and all-whee l
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. A l
ways remember:
Tire s an d wheel s 265
-W hen braking, an a ll-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
veh icle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are quieter, 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
authorized Aud i dea le r on which tire sizes
snow c hains can be used.
If you a re go ing to u se snow chains, then you
must install them on the front whee ls at
least.
The snow chains mus t have low-profile links
and must not be th icker than 0 .4 inch
(10,5 mm) , includ ing t he lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow cha ins on your vehicle
¢ (D . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bol ts . These a re ava il
able from autho rized Aud i deale rs .
A WARNING
Usi ng the wrong snow chai ns for your vehi
cle o r insta lling them incorrect ly can in
crease the r isk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious pe rsonal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer .
- When drivi ng with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
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tread width expressed in percentage. Conven
tional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more .
The performan ce of low-aspe ct-ratio tires is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pressure . It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained . Tire pres
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
¢ page 2 55, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tir es can be damaged more
eas ily by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or r idges on the road, part icu larly if the tire is
under inflated.
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tir es of your veh icle, we recom
mend that you observe the following precau
tions :
- Always maintai n recommended inflation
pressures . Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary.
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or r idges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso
ca use damage to your tires .
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
autho rized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible.
- Inspect yo ur tires 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 underinflation, wh ich could eventu
ally cause tire failure . If you be lieve that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
t ir e as soon as poss ible .
- These tires may wear more quick ly than oth
ers .
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
Tires and wheels 267
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are in
tended for maximum dry and wet road per
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions .
If
you drive under those circumstances, you
shou ld equip your vehicle w ith all-season or
winter tires, which offer better t raction unde r
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow or all- season tires specified
for your vehicle, or their equivalent.
Refer to~
page 264 for more detailed infor
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith t ire pressure monitoring syste m
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and in
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
s iz e in dicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flat ion pressure label, you should determine
the proper tir e inflation pressure for those
tires) .
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure telltale when one o r more of your
tires is s ignificantly under-inflated. According
l y, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure . Driving on a significantly un
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure. Under-inflation al-
so reduces fuel effic iency and tire tread life, ..,.
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designated seating position) and luggage
weight~&. .
Gros s Axle W eight Rating
The G ross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle
q .&. .
Vehicle capacit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max. load) is list
ed either on the dr iver's side B-pillar or inside
the fuel filler flap.
Roof weight
The maximum perm issible roof weight is 220
lb (100 kg ).
The roof weight is made up of
the we ight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object be ing transported
q page 72, Loading the roof rack .
.&, WARNING
- T he ac tual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles shou ld not ex
ceed the permiss ible weights, and their
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing .
- Exceeding permissib le weight ratings can
result in vehicle damage, accidents and
personal injury.
(D Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is distributed evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage). When
transporting a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as possib le so that the veh i
cle's handling is not impa ired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axle loads or the maximum gross vehicle
weight. Always remember that the vehi
cle's handling will be affected by the ex
tra load. Therefore, adjust you r speed ac
cord ingly.
- Always observe loca l regu lations.
-
G ene ral in formation 29 1
Dimensions
The specifications refer to the basic model.
Differences may occur depending on the mod
el type and options ordered, for example, tire
sizes.
l) Fig ures were not avai lab le at time of pub li
cation.
@ Note
When dr iv ing up steep ramps, on rough
r oads, over curbs, etc. it is important to re
member that some parts of your vehicle,
such as spoi lers or exhaust system compo
nents, may be close to the ground. Be
careful not to damage them.
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