-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you 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.
- 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. Incor
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi
cle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire specialist
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
Tires and wheels 263
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit
ted.
@ 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
~ page 260,
fig. 208 .
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
unde r contro lled conditions on a specified
government test course. •
•
264 Tire s and wheel s
For example, a tire graded 150 wou ld wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100.
The relat ive perfo rmance of t ires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how
ever, and may depart significantly from the norm due to var iat ions in dr iving 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 cond it ions on
specif ied government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked
C may have poor
traction performance
q ,& .
Temp eratu re
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the t ire 's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under controlled cond i
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained hig h temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive tempe rature can lead
to sudden ti re failu re
q ,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
u nder the Federa l Moto r Ve hicle Safety Stand
a rd No.
1 09. G rades Band A represent higher
l eve ls of pe rformance on the labo ratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
A WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead b raking traction
tests, and does not incl ude acceleration,
cornering, hydrop lan ing 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. Excess ive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive load ing, either
separa tely or in comb inat ion, can ca u se
h eat bui ld up a nd possib le 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 gove rnments
may requi re true w in te r or "snow" tires, those
wi th very deeply cut t read . T hese tires sho uld
o n ly be used in pairs and be installed on a ll
fo ur whee ls. Make sure you purchase snow
ti res that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
If your vehicle is e quipped w it h all-whee l
drive*, this wi ll improve traction during winter
driving, even with the standa rd tires . Howev
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four wheels o n your veh icle w ith cor
rect ly fitted winter tires or all-season t ires,
when winter road condit ions are expected .
Th is also improves the veh icle's brak ing per
fo rmance and reduces stoppi ng d ista nces .
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
winter ti re size s. Use
on ly rad ial winter tires.
Win ter tires lose their effec tiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0. 157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w in te r tir es under w inte r con
di tions. S umme r tires handle bette r when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45
°F (7 °() .
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 .
•
•
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, ..,.
•
•