2013 AUDI A8 rims

-To prevent damage to the wi res of the
rear defogger, do not place any adhesive
stickers on the inside of the rear window
over the wires.
- To he lp prevent dirt from scratching the
window, always scrape in a forward di­
rection - pushing the scraper away from
you - never back and forth .
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care.
~ Wash the wheels with a sponge or hose
brush every other week.
~ For deep cle aning afterwa rds, use only a
dedica ted
acid -free cast alloy wheel cleaner.
~ Rub a coa t of liquid wax on to the r ims every
three month . Be sure to reach and treat all
parts of the rim .
To preserve the decorat ive appearance of the
cast alloy wheels , some special care is neces ­
sary . In add it ion to road dirt and salt , brake
dust is also corros ive. If left on for too long,
b rake dust can cause pi tting.
Use only specia l
acid-free cleaners formulated
for alloy rims. Safe products are available at
your Aud i deale r. Never leave the cleaner on
the r ims longe r than spec ified on the label. If
n o t rinsed off promptly , the acid co nta ined in
some cleaners can attack the th reads on the
wheel bo lts .
Never use abras ive or metal polishing clean­
in g agents. If the prote ctive coat ing has been
chipped, e .g. by k icked up road d irt, touch it
up as soon as possib le .
A WARNING
- Moist ure and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency
i:> page 200, General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash the vehicle .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
c> page 215.
Cleaning and protec tion 221
Body cavity sealing
The body cavity sealing does not need to be
checked .
All body cav ities which could be affected by
corros io n have been thoroughly protected at
the factory .
This sealing does not require any inspection or additional treatmen t. If any wax should seep
out of the cavi ty when the ambie nt tempera­
ture is high, it can be removed with a p lastic
scraper and a su itable solvent .
A WARNING
Solvents can be dangero us.
- Benz ine is flammab le and toxic. If you
use benz ine fo r removing the wax , keep
sparks, flame and lig hted cigarettes
away. Never d ump ben zine on the
grou nd, into open streams or down sew­
age drains .
- Be s ure to obse rve a ll safe ty and environ­
men tal reg ulations. Fo llow all instruc­
tions on the container.
- Always read and heed a ll WAR NIN GS and
o ther information ¢
page 215.
Chassis
Have the undercoating checked for damage
from time to time.
The lower body shell of your Aud i is also thor­
oughly p rotec ted against cor ros io n.
Any damage to the undercoat ing caused by
road hazards should be repaired promptly .
A WARNING
Too much undercoating in the wrong pla­
ces can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalyti c con­
ver ter or he at shields. While driving, the
substance used fo r undercoating co uld
overheat and cause a fire.
•
•

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A voidin g damage
If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 249
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 278.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
l ocated on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
veh icle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle wit h the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires 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 boug ht the
ve hicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing su re that
l oad l imits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
veh icle. 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 app lied at each of the veh icle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle We ight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker label located on the
driver's side B-p illar . The t ire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
l ocat ion of the tire pressure labe l
c;, fig. 204.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Car rying 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
t rol and a crash.
Tire s an d wheel s 255
-Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported - includ ing 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 Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a ser ious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, caus ing loss of veh icle contro l.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressvre label located on driver's side 8-pil ­
lar.
T he recommended tire pressures are on the
ti re pressure label and in the table
c;, page 253, Cold tire inflation pressure .This
means that the pressure m ust be checked and
adjusted when the tire 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 internal frict ion as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is h igher when the tire
has warmed up t han when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" t ire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let a ir out
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat io ns
c;, page 253 . The
ti res wo uld then be unde rinfl ated and co uld
fail suddenly.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
max imum capacity for the new, or ig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehi cle at
1J1>
•
•

@ Treadwear, traction and temperature grades
@ ·· Maximum permissible inflation pres­
. . sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design. The tires and r ims approved
by Aud i are specially matched to the charac­
ter istics of the vehicle and can make a major
contribution to good road ho ld ing and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated ¢
&.
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be performed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They a re familiar with recommended
procedu res and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare par ts as we ll as the prope r fa ­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Author ized Audi dealers have the necessary
informat ion about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and whe els
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front tires
or both rear tires togethe r) .
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the t ire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 267 .
Always buy replacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi . Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci­
fication as the or iginal equipment or app roved
optional ti res listed in the table ¢
page 253.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to you r vehicle and its load lim its,
and can cont ribute to the important road ho ld­
i ng, d riving character istics, and safety of the
vehicle . The table(¢
page 253) lists spec ifica ­
tions of the tires approved for the A udi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner's Literature.
The ti re p ress ure label located on dr iver's side
B-pillar
(¢page 253, fig. 205) lists the speci­
fications of the original equipment tires in-
Tire s an d wheel s 261
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man­
u factured.
Federa l law requ ires tire man ufactu rers to
place standardized info rmation on the side­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 208. This information
identifies and descr ibes the fundamenta l
characteristics, the q uality grade of the t ire
and also provides a t ire identification number
for safety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tir e s pecific ation s
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires . Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
s idewall, for example:
2 55 /45 R 19 104 H
T his conta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
2 55 Nom inal tire w idth in mm of the t ire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge . In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
45 Height/w idth ratio in perce nt (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion : Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
104 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") Indicates
that the tire is a "Reinforced" or an "Extra Load" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
T he tires could also have the informa tion of
direction of rotat ion ¢
page 249.
Tire manufacturing date
The manufactu ring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the whee l):
"DOT ... 2212 ... " means, for example, the t ire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2012 . ..,.
•
•

262 Tire s and wheels
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on the wheels in­
dicates the maximum pe rmissib le road speeds
¢ & in Winter tires on page 265 .
p up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1l
y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1l
Your vehicle is normally factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi optimum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
<=> page 29 will normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faster than the tire speed rating
<=> & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Numbe r (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant whe re it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
F or example, the numbers 2212 mean the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 20 12. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not be used by the t ire manufacturer.
This information is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Audi original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specially matched with your Audi. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
ll For tires wit h a max imum speed capab ility over 149
mph (240 km/h), tire man ufactur ers sometimes use
the letters "ZR."
safety and driving characterist ics when used
correct ly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you w ith more information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
genera l, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac ­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction , and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades
<=> page 2 63.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving conditions.
A WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
coll is ion and serious personal injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts
that meet the specif ications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- T ires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with specia l care and at lower
speeds.

-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. •
•

26 6 T ire s and whee ls
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging t ires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into d irect con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension should
malfunction, do not mo unt or use snow
cha ins beca use the veh icle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severely dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with All Wheel Drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
cor rectly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle - even if it is the same model
~ page 298.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tightened o r maintained wheel
bolts can be come loose caus ing loss of control, a col
lision and serio us personal in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bo lts and the
threads in the whee l hubs clean so the
wheel bo lts can turn easily and be prop­
erly tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can become loose while driv ing if greased or
oiled, even if t ightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
veh icle.
- Always ma intain the correct tightening
torque for the whee l bolts 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 mov ing. If the tig htening torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be ­
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90
ft l b (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque whee l bolts diago ­
nally . After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rman ce, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety o f driving condi­
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 o r less in the tire's s ize
designation. The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
ll-

278 What do I do now?
and the hub. R emove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo unt ing 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 spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spa re tire with a t read patte rn
i n te nded fo r use in a specific direction, please
note the fo llowing:
- T he direction o f rotation is marked by a n ar­
row on the side of the tire.
- If the spare t ire has to be in stalled i n the in ­
corre ct d irection, use the sp are tire on ly
temporarily since the t ire will not be a ble to
achieve its optimum perfo rmance character­
ist ics with rega rd t o aquaplaning, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend t hat you pay pa rticular at­
tent ion to this fact during wet weat her and
t h at y ou adjust your speed to matc h road
condit ions .
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed o n your ve hicle as soon as
poss ible to restore th e handli ng a dvantages
of a un id irect iona l tir e.
Notes on wheel changing
Pl ease re ad the informa tion i:> page 260, New
t ires and repl acing tires and wheels
if you are
goin g to use a spare tire which is differen t
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you cha nge a tire :
-Check the t ire pressure on the spare imme ­
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified service station .
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm) . -
If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tire , they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover .
Until then , drive with extra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- I f you are going to eq uip your vehicle
wit h tires or rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be sur e to r ead the information
i:> page 260,
New tir es and replacing tir es and
wheels.
- Always ma ke sure th e damag ed wh eel o r
e v en a flat tir e and th e jack a nd tool ki t
a re pr operly se cu red in the lugga ge co m­
p art me nt a nd a re not l oo se in the pas­
sen ger com partment .
- I n an a ccide nt or sudde n maneuver they
could fly forward, injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
- Always store dama ged whee l, j ac k and
t oo ls se curely in the l ugg age c omp art­
men t. Otherwise, in an acci dent o r sud ­
de n maneuve r they could fly forwa rd,
causing inj ury to passen gers in the vehi­
cle.