2013 AUDI Q5 Owners Manual

your vehicle and in this manual and the kind of driving you p lan to do.
N eve r ex ce ed th e ma ximum inflati on pre s­
s ur e listed on th e tire sidew all for any rea­
so n.
Remembe r that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the t ire manufacturer , determ ines the co rrect
tire pressure for the t ires on your veh icle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the t ires are cold .
- Read the requ ired tire pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side 8-p illar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inflat ion p ressu res for the veh icle at its
maximum capacity we ight and the tires that
were on yo ur vehicle at the time it was man­
ufact ured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load condit ions, please see chap­
ter
¢ page 252.
-Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold. The
s li ght ly ra ised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying .
- Reinsta ll the valve stem cap on the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is espec ially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure sho uld
therefore be checked at leas t once a mon th
and a lways befo re starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adju st the tir e pres sures?
Ad just the tire p ressu re to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels . In addition, you must then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitor ing system* ¢
page 268.
Tires an d wheel s 255
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
[I] 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.
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
f lation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
f lation, ca using loss of veh icle contro l.
- The drive r is responsib le for the co rrec t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat ­
ed on a sticke r on the driver's side B-pil­
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil ­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure mon itor ing system* can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re p ress ure monito r­
ing system*.
- Always inf late tires to the recommended
a nd correct t ire p ress ure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
mo re, letting t hem get too hot resulting
in tre ad separation, s udden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prema turely and the
vehicle wi ll not handle well. .,.. •
•

256 Tire s and wheel s
-If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required .
(D Note
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire valves . To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely mounted on the
valve .
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire ca n car ry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not ha ndle
well a nd is more difficult to stop. Over load ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure , in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
a nd everyth ing in and on the vehicle . T hese
load limits are tech nica lly refe rred to as the
ve hicle 's
Gross V ehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory insta lled accesso ries, a full
tank of fuel, oi l, coo la nt and othe r fluids pl us
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number of passengers that t he vehi cle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") w ith an
assumed weight o f 150 lbs (6 8 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating pos ition
and the tota l weight of any l uggage in th e
ve­
hicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weig ht of the loaded tra
ile r must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" GAWR") is
the max imum load th at can be applied at e ach
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Ra ting are listed on the
sa fety comp liance s ticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar. Your Audi has 5 seat ing
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear fo r
total seat ing capac ity of 5. Each seating posi ­
t ion has a seat be lt
c:> page 149, Safety bel ts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited . The more passen ­
gers in the vehicle or passenge rs w ho are
heavier than th e standard we ights assumed
mea n tha t less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage .
T he t ire pressure label on your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combi ned weig ht of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehi cle can carry . For t he lo ca tion of the
label <=>page 252, fig. 203.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve ­
hi cle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
veh icle from handling pr operly 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
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s uddenly, including a blowout
a nd sudden defla tion, causing loss of
contro l and a c rash .
~

-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 heav ier 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 KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 252,
fig. 203.
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
Tires and wheels 257
shown on the sticker
¢page 252, fig. 203.
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 50
(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.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­ duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 259, fig. 207) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
•
•
'

258 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 20 5 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
F ig. 206 Rotat ing t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 205 running across the tread. Depend ­
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different fig ures may apply in o ther countries
c::> & .
Tire p ressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
a nd can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 254.
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acce leration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
F or all four tires on your ve hicl e to h ave the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Book let .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehi cles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 206.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 278 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal ­
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All-wheel driv e
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 202 . ..,.

A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle 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 "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special 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. Tires and wheels 259
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in
.
Fig. 207 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rat ing
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ 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 rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
contribution to good road ho lding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ ,& .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires .
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and whe els
Tires sho uld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢ page 266.
Always buy rep lacement 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 original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
¢ page 252.
Aud i-approved specification ti res are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load lim its,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
( ¢ page 252) lists spec ifica­
t ions of the t ires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on the driver's
side B-pillar
¢ page 252, fig. 204 lists the
specif ications of the or iginal equipment tires
installed on your vehicle at the time it was
manufactured .
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires
¢ fig . 20 7. This information
i dent ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ident ificat ion number f
or sa fety standard ce rtification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of ti re specificat ions makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P2 35 / 6 0 R 18 10 3 H
This co nta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
235 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewa ll edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
t he tire
60 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construction: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (in inches)
103 Load rating code
H Speed rat ing letter code
X L (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
t h at the t ire is a "Reinforced" or an "E xt ra
Load " tir e
M+S (or " M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capabi lity
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotatio n ¢
page 248 .
Tire manufacturing date
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel) :
"DOT ... 2212 ... " means , for exampl e, that the
tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2012.
Speed rating (letter cod e)
The speed r ating le tter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on poge 264.
P up to 93 mp h (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)1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your veh icle is no rma lly factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac ­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
c::> page 2 7 wi ll normally prevent you r vehicle
from go ing faster than the tire speed ra ting
c:::> .& .
U.S . DOT T ire Identification Numb er (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 where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers r ep resent the week and year of manufacture.
F or
examp le, the numbers 22 12 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week o f
20 12. The other numbe rs are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufactu rer. This information is used to con­
tact consumers if a tire defec t requi res a re­
call.
Aud i O riginal ti re
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched with your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
t hey meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer w ill
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply compo sit ion and material s used
The number of plies ind icates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of plies, the
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire man ufacturers some times u se
th e le tters " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 261
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac ­
turers also must indicat e the materials in the
tire, which incl ude steel, nylon, po lyester, and
others.
Ma ximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
ki lograms and pounds that can be ca rried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
tract ion, and temp erature re sis tance
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades
c::> page 2 62 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressu re
T his number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder 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,
col lis ion and serious personal injury.
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
a nd 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
a nd then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Neve r mo unt used tires o n your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previo us histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that ca n lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
•
•

26 2 T ire s and wheel s
-All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ir es that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with wi nter tires - on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the no r­
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi ­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maxim um
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are drive n
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly.
- Overloading ti res cause heat build- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
poss ible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve­
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked . Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping d istances and caus­
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that we re eq uipped w it h them
at the f acto ry. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for r un flat t ires . Incor­
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi­
cle damage or acc idents . Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or t ire specia list
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat t ires. If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed o n all four
wheels. Mix ing tire types is not permit­
ted. (D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er veh icles. T his can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is diffe rent from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w it h the
ti re mat ching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possi ble.
- Never d rive without the valve stem cap.
T he v alves co uld get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance w ith the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Tra ction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicab le
on the tire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 259,
fig . 207 .
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA ,
Temperature A .
All passenger car ti res must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
F o r example, a tire graded
150 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf
(11/2) times as well on the
government course as a ti re graded
100.