2013 AUDI Q5 wheel

252 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
5 3 2 in fro nt, 1 in back seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affec ts the overall handling , performance and safe ty of a vehicle.
Fi g. 2 03 Tire p ress ure la b el: loca ted on driver's side B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna·
tional measur ing unit and in pou nds pe r
squa re inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
par t on the vehicle's desig n and load limit -
the greatest amoun t of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop·
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
" recommended cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ressu re is higher when the tire
h as wa rmed up tha n when it is "cold ." It is the
in flat io n pressu re i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Th erefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tire inflat ion pres­
sure" recommendations . The t ires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M ain taining p roper t ire pr essu re is one of the
most im po rt an t th ings you ca n d o to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underin fla ted t ires
a re a ma jo r cause of s udden tire failure. Keep·
i n g tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-U'>
-
---------------------- ,;
•(=~= I: I::... 1)§ :l!: n-...,....,....,~ ...... ~-...,..., ..... _ ... U ........ ~-·~N.-..-.we..... .... lllt-
-AVANT ...,.
-...... .. _
-KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fig. 20 4 Tire pr essure labe l
SEE OWNEJICS MANUA1 FOA A,DOITl<>N.IU. INfORMATlON VOIR L£ MANUll DUPR0ftlET""" P"OUR i-t.US DE RENSEIGMEMENfS
traction, braking and load carrying. Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures f or y our Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires o n your ve hicle
and the numbe r of passe ngers and/o r amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporti ng .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er 's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n press ures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weig ht an d tires t hat were o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was m anufactur ed .
If you wish to improve comfort wh en operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 occu­
pant s), you can ad just tire pre ssure s to tho se
specified for normal vehicle load . Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
mu st increase the ti re pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
¢ .&. .
Bear in min d that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system * can o nly mo nitor the tir e press ures .,.

Tires an d wheel s 253
you have stored. The system does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor­
ing sys tem* will be impaired if you store nor ­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 203 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (co lor of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate a t
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
Tire de signation
c h ange. In the event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label located o n the driver's side B­
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Model /
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear front rear
Q5 :
2.0 liter
4-cylinder
and
Q5:
3.0 liter
6 -cy lind er 235
/60 Rl8 103H
All S eason
235 /55 Rl9 101H
All Season
235 /55 Rl 9101W
High P erforman ce
255 /45 R20 101W
High Performance
255 /40 R21102Y
High Perfo rmance PSI
29
29
29
35
kAA ~I kAA ~I kAA ~I kAA
200 29 200 3
2 220 32 220
210 30 210
33 230
33 230
200 29 200 33 230 33 230
'
200 29 200 33 230 33 230
I
240 36 250 36 250 39 270
X
L= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
located on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, al­
ways compare the tire size designation on the tire pressure label on your vehicle w it h the
tires on your vehicle . Make su re t hat the tire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi ­
cle with different rims/tires or yo u bought the
vehicle as a previous ly owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of yo ur pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that load lim
its are not exceeded . Veh icle load in ­
cludes everybody and eve ryth ing in and on the
vehicle . These load limits a re techn ica lly refer­
r ed to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We igh t Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maxim um load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage o r
other ca rgo that the veh icle can ca rry . Fo r the
location of the t ire pressure label ¢
fig. 203. IJI,,
•
•

254 Tire s and wheel s
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more weight than your 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 vehicle 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
trol and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the we ight of
a tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wea r and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
-
The correct tire pressure for the tires originol­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­
lar .
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
c:::> page 252, Cold tire inflation pressure .This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a couple of m iles (k ilometers) at
low speeds during the p revious three hours . Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l friction as it flexes in
u se . The tire pressure is h igher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" tire that
counts . Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions
c:::> page 252 . The
t ires wou ld then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, orig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured . Fo r the loca­
t ion of the labe l
c:::>page 252, fig . 203 .
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot ­
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ia l tires
used today are underinflated jus t by looki ng
at them.
T he refo re, be sure to check t ire p ressures at
least once a month and always before going
o n a long trip. Ma ke sure to take the numbe r
of peop le and the amou nt o f luggage into ac­
count when adjust ing tire pressu re for a trip -
even one that yo u wo uld not consider to be
" long." See
c:::> page 256, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an ac curate tire p ress ure ga uge
when checking and adj usting inflation pres­
s u res . Check a ll of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any t ire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is co rrect fo r the
load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
dr iv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the p ressure in the co ld
t ire and the pressure you need and add the air
t h at you need to reach the cor rect pressure for
t h e ve hicl e load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on

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 .,.
•