2013 AUDI Q7 driving in snow

-Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake. Th is may cause the brakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and increased
stopping distance .
- Under certain climat ic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced . In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout us ing your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct ­
ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
running¢ &,.
Int ellig ent technolog y 229
A WARNING
-Never let the veh icle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­
der braking.
T he ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol s ince it preve nts the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the vehicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With ABS y ou do not n eed to pump the
bra ke. Just h old t he br ake ped al d own .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten
braking distance under
all circumstances.
When dr iving on g ravel or on new ly fallen
snow o n top of icy s urfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and with great care.
How the ABS s ystem works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached . When
th is happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rotate too
s low ly in relation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake
pressure to prevent that whee l from locking .
T his automatic adjustment p rocess will cause
a
sli ght vibrati on of the brake pedal and some
noises to a le rt you that ve hicle speed m ust be
adapted to existing road and traffic condi ­
tions. •
•

@ Tips
- When the engine is running, never hold
the steer ing whee l turned a ll the way to
the right or t o the left f or longer than 15
seconds. The power steering pump w ill
overheat the hydraulic f lu id if you keep
hol ding the steer ing wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering system.
- If the power steer ing system should fail
ent irely, or if the engine is not running
(fo r example, while being towed), you
will still be ab le to steer the vehicle.
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so.
- If the power s teer ing system should
have a leak, or is not functioning proper­
l y, contact yo ur authorized Audi dealer
immediately.
- The power stee ring system requires a
spec ially formulated hydraulic fluid. The
power steering reservo ir is the one locat­
ed farthest to the rear on the left side of
the engine compartment
c> page 266.
The co rrect flu id level in the reservoir is
i mportant for proper functioning of the
power steer ing .
Driving with your
quattro ®
With all-wheel drive, oil four wheels ore driv ­
en.
Gener al information
W ith all -whee l dr ive , power is distributed to
a ll fo ur wheels. This happens automatica lly
depending on yo ur driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time . See also
¢ page 227,
Electronic differential lock (EDL) .
Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your ve hicl e w it h
all -wheel drive has an advan tage, even with
regu lar tires . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak-
Int ellig ent technolog y 231
ing: these tires must be mounted on all four
wheel s. See also ¢
page 295, Winter tires .
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory o n certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 296, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always have ti res of t he same s ize. A lso avo id tires
with different t read depths. For det ails see
page
c!;> page 291, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
_& WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur driv ing to road and traf­
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Altho ugh the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfaces .
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide o n top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in­
crease in engine speed as w ith a front ­
wheel drive vehicle. Always drive at
speeds which are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat­
te ry is discharged by idling cur rent consume rs
(e.g. immobi liz e r). In certa in circumstan ces it ..,_
•
•

258 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Winter operation
At temperatures below 20° F (-7° C), Diesel
fuel No.
2 loses its fluidity due to wax separa­
tion, which may clog the fuel filter or tank fil­
ter and keep the engine from running .
To help the filter from being clogged by wax,
the fue l filter in your vehicle is automatically
preheated. Preheating the fuel filter makes
operation of your vehicle possible with Diesel
fuel No. 2 down to -10° F (-24° C).
If you expect temperatures below
5° F
(-15° C)
ask your fuel dealer whether their
Diese l fuel No.
2 is sufficiently winterized for
the prevailing and expected temperatures.
If not winterized or insufficiently winterized
Diesel fuel has already thickened to the extent
that the engine will not start, warm the vehi­
cle up by leaving it in a heated garage.
It is normal that the engine noise leve l (die­
seling) is louder during the warm-up period in
winter. It is also norma l when whitish-blue
smoke comes out of the tailpipe after starting
and during warm-up . The amount of smoke
depends on the outs ide temperature.
Do not let your Diese l engine idle unnecessari ­
ly after a cold start. Driving off slowly will
shorten the warm-up period.
A WARNING
- Never use "starting assist fluids." They
may be potent ially explosive or cause a
"run-away" engine condition. This could
result in ser ious engine damage and per­
sonal injur y.
- Never use fuel line anti-freeze offered for
gasoline engines.
(D Note
- Your Diesel engine has been specifically designed to operate only on Ultra Low
Sulfur Diesel fuel. Therefore, never use
home heating oil or regular gasoline. The
properties of these fuels may cause seri­
ous damage to the fuel injection system
and to the engine. Using these fuels can
-
cause expensive engine repairs and will
also adversely affect your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
- If Diesel fuel sho uld get on any rubber
hose, it must be wiped off immediately.
Then wash the contaminated hose por­
tion with soap and warm water. Do not allow D iesel fuel to remain on connect­
ing hoses . They may develop leaks and
cause serious damage.
Fuel tank
Fuel filler neck
The fuel filler neck is located on the right rear
side panel behind the fuel filler flap.
If the power locking system shou ld fail, you
can still open the flap manua lly -for detailed
instructions see ¢
page 261.
You can find the fuel tank capacity of your ve­
hicle in
Technical Data ¢page 322 .
The label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
te lls you the correct fuel for your vehicle. For
more information about fuel specifications,
see ¢
page 256.
Your vehicle fuel tank has an on-board refuel­
ling vapo r recovery system. This feature helps
to prevent fue l vapors from escaping from the
tank and polluting the environment while you refuel your vehicle. In order to fi ll the tank
proper ly while protecting the environment,
please fo llow this refueling procedure careful­
ly.
A WARNING
-Under normal operating conditions, never
carry addit ional fuel conta iners in your car .
Gas canisters and other conta iners used to
transport fuel can be dangerous. Such con­
tainers, full or empty, may leak and could
cause a fire in a collision.
If you must
transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al ­
ways observe loca l and state laws regard­
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the ..,.

292 Tires and wheels
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
dealer. 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 technica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢pa ge 298.
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
c:> page 284.
Aud i-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(<:>page 284) lists specifica­
ti ons of the tires 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
c:> page 284, fig. 252 lists the
specif ications of the original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle at the time it was
manufactured.
Federal law requires tir e manufacturers to
place standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires
c:> fig. 255. This information
id ent ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire ident ificat ion number f
or sa fety standard ce rtification and in case of
a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specificat ions makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 55 R 18 109 H XL
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tir e is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
255 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
55 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construction: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (in inches)
109 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
that the tire is a"Re inforced" or an "Extra
Load " tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat io n ¢
page 280 .
Tire manufacturing date
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
side of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2212 ... "means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2012.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
c:> & in Winter tires on page 296.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph ( 170 km/h)

29 6 T ire s and whee ls
was manufactured . Please see q page 292,
Speed roting (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed rating letter code( ¢
page 282) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 291.
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
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal inj ury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immed iately .
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. A l­
ways remember:
- When brak ing, an a ll-wheel d rive vehicle
hand les in the same way as
a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive caref ully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice conditions.
{® Fo r the s ake of the en vironment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be f itted only to the rear
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Aud i dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13 .5 mm), includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow chains on your vehicle
c::>@ . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your veh i­
cle or instal ling them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in ­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con ­
tact with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after

driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary . Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains beca use the vehicle 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 severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(0 Tips
W here snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles w ith all-whee l dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled r ims. If different rims are fit­
t e d, the cor rect wheel bolts wit h the right
lengt h and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ens ures t hat w heels a re fitted
secure ly an d that the brake system f unctions
correctly.
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a d ifferent vehicle -even if it
is the s ame mode l
~page 32 7.
& WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­ erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tig hte ned to the specified
torq ue.
Tire s an d wheel s 297
-On ly use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce t he
risk o f a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when t he vehi­
cle is mov ing.
If the tig hte ning torque 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
120
ft l b ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7, 4
ft lb( ± 10 Nm). Torque w heel bo lts
d iagon ally . After changi ng a w heel, the
torque m ust be chec ke d as soon as poss i­
b le with a to rque wrench -preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or q ua lified work­
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped with tow aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road feel
and handli ng under a var iety of drivi ng condi­
tions. As k your au thori zed A udi dealer for
more de tails.
The low asp ect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a nu mera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n ume ra l rep resen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidew all height in rel ation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven ­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres-
sures should be checked at least once a .,..
•
•

298 Tires and wheels
month and alway s before a long trip
~ page 286, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
eas ily by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n order to minimize the occu rrence o f impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tir es or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer . Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires 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 unde rinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause tire failure. If yo u be lieve that a
tire may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wear more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tir es
deliver responsive handling, they may ride
l ess 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 with all-season or
winter tires , which offer better traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­ ommended snow or all-season t ires specified
for your vehicle, or their equivalent .
Refer to
~ page 295 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
s iz e indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flation pressure label, you should determ ine
the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires).
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system ( TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated. According­
l y, when the low tire pressure te lltale illumi­
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure . Driving on a sign ificantly un ­
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure. Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's hand ling and
stopping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the leve l to trigger illuminat ion of the
T PMS low tire pressure tellta le .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The
ll>

300 Tire s and whee ls
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's t ire
pressure label~
page 284 . Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- T he driver is responsible for ma inta ining
the correct tire pressures . You must
check the tire pressures regular ly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i­
cator may be de layed.
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you use these tires when not permit­
ted . Damage to your veh icle or acc idents
could also result .
(D Tips
-The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction .
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was developed using t ires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall
Q page 291 . We recom­
mend using these t ires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted , wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
.. Before resetting the TPMS, the current pres ­
sures of all four tires must correspond to
the specified val ues. Adjust the tire pressure
and reset the pressure i n the t ire p ressu re monitoring system according to the load
you are carrying
Q page 284.
.. Turn on the ign ition.
.. Select:
!CAR ! function button> Systems *
contro l bu tto n > Tire p ressure monitoring >
S tor e now . Or
.. Select :
!CAR ! function button> Car sy s­
tems *
contro l button > Se rvicing & che cks >
Tire pres sure monitoring > Sto re tir e pre s­
s ure s.
(D Tips
Do not sto re the tire pressure if there are
snow cha ins on the tire.