2013 AUDI Q7 tire pressure

pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflatio n pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity we ight a nd the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man ­
ufactured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load condit ions, please see chap ­
ter ~
page 284 .
-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 light ly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure ?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor ­
tant at high speeds . The pressure sho uld
therefo re be checked at least once a month
and a lways before start ing a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adju st the tire pre ssures?
Ad just the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then
store the new tire pressures i n the t ire pres­
sure mon itor ing system
~ page 300.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or unde rinfla­
tion ca n lead sudden tire failure, loss of
cont ro l, col lision, ser ious persona l inju ry
or even death.
- Whe n the wa rning symbo l
[ti] appears in
the instrume nt cl uster, s top and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfl a­
t ion can ca use inc reased t ire wear and
can affect the handling o f the veh icle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin ­
flation ca n also lead to sud den tire fa il-
Tires an d wheel s 287
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of veh icle contro l.
- The driver is responsi ble for the co rrect
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker o n the dr iver's s ide B-pil­
lar .
- Onl y when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the t ire 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 ess ential that th e drive r
observe t he spec ified t ire p ress ure val ues
for the tires and the cor rect pressures for
the func tion of the t i re p ress ure moni to r­
ing system.
- Always in flate tires to the recommen ded
a nd correct t ire p ress ure be fore dr iv ing
off .
- D riving with unde rinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, s udden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear premat urely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, d rive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire press ure and add
air as requ ired .
(D Note
Driving w ithout valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure that factory installed
valve s tem caps o n all whee ls are sec urely
mounted o n the valve .
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fuel consumpt ion.
•
•

288 Tires and wheels
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded wi ll not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle control
,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure in-
,
eluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are tech nically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories , a full
tank of fuel , oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any l uggage in the ve­
hicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker label located on the
driver's side B -pillar. Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. On vehicles w ith
six seats*, your veh icle has two front seats,
two seats in the second row seating and two
seats in the third row seating. On vehicles
with seven seats*, your vehicle has two front
seats, three seats in the second row seating
and two seats in the third row seating . Each seating
position has a seat belt
q page 175,
Safety belts .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less weight can be carr ied as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location of the
label
q page 284, fig. 251.
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icl e 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 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 over load­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including 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.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or

other things that you plan to
transport 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 vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 284,
fig. 251.
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 pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 284, fig. 251 .
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-
Tires and wheels 289
pa city is 650 lbs. (1400-7 so
(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 291 , fig. 255) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
•
•
'

2 90 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. 2 53 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icators (TWI)
F ig. 25 4 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tr ead Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l t ires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
.... N M
c::> fig . 253 running across the tread. Depend ­
ing 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 t his
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 2 86.
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 recommen d that t he
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufact urer'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
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- 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 fro nt w heels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 254.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 308.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avo id 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 w heel alig nment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an aut horized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
c::>page 231. ..,.

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)

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)1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1>
Your vehicle is no rma lly facto ry equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving cha rac­
ter istics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
¢ page 28 wi ll normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
¢ A .
U.S. DOT Tir e Identification Numbe r (TIN )
a nd tir e m anufactur e date
T his is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
t ire meets all federal s tandards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
F or example, the numbers 2212 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd wee k of
20 12. The othe r numbe rs a re mar ke ting co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . This informat ion is used to con­
tact consumers if a tire defect requi res a re ­
call.
Audi Original tir e
Tires with the identi fication "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched w ith your Audi . We
recommend using only t hese tires because
they meet the highest standards rega rd ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . You r authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materi als used
The number of plies indicates the n umber of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
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 ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e l ett ers " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 293
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, po lye ster, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
ki lograms and pounds that can be carr ied by
the tire.
Tir e quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion, and temp eratu re resis tance
T read wear, t raction and temperat ure grades
¢ page 294.
Ma ximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the g reatest 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 specif ications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- T ires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
a nd then w ith speci al care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam ­
aged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
•
•

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>