
Tires an d wheel s 285
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label located on the driver's side 8-
p ill ar a lways takes precedence.
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inf lation pressures for the A udi model
I Model / Tire designation
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear front rear
I
PSI II kPA PSI kPA PSI j[ kPA PSI kPA
Q7:
3.0 liter
6-cy linder 2
55/5 5 Rl8 109H XL
All Sea son
265 /50 Rl9 ll0H XL
All Sea son
2 75/45 R20 ll0H XL
All S ea so n
275 /45 R20 110V XL
High Performance
295 /35 R21 10 7V XL
High Performance
35 240 35
35 240 35
35 240 35
35 240 35
36 250 35 240
44
300 49 340
240 44 300 49 340
240 44 300 49 340
•
240 44 300 49 340
I
240 44 300 49 340
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may als o appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
l ocated on a label on the driver's side 8-pilla r.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment during the model year, al
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle. Ma ke sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
l oad limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat
i ng ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be appl ied at each of the veh icle's two axles.
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weig
ht Rating are listed on the
safety compl iance sticker label located on the
drive r's side 8-pillar . The tire pressure labe l on
your A udi lists the maxim um combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage or
other cargo that t he vehicle can carry. Fo r the
location of the tire pressure label ¢
fig. 251.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
h icle control, a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in
crease the risk of a 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.
- T ires on a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly caus ing loss of con-
trol and a crash. ..,.
•
•

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

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 291
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in
.
Fig. 255 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 ti res and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

29 4 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
c> page 291,
fig . 255 .
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.

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 .,..
•
•

304 What do I do now?
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop ¢,& .
• All passengers should
leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢
A-
.. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally ¢,& .
• Move
selector lever to position P <=> ,&.
• If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trail
er from your vehicle.
• Block the diagonally opposite wheel wi th
the folding chocks or other objects.
• Take the
jack and the inflatable spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 301.
11. WARNING
=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol
low these safety precautions :
- If you have a f lat tire,
move a safe dis
tance off the road . Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Auto mat ic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
-Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the inflatable spare tire,
make sure that you replace the flat tire/
wheel in its storage area properly and
tighten the knurled retaining screw se
curely .
' Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the se
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢ page 159.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also ¢
page 305, Deco
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 305,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 305.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 306.
5. Lift the car with the jack¢ page 306.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢page 307 .
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly.
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 305.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
¢page 159.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
inf ormat ion¢ .&.
in Raising the vehicle on
page
307 and ¢page 308.

306 What do I do now?
Loosening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc
tion of arrow
c:> fig. 264.
Tightening
.,. Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
A WARNING
- Do not use force or hurry when changing
a wheel - you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack. - You risk an injury.
@ Tips
If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find it
easier to loosen by carefully pushing down
on the end of the wheel bolt wrench with
one foot only. As you do so, hold on to the
car to keep your balance and take care not
to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
Fig. 265 Sill pane ls: mar kings
Fig. 266 Sill: posit ioning the jack
.,. Activate the vehicle jack mode* (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
<::> page 159 .
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
.,. Move the
selector lever to position P .
.,. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that
is nearest the wheel that will be changed
<=>
fig. 265. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the jack.
.,. Turn the
jack located under the lifting point
on the sill to raise the jack until its arm@
<=>
fig . 266 is located under the designated
plastic mount<=>
& c::>(D .
.,. Align the jack so that its arm @ c::> fig. 266
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door sill and the movable base® lies
flat on the ground. The base @ must be
ver
tical
under the lifting point@.
.,. Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground
c:> ,& .
Position the jack only under the designated
lifting points on the sill
<=>fig . 265. There is
exactly
one location for each wheel. The jack
must not be positioned at any other location
<=>
.&. <=> CD .
An unstable surface under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground. If nec
essary place a sturdy board or similar support
under the jack . On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
c:> ,&.. liJI,

308 What do I do no w?
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
- When mounting tires with
unid irection al
tread design
make sure the tread pat
tern is pointed the right way
¢ page 308 .
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy
to turn. Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing surfaces of both the wheel
and the hub . Remove all dirt from these
su rfaces before remount ing the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in
the right direction.
Using a spare t ire w ith a tread pattern
int ended fo r use in a specific direct ion
When us ing a spa re tire w ith a t read patte rn
i n te nded for use in a specific direction, p lease
note the fo llowing:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an ar
row on the side of the tire .
- If the spare t ire has to be in stalled in the in
correct d irection, use the spare tire only
temporarily since the t ire will not be able to
a chieve its optimum perfo rmance character
ist ics w ith reg ard to aquapl ani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend tha t you pay pa rticular at
tent ion to this fact du ring wet weather and
that you adjust your speed to ma tch road
conditions .
- Replace the fla t tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your veh icle as soon as
poss ible to restore the handling advantages
of a unid irect iona l tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read t he i nfo rmat ion Q page 291 , New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if yo u are
go ing to use a spa re tire which is different
from the tires on yo ur vehicle.
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spar e imm e
diately after installation .
- Ha ve the wheel bolt tightening torque
ch ecked with a torque wr ench as soon a s
po ssible by your authorized Audi deal er or
a qua lifi ed workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rim s, the wheel
bolt s are corre ctly tightened at a torque of
120 ft lb (160 Nm) .
- If you notice that the wheel bolts ar e cor
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tir e, they should be repla ced before y ou
c h eck the tightening torque .
- Re pla ce the flat tire wi th a new on e and
have it in stalled on y our vehi cle a s soon a s
po ssible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until th en , dr iv e with extra car e and at re
duc ed sp eed s.
&_ WARNING
-
- If you a re going to eq uip your vehi cle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be
sure to read the information
Q page 291,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always make s ure the damaged wheel o r
even a flat tire and the jack and tool kit
are property secured in the luggage com
partment and are not loose in the pas
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, injuring anyone in the
ve hicle .
- Always store damaged wheel, jack and
too ls securely in the luggage compa rt
ment. Othe rwise, in a n accident o r sud
den maneuve r they could f ly forwa rd ,
causing inj ury to passengers in the ve hi
cle .