84 Seats and storage
can cause the roof rack or the items at
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury.
- Only mount the system between the
markings shown in~
page 84, fig. 95 .
-The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro
vided.
(D Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any damages to the vehicle caused by using roof racks or mounting structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle . The
same applies to damage resulting from incorrect roof rack installation .
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur
ing a trip to make sure everything is se
curely tightened . If necessary, retighten
the mountings and check the entire sys
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof
of your vehicle, the height of the vehicle
is naturally increased. Be careful when
driving under low bridges or in parking
garages for example. This could cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself.
Roof rack mounting locations
Roof racks must be installed only at the loca
tions marked on the roof rails .
i
-
Fig. 95 Roof rails: front and rea r mo unting locatio ns
Mount the front and rear cross bars between
the punched markings on the inside of the
roof railings ~
fig. 95. The markings are locat
ed on the inside of the railings.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
.,. Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
evenly .
.,. Always attach items to the roof rack secure -
ly before you drive off .
The max imum permissible roof weight is
220
lb (100 kg).
The roof weight is made up of
the weight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object being transported .
When using a roof rack system wh ich has a
lower load carrying capacity, you must not use
up the total maximum permissible load carry
ing capacity specified above. Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the maximum capacity specified by the manufac
turer of the roof rack system .
.&_ WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause serious personal injury.
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact
ly as specified above~
page 84.
-Always use suitable mounting straps for
securing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shifting or flying for
ward .
- Items on the roof rack must always be
securely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negatively af
fect the way a vehicle handles. Cargo that is large, heavy, bulky , long or flat
will have a greater negative influence on the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overall handling. Always
drive slowly, avoid sudden braking and .,,.
maneuvers when transporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maximum permissible
load carrying capacity of the roof of your
vehicle, the permissible axle weights and
the permissible total weight of your vehi cle
¢ page 320, Weights.
CD Note
Make sure that the opened rear lid does
not come in contact with the cargo on the
roof.
@ For the sake of the environment
As a resu lt of the increased wind resist
ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
using fuel unnecessarily. So remove the
roof rack after using it.
Cupholder
Front cupholders
The cupholders are located in the center arm
rest.
Fig. 96 Center armrest: Beverage holder
.. Open the cover at the recess on the side
¢fig. 96.
A maximum of two beverages can be accom
modated in the center armrest. The second
beverage holder is located under a cover.
A WARNING
Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident
and personal injury.
- Never carry any beverage containers with
hot liquids, such as hot coffee or hot tea,
Seats and storage 85
in the vehicle while it is moving . In case
of an acc ident, sudden braking or other
vehicle movement, hot liquid could spill,
causing scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid
can also cause an accident and personal injury.
- Use only soft cups in the cupholder. Hard cups and glasses can cause injury in an
accident.
CD Note
Only drink containers with lids should be
carried in the cupholder. liquid could spill
out and damage your vehicle's electron ic
equipment or stain the upholstery, etc.
(upholder in the rear center armrest
The cupholder is located in the center con
sole.
Fig. 97 Rear center armrest: cupholder extended
.. To open the cupholder, press on the symbo l
'i ¢fig. 97 .
.. To close the cupholder, press the corrugat-
ed area @ and fold the cover down.
T he holder @ adjusts to the beverage holder .
The cupholder is designed to hold no more
than two cups or cans.
A WARNING
-
Spi lled hot liquid can cause an accident
and personal injury.
-
- Never carry any beverage containers with
hot liquids, such as hot coffee or hot tea,
in the vehicle while it is moving. In case
of an acc ident, sudden braking or other
veh icle movement, hot liquid could spill,
172 Driving Safel y
to reduce the risk of inj ury when the vehi
cle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open . A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out . Be ing trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious persona l injury.
- Never let children p lay in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupan ts must
always be proper ly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging . Sta le air escapes to the o utside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The t ire pr essure is shown on the
tire p ressu re label. The tire pressure la
bel is loc ate d on the driver's s ide B-pi lla r.
The tire pressure label lists the recom
men ded cold t ire inflat ion pressu res for
the veh icle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufact ured.
For recommended t ire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
Q page284.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly ¢ page 171 , Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause se
rious injury. Items in t he vehi cle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of t he item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 -lb (5 kg) object a re abo ut 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would sudden ly be
about 200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imag ine the
injur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing
fr ee ly t hro ugh the passenger compa rtment
cou ld cause in a col lision like this.
_& WARNING
We ak, damaged or imprope r straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur
i ng hard braking or in a collision and cause
se rious pe rsonal injury.
-Always use s uita ble mo unt ing straps an d
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp pre
vent items from shift ing or fly ing fo r
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rea r seat backrest is folded
down, a lways use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to hel p prevent items from fly ing for
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas
senger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat t ether
s trap to a t ie-down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b eli eve that your vehi cle
has a def ect whi ch could cau se
a crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safet y Administration ""
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDRs are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
loading of data stored by EDRs that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Intelligent technology 225
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
General information
The ESC improves the vehicle stability.
. ..---------..
------- -
Fig. 232 Center console with ESC sw itch
ESC is designed to help you maintain vehicle
control in situations where the car approaches
the limits of "grip", especially when accelerat
ing and cornering. ESC reduces the risk of
skidding and improves stability under all road
condit ions .
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination with the ABS system. If
the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc
tions, the ESC will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic
Differential Lock (EDL) and the Anti-Slip Regu
lation System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec
tronic Stabilization Control. In addition to the
data prov ided by these functions, the ESC con
trol unit requires additional measurement da
ta provided by high performance sensors. The
rotational speed of the vehicle about its verti
cal axis, vehicle acceleration in the fore-and
aft and lateral directions, the brake pressure and the steering angle are all measured.
T he direction in wh ich the driver wishes to
travel is determined with the aid of the steer
ing angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the ve
hicle. If the two do not match, for example,
when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESC will automatically brake the appro-
priate wheel to correct the problem. ..,_
•
•
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have bee n dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automati c transmission, power steering,
power br akes, power wi ndows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire that is made of
s teel wires, wrapped or re inforced by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold t ir e infl ation pr essure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 281
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the weight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment includ ing t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i
tion ing a nd addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
respondi ng s tanda rd tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", o r
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groo ve
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the load r ating for a tire at the maxi
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
•
•
...
282 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means t he sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
( c ) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) P rod uction options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means t he max imum co ld in flation pressu re
to which a tire may be in flate d. Also called
"maxim um inflation p ress ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilog rams) times the
nu mbe r of o ccupants seated in t he vehicle up
to the tot al sea ting capa cit y of yo ur vehicle .
Occupant distribution means dist ribution of occupants in a veh icle .
Outer diameter means t he overa ll diameter of a n inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means t he linear dis tan ce between the ex ter i
ors o f th e sidewalls of an inflated tire, in cl ud
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
p rotective bands o r ribs.
Ply
mea ns a laye r of r ubber- co ate d parall el c ords.
Production options weight
means t he comb ined we ight of those installed
regular produc tion options weigh ing ove r 5
l bs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of t hose standard items
which t hey repla ce, no t previously considered
in cur b weight o r acc essory weig ht, incl uding
h eavy duty brakes, r ide leve le rs, roof ra ck,
h eavy duty ba ttery, a nd specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in whic h the p ly co rds
that ex tend to the beads are laid a t sub stan
ti ally 9 0 degrees to the ce nt erline o f the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 281, C old tire infla tio n pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate a t higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than t he cor
r espondi ng stan da rd tire. Reinforce d tires
may be identifie d as "XL ", "xl ", "EX TRA LOAD",
o r "RF " on t he sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal s upport for a tire or a t ire and
tu be assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purch ase new tires to match th e new r im di
ameter .
Rim size designation
means r im diamete r and width.
Rim width
means nom inal dista nce between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means tha t p ort ion of a t ire betw ee n t he
t read a nd bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
r a ti ngs range from 93 mph ( 150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 292 . Y o u may
not fi nd this informa tio n on all ti res because
it is no t re quir ed by law.
T he speed rating letter code, wh ere applica
ble , is molde d on the tire sidewall a nd indi
c ates the max imu m permi ssibl e road spee ds
~ A in Winter tire s on page 296 .
Tire pressure monitoring system mea ns a system that detects when o ne or
more of a ve hicle 's tires are unde rinf lated an d
i lluminat es a low tir e pr essure w arning t ell-
tal e. ..,_
Tires and wheels 283
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
c:> page 290, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tir e wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires. The UTQG is not a safety rating and not a
guaran tee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers addi
tional information to combine with other con
siderat ions, such as pr ice, brand loya lty and
dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufacturers in three
areas: treadwear, traction, and temperature
res istance . The UTQG information on the tires,
mo lded into the sid ewa lls.
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the t ire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the tire
meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was man ufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of man ufacture.
For example,
DOT . .. 2212 ...
means tha t the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2012. The other numbers are market
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
tire manufacturer . This information is used to
contact consumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individu al tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that loa d on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distributed in
accordance with tab le be low
c:> page 283)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants 5/6*/7* Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants
_____ mally loaded vehicle
3 2 in front, 1 in second seat
•
•
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. ..,.
•
•