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 .,..
•
•
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without doing the following .
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment <=>
page 171.
• As soon as possible, have the tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench . The correct tightening tor
que is 120
ft lb (160 Nm).
• Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as poss i
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tighten ing torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torq ues checked.
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: with decorative wheel cove rs
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fig . 262 C h ang ing a whee l: Removing the wheel cove r
Removing
• Insert the hook provided with the veh icle
tool kit in the hole in the hub.
• Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
c>fig . 262.
What do I do now? 305
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The cops must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un
screwed .
Fig. 263 Chang ing a whee l: removing the wheel bo lt
caps
Removing
• Push the plastic clip provided with the veh i
cle tool kit over the wheel bolt cap until it
engages .
• Pull on the
plastic clip to remove the cap
c>fig. 263.
Refitting
• Place the caps over the wheel bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais
ing the vehicle.
Fig. 264 C ha ng in g a wheel : loosen ing t he whee l bol ts ...
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 .