2013 AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u 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.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age .
(D Note
Please note that summe r and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic transmission, power steer ing ,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the rat io o f the height to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overa ll handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the part of the t ire t hat is made o f
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
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.
Tire s an d wheel s 223
typica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
dec rease the e lasticity of summer t ires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer t ires are used i n very co ld tem ­
peratures, cracks ca n form o n the tread
bars , res ulting in perma nen t tire damage
that can cause loud driving noise and un­
bala nced ti re s. Audi i s not respon sible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire p ress ure recommended by t he
vehicle manufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ignated
s ize t hat has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire press ure
is m easured or adjusted.
Curb weight
me ans the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
st andard equipmen t incl ud ing the max imum
capacity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weig ht of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to oper ate a t higher load s
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standa rd tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", o r
"RF" on the sidewal l.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the load-ca rry ing capac ity of a single
axle system , measured at the tire -ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,..
•
•

224 Tires and wheels
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
ing elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands o r ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those insta lled
regular production options weighing over 5
lb s. (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory we ight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
t ia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see<=> page 223, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standa rd tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD"
' ' '
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
t read and bead.

Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire is des igned to
be driven for extended periods of t ime . The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢page 234. You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­ b le, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 238.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warn ing te ll­
tale .
Tread
means that port ion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the pr incipal
grooves designed to give a visual ind ication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 232, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat ion on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (N HTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires . Th e U TQG is not a safety rating and not a
g ua ran tee that a tir e will last for a prescribed
number of mi les (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way. It simply gives tire buyers addi ­
tional information to combine with other con-
Tires and wheels 225
siderations, such as price, brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the t ire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwear, traction, and temperature
resistance. The UTQG informat ion on the tires,
molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federa l standards. 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.
For example,
DOT ... 2212 ...
means that 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
tal 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 individual 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 load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distr ibuted in
accordance with table below¢
page 226)
and dividing by two.
•
•

226 Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants
_____ mally loaded vehicle
4 2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling , performance and safe ty of a vehicle.
Fig. 185 Tire press ure label: loca ted on driver's side B·
p ill ar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna·
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit -
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size. The prop·
er tire pressure is frequently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
inflation pressure i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire in fla tion pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keep·
i ng tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-U'>
-
---------------------- ,;
•(=~= I: I::... 1)§ :l!: n-...,....,....,~ ...... ~-...,..., ..... _ ... U ........ ~-·~N.-..-.we..... .... lllt-
-AVANT ...,.
-...... .. _
-KPA. a PSI
- KPA. a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fig. 186 Tire pressure label
SEE OWNEJICS MANUA1 FOA A,DOITl<>N.IU. INfORMATlON
VOIR L£ MANUll DUPR0ftlET""" P"OUR i-t.US DE RENSEIGMEMENfS
traction, braking and load carrying. Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle.
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting.
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er 's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufactured .
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 2 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
~ ,&..
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system * can on ly mon itor the tire pressures .,.

Tires an d wheel s 22 7
you have stored. The system does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor­
ing sys tem* will be impaired if you store nor ­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 185 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (co lor of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate a t
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
Tire designation
change. In the event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Model
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI
kAA ~I kAA ~I kAA ~I kAA
RS 5 Cab- 265 /35 R19 98V X L
riol et: High Performan ce
39 270 35 240 44 300 41
280
4.2 liter 275 /30 R20 97V XL
a -cyl inder
270 35 240 44 300 4 1 280
XL= reinf orc ed or extra lo ad tire. It ma y al so appear a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side ­
w all .
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
ve hicl e equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire s ize designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
veh icle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicl e. These load limits are technically refer­
r ed to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Ax le Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the G
ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
sa fe ty comp liance sticke r label lo cated on the
dr iver's side B-pillar . The tire pressu re labe l on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage o r
other cargo that the veh icle can carry. For the
location of the t ire pressure label ¢
fig. 185.
A WARNING
-Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
h icle contro l, a crash or other accide nt, 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 a nd 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.
•
•

228 Tire s and wheel s
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer - does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation c an also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowo ut and sudden de ­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
,
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is lis ted on the tire
pressure label located on driver 's side 8-pil ­
lar.
The recommended t ire p ress ures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
¢ page 226, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means that the pressure must be checked and
ad justed when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours .
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in
use. The ti re p ress ure is higher w hen the tire
has wa rmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflat io n pressure i n a "cold " tire that
counts . Therefore, you shou ld never let air out
of a warm t ire to match "Cold tire inflation
p ress ure" recommendations ¢
page 226. The
tires would then be under infla ted and cou ld
fa il suddenly . T
he tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, or ig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
t ion of the labe l
¢page 226, fig . 185 .
Most tires lose air natura lly over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ial tires
used today are underinflated just by look ing
at them.
Therefo re, be sure to check t ire press ures at
least once a mo nth and a lways befo re going
on a long trip . Make sure to take the number
of peop le and the amou nt of luggage into ac­
c ount w hen adjust ing ti re pressu re for a trip -
even one th at yo u wo uld not consider to be
" long." See
r:!v page 230, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for mo re important information.
Always use an accurate ti re p ressu re ga uge
whe n checking and ad justi ng i nflat ion pres ­
s u res . Check a ll of the tires. If the press ure in
any tire is too high when the tire is "cold", let
air out of t he tire slowly with the edge of the
t ire ga uge and keep checking the pressure un­
t il you reach the pressure that is correct for
the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
t ire and the pressure you need and add the air
t h at you need to reach the correct pressure for
the ve hicle load (passengers a nd luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
you r vehicle and in this ma nual a nd the kind
of d riving you plan to do.
Ne ver e xceed the maximum inflation pres­
sure listed on the tir e sidewall for any rea ­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacture r, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the cor rect
t ire p ressu re for the tires on your vehicle.
I t is impor tant to check the t ire pressure when
the tires are co ld .
111>

-Read the requir ed tire pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inf lation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured . For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter ~
page 226.
- 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
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing.
- Reinstall the valve 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 should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a journey .
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then initi­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*~
page 240.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
[9] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
Tires and wheels 229
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsib le for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil­ lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire pressure monitor­ ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately , drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely
mounted on the valve.
•
•

230 Tire s and wheel s
@ For the sa ke of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can also damage important pa rts of the
vehicle and can lead to s udden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limi ts are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are technica lly referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Veh icle We ight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of f uel, oi l, coo lant and other fluids pl us
maximum load. The maximum 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 des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight o f the
trai ler hitch and the tong ue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gro ss Axl e W eight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weigh t Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B-pi llar . Audi has 4 seati ng posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for tota l
seating capacity of 4 . Each seating position
has a seat belt¢
page 129, Safety belts.
T he fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited . The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n tha t less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage.
T he t ire pressure label on your Aud i also lists
the max imum combined weig ht of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehi cle can carry . For the location of the
label¢
page 226, fig. 185.
.&, WARNING ~ -
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve ­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more weight than your vehicle
was des igned to carry wi ll 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 overload­
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 ma ke the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's G ross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e exa mple b elow to ca l­
c ulat e th e total w eight of the