248 Tire s and whee ls
Tir e pl y c ompo sit ion and materi als used
The numbe r of plies ind icates the number of
l ayers of rubber -coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Max imum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadw ear ,
tr act ion, a nd t emper ature re sis tan ce
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c:> page249.
Max imum Permiss ibl e Inflation Pressur e
This numbe r is the greatest amo unt of air
p ressure that should ever be put in the ti re
under normal driving conditions .
A WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
collision and serious persona l injury .
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed t ires or other combina
t ions that have been spec ifically ap
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- 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
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not su re 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.
- 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
.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare t ire fo r a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i
b le.
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on you r vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fai l
suddenly .
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of contro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or un
derinf lated .
- For technica l reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other
veh icles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same veh icle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve
hicle wheels, make sure that the a ir flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopp ing distances and caus
ing a co llision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on veh icles that were equipped with them
at the factory. The veh icle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
f a ctory -insta lled tire pressure monitor
ing system* that indicates a loss of tire
pressu re . I ncorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equ ipped w ith run flat t ires. If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all fou r wheels . Mix ing tire types is not
pe rm itted.
252 Tire s and wheel s
diagonally . After changing a whee l, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied work
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio t ires . These t ires have been thoroughly
tested and been selected spec ifica lly for your
model for the ir superb pe rformance, road feel
and handling under a va riety of driving condi
tions . Ask your a utho rized Aud i dea le r for
more detai ls.
The low aspect ratio of these ti res is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or l ess in the tire's size
des ignation. The numera l represents the rat io
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven
tional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-a spe ct-ratio ti re s is
p articu lar ly sensi tive to imprope r inflat ion
pressure. It i s therefore impo rt a nt th at low
aspect r atio tire s are inflated to th e specified
pr essure and tha t th e inflation pres sure is
regularly checked and maintain ed . Tire pr es
s ure s should be checked at l east once a
m onth and alway s befor e a long trip
~ page 241, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damag e
Low aspect ratio t ires can be damaged more
eas ily by impact with potho les, cu rbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, part icu larly if the t ire is
underinflated .
I n o rder to m inim ize the o ccu rrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following precau
tions:
- Always maintai n recommended i nflat io n
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if neces
sary . - Drive carefully 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, immed iate ly inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
author ized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000
km) for damage and wear. Damage is not al
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and under inflation, which could eventu
ally cause tire failure.
If you believe that a
t ire may have been damaged, rep lace the
t ire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wear more quickly tha n oth
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
de live r responsive hand ling, they may ride
less comfo rtably and make more noise than
other choices .
Reduced performance in winter /cold
season c onditions
All tires are designed for certa in p urposes.
T he low aspect ratio, ult ra h igh performance
t ir es originally insta lled 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 c ircumstances, you
shou ld equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offe r bette r traction unde r
those conditions. We sugges t you use the rec
ommended snow or all -se ason t ires specified
f or yo ur vehicle , or their equivalent.
Refer to~
page 250 for more detailed infor
mation regard ing winter tires.
Tire pressure monitoring system
UJ General notes
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
Each t ire, i ncluding the spare (if provi ded),
should be chec ked month ly w hen cold and in
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacture r o n the vehicle
placar d or tire infla tion pressure label. (If your
veh icle has t ires of a diff erent siz e than the
size ind icat ed on the vehicle p lacard or tir e in
flation pressure label, you should deter mine
the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitor ing
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pr essu re tellta le when one or mo re of your
tires is significantly under -inflated . Accord ing
l y, when the low tire p ress ure telltale illumi
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driv ing on a signif icantly un
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under -inflation al
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire t read life,
and may affect the ve hicle's handling and
stopping ab ility.
Please note that the TPMS is not a subst itute
for p roper t ire mainte nance , and it is the dr iv
e r's responsib ility to ma inta in cor re ct t ire
p ress ure, even if under- infla tion has no t
reached the leve l to trigger ill umin ation of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also bee n equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunc tion indica to r to indica te when
the system is not opera ting properly. The
TPMS mal function indicato r is combined wi th
the low tire press ure tellta le . When the sys
tem detects a malf unct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain cont inuo usly illuminated. This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lf u nction ex ists .
Tire s an d wheel s 253
When the malfunction indicator is illum inat
ed , the system may not be ab le to detect or
s ignal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a var iety of rea
sons, including the insta llation of replace
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi
cle that p revent the TPMS from functioning
proper ly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
te lltale after rep laci ng one or more tires o r
whee ls on you r vehicle to e nsur e th at the re
placement or alterna te t ires and wheels a llow
the TPMS to continue to func tion p roperly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indica tor in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
Low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fi g. 19 6 Disp lay: un de rin flat io n warni ng
U sing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure mo ni
toring system compares the tire tread c ircum
ference and vib rat ion character istics of the in
dividua l tir es . If the pressure decreases i n one
o r more t ires, this is indicated in the inst ru
ment cluster with a
[ti wa rning symbo l and a
message ¢
fig. 196. Th e d river message in the
display goes o ut afte r 5 seconds . The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
ISE TI button. If on ly one t ire is affected,
the d isplay w ill indicate its position.
T he tire pressure monitoring system m ust be
reset via radio or M MI* each time the pres
sures are ad justed (e.g. when switc hing be
tween part ial and f ull load press ure) o r after
changing or rep lacing a tire on your ve hicle
¢
page 254. T he TPMS indicator o nly mo ni-
tors the t ire p ress ure t hat yo u have p revio usly ..,.
•
•
254 Tire s and wheel s
stored. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on driv
er 's side 8-p illar
c> page 238.
Tire tread c ircumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and ca use a tire pressure
warning if :
- the tire pressure in one or more t ires is too
low,
- the tire has st ructu ral damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed o r replaced but the TPMS was not reset
c>page254.
Warning s ymbols
[DJ Loss of pressure in at least one tire c> .&..
Check the tire or tires and replace o r repair if
n ecessary. The
[DJ ind icator light in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates
c> page 13.
Chec k/correc t the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via radio or
MMI* .
1181&1 (T ire Pressure Monitor ing System) Tire
pr essur e: Sy st e m malfuncti on !.
If!JHJL, appears after switching the ignition
on or wh ile driving and the
[DJ indicator light
i n the instrument cluster blinks for approxi
mately one mi nute and then stays on, the re is
a system ma lfunction .
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢
page 254. If the ind icator light does not
turn
off or if it tu rns o n short ly thereafter, im
mediately drive your veh icle to an autho riz ed
Aud i dea le r or autho rized repair facility to
have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cl uster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard stee ring or braki ng
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In
flate the tire pres sure to the proper p res
s u re as in dic ated on the vehicle 's t ire
pressure label ¢
page 238. Driving on a
significantly under-inf lated tire ca uses the tire to overheat and can
lead to tire
fa ilure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regu larly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor
ty driving style, winter conditions or un paved roads), the pressure monitor indi
cato r may be delayed .
-Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler if run
flat t ires may be used on you r vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these t ires when not perm it
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could a lso result.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure mon itoring system
stops work ing whe n there is an ESC/ABS
m alfu nction.
- Us ing snow chains may result in a system
ma lf u nction.
- The tire pressure mon itoring system on
your Audi was deve loped using tires with
t he "AO" or "R O" ident ifi cat ion on the
tire s idewa ll
c> page 246 . We recom
mend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h tire p ressu re mo nito rin g system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
radio or MMI*.
.. Before resett ing the TPMS, the current pres
sures of a ll four tires must correspond to
the specified values . Ad just the tire p ressu re
and reset the pressure in the tire pressure
mon ito ring system according to the load
you are carrying
i=>page 238.
.. Turn on the ignition.
.. Select: the
ICARI funct ion button > Tire
pressur e monitoring
> Stor e now . Or
.,. Select: the
ICARI funct ion button> Car sy s
tem s*
cont ro l button > Servi cing & che ck s > .,.
_______________________________ ___:I~n ~d ~e:.::x 287
Changin g engine oi l
Chass is 225
U ndercoat ing ............ .... .. .. . 208
Checking
Eng ine coolant level ........ . .. .. .. .
226
Checking tire pressure .............. . 241
Ch ild restraints
D anger of usin g child restraints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
146
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? ..
184
Child restraint system anchors . .. ... .. 180
Ch ild safety .. ............. .... .. ... 166
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 176
Important safety instructions for using
ch ild safety seats .... ... .. .. .. .. .. .
169
Impo rtant th ings to know when driv in g
wi th children ............ .... .. ...
166
Insta lling a chi ld res traint using the
L A TCH system ............ .. .. .. .. .
18 1
Mounting and releasing the ancho rage
hook .... .. .. ............. .. .. ...
18 1
Tether anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Tether straps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Child safety loc ks
Power windows .......... .. .. .. ....
42
Rear doors ... ........... .. .. ...... 42
Child safety seats .......... .... .. .. . 172
Booster seats ................ .. .. . 17 4
Convertible child seats .... .. .. .. .. .
173
Convertible locking retractor .. .. .. .. . 176
Danger of using child restra ints in the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
146
How do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ........ .. .. .. .. .
169
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Installing ............ ...... .... .. 176
LATC H system ......... ...... .... .. 18 1
Saf ety inst ruc tions ........ .. .. .. .. . 169
Unused safety belts on the rear seat 17 1
Ch ild seats
L ower ancho rages ........... .. ....
18 1
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Cleaning
Alcantara® (syn thetic suede) .. .. .. .. .
212
En gine compartment .............. . 213
Exhaust tail pipes ............... .. . 209
Fabr ics and fabric coverings ......... 209
Instrument panel ... . .......... .. .. 210
Interior ... .. .. .. .. . .. .......... .. 209
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Matte finish paint ................. 204
MMI display/controls ... ......... ... 209
Plastic and vinyl .. .. . .. .. .. ... ... .. 206
Plastic parts ..... .. .. .. .. ......... 210
Safety belts ... .. .. . .............. 21 2
Trim strips .. .. .. .... ........... .. 206
Cleaning and protection . .. .......... . 202
Climate controls ..... . .. .......... .. . 76
Climate control system
Au tom atic recir culat ion ......... .. .. .
79
Supplementary heater ............... 79
synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Clock .. ... ... .. .... .. .. ...... ... .. . 12
Closing
Power w indows ................... .
42
Sliding/tilting sunroof ............... 44
Sunshade ....... .. . .. ......... ... . 44
Closing/opening
at the lock cylinder .. ........... .... .
38
by remote control ............. .. .. . 35
with the centra l locking sw itch ........
36
with the conven ience key . .......... .. 36
Cold tire inflation pressure .......... .. 238
Coming home ... .. .... ........... .. . 48
Compact spare tire .................. 256
also refer to Spare tire ....... ... .. .. 256
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Compass in the mirror ... ......... ... . 56
Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 135, 280
Contacting NHTSA .... .. ......... ... 135
Convenience key
Ind icator lights .. ................. .
84
Starting engine (START ENGINE STOP
button) . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. ..... ..... .
83
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
84
Switching on ignition ............... . 83
un locking/loc king ............. ..... 36
Convenience opening/clos ing .......... 43
Convertible child safety seats ......... 173
•
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Vanity mirrors .......... ... .. .. .. .... 52
Vehicle-care products ............ .... 202
Vehicle electrica l system .... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) . .. . 275
Vehicle jack .. ................ ... ... 261
Vehicle key .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 33
Vehicle literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vehicle tool kit . ........... .. .. .. ...
256
Venti lation .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 76
w
War ning/ indicato r lights . . . . . . . . . . 1 0, 13
A irbag system ........... .. .. .. .. .. 20
Anti -lock braking system (ABS) . ... .. .. 19
Brake system .... ..... ... .. .. .. .... 15
Electromechan ical parking brake .. .. .. 16
Electronic power contro l . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Electronic Stabili zation Control (ESC) . .. 19
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Malfunct ion Indicator Lamp (MIL) ..... 20
Safety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
S afety systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
T u rn signa ls .... ......... .... .. .. .. 23
Warranty coverages . ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 280
Washer rese rvoir ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 233
Washing ...... .............. ... ... 202
Automatic car wash ....... .. .. .. .. . 203
by h and .. .. ............. .... .. ... 203
General informat ion ... ... .. .. .. .. . 202
M atte finish paint ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 204
with a power washer ... ... .. .. .. .. . 204
Waxing . .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 205
Wear ind icator ... ......... .... .. .. . 244
Weights ..... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 27 5
What happens if you wea r yo ur safety belt
too loose? . .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. ...
141
What happens to unbelted occupants? . . 138
What impairs driving safety? ... .. .. .. . 128
What should I do after chang ing a
wh eel? .. .. ... ......... ...... .... ..
242
What should I do after rep lacing wheels? 242
Wheel bol ts
Torq ue ... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ...
25 1
Wheels ... .. .. ..... ...... .. .. .. .. . 234
Cast alloy .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 208
Chec king tire pressu re ..... .. .. .. .. . 24 1
Inde x 297
Cold tire inflation pressure ... ... .. .. 238
Genera l notes .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 234
G lossary of tire and loading term inolo -
gy ......... .. .. .................
23S
New t ires and wheels .. ............. 246
Tires and veh icle load limits ......... 242
When must a safety be lt be replaced? . . 140
When must the a irbag system be inspect-
ed? ........ .. .. .. .... .............
156
When should I adjust the t ire pressures? 242
When should I ch eck the tire press ures? . 24 2
Where can I find the t ire pressures fo r my
ca r? ..... .. .. .. .. .. . ..............
241
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137, 138
Window reg ulators
Power locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
43
Windows
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... ..
2 0 7
defros ting . .. .. .. ................. . 78
Windshield
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
53
defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Windshie ld washer fluid
Low leve l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Windshie ld washer system . . . . . . . . . . . .
53
Windshie ld w ipers
Fold ing up .. .. .. ... ............ .. .
54
In dic ator light . .. .... ......... .. .. . 2 1
Rep lac ing windsh ield wiper b lades . 54, 55
Switching on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Washe r reservoi r ... . .. .. ..... ... .. 233
Winter operation
Battery . .. .. .. .. .. ...............
2 29
Coolant system .. .... ............. 2 26
Defrost ing windows .. ... ...... ... .. . 78
Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Tires ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. 191
Windows . .. .. .. ................. 207
Win ter tires . .. .. .. ... ............ .. 250
All wheel d rive ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 250
X
Xenon headlights .. .... ...... 4 7, 49, 268
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