246 Tires and wheels
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 195 Tire speci fication codes o n the sidewal l of a
t ir e
No. Description
(!) Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in mill imeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
@ Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(j) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@) Tire ply composition and materials
used
Maximum load rating
Tr eadwear, traction and temperature
grades
Maximum permissible inflation pres
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac
ter istics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢
&..
We recommend that all work on tires and
whee ls be performed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
tools and spare parts as well as the proper fa
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
insta lling or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and
not individually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the i nformation to
the tire pressure mon itor ing system*
<:!> page 253 .
Always buy replacement radia l tires that have
the same spec ificat ions as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must a lways have the same load rating speci
fication as the origina l equipment or approved
optiona l tires listed in the table¢
page 238 .
Audi-approved specification tires are specia lly
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important roadhold
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(c;, page 238) lists specifica
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure label located on driver's side
B-pillar
(c;, page 238, fig. 192) lists the speci
fications of the original equipment tires in
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side
wall of all tires co
fig. 195 . This information
identifies and descr ibes the fundamenta l
characteristics, the quality grade of the t ire
and also provides a tire identification number ..,.
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.
250 Tire s and wheel s
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments may require true winter or "snow " tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These t ires shou ld
only be used in pairs and be ins talled on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
Your veh icle is equipped with all whee l drive ,
this wi ll improve tract ion du ring w inter driv
ing,
even with the standard tires. Howeve r, we
strongly recommend that you a lways equip a ll
four wheels on you r vehicle with correctly fit
ted winter tires or all -se ason tires, when w in
t e r r oad conditions are expected . This also im
proves the vehicle's braking performance and
reduces stopping distances .
Summe r tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all four wheels.
Ask your autho rized Aud i dea ler or qualified
workshop for permitted
wi nter tir e sizes . Use
only radia l winter tires.
W inte r tir es lose the ir effe ctiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0.15 7 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires unde r winter con
d itions . Summer tires hand le better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is
above 45 °F ( 7 °C).
I f you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
wheel
9 page 246.
P lease always remember that w inter t ires may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi
na lly installed on your vehicle at the t ime it
was manufactured. Please see
9 page 247 ,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a List ing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maxim um
speed at which the tires can be driven . The speed rating letter code
(
¢ page 23 7) is
on the side wall of the tire
9 page 246 .
A WARNING ,-
Winter tires have maximum speed lim its
that may be lower than your vehicle's max
i mum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off . Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur specific
winter tires. This wi ll cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen
gers .
A WARNING ,..___ -
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause tire fail ure in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation, loss of control, crashes and ser ious per
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately .
- W inter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on yo ur vehicle are rated .
A WARNING
-Always ad just your dr iv ing to the road and
traffic condit ions . Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter t ires and al l wheel
drive tempt yo u into ta king ext ra risks. Al
ways remember:
- When braking, an all wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive c arefully a nd reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires whe n weather condi
tions permi t. T hey are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption .
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.
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 > .,.
280 Consumer Information
Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
You r Audi is covered by the following war
ranties:
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding your warran
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regu lations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A . and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
If you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can
ada, there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lowe r octane
rating. Improper fuel may cause engine
damage ;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment ;
- replacement pa rts may not be readily availa
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessar ily work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun
tries outside of North America.
(D Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, service or parts availability.
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Literature
Audi Official Factory Service Manuals and Lit
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduction. Service manuals and lit
erature are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a minimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
s afety, economy and rel iability. For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty &
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions, for ex
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
i n very dusty regions , when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some service work
should be performed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter .
(® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your vehicle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus minimizing adverse
effects on the environment.
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophisticat
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technical
liJJ,
complexity of today's automobi les, have
steadi ly reduced the scope of maintenance
and repairs which can be carried out by vehicle
owners.
Also, safe ty and e nvir onm en tal con
cerns p lace very strict limits on the na ture of
repairs and adjustments to engine and trans
miss io n pa rts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repa irs usua lly
require special tools, testing dev ices and oth
er equipment avai lab le to specially trained
workshop personnel in order to assure prope r
performance, reliab ility and safety of the vehi
cle and its many systems .
Improper ma intenance, adjustments and re
pa irs can impair the operation and reliability
of your vehicle and even void your vehicle war ranty. The refo re, p roof of servici ng in accord
ance w ith the maintenance sched ule may be a
condition for upholding a poss ible war ranty
claim made within the warranty period.
Above all, operational safety can be adversely
affected, crea ting unnecessary risks for you
and your passengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done
by your authorized Audi dealer or any other
properly equipped and q ualified workshop .
We strong ly urge you to give you r a uthorized
Audi dealer the opportunity to perform all
schedu led maintenance and necessary repairs .
Your dea ler has the facilities, or iginal parts
and trained spec ialists to keep your vehicle
running properly .
Performing limit ed m aintenance you rself
The fo llowing pages describe a limited num
ber of procedures which can be performed on
your vehicle with ordinary too ls, should the
need arise and trained personnel be unavaila
b le. Before performing any of these proce
dures, always thoroughly read all of the app li
cable text and carefully follow the instruc
tions given . Always rigorously obse rve the
WARNINGS provided .
Before you check anything in th e engine
compartment, a lway s re ad and heed all
Con sumer In formation 28 1
WARNINGS ¢ & and¢ & in Working in the
engine comportment on page 219 .
A WARNING
-Ser ious personal injury may occur as a re
sult of improperly performed mainte nance, adjustments or repa irs.
-Always be extremely careful when work ing on the vehicle. Always follow com
mon ly accepted safety pract ices and gen
eral common sense . Never r isk personal
lnJU ry .
- Do not attempt any of the ma intenance ,
checks or repairs descr ibed on the fol
lowing pages if you are not fully fam iliar
wit h these or othe r pro cedures with re
spect to t he veh icle, or are uncerta in how
to p roceed .
- Do not do any work without the proper
too ls and equipment. Have the necessary
work done by your authorized A udi deal
er or another proper ly equipped and
qualified workshop .
- The engine compartment o f any motor
veh icle is a potentially hazardous area.
Never reach into the area around or
touch the rad iator fan. It is temperature
contro lled and can switch on suddenly -
even when the engine is
off and the igni
tion key has been removed. The rad iator
fan switches on automat ica lly when the
coo lant reaches a certai n temperatu re
and will cont inue to run until the coo lan t
tempera ture drops .
- Always remove the ign ition key befo re
anyone gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your veh icle with safety
s tands i f it is necessary to work under
neath the vehicle. The jack s upplied with
the vehicle is not adequate for this pur
pose and cou ld collapse causing serio us
personal injury.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, a lways
make sure the vehicle is on leve l ground,
that the wheels are a lways securely
blocked a nd that the engine cannot be
started .
•
•
Technical Modifications
Our guidelines must be complied with when technical modifications are made.
Always consult an authorized Aud i dealer be
fore starting work on any modifications.
This will he lp ensure that vehicle function,
performance and safety are not impaired
¢ .&. .
Attempting to work on electronic components
and the software used with them can cause
malfunctions. Beca use of the way electronic
components are interconnected with each
other, such malfunctions can also have an ad
verse affect on other systems that are not di rectly involved. Th is means that you r isk both
a substantial reduction in the operational
safety of you r vehicle and an inc reased wea r of
vehi cle parts¢ _&..
Author ized Audi dealers w ill perform th is
wo rk in a professiona l and competent ma nner
or, in spec ial cases, refer you to a p rofessional
company that specializes in such mod ifi ca
tions .
_& WARNING
t= -
Improper repairs and modifications can
change the way vehicle systems wo rk and
cause se rious personal injury.
0 Note
If emergency repairs must be perfo rmed
elsewhere, have the ve hicle examined by
an authorized A udi dealer as soon as possi
ble.
Con sumer In formation 283
Declaration of
Compliance, Telecom
munications and
Electronic Systems
Radio Frequency Devices and Radiocommuni
cation Equipment User Manual Notice.
The manufact urer is not responsib le for any
radio or TV interference caused by unauthor
ized modifications to this equipment.
Device s
The following devices each comply wi th FCC
Part 15 .19, FCC Part 15.2 1 and RSS -Gen Iss ue
1:
- Adaptive cr uise con trol*
- Conven ience key*
- Side assist*
- Cell phone package*
- Electron ic immobilizer
- Homelink ® universal remote control *
- Remote control key
- Tire press ure moni toring sys tem*
FCC Part 15.19
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC
Ru les . Operation is subject to the follow ing
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful i nter
ference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undes ired operation.
FCC Part 15.21
CAU TION:
Changes or mod ifi cat ions not expressly ap
proved by t he party responsible for compli
ance could vo id the user's autho rit y to ope rate
the eq uipment .
RSS-Gen Issue 1
Operation is subject to the fo llow ing two con
di tions:
•
•
...