2013 AUDI TT tires

Automatic car wash
The vehicle can be washed in almost any
modern automatic car wash .
The vehicle paint is so durable that the vehicle
can normally be washed without problems in
an automatic car wash. However, the effect on
the paint depends to a large extent on the de­
sig n of the fac ility, the filtering of the wash
water, the type of wash and care mater ial , etc.
If the paint has a dull appearance afte r go ing
through the car wash or is scratched, bring
this to the attention of the operator immedi­
ately. If necessary, use a different car wash.
Before going through a ca r wash, be s ure to
take the usual precautions such as closing the
windows. Remove antenna if applicable .
If you have installed additional accessories on
the vehicle -such as spoilers, e tc. -it is best to
ask the car wash operator i f these should be
removed .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information ¢
page 164.
(D Note
- Fold the exterior mirrors -flat the re is a
risk of damaging the exterio r mirrors .
Power folding exterior mi rrors must not
be fo lded in or out by hand. Use the pow­
er function!
- Compare the track of your vehicle w ith
the d istance between the guide ra ils of
the facility- there is a risk of damage to
the wheels and tires .
- Compare the width of your vehicle wit h
the width of the tu nnel at the fac ility.
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of water is needed when washing a vehi­
cle by hand.
~ Befo re you start washing, make sure you
have read and understood the WARNINGS
¢ A in General informa tion on page 164 .
Cleaning and protec tion 165
~ First soak all dried d irt unt il it is soft, then
rinse it off.
~ As you clean yo ur vehicle, start w it h the
roof and work your way down to the bottom,
using a sponge, a sponge g love or a clean
brush .
~ Rinse the sponge o r the sponge glove often,
flushi ng it clean each time.
~ Use spec ia l car shampoo only fo r very per­
sisten t dirt.
~ Rinse the car thoroughly wit h water.
~ Use a chamois leather to gent ly wipe the ex -
terior dry .
U se a separate sponge for cleaning the
whee ls, door s ills and other regions exposed
to road dirt. In this way, yo u wi ll not scratch
the paint wit h coarse particles imbedded in
the sponge the next time you wash the car.
A WARNING
- Wash your vehicle only when the ignition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 164.
(D Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the veh icle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this
cou ld scratch your vehicle's paint or win­
dows .
- Never wash your car in bright sun light.
Drops of wate r act as mag nifying lenses
and may damage yo ur paint .
- Whe n you wash your car in the winter: if
you rinse yo ur vehicle with a hose, be
c ar efu l not to aim the stream of water
directly at locks, or at doo r or hatch
openi ngs -they can free ze sh ut.
- Never use sponges designed to
remove
insec ts, or any k itche n sco uring sponges
or s imil ar p rod ucts. They can damage
your paint finish .
- Never use a dry cloth or sponge to clean
the headlights . Only use wet cloths o r
•
•

166 Cleaning and protection
sponges to prevent scratches. It is best
to use soapy water .
- You should remove debris (such as in­
sects) from the headlight lenses on a
regular basis, for example when refuel­
li ng your vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
On ly wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially
designed for that purpose. This w ill reduce
the risk of d irty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system. In
some areas, washing vehicles outs ide of
these facilities is prohib ited.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules.
• Before using the power washe r, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN­
I N GS 9 .&. in General information on
page 1 64.
• Always fo llow the opera ting ins truc tions for
the power washer.
• Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray" .
• Do
no t ho ld the spray no zzle too close to
soft materia ls.
Keep a distance from soft materials such as
rubber hoses or insulat ing mater ial as we ll as
sensors and camera lenses.
When clea ning the vehicle wit h a power wash ­
er
always f o llow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the operating pres­
sure and the spraying distance. Do not po int
the spray directly at the sea ls around the s ide
windows, a round t he doors, on the rear lid or
on the su nroof* . Likew ise, do not point it di­
r e ctly at t ires, r ubber hoses, insul ation mate ­
rial or sensors. Hold t he sp ray noz zle at least
1.3 ft ( 0.4 m) away from the vehicle.
D o not use a h igh-pressure powe r washer to
r emove snow and i ce. D
o not use a jet which sprays water in a d irect
stream o r one that has a rotating jet .
Water temper ature sho uld n ot ex ceed 140 °F
(6 0 °C).
A WARNING ~ -
N eve r wash t ires wi th a jet that sprays wa­
ter i n a direct stream. This could cause in ­
v is ib le damage to the t ires and weaken
them, even if the spray is from a re lative ly
l ong distance and for a short time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail a nd cause
a ccidents and pe rsonal i njury.
([) Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, a lways
make sure that there is suffic ient d istance
between the spray head and soft materia ls
like rubber hoses, plast ic pa rts and sound­
deade ning ma ter ia ls as w ell as s ensors
and camera lenses. Neve r aim t he sp ray
head a t the same point fo r a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headligh ts
and painted bumpers. Remembe r: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
materia l, the greater the stress on the ma ­
terial.
Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Applies to vehicles: with matte finish paint
Vehicles with ma tte finish paint require spe­
cial care due to the characteristics of the
paint.
Wa shing by hand
To avoid damaging the paint when washing,
first remove dust and large par ticles from
your vehicle. Insects, grease spots and fi nger­
pri nts are best removed w ith a
special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the product us ing a microfiber cloth . To
avo id damag ing the pa int surface , do not use
too much pressure . ..,.

196 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one side, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au ­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sid ewa ll, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢page 227.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in jur ies, d rive w ith special ca re fo r the
fi rst 350 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.

-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 197
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 tire 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 designed to operate a t higher
loads and at higher inflat ion p ress ures than
the corresponding standar d tire. Extra load
ti res may be ident ified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the lo ad-ca rry ing capa city of a si ngle
axle system, measured a t the tire -ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,.. •
•

198 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, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and special tr im .
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 19 7, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation pressures than
the cor responding standard tire. Reinf orced
ti res may be identified as "XL" , "xl", "E XTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
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
tread 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 208 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­ ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 212.
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 portion 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 princ ipal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 206, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat 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 (NHTSA) 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 las t for a prescribed
number of mi les or per form in a certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers additional informa­
tion to combine with other considerations,
Tires and wheels 199
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recom­
mendations . Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufact urers in three areas: tread­
wear, traction and temperature resistance .
The UTQG informat ion on the tires, molded in­
to 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 ... 2211 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2011. 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 200)
and dividing by two.
•
•

200 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 fro nt
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling , p erformance and safe ty of a vehicle.
Fi g. 14 2 T ire p ress ure la b el: loca ted on driver's side B·
p ill ar
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire 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 kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna·
tional measur ing unit and in pou nds pe r
squa re inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
par t on the vehicle's desig n and load limit -
the greatest amoun t of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop·
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
" recommended cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ressu re is higher when the tire
h as wa rmed up tha n when it is "cold ." It is the
in flat io n pressu re i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Th erefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tire inflat ion pres­
sure" recommendations . The t ires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M ain taining p roper t ire pr essu re is one of the
most im po rt an t th ings you ca n d o to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underin fla ted t ires
a re a ma jo r cause of s udden tire failure. Keep·
i n g 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. 14 3 Tire pr essure labe l
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 f or y our Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires o n your ve hicle
and the numbe r of passe ngers and/o r amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporti ng .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er 's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n press ures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weig ht an d tires t hat were o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was m anufactur ed .
If you wish to improve comfort wh en operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 2 occu­
pant s), you can ad just tire pre ssure s to tho se
specified for normal vehicle load . Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
mu st increase the ti re pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
~ ,&. .
Bear in min d that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system ca n only moni to r the tire pressures .,.

Tires and wheels 201
you have stored. The system does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressu re monitor­
ing system w ill be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 142 for the location
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle will vary slig htly) .
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of go ing to press and is subject to change.
In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (on driver's side B-pi llar) 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 Literature at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the tir e sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
I
Model/ U Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine normal load normal load
condition full load condition full load
(upto 2 oc- condition (up to 2 oc-
condition
cupants) cupants)
PSI JI kPA PSI ]I kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA '.
TT/TIS: 225/50 Rl 7 94H All Sea-
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
2.0 liter son
4-cylin-
225/50 Rl 7 94W XL High
der Performance
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
245/45 R17 95H All Sea- 32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
son
245/45 R17 95VXL High
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
Performance
245/40 R18
93H All Sea-
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 son
245/40 R18 93V XL High
32 220 33 230 29 200 30 210
Performance J
255/35 R19 96V XL High
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
Performance
TT RS:
245/40 R18 93V 220
2.5 liter
255/35 R19 96V XL High
5-cylin- Performance
35 240 36 250 32 220 32 220
der
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spore wheel i s
located on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
ve hicle equipment during the model year, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the tire press
ure label on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
s ize info rmat ion on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the veh icle .
This is especially important if the vehicle be-
long s to someone e lse o r you boug ht the ..,.
•
•