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 ..,.
•
•
202 Tire s and whee ls
vehicle with diffe rent rims/ti res or you bought
the vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
l oad limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle . These load limits are technically refer
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the veh icle 's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rat ing a re listed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
d river's side B-pi llar. T he tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or
othe r cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
locat ion of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 142.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se
r ious personal injury, and even death.
- Carry ing more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling p roperly and in
c rease the risk of a loss of veh icle con
tro l.
- T he brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be ab le to stop the
vehicle within a sa fe distance.
- Ti res on a vehicle that has been overload
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con
tro l and a crash .
A WARNING
-Incorre ct 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/o r underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fai l
ure, incl uding 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 listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
t ire pressure label and in the table
¢
page 200, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means tha t the pressu re must be che cked and
adjus ted whe n the t ire has not been dr iven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
l ow speeds d uring the previous t hree ho urs.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions ¢
page 200 . The
t ires would then be unde rinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures fo r
the new, orig inal equ ipment tires that were
on your veh icle at the time it was manufac
tu red. Fo r the location of the labe l
¢page 200, fig . 142.
Most t ires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you d rive over a pot
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not poss ible to see whethe r the rad ial tires
u sed today are underinfla ted just by loo king
at them .
T he refore, be sure to check t ire p ressu res at
least on ce a mo nth and a lways befo re going
on a long trip. Ma ke s ure to ta ke the n umbe r
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that yo u wo uld not consider to be
"long." See ¢
page 204, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accurate tire press ure ga uge
when checking and ad justing inflation pres
s u res. Check all of the tires and be sure not to ..,.
204 Tire s and wheel s
-If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re securely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can c arry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not h andle
well and is more difficult to stop. Over load ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and eve ryth ing in and on the vehicle . These
l oad limits a re tech nica lly refe rred to as the
ve hicl e's
Gros s Vehicl e W eight Rat ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accesso ries , a fu ll
tank of f uel , oi l, coo lant and othe r fluids plus
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number o f passengers that the vehi cle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weig ht of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position and the total weight of any luggage
in the ve
hicle .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" GAWR") is
the max imum load th at can be applied at e ach
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Ra ting are listed on the
sa fety comp liance s ticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar. Your Audi has 4 seat ing
positions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear fo r
total seat ing capac ity of 4. Each seating posi
t ion has a safety be lt c>
page 100 , Safety
bel ts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car
ried in the vehicle is lim ited. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Aud i also lists
the max imum combi ned weig ht of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo t hat
t h e vehi cle can carry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
la bel c>page200,
fig.1 42.
_& WARNING ~
Overloading a vehicle can c ause loss o f ve-
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we igh t tha n your veh icle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
veh icle from handling proper ly and in
crease the risk of the loss of ve hicle 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 over load
ed can fail s uddenly , incl uding a blowout
a nd sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth
er things that you plan to trans
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi
cle's placard (tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 200,
fig . 142 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle .
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas sengers from
"XXX" kilo
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 200 , fig. 142.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car
go and luggage load capaci
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
Tires and wheels
and there will be five 150 lbs. passengers in your vehi
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5 . Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this reduces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
,... Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 207, fig. 146) to de
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
205
•
•
'
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)
1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1 )
Your veh icle is norma lly factory equipped with
t ires, which posses s excellen t driving charac
ter istics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An electronic speed limiter
¢ page 31 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r th an the tire speed rating
¢ &_ .
U.S. DOT T ire Identification Number (TIN )
and tire manufactur e date
This is the t ire's "serial numbe r" . It begins
with the le tters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufactu re.
Fo r example, the numbers 2211 mean that
t he t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
2011. The other numbers are marketing co
des that may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con
tact consume rs if a tire defect requires a re
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving charac ter istics whe n used
correctly. Yo ur authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more informat ion.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The numbe r of p lies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber -coa ted fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
mo re weight a tire can support . Tire manufac
turers also must indicate the materials in the
1) F o r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e le tters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 209
tire, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max imum load in
kil ograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion , and temperature resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempe ra tur e grades
¢page 210 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_&. WARNING
-Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control
,
collision and serio us personal inj ury .
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- insta lled tires or other combina
tions that have been specifically ap proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen tha t can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted wit h ra dial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir
cumference) and the same tread pattern . ..,
•
•