switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
lru . Be sure to
switch ESC on again when you no longer need
less traction.
Anti -loc k brak ing s ystem (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard braking. Apply steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
B rake ass is t system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Elect ronic diff erential lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on again au
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
..&, WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot ove rcome
t he laws of physics. This is espec ia lly im
portant on slippery or wet roads.
If the
systems begin act ing to stab ilize your ve
hicle, you should immediately change
yo ur speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the increased safe
ty provided by these systems tempt you
Intelligen t technolog y 151
to take risks. Doing so will increase the
risk of a loss of vehicle control, co llision
and serious personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys
tem, EDL and ASR cannot preven t coll i
sions.
- Always ac celera te with spe cial care on
even, smooth s urfaces su ch as those th at
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with these assistance systems that cannot al
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve
hicle control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi
cal tires. D ifferent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems described are working.
-If the ind icator lightD] orE (USA
models)/ [iJ (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢ page 18,
¢page 17.
TT/TTS: Switching on/off
Applies to vehicles: TT Coupe and TTS Coupe
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
Fi g. 126 Cente r console: ESC OFF button
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near est Aud i dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your ve hicle, or
because the brake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
The degree of power assist is electronically
matched to vehicle speed.
The power steer ing system ass ists the driver
so that he can stee r the veh icle w ith red uced
phys ica l effort.
Power steering w ill not work if the engine is
off. As a result, the steering wheel w ill be hard
to turn.
& WARNING
If the system develops a prob lem, you
must seek qualified professional assis
tance.
(D Note
-
If there is an electronic malfunct ion, ser
votronic
wi ll sti ll function like a conven
tional power steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the
steer ing wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), -more effort will be re
quired than usual.
Int ellig ent technolog y 155
-Be aware of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right
by an authorized Audi dea ler as soon as
possible.
- If a steering malfunction occurs, this is
signaled with the,~ , or .• indicator
lights and a warn ing tone, see.
(D Tips
- If the power steering system sho uld fail,
or if the engine is not running (for exam
ple, while being towed), you will still be
able to steer the vehicle. However, more
effort will be required to do so.
- If the power steering system is not func
tioning properly, contact your authorized
Audi dealer immediately.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles : wit h all -w hee l d rive
With oil -wheel drive, oil four wheels ore driv
en.
General information
With a ll-wheel drive, power is distr ibuted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depend ing on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time. See also
c::> page 1 SO.
The all-whee l dr ive concept is des igned for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion
ally powerfu l and has excellent driving charac
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions
c::> &. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all fou r
wheels. See also c::> page 211, Winter tires. ..,_
•
•
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.
•
•
206 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv
ing style.
Fig. 144 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
l --------- ---
Fig. 145 Rotating t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 144 running across the tread. Depend
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 202 .
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota
tion intervals. Please remember the follow
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 145.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 22 7 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A whee l must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
all-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 155. ..,.
210 Tire s and wheel s
Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
co ntrol.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra ca re. Refit the nor
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faste r than the maximum
speed for which the tires o n your veh icle
are ra ted because ti res th at are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly .
- Over loading t ires c ause heat b uild- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- T emperature grades app ly to tires t hat
are properly inflated and not over o r un
derinflated.
- F or technical reasons it is not a lways
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even w heels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you insta ll wheel trim discs on t he ve
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air f low
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that were equ ipped w it h them
at the facto ry. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for run f lat t ires and a
fac to ry-installed t ire p ress ure moni to r
ing system that ind ic a tes a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents .
Check with an a uth orized Audi dea ler or
t i re spec ialist to see i f your vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires. If r un flat
t ires a re used, they must be installed on
all four wheels . M ixing tire types is not
permitted . (D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the w heel rims from oth
er ve hicles. T his can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is diffe rent from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w it h the
ti re mat ching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possi ble.
- N ever d rive without the valve stem cap.
T he v alves co ul d get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dis pose of o ld tires in accordance w ith the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Tra ction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicab le
o n the tire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 207,
fig. 146.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car ti res must conform to Feder
al Safety Req uirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
F o r example, a tire gra ded 150 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a ti re graded 100.
The relative perform a nee of ti res depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to var iat ions in dr iving habits, serv
ice practices and differences in road character
istics and climate .
Trac tion
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled cond itions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢,&. .
Temp erature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the t ire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under controlled condi
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden ti re fa ilu re ¢ ,&. .
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
u nder the Federa l Moto r Veh icle Safety Stand
ard No.
109. G rades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of perfo rmance on the laboratory tes t
wheel than the minimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplan ing or peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es
tablished for a t ire that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
-
Tire s an d wheel s 211
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possible tire failure.
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 tires should
o nly be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
t ires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive*, th is w ill improve traction during winter
driv ing, even with the standa rd tires. Howev
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all fou r wheels o n your veh icle w ith cor
rect ly fitted winter tires o r all-season t ires,
when winter road condit ions are expe cted .
T his also improves the veh icle's braking per
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire siz es. Use
only rad ial w inter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con
dit ions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
whee l
¢page 207.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi -
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it .,.
•
•
remain continuous ly illuminated . This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists.
When the malfunct ion indicator is ill uminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signa l low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installat ion of replace
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
F ig. 1 47 Disp lay : under infla tion warn ing
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
fe rence and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indicated in the instru
ment clus ter with a warning symbol
RE and a
message
'* fig. 147. The dr iver message in the
d isp lay goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be d isplayed again by pressing
the
! CHECK I button @¢ page 10, fig . 3 . If on
ly one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its pos ition.
The ti re pressure monito ring m ust be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
ad justed (e.g. when switching between parti-
Tire s an d wheel s 215
al and fu ll load pressure) or after changing o r
replacing a tire on your vehicle '*
page 216.
The TPMS indicator on ly mon itors the t ire
pressure that you have previously stored . You
can f ind the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on the driver's door
pillar ¢
page 200.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire press ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the t ire press ure was changed, wheels rotat -
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 216.
Warning symbo ls
RE L oss of pressure in a t least one tire ¢ ,&..
Check the tire or tires and rep lace or repa ir if
necessary . The indicator light
RE in the inst ru
ment cluster a lso i lluminates
¢ page 13 .
Check/correct the press ures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display .
Iii;~, (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Ti re
pre ssure! System malfun ction .
Ifllilff' ap
pears after switching the ignition on or whi le
driv ing and the indicator light
RE in the in
strument cluster blinks for approx imately one
minute and then stays on, there is a system
malfunction .
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure '*
page 216. If the indicator light does not
turn off or if it turns on shortly thereafter, im
med iate ly dr ive your vehicle to a n author ized
Audi dealer or author ized repair fac ility to
have the malfunct io n cor rected.
.8, WARNING
-
- If the tire pressure ind ic a tor ap pears in
the ins trumen t cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significant ly under
inflated . Reduce yo ur speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures.
~
•
•
@ Tips
-Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of
all four tires must corre
spond t o the specified va lues. Adjust the
tire pressu re and reset the pressure in
the tire pressure mon itor ing system ac
cord ing to the load yo u are carry ing
c::> page200.
- Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow cha ins on the tire .
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
(Step2)
A pplies to vehicles: with t ire pressure monitoring syste m
Fig. 150 D isplay: Tire pressure
Fig. 151 D isp lay: Tir e pressure
I Reset ! button @ and rocker sw itch @
c::> page 216, fig. 148 functions:
Storing tire pressure s
.,. Turn on the ignition.
.,. Se lect the menu :
> Adjusting* > Tire pres-
sure
> Store .
Entering and confirming
.,. Se lect the menu: Store now
.,. Press the
!Reset I button @.
.,. Se lect the menu: Confim
.,. Press the
!Reset I button @. Tires and wheels 21
7
Returning to the Start menu
.,. Press t he I Reset l butto n longer tha n 2 sec
onds to re turn from any menu level to the
Start men u.
(D Tips
-Before rese tt ing the TPMS, the c urrent
pressures o f
all four tires must corre
spond to t he spec ified values . Adj ust t he
t ir e pr essure and reset the pressure in
the tire pressu re monitoring system ac
co rding to the load you are ca rrying
c::> page 200.
- Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire.
Run-flat tires
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: wit h Run-fla t tires
Run-flat tires help keep you moving if a tire
goes flat.
Re inforced sidewalls give the t ires r un-flat ca
pabili ty if tire pressure is lost .
We recommend that run-flat tires o nly be
mounted on vehicles that were orig inally
equipped with these special t ires at the facto
ry an d have a Tire Pressu re Monitoring Sys
tem .
Run-flat tir es can be identifi ed by th e letters
"RSC" on the tire sidewall.
If you do change the tires on your veh icle from
no rma l to run-flat tires, you must buy the
special rims required fo r run-flat tires, and the
T ire Pressu re M on itor ing System must be re
programmed by an authorized Aud i d ealer o r
othe r qualified wo rkshop .
What do run -flat tires do?
These special tir es have run-flat capab ilities
that help keep you moving if a tire loses pres
s ur e and goes flat. Under favorab le condi tions
t ir es can be dr iven
at least 30 miles (SO km) ,
but you mus t not drive fa ster than SO mph
( 80 km/h)
c::> page 218, Driving with run-fla t
tires .
Ill-