Page 241 of 286

driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary . Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this norma lly also applies to
veh icles with all wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design o f whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled r ims . If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bo lts wit h the right
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are f itted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model<=>
page 266.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
Jury .
- Always keep the w heel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
w hee l bolts can t urn easily and be p rop
erly t igh tened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose wh ile d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use whee l bo lts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Alw ays m ain ta in the co rrec t tig hten ing
torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi-
Tire s an d wheel s 239
cle is mov ing. If the tightening torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lbs . (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lbs. (± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally . After changi ng a wheel, the
torque m ust be checked as soon as poss i
ble with a to rque wrench -preferably by an
a uthorized Aud i dea le r or qualified wor k
shop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is fac tory -eq uipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been tho ro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi
tions . Ask your authorized Aud i dealer for
more details .
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage. Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-a spect-r atio tire s is
particularly sensit ive to improper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefor e important that low
a spect ratio tire s are inflated to the specified
pres sure and that th e inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s
sure s should be chec ked at lea st once a
month and always before a long trip
<=> page 228 , Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
under inflated . ..,.
•
•
Page 242 of 286

24 0 T ire s and wheel s
In o rder to minimize the occurrence o f impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom mend that you observe the following precau
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if neces
sary.
- Drive carefu lly 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, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer . Replace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ic h could event u
ally cause t ire fail ure.
If you be lieve that a
ti re may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wea r more qui ck ly than oth
ers.
- Please a lso remembe r that, whi le these t ires
deliver responsive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
R educed p erf ormance in winter /cold
s ea son condit ions
A ll tires are designed for certain purposes .
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are in
tended for max imum dry and wet road per
f ormance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather cond it ions.
If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offe r better traction under
those cond it ions . We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow or a ll-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or their equiva lent .
Refe r to ~
page 237 for mo re deta iled infor
mat ion regarding w inter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monito ring system
Each tire, incl uding the spare (if provided),
sho uld be checked monthly when co ld and in
flated to the inf lation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flat io n pressu re label, you shou ld dete rmine
the p roper t ire infla tion p ressure fo r those
t ir es) .
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon itoring
system ( TPM S) that illum inates a low ti re
pressure te lltale whe n one or more o f you r
tires is significant ly under -inflated . Acco rding
ly, when the low tire pressure te lltale i llumi
nates, you shou ld stop and check your tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly u n
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under -inflation al
so reduces fuel eff ic iency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's hand ling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv
er's respo nsibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under -inflation has not
reached the leve l to tr igger illuminat ion of the
T PMS low tire p ressu re tellta le .
You r vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lf u nction indicator to ind icate when
the sys tem is not operating properly . T he
T PMS ma lfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure te lltale. Whe n the sys
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one min ute and then
rema in con tinuously illum inated . T hi s se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as t he malfunct ion exists . .,.
Page 243 of 286

When the malfunction indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installation of replace
ment or alternate tires or whee ls on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
p roperly . Always check the T PMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one o r more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacemen t 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.
Fig. 187 Display: underinflatio n warning
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indica ted in the instru
ment clus ter with a
RE wa rning symbol and a
message¢
fig. 187 . The driver message in the
disp lay goes out after 5 seconds . The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! SET ! button. If only one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos ition.
The ti re pressu re monitoring system must be
reset via radio or MMI* each time the pres
sures are adjusted (e.g . when switching be
tween partia l and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
¢
page 242 . The TPMS indicator only moni
tors the tire pressure that you have prev iously
Tire s an d wheel s 241
stored . You can find the recommended t ire
pressures for yo ur vehicle on the label on driv
er's side 8-pillar ¢
page 226.
T ire tread circum ference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- t he t ire p ress ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- t he t ire has s tructural damage,
- the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 242.
Warning symbo ls
RE Loss of pressure in at least one tire c> & .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The
RE ind icator light in the instru
ment cluster a lso illuminates
c::!;> page 13.
Check/correct the press ures of all fou r tires
and reset TPMS via radio or MMI*.
Ill (T ir e Pre ssure Monitor ing System) Tire
press ure: Syst em malfun ction!.
If II! appears after switching the ignition on
o r while dr iv ing and the
RE i ndicator light in
the instr ume nt cluster blinks for app rox i
mately o ne minute and t hen stays o n, there is
a system malf unct ion.
Attempt to store the co rrect tire pressure
¢ page 242 . If the ind icator light does not
tu rn off o r if it turns on sho rtly the reafter, im
med iate ly dr ive your vehicle to a n author ized
Audi dealer or au thorized repair faci lity to
have the malfunc tion corrected .
A WARNING
-=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is significant ly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or b raking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressures. In
flate the tire p ressure to the prope r pres
sure as indica ted on the vehicle's tire
pressu re labe l
¢page 226. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
•
•
Page 244 of 286

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability .
- The driver is responsible for ma inta ining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the t ire pressures regularly .
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor
ty driving style, winter condit ions or un
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i
cator may be de layed .
-Ask your author ized Audi dealer if run
flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
Your vehicle registrat ion becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit
ted. Damage to your veh icle or acc idents
cou ld also resu lt.
@ Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may resul t in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
you r Audi was developed using t ires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall¢
page 233 . We recom
mend using these t ires .
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
radio or MMI*.
11> Before resett ing the TPMS, the cu rrent pres
sures of all fou r tires m ust correspond to
the specified val ues . Adjust the tire pressure
and reset the pressure i n the tire press ure
monitoring system according to the load
you are carry ing
¢ page 226.
11> Turn on the ignition .
11> Select : the ICAR I function button > Tire pre s
sure monitoring
> Stor e now . Or
i,. Se lect : the ICA RI function button > Ca r sys
tem s*
control button > Servicing & check s >
Tire pre ssure m onito ring > St or e tire pre s
s ure s.
@ Tips
Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire .
Page 245 of 286

What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
The tools ore stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 188 Luggage compartment: tool kit
When you need access to the veh icle tool kit
or jack*, you will need to take o ut the spare
tire* and cover¢
page 243.
The vehicle tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignmen t pin for ch anging the whee l
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- Too l for chang ing light bulbs
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang -
ing light bulbs)
- Rod for jack
- Jack*
- Lug wrench
- Towing eye
Some of the vehi cle items listed above are
p rov ided o n certain models o nly or are opt io n
al extras .
Before returning the jack* to its place, retract
the jack arm fully.
.&, WARNING
-
-Never use the screw d river hex head to
tighten whee l bolts, since the bolts can
not attain the necessary tightening tor
que if yo u use the hex head, potentially
caus ing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jac k is intended on
ly for your vehicle model. Unde r no cir-
What do I d o now ? 243
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely w it h appro
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise , there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury .
Space-saving spare tire
(compact spare tire)
App lies to vehicles: wit h space -saving spare t ire
The spore tire/wheel is located in the luggage
comportment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only .
Fig. 189 Spa re tir e
Remo ving th e spare tire
.. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
¢ fig. 189 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart
ment wea ther strip .
.. Turn the large screw <=>
fig. 189 counter
clockw ise.
.. Take out the spa re tire .
.. Always s tore the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the rep laced tire in the luggage com
partment
¢ page 127 .
.. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid .
Using th e spare tire (compact spar e tire )
The compact spare t ire is only intended fo r
eme rgencies unt il you can reach a repa ir sh op.
Rep lace it as qu ickly as possible with a stand -
ard whee l and tire. ..,..
Page 246 of 286

24 4 What do I do no w?
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been des igned specifically for your type of
vehicle.
It must not be swapped with a com
pact spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Sno w cha in s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
n ot permitted .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to rep lace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex
t reme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possib le w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire, the tire pressu re must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c ompac t spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident.
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You risk having an acc ident.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . Yo u risk hav
ing an acc iden t.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acci
dent.
- No rma l summer or winte r tires m ust not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- F or te chni cal reasons, the use of ti re
chains on the spare tire is not permitte d.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare whee l must be mounted on the
front axle in the event o f a f lat in a rear tire. The new
ly available front wheel
must then be installed in place of the
rear whee l with the flat tire. Installing
the t ire cha in before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compart
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard brak ing or in an accident.
Never store the spa re tire or jack and
too ls in the passenger compa rtment.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel .
"'After you expe rience a tire failure, pull the
car we ll away from moving traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop ¢ ,&.
"'All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ &,.
"' Engage the
parking brake to p revent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢&, .
"' Move the
selec tor lever to the P positi on.
"'I f you are towing a t railer : unhitch t he trai l
er from you r vehicle.
"' Take the
jack ¢ page 243 and the spare tire
¢ page 243 out of the luggage compart
ment .
A WARNING
=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l
l ow these safety precaut ions :
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis
tance off the road . Turn off the engine ,
turn the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a le rt other mo
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from th e vehicle and well
away from the road and traffi c.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
-
suddenly a nd possib ly slipping off the ..,_
Page 247 of 286

jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks o r other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automat ic Transm iss ion in "P"
(Park) wi ll
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the repla ced ti re in the l uggage
compartment
¢ page 12 7.
(D Note
If you are chang ing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
ve hicl e from mov ing.
(l) Tips
Obey a ll laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly tha t order .
1. Remove the dec orative whe el co ver* or
the
wh eel b olt cap s* . Fo r mor e details see
a lso
¢ page 245, Decorative wheel cov
ers
or¢ page 246, Wheels with wheel
bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel bo lts ¢ page 246.
3. Locate the proper mounting po int for the
jack and align the jack below that point
c::> page247.
4. Lift the car with the jack c::> page 247 .
5. Remove the wheel with th e flat tire and
then install the
s pare tir e c::> page 248 .
6. Tighten all wh eel bo lts light ly .
7.
Low er the ve hicle wit h the ja ck.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrenc h and
firmly
tighten a ll whee l bolts in a cr isscross pa t
tern ¢
page 246.
What do I do now ? 245
9. Replace the decorative wheel co ver* or
the
wheel bolt caps*.
A WARNING
Always read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
i n format ion
c::> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page 247
and c::> page 249.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*,
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
c::> page 12 7 .
.,. Check the tire pressu re of the spare tire as
soon as possible .
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the
t ightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts checked with a
t orque wrench. The co rrect tighte ning tor
que is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm).
.,. Have the fla t tire
repl ace d as soon as possi
b le.
(D Tips
- If you not ice tha t the wheel bo lts a re
c orroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they shou ld be replaced
before you c heck the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the tightening torques checked .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: wit h deco rat ive w hee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 19 0 C ha ngi ng a w heel : re moving the w hee l cove r ...
Page 248 of 286

246 What do I do now?
Removing
.,. Inse rt the hook provi ded wi th the ve hicle
tool kit in t he hole in the hub.
.,. Pull
off the decorat ive wheel cover
¢ fig. 190 .
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
App lies to vehicles: with whee l bolts w it h cap s
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts b efore the bolts can be un
screwed .
Fig. 191 Chang ing a w hee l: remov ing t he w hee l bo lt
c ap s
Removing
.,. Push the pla stic dip provide d wit h the vehi
cl e too l kit over the whee l bol t cap until it
engages.
.,. Pull on the
plastic clip to remove the cap
~ fig . 191.
Refitting
.,. Pla ce the caps ove r th e wheel bo lts and
p ush them back on.
The caps are to p rotect and keep the wheel
b ol ts cle an .
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais
ing the vehicle.
Fi g. 1 92 Chang ing a w hee l: loosening t he w hee l bol ts
Loosening
.,. Insta ll the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bo lt and push it dow n as far as it w ill
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bo lts
counter
clockwise
about one single t u rn in the direc
tion of arrow~
fig. 192.
Tightening
.,. Insta ll the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bo lt and push it down as far as it w ill
go .
.,. Take tight hold of the
end of t he wrench
ha ndle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
_& WARNING
- Do not u se f orc e or hur ry whe n ch an ging
a w heel -yo u ca n cau se the vehicle to slip
off the jack and ca use serio us pe rsonal
i njur ies.
-Do not loosen the w heel bo lts more th an
one tu rn
befo re you raise the ve hicle with
the jack . - Yo u risk a n inj ury.
(D Tips
- N ever u se th e hexagon al socket i n the
h andl e of t he screwdr iver to lo ose n or
tighten t he wheel bolts .
-If a w heel bolt i s very ti ght, yo u m ay fin d
i t easier to loosen by carefu lly pushing ..,.