
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Yo ur veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 264.
Trailer towin g 195
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l choc ks absorb the
load .
.. Tu rn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.. Place an a utomatic transm ission* in P, re
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly th e foot br ake .
.. Start t he en gine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S, respect ively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gea r.
.. Release the parking bra ke and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
l ater to move the le ver out of the P posi
tion.
•
•

224 Tires and wheels
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR" )
means the maximum total loaded weight o f
the vehicle.
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 inflat ion pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not requ ired by law .
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the maxi
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 opt ions 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 kilog rams) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the tota l seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means dist ribution of occupants in a veh icle.
Outer diameter
means the overall 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 or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubbe r-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production opt ions we ighing over 5
lbs. ( 2.3 kg) in excess of those standa rd items
wh ich they replace, not previously cons idered
in curb weight or accessory weight, 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
tially 90 deg rees to the center line of the
tread.
Recommended inflation pressure
see c:::> page 223, Cold tire inflation pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead .

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* will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢,&.
See the illustration ¢
fig. 168 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
Model Tire designation
Engine
AS Coupe: 225/50 Rl 7 94H
2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 R17 95H
All Season
245/40 R18 93H
All Season
255/35 R19 96V High Performance
SS Coupe: 245/40 R18 93V
3.0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder 255/35 R19 96V
High Performance
Tires and wheels 22 7
ch ange. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar 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.
Tire pressure
normal load condition full load condition (up to 2 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
33 230 29 200 35 240 35 240
32 220 32 220 33 230 33 230
38 260 32 220 41 280
38 260
38 260 32 220 41 280 38 260
•
•
XL= reinfo rced 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 spare wheel is
lo cated on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during t he model year, al
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be
l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi- cle
with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
l oad lim its are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are techn ically refer
red to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the .,,.

230 Tire s and wheel s
the function of the tire pressure monitor
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driv ing with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- Excess ive speed and/overloading can
cause heat bui ld-up, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
t ion to check the tire pressure a nd add
air as required.
0 Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves . To prevent this,
always ma ke sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mou nte d on the valve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflated tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amo unt of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an also damage import ant parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudde n tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause t he 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 everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These load lim
its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gro ss Vehicle Weight R ating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" includes t he weight of the basic
vehicle , a ll f actory installed accessories, a f ull
tank of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other f luids plus
maximum load. The max imum load incl udes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity ") wi th an
assumed we ight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating posit ion
and the total weight of a ny luggage in the ve
hicle. If you tow a trai le r, the we ight of the
t ra ile r hi tc h and the tongue we ight of the
l oaded tra iler mus t be include d as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Ax le Weight Rating ("GAWR ") is
the max imum load that can be applied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fety comp lian ce s ticke r label loca ted on the
driver's side B-pillar. Yo ur Audi has 4 seat ing
pos itions , 2 in the front and 2 in the rea r fo r
total seati ng capacity of 4. Each seating posi
t ion has a seat belt c:>
page 129, Safety belts.
T he fact that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
t h at the total weight of whatever is being car
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier tha n the sta ndard we igh ts assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug
gage.
The tire pressure label o n your Aud i also lists
the max imum combi ned weig ht of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e vehi cle can carry . Fo r th e lo ca tion of the
l a bel c:>page 226,
fig.168.
8_ WARNING
<=
Over loading a vehicle can cause loss o f ve -
hicl e co ntro l, a c rash or other accident, se-
rious personal injury, and even death. .,.

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. 173 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. 173 . 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 Pressure 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 pressure to the prope r pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressu re labe l
¢page 226. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
•
•

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 .

-Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed with the fold
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac
ing the Automatic Transmission in
"P"
(Park) will not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the replaced tire in the luggage
compartmentc:>poge
125.
(D Note
If you are changing the wheel on a steep
incline, use a rock or similar object to
block the opposite wheel to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps* . For more details see
also
c:> page 246, Decorative wheel cov
ers
or c:> page 246, Wheels with wheel
bolt cops.
2 . Loosen the wheel bolts c:> page 246.
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point c:>
page 247.
4 . Lift the car with the jack c:> page 247 .
5. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
spare tire c:> page 248 .
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
What do I do now? 245
7. Lower the vehicle with the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrench and firmly
tighten all wheel bolts in a crisscross pat
tern
c:> page 246.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps* .
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information 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:> poge 125 .
.,. Check the tire pressure of the spare tire as
soon as possible .
.. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct t ightening tor
que is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) .
.. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi
ble .
(D Tips
-If you notice that the wheel bolts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque .
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
•
•

@ Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a whee l bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench w ith
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your ba lance
and take ca re not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be li~ed with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
*- '*
Fig. 1 79 Sill pane ls: ma rk ings
Fi g. 180 Sill: posit ion ing the ve hicle
jack
The location of the jack point is indica ted by
a n in den ta ti on on the underside of the vehicle
¢ fig . 179.
"'Activate the parking b rake to prevent the
vehicle from ro lling u ninten tionally.
"' Shift in to
1st gear on vehicles with manua l
transmission or move the se lector lever to
the P position on vehicles with automatic
transmission.
"' Find the
marking (imprint) on the sill that is
nearest the wheel that w ill be changed
What do I d o now ? 24 7
¢ fig. 179. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the vehicle jack.
"' Turn the
vehicle ja ck located under the lift
ing point on the sill to ra ise the jack until
the jaw ¢
fig. 180 @ covers the notch on
the vehicle
¢ & ¢ (D .
"'Align the vehicle jack so the jaw@ covers
th e notch and the base plate @ is flat on
the floor. The base plate @ must be
vertical
unde r th e lift ing po in t @ .
"'I nsta ll the rod on the vehicle jack : Inser t the
rod into the opening on the handwheel. T urn
the rod left or right to secure it.
"' Continue raising the jack w ith the rod unt il
the wheel lifts off the ground slightly.
Position the veh icle jack
only under the desig
nated lifting points on the sill ¢
fig. 179 .
There is exactly one locat ion for each wheel.
The jack must not be positioned at any other location c> &, c>(D.
Soft ground under the jack can cause the ve
hicle to slip off the jack. Always place the jack
on f irm ground. Use a f lat, stab le support if
necessary . Use a non-slip surface such as a
rubber mat on a
s lipp ery surface such as tile .
A WARNING
-You or your passengers co uld be in ju red
while changing a wheel if you do no t fo l
low these safety p re ca utions:
- Position t he veh icle jack on ly at the
designated lifting poi nts and align the
jack. Otherw ise, the vehicle jack could
slip a nd cause an injury if it does not
have sufficie nt hold o n the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jac k may cause the ve hicle to slip off
the jack . A lways prov ide a fi rm base for
the jack o n the ground. If necessa ry,
u se a st ur dy boa rd under the jack .
- On hard, sl ippery su rface (such as t iles)
u se a rubber mat or simi lar to prevent
the j ack from slipping.
- T o help preve nt injury to yo urself and
your pas sengers: