Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts are nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal inj ury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci
dents . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
impai red perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat
i n g position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot wea ring safety belts or wea ring them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal i njury an d deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in
cl ud ing small ch ild ren, into a ny belt . It is
e speci ally dangerous t o pl ac e a safety
bel t over a child s itting on yo ur la p.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in t he ve hicle
th an there are s afe ty be lts availab le.
Safety belts 12 9
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe
ty belt or child restra int.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and (on USA models only) front seat
passenger to remind you about the impor
tance of buckling-up.
Fig . 122 Safety belt warning lig ht in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, alway s:
~ Fasten your safety be lt and ma ke su re you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect your children w ith a child restraint
sys tem app ropriate fo r the size a nd age of
t h e children.
The . war ning light i n the instrument clus
te r li ghts up when the ig nition is switched on
as a reminder to fasten the safety belts . In ad
dition, you will hear a warning tone fo r a cer
ta in period of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure
that your passengers al so properly put on
their safety belt s.
•
•
182 Intelligent technology
-Always accelerate with specia l care on
even, smooth surfaces s uch as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive whee ls can spin even with
these ass istance systems that canno t al
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve hicle control.
(i_) Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly wor k correctly when
all four wheels a re eq uipped w ith ident i-
Switching on/off
cal tires. Diffe ren t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descri bed are worki ng.
- If the in dicator ligh t
bl or t!lJ (USA
models)/ [IJ (Ca nada models) ap pears,
there may be a malfunction
¢page 18,
¢page 19.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig . 15 3 Version A: lower center console,~ OFF but·
ton
The ESC is designed to function in levels . De
pending on the leve l that is selected, the sta
b ili zat io n function of the ESC is limited or
switched off. The amount of stabilizat ion con
trol will d iffe r depend ing on the level.
The following situations are exceptions where
it may be useful to switch on sport mode to
allow the whee ls to spin:
Fig. 154 Versio n B: uppe r ce nter console,~ OFF but·
to n
-Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is st uck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow c hains
186 Intelligent technology
The all-wheel drive concept is designed fo r
high engine power. Yo ur vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac
te ristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precautions
c:> ,&. .
Winter t ires
When driving in the winte r, your ve hic le with
a ll-whee l drive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son t ires) for improved dr iveability a nd brak
ing: these t ires must be mounted on
all four
wheels . See also i=>page 237, Winter tires.
Tire chain s
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive
c:> page 238, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /ti res
Vehicles w ith all -wheel drive must a lways
have tires o f the same size. Also avoid t ires
with d iffe rent tread depths . For details see
page
c:;> page 2 33, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off-road veh icle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough t racks and un
even terrain as much as possible . Also refe r to
<=;> page 188.
A WARNING
Always adjus t you r d rivi ng to roa d and tr af
fic co ndition s. Do no t let the e xt ra s afety
a ff orde d by all -whee l dr ive tem pt you in to
taking extra risks .
- Alt hough the all-whee l dr ive is very e f
f ec tive, a lways remember tha t br aking
ca pacity is limited by t ire traction . Yo u
sho uld the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or s lippery road surfaces.
- On wet road s urfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels co
uld begin to slide o n top of the water
(aquaplaning). If t his should occur, you
will have no warn ing fr om a s udden in
crease in eng ine speed as w ith a front
wh eel drive veh icle . Always dr ive at
speeds wh ich are su ited to the road co n
di tions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle wi th a conventiona l ener gy sys tem
is not driven for a long per io d of time, the bat
te ry is discharged by idling current consumers
(e .g. immobilize r). In certain circumstances it
can res ult in there being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine .
Intelligent energy management in your vehi
cle hand les the dist ribution o f electr ica l ener
gy. Start ing ability is markedly improved and
t h e life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage
ment
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis contin uously de termines
t h e state of the battery . Sensors determine
batte ry voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and t he power of t he battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while t he vehi cle is standing.
With the ign ition sw itched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo
nen ts. Data from battery diagnos is is cons id
ered .
Depend ing on the battery's state of charge,
individ ual consumers are gradually turned off ..,.
-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 summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
are typ ic al in those seasons. Aud i recom
mends using w inter t ires du ring the win-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be replaced)
of automatic tra nsmission, power steering,
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 ratio of the height to the width of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the pa rt of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
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 223
ter months . Low temperatu res signifi
cantly decrease the elastic ity of summer
t ires, which affects traction and braking
ability. If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, res ulting in permanent
ti re damage that can cause loud drivi ng
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is not
responsib le for this type of damage.
- Burn ished, polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter weather. Th e
surfa ce of the rims does not have suffi
c ien t cor rosion pro te cti on for this and
c o ul d be pe rmanen tly damaged by road
salt or similar substances. This damage
is not covered by warranty.
Cold tir e inflation pressure
me ans the t ire press ure re commended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire o f a des igna ted
size that has not bee n driven for more than a
couple of miles (k ilomete rs) at low speeds in
the three hour pe riod before the tire p ress ure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight o f a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, air cond i
tion ing and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
ter~ces .
~
•
•
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 .
226 Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity, Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor -
number of occupants of occupants mally loaded vehicle
4 2 2 i
n front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 168 T ire press ure label : located on driver's side B·
pillar
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 ion pressu re i n a "cold" tire that counts.
T herefore, 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 pressu re is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-U'>
-
---------------------- ,;
•(=~= I: I::... 1)§ :l!: n-...,....,....,~ ...... ~-...,..., ..... _ ... U ........ ~-·~N.-..-.we..... .... lllt-
-AV ANT ...,.
-...... .. _
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
Fig. 169 Ti re pr essure la bel
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 t he tire pressure mon itor ing
system * can o nly mo nitor the tir e press ures .,.
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 .,,.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
All wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
~page 185 .
.8_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and toss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you 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.
Tires and wheels 233
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 172 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
@ Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specialty matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.