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 . ..,.
•
•
-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.
•
•
-The wheel bol ts should be clean and easy
to tu rn. Check for d irt and corrosion on
t h e mat ing s urfaces of both the whee l
and t he hu b. Remove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo unt ing t he wheel.
- Do n ot use the hexagonal socket in the
screwdriver ha ndle to loosen or tig hten
t h e wheel bo lts .
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare tire w ith a t read patte rn
i ntended for use in a specific direction, please
n ot e th e follow ing:
- The direction of rotation is ma rked by an
ar
row on the s ide of the t ire .
-If the spare t i re has to be installed in the in
correct di rection, use the spare tire only
temporar ily since the t ire will not be able to
achieve its optimum perfo rma nce character
ist ics with r ega rd to aquaplani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend that you pay particular at
tent io n t o this fact du ring wet weathe r and
t h at you adjus t your spee d to matc h road
cond itio ns.
- Replace th e flat tire w ith a n ew one and
have it ins talled o n your ve hicle as soon as
poss ible to re st ore the hand ling advant ages
of a uni direct io na l t ire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please rea d the information ¢ page 233, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you change a tire :
-Check the tire pressure on the spare imme
diately after installation . What do I do now? 249
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon a s
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims , the wheel
bolts are cor rectly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm ).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor·
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque .
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your veh icle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then , drive with extra care and at re·
duced speeds.
A WARNING
-
- If you are going to equ ip your ve hicle
w it h tires o r rims which differ from those
which w ere fac to ry installed, t hen be
s ure to re ad the information ¢
page 233,
N ew tire s and re pla cing tires and
whee ls.
- Always make s ure th e da maged wheel o r
eve n a flat t ire and t he j ack and to ol ki t
a re p roperly secu red in the lugg age com
pa rtment an d are no t loose in the pas
sen ger compartment.
- In an accident or sud den maneuver they
co uld f ly forwa rd, in ju ring a nyo ne in the
ve hicle .
-A lways s to re damage d wheel, jack and
too ls sec urely in the luggage compa rt
ment . Othe rwise, in a n accident o r su d
den maneuver they co uld f ly forwa rd,
causing inju ry to passengers in the ve hi·
cle.
~ Note
Do not use comme rcially ava ilab le tire
sea lants. Ot herwise, t he e lectr ica l comp o
n ents of t he tire pressu re monitoring sys
t em * w ill no longe r work pr operly and the
senso r fo r th e tire pressure moni tor ing
syst em* will have to be replac ed by quali
fied wor ksh op. •
•