2014 AUDI A6 wheel bolts

T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/ h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)l)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)l)
Your veh icle is no rma lly factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac ­
teristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
c::> page 31 w ill normally prevent you r vehicle
from go ing faster t han the tire speed ra ting
c:::> .& .
U.S . DOT T ire Id entification Numbe r (TIN )
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or lette rs indicate the plant whe re it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers r ep resent the week and year of manufacture.
F or
examp le, the numbers 22 13 mean the ti re
was pro duced in the 2 2nd week of 2013. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not be used by the ti re manufacturer .
T his in format ion is used to contact consumers
if a t ire defect requires a reca ll.
Aud i Original tir e
Tires with t he ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched with your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
g ladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composit ion and materials u sed
T he number of plies ind icates the n umber of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number o f plies, the
more weig ht a tire can support. Tire manufac -
llFt· "h · or ires wit a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity over
1 4 9 mp h (24 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa ctur ers somet ime s
use th e let ters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 253
ture rs also must indicate the mate rials in the
ti re, which incl ude stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction, and temperature resistance
T re ad wear, t raction and tempera ture grades
c::> page 2 54 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure tha t should ever be pu t in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_&. WARNING ,-=
-Using incorrect o r unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inatio ns can lead to loss of control
'
coll is ion and serious personal inj ury.
- Always use ti res, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- insta lled tires or other combina ­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
a nd can fai l sudden ly , especially at hig h
speeds . Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
a nd then w ith specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All fou r whee ls must be fitte d wit h radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) an d the same tread pattern .
~
•
•

256 Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code( ¢ page 243) is
on the side wall of the tire¢ page
251.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING I>=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking , an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch
(10,5 mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
¢ (!) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
=
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi-
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
-If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
11-

chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle .
@ Tips
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all -wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mu st always be tigh tened to the
correc t torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory in sta lled r ims. If different rims are fit ­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used . This ensures that wheels are f itted
secure ly and that the brake system f unctions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a d iffe rent vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l
¢page 285.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig hte ned or maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose causin g loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury .
- Alw ays keep the w heel bolts and the
th reads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the w heel h ubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the co rrect tightening
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
Tire s an d wheel s 257
risk of a wheel loss. If the tighte ning tor­
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing . If the tighte ning torque is
too h igh, the wheel bol ts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(I) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb ( 120 Nm) with a tole ranc e of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r cha nging a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque w rench -prefe rably by an au thor­
i z ed Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is facto ry-eq uipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance , road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving cond i­
tions . Ask your authorized Audi 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 rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewall height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in perce ntage. Conven ­
tion al tires have a he igh t/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspe ct-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitiv e to improper infla tion
pres sure. It is therefore important that l ow
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pres·
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
¢ page 246, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes , curbs, gul lies ..,.
•
•

262 What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 204 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cover
folded upward/spare t ire
Fig . 205 Trunk lid: Vehicle tool kit
• Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
c:> fig. 204.
• Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
• Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise
c:>fig. 204 and remove the spare tire to
reach the vehicle tool kit.
• Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
-Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdr iver w ith reve rsible blade
- T owing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
A WARNING ,-
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in­
juring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional extras .
- Before you can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
c::> page 266.
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for short-term use only.
Taking out the spare tire
.,. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
c::> page 262, fig . 204 .
.,. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.,. Turn the large screw
c:> page 262, fig. 204
counter-clockwise .
.,. Take out the spa re tire.

264 What do I do now?
&_ WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if yo u do n ot fol­
low t hese safety precautions:
- If you have a flat t ire, move a safe dis­
tance
off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use other warning dev ices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- T o help p revent the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
ja ck, always fully set the parking b rake
and bloc k the whee l diagona lly opposite
the whee l being changed. When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac­
ing the Automat ic Transmiss ion 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 t ire i n the luggage com­
partment
c> page 134.
Before chang ing the wheel, yo u m ust acti­
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto­ mat ic cont rols for the Adaptive Air S us­
pens ion* do not make it more difficult to
lift the vehicle with the jack
c> page 266.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
~page 266.
-
2. Remove the decorative wheel cov er* . For
mo re details see also
c> page 265, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c> page 265,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3 . L oosen the wheel bolt s c> page 265.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and alig n the jack below that point
c> page 266 .
5.
Raise the car with the jack c> page 266.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll
the s pare c>page 267.
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly.
8 . Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and firmly
t igh ten al l w heel bo lts c> page 265.
10. Replace the decora tive wh eel co ver*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode * in the
MMI:
I CARI f u nction button > (Car )* sys­
tems
control button > Se rvicing & chec ks
> A ir susp .: jac k mode > Off .
The vehicle jack mode * switches off automati­
ca lly at speeds above
6 mph (1 0 km/h) .
&_ WARNING ,.__
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
i nformat ion
c> &. in Raising the vehicle on
page 266
and c> page 268.
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 rep laced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c> page 134.
.,. Check the tire pressu re on the spare whee l
immed iate ly after mounting it .
.,. As soon as poss ible, have the
tight ening
torques
on all whee l bolts checked with a
t o rque wrenc h. The co rrect tighte ning tor ­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.,. Have the fla t tire
replaced as soon as possi­
b le.
(D Tips
- If you not ice th at the wheel bo lts a re
co rroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked .
ll-

-After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire pressure mon itor ing indi­
cator must be stored in the MMI
qpage260 .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: with decorat ive wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fig. 206 Changing a wheel: Removing the wheel cover
Removing
.,.. Insert the hook (provided with the veh icle
tool kit) in the hole in the wheel hub cover .
.,.. Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
qfig. 206.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bo lts w it h caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un­
screwed.
Fig . 207 Changing a whee l: remov ing t he wheel bolt
caps
Removing
.,.. Push the plastic clip (provided with the vehi­
cle tool kit) over the wheel bolt cap until the
What do I do now? 265
inner retainers on the clip align with the
edge of the cover .
.,.. Remove the cap with the
plastic clip (veh icle
tool kit)
qfig . 207.
Refitting
.,.. Place the caps over the whee l bolts and
push them back on .
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel
bo lts clean.
loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais ­
ing the vehicle.
Fig . 208 Changing a wheel: l oosen ing th e whee l bo lts
loosening
.,.. Slide the wheel wrench onto the wheel bo lt
as far as it will go.
.,.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
q fig . 208.
Tightening
.,.. Slide the wheel wrench onto the wheel bolt
as far as it w ill go .
.,.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated.
_&. WARNING
- Do not use force or hurry when chang ing
a wheel -you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal injuries.

266 What do I do n ow ?
-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury .
@ Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bo lts.
- 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 balance
and take care not to slip .
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be li~ed with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
Fig. 209 Sill pa nels : m ark ings
~
9
---;~ :~-;;:--~
Fi g. 210 Sill : pos ition ing the ve hicle jack
., Activate the vehicle jack mode* in the M MI:
I CAR ! func tion button > (C ar )* sys te m s con ­
t ro l butto n
> Servici ng & che cks> Air su sp. :
j ack mode > On .
.. Engage the par king br ake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally.
., Move the
selector le ver to posit ion P.
.. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that is
nearest the whee l that will be changed
¢
fig. 209. Be hind the marking, there is a
lift ing point on the sill for the vehicle jack .
., Vehicles with a sill: remove the cover from
the sill before lift ing the veh icle w ith a vehi ­
cle jack ¢
page 267.
., Turn the vehicl e jack located under the lift­
ing point on the sill to ra ise the jack u nti l its
arm
@ ¢fig. 210 is located under the des­
ignated p lastic mount ¢ _&. ¢(D.
.. Align the jack so that its
arm @¢fig . 210
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door si ll and the movable base @ lies
flat on the ground. The base ® must be
ver­
t ical
under the lifting point @ .
., Wind the jack up further until the flat t ire
comes off the ground ¢
,&..
Position t he veh icle jack onl y under the desig­
nated lifting points on the s ill ¢
fig . 209 .
T here is exactly
one locat ion for each wheel.
T he jack must not be positioned at any other
location ¢ _& ¢(j) .
An
un stab le surfa ce under the jack can cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack . Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground .
If nec­
essary place a sturdy board or sim ilar support
u nder the jack. On
h ard , s lipp ery surf aces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
preve nt the jack from slipping ¢
.&..
A WARNING
--You or your passengers co uld be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safety precautions:
- Position the vehicle jack on ly at the
designated lifting poi nts and align the
jac k. Otherw ise, the vehicle ja ck could
slip and cause an injury if it does not
have sufficient hold on the vehicle.
- A soft or uns table su rface under the
j ack may cause the vehicle to slip off
the jack . Always provide a firm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack. ,..

-On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve­
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct , ad­
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift­
ing points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi­
cle will be damaged.
(D Tips
The vehicle jack mode* switches off auto­
matically at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/
h).
Removing and installing the sill cover
Applies to vehicles : wit h sill
Fig. 211 Sill: remov ing t he cover
.,. Pull the cover down to remove it c'> fig. 211.
.,. To install the cover again, insert it into the
retainers and then swing it upward until it
clicks into place. The cover must be flush
with the sill.
What do I do now? 267
@ Tips
Some models may also have a cover for the
rear vehicle lift point.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fig. 212 Changing a wheel: using the screwdrive r han­
dle (w it h th e blade re m oved) to turn the bolt s
Fig. 213 Changing a wheel : alignment p in in sid e the
top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle
off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows :
Removing the wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriv­
er handle
to completely remove the top­
most wheel bolt and set it aside on a clean
surface c>fig. 212 .
.,. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole r::;;fig . 213 .
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de­
scribed above .
.,. Take
off the wheel leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole
r::;; d). ..,.