2014 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

Tires and wheels 247
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load fo r various d esignated seat ing
capaci tie s
Designated seating capacity , Vehicle normal load , number Occupant distribution in a nor-
number of occupants of occupants mally loaded vehicle
4 2 2 in front
5
3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 2 00 Tire pressu re lab el: located o n drive r's side B­
p ill ar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amo unt
of air in a t ire that it needs it to do its job and
safely car ry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . T ire pressure is
measured in kilopascals (kPa) , the interna ­
tional measu ring unit and in pounds per
s quare inch (PSI). Tire p ressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit -
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi ­
cle can carry safely and the t ire size . The prop­
er tire pressure is frequent ly referred to as the
" recommended cold tire inf lation pressure ."
Air in the tires expands when the ti re heats up
beca use of internal fri ct ion when it flexes in
use. The tire p ressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
inflat ion p ressure in a "cold" ti re that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflation p res­
sure" recommendations. The t ires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tire pre ssure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudde n tire failure . Underinflated t ires
are a majo r cause of sudden tire failure . Keep­
i ng tires at the r ight pressure is also impor-
-"' --~ -- ,e
• (:::=~. ~: I =: I :,.. I)( ::: ) l3 n,........,..,.__...,~ ........ ....,_...... • ... _ .. , ....................................... ..,_ "" ..
-""u
--
-...........
- KPA. a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fi g. 201 Ti re pres sure label
tant for safe and respons ive ve hicle hand ling,
tra ction, braking and load carrying.
Tir e pre s­
sure s are parti cul arly important when the
v ehicle i s being dr iven at higher sp eed s, and
then e speciall y when hea vily loaded even
withi n the pe rmissible load -carrying capaci­
t ies app roved for your veh icle .
The recommended t ire pressures for your Audi
depend on th e kind of tires on your vehicle
and the n umber of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting.
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er 's side B-pillar. The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold tire inflat ion pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufactured .
If you wish to imp ro v e co mfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal lo ad (up to 2 /3*
occup ants ), you can adju st ti re pres sures to
those specified for normal v ehicle load . Be­
fore operating the vehicl e at maximum load ,
you must increase th e tire pre ssu res to tho se
spe cified for maximum v ehicl e load
¢ ,&. . IJi,,-

248 Tires and wheels
Bear in mind that the tire press ure monitoring
system* can only monitor the tire pressures
you have stored . The system does not recog ­
n ize the load condit ion of yo ur vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire p ressu re monitor ­
ing system * will be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but the n operate the vehi ­
cle at its max imum load
c:> &. .
See the i llustra tion c:> fig. 2 00 for the location
of the la b el on dr iver's side B-pillar (co lor of
the act ua l labe l and exact location on the ve ­
h icle w ill vary slig htly).
Model / Tire designation
Note that the fo llowing ta ble is acc urate at
t h e time of going to press and is s ubject to
c h ange . In the event of d iscrepancies, the t ire
pressure label is located on the d river's side B­
pillar always takes precedence.
T he table below lists t he recommen ded cold
t ir e inflat ion pressu res for the Audi mode l
cove red by your Owner's Lite rat ure at the vehi ­
cle's capacity weig ht and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as or ig inal
equipmen t, or as a factory opt ion.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
fronta > reara
>
front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A7 : 235/55 Rl 7 99Y
32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260 3.0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder 255/45 R18 99H
All Season
3 2 2 20 29 200 35 24 0 3 8 260
255/45 Rl8 99Y 32 220 29 200
35 2
4 0
38 260
High Perfo
rmance
255 /40 R19 lOOH XL
35 240 32 220 38 260 280 All Season 4 1
255/40 Rl9100YXL
36 2 50 32 220 38 260 41 280 High Performance
265/35 R20 99H XL
35 240
32 220 38 260 41
280 All Season
265 /35 R20 99Y XL
36 250 32 22 0 38 26 0 41 280 High Performance
S7: 255/40 Rl9 lOOY XL
39
270
33 230
42 290 42 290 4.0 liter High Performance
a-cylinder 265/35 R20 99V XL
High Performance
41 280 35 240 44 300 44 300
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
al no
rm al load co ndi tio n r:::., page 24 7.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
l ocated o n a label o n the dr ive r's side B -pillar .
Because technical changes may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle w it h the t
ires on you r vehicle. Make sure that the tire
s ize informa tion on the vehicle labe l is the
same as the size o f the tires on the veh icle .

This is especially important if the vehicle be­l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
veh icle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that l oad limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­ red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rati ng ( "GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
i ng ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the veh icle 's two axles.
The G ross Vehicle We ight Rating and the
Gross Axle We ight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pillar . The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
locat io n of the tire pressure label¢
fig . 200 .
.,&. WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve ­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal inju ry, and even death.
- Carry ing more weight than yo ur vehicle
was designed to ca rry will p revent the
vehicle from hand ling p roperly and in­
crease the ris k of a loss of veh icle con­
t ro l.
- T he bra kes on a veh icle that h as been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance .
- T ires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con ­
tro l and a c rash.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported -includ ing the weight of
a tra iler hitc h and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the veh i­
cle heav ier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Tire s an d wheel s 249
.,&. WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
f lation can lead to a ser ious or fatal acci ­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
f lation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handl ing of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin ­
f lation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
f lation , causing loss of veh icle cont ro l.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
t ire p ress ure label and i n the table
¢ page 247, Cold tire inflation pressure.This
means th at the pressure m ust be chec ked and
adjusted when the t ire has not been dr iven for
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
l ow speeds d uring the previous th ree ho urs .
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal frict ion as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let a ir out
o f a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat io n
pressure" recommendat ions ¢
page 247 . The
ti res wou ld then be unde rinflated and co uld
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
max imum capacity for the new, or ig inal
equipment tires that were on your ve hicle at
t h e time it was ma nufactu red. For the lo ca­
t ion o f the labe l¢
page 247, fig. 200.
Most t ires lose air naturally ove r time . They
can a lso lose some air if yo u drive over a pot­
ho le or hit a curb while par king.
It is usually
not poss ible to see whether the rad ia l t ires ...,
•
•

250 Tire s and wheel s
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at least once a month and always before going
on a long tr ip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See
c> page 251, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres­
sures . Check all of the t ires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire . If the pressure in any tire
i s too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure unt il
you reach the pressu re that is correct for the
l oad (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
I f the p ress ure in any tire is too low, note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your veh icle as listed on the on
you r veh icle and in this manual and the k ind
of dr iving you plan to do.
Ne ver e xceed the m aximum inflation pre s­
su re li sted on the ti re sidewall for an y rea ­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the correct
tire p ressure fo r the t ires on your vehicle .
It is important to check the tire pressu re when
the tires are cold.
- Read the requ ired t ire p ress ure from the tire
pressure label. The ti re pressu re labe l is lo ­
cated on the drive r's side 8-pi llar.
- T urn the valve stem cap counter- clockwise
to remove i t from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressu re gauge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires a re cold . The slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reins tall the valve stem cap on the va lve.
When sh ould I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at h igh speeds. The pressure should
the refore be checked at least once a mo nth
and always before starting a jo urney. Do not
f orget to c heck the ti re p ress ure fo r the spare
whee l
i=;,poge 265.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
ca rrying. After changing a whee l
or replaci ng
whee ls yo u have to adj ust the ti re press ures
on all whee ls. In addition, you m ust then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
s u re monito ring system*
c> page 261.
A WARNING ~
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warn ing symbol
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, ca us ing loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- The drive r is responsible for the co rrect
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
T he applicable pressure values are loca t­
ed on a sticke r on the dr iver's s ide 8-pil­
lar .
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressu re, the t ire pres ­
sure monitoring* system can work cor­ rectly.

-The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressu res for
the funct ion of the tire pressure mon itor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate t ires 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 fa il u re
and loss o f control.
- Excessive speed and/ove rloading can
cause heat bui ld-up, sudden tire fail ure
and loss o f 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 ire is no t flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tio n to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop . Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle con trol,
b ut can a lso damage important par ts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Tire s an d wheel s 251
Your safety and that of your passengers also
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gro ss Ve hicle Wei ght R ating
("GVWR") .
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The max imum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
in tended to carry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
assumed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating posit ion
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve­ hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
The
Gr oss Ax le We ight R ating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar. Your Audi has 4 seat ing
pos itions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 4 . In some vehicles
there are 5 seating pos it ions, 2 in the front
and 3 in the rear for tota l seating capacity of
5. Each seat ing position has a safety belt
~ page 140, Safety belts .
The fact that there is a n upper limit to you r
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weig ht of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trai ler) is limited . The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that ..,.
•
•

252 Tires and wheels
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
label
c::> page 247, fig. 200.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload ­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure
label)¢
page 247,
fig. 200.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 247, fig. 200.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the "XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­ pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.

6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transfe rred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
... check the tire sidewall
(q page 254, fig. 204) to de­
termine the de signated load
rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 202 Tir e tread: tread wea r indi cators (TWI)
Fig. 203 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
Tires and wheels 253
¢ fig. 202 ru nning across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, t here will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for examp le "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicato rs . Worn tires must be rep laced .
D iffere nt figures may apply in othe r countr ies
~ A .
Tire pressure
Incorrect t ire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out. For this reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month ¢
page 249.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acce lerat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires a re rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­ ing:
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service interva ls outlined in your
Warra nty
& Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend t hat you
follow t he tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Veh icles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all-wheel drive (quattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown ¢
fig. 203.
- Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires¢
page 2 71 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driv ing can cause them to become unbal­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel. ..,.

254 Tires and wheels
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed .
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 201.
A 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 loss of control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- 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
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.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 204 Tire specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
tire
No. Description
@ Nominal w idth of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® L oad index and speed rating
(J) 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 spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..