24 4 T ire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur 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 t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, 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
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part 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 separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.
-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 ..,.
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Gasoline ... ... ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 218
Gasoline additives ..... ... ... ... .. . 219
L ow fuel level symbol .... ... .. .. .. .. 22
Octane rating ..................... 218
Recommendation .................. 218
Refue lling .. ................ ...... 221
Reserve .. .. ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. 12
Tank capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 283
Fuses Assignment ............. .... .. ... 272
Replacing ............ ........... . 272
G
Garage door opener (Homel ink) .. .. .. . 128
Garment hoo ks ............ .. .. .. .. .. 6 1
Gas discharge lamps .............. .. . 275
Gauges Engine coolant temperature .... .. .... 11
Fuel gauge . .. .. ......... .. .. .. .... 12
Speedometer ... .......... ... .. .. .. 27
Tac hometer ....................... 12
Trip odometer ............ ...... ... 27
General illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Gene rato r (warn ing/indicator lights) .... 1 7
Glossary of t ire and load ing termino logy 244
Glove compartment (cooled) ... .. .. .. .. 61
Glow plug system Indicator ligh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating (GVWR) .. . 282
H
Head -up Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
H eadlights
Cleaning ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 214
C leaning system ... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. 48
Defective . ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .... 23
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . 23, 44
Washer reservoir .................. 241
H ead restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S6, 134
Ad justing .. .. .. ... . .. ... .. .. .. ... 134
F ront seats .... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .... 56
Rear seats .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. .... 57
Removing .. ............. .... .. .. .. 57
H ea ted
exterior mirrors ... .... ... .. .. .. .. .. SO
rear window (automatic climate cont ro l) 73
Inde x 295
rear window (climate cont rol) . ... .. .. . 71
seats (automatic climate control) ... .. . 73
seats (climate cont ro l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
windshield washer spray noz zles ..... .
48
Heating ............................ 69
Heavy clothi ng a nd safety be lts ... .... . 143
Hig h beam . ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 46
Hig h voltage warn ing label ........... 282
Hill descent contro l ................. 112
Homelink unive rsal remote control . ... 128
Hood (re lease lever) .. .............. . 22 7
Hooks ......... .................... 67
Hor n ............................... 8
How are child restraint system anchors re-
lated to child safety .. . .. .... ...... .. 189
How many a irbags does my vehicle have? 157
How often should I che ck my tire pres-
s ur es? ... .. .... .. .. . .............. 250
How safety belt pretens ioners work .... 147
Hydrop la ni ng ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 254
I
Immobilize r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Impo rtant t hings to do before d riving .. 130
Improperly worn safety belts .......... 146
Ind icator lights
refer to Warn ing/ indi ca to r li ghts ...... 12
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Installing child safety seats Safety be lts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Installing the upper te ther s trap on the
anchorage . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 192
Instruments Adjust ing the light ing ............... 47
Instr uments and controls
General illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
Interio r lighting
Amb ience lighting . ... .. .. .... ... .. . 47
Front and rear . .................... 47
In ter mitten t (w indshie ld w ipers) ....... 48
J
Jack .............................. 264
Jump-starting ... ................... 276
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