2014 AUDI A7 load capacity

-When installing the roof rack, make sure it
is only mounted on the designated locations
on the roof¢
fig. 61 .
-We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
vehicle.
Wh en should th e roof rack be remov ed ?
- Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice).
- When not in use, to reduce fuel consump­
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft.
8_ WARNING
- Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor­
rect mount ing of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack or the items at­
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the road.
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury .
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig­
nated locations on the roof¢
fig. 61 .
-The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro­
vided .
- When driving with a roof rack system,
changes to the center of gravity and wind
resistance can change the veh icle han­
dling and lead to a collision . Always
adapt you r driv ing and your speed to the
c u rrent conditions.
(D Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the vehicle caused by using
r oof racks or mount ing structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle . T he
same applies to damage resulting from
incorrect roof rack installa tion.
- Always check t he roof rack moun tings
and hardware before each trip and dur­
i ng a trip to make sure everything is se­
curely tightened . If necessary, retighten
the mount ings and check the entire sys­
tem from t ime to t ime.
S eat s an d sto rage 63
-After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof
of your vehicle, the heig ht of the veh icle
is naturally increased. Be careful when
dr iving under low bridges or in parking
garages for example. This cou ld cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself .
- Make sure the open rear lid and the sun­
roof* do not come into contact w ith the
roof rac k.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down.
"' Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
even ly.
"' Always attach items to the roof rack securely
befo re you dr ive off.
The maximum permissible roof weight is
220 l b (100 kg) . The roof weight is the total
of the we igh t of the roof rack, t he attach­
ments and the cargo you a re carry ing . You
must a lso not exceed the max imum load
weight for the roof rack yo u are using .
When using a roof rack system which has a lower load ca rrying capacity, you must not use
u p the tota l maximum permissible load car ry­
ing capacity specified above . Instead, you
sho uld load the roof rack system only to the
max imum capacity specified by the manufac ­
turer of the roof rack system.
8_ WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
du ring hard b raking o r in a coll is ion and
cause ser ious persona l injury.
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact­
ly as specif ied above ¢
page 62.
- Always use su itable mount ing straps for
secur ing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from sh ifting or flying for­
ward.

64 Seats and storage
-Items on the roof rack must always be
sec urely mo unted.
- The use of a roof rack can negative ly af­
fect the way a vehicle handles. Cargo
that is large, heavy, bulky, long or flat
will have a greater negative inf lue nce on
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of gravity and overall handling . Always
dr ive slowly, avo id sudden braking and
maneuvers when tra nsporting cargo on
the roof of you r vehicle.
- Never exceed the maximum perm iss ible
load carryi ng capacity of the roof of yo ur
vehicle, the perm issib le axle weights and
the permiss ible total weight of your veh i­
cle
¢ page 282, Weights .
@ For the sake of the environment
As a res ult of the increased w ind resist­
ance crea ted by a roof rack, your ve hicle is
using fue l unnecessarily . So remove the
roof rack after using it .
Luggage compartment
Loading luggage compartment
Luggage items must be stowed securely.
Fig . 62 Place heavy obj ects as far forwar d as po ssible .
Note the following to prese rve the vehicle's
good hand ling cha ra c te ris tic s .
.. Distribute the load as evenly as possible .
.. Place heavy objects as far fo rward as possi­
ble
¢ fig . 62 .
.. Secure luggage items wi th the cargo ne t* or
with non -elast ic retain ing s traps to the t ie­
down r ings*
¢ page 66.
A WARNING """-iiiiiiiii
- Loose objects i n the l uggage compa rt-
ment can slide about suddenly and a lter
the vehicle's ha nd ling characteristics .
- Loose objects i n the passenge r compart­
ment can fly forward during abrupt ma ­
ne uvers or accidents and inju re occu­
pants .
- Always sto re objects in the luggage com­
partment and use s uitable straps, partic­
ularly w it h heavy objects.
- When you t ransport heavy objects, al­
ways remember that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity m ay result in a change in
the vehicle's hand ling c harac teristi cs.
- Follow all warnings
¢ page 130, Driving
Safely.
(D Tips
The t ire pressure mus t be adj usted to the
l oad -see the t ire p ressure sticker located
o n the dr iver's side 8-pilla r.
Luggage compartment cover
The luggage compartm ent cover consists of
two parts .
• • Fig. 63 Cov er in th e open rear lid
F ig . 64 Cover be hind th e r ear bench seat

A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­ dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
Gj) Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open .
-
Driving Safely 137
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
~page 247.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly~
page 136, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example , in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs in
.
•
•

196 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

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. .,.

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 inflation pressure. You
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is no t req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options 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 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 245
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and spec ial tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see ¢ page 244, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
re sp onding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
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 nom inal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
•
•

246 Tires and wheels
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ic h a tir e is des igned to
be d riven for extended per io d s of t ime. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ page 255. You may
not find this in format ion on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, w here a pplica­
b le, is molded on the tire s idewa ll and indi­
cates the maxim um permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 259.
Tire pressure monitoring sy stem*
means a system tha t d etects when one or
mo re of a vehicle's t ires are under inflated and
i llum inates a low t ire p ress ure warn ing te ll­
tale.
Tread
means t hat port ion of a tire tha t comes into
con tact w it h t he road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the t read from the t ire
car cass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means t he projections withi n the pr inc ipal
g rooves designed to give a v isua l ind ication of
the deg rees of wea r of the tre ad . See
¢
pag e 253, Tread W ear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat io n on measu ring tire we ar.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire i nfo rmation system developed by the
United States Nat io nal Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (N HTSA) that is designed to
h e lp buye rs make re lative compa risons among
tires. The UT QG i s no t a safety r ating and no t a
g uar antee t hat a t ire will las t fo r a presc ribed
n umber of m iles (kilome ters) or pe rform in a
certain way. It s imply gives ti re bu ye rs addi­
tional information to combine with other con -s
iderations, such as p rice , brand loya lty and
dealer recommendations. Un der UTQ G, tires
are grade d by the t ire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwea r, traction, and temperature
resistance. The UTQG informat ion on the tires,
molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN )
This is the tire's "se ria l numbe r" . It be gins
with the letters "DOT" and ind icates that the
t ire meets all federa l standards . The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it
was ma nufactu red, and the last four numbe rs
r eprese nt the week and year of ma nufact ure.
Fo r exampl e,
DOT ... 2213 ...
means that the tire was produced in t he 22nd
wee k of 2013. The ot her numbers are market­
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
t ire manufacturer. This information is used to
contact consumers i f a tire defect requires a
r ecall .
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pilla r.
Vehicle maximum lo ad on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to eac h axle its
share of the maxim um loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two .
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l t ir e that is
determined by distributing to eac h ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weig ht (d istr ibuted in
accorda nce wit h tab le below ¢
page 247)
and divid ing by two .

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,,-