2014 AUDI A8 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 your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
c::> page 30 wi ll normally prevent you r vehicle
from go ing faster than the tire speed ra ting
c:::> .& .
U.S . DOT T ire Identification Numb er (TIN )
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
wi th the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where 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 prod uced in the 22nd week of 2013. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not be used by the tire manufacturer .
T his information is used to contact consumers
if a t ire defect requires a reca ll.
Aud i original tir e
Tires with t he identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched w ith 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
gladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply compo sit ion and materi als used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac -
llFt· "h · or ires wit a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire man ufacturers some times u se
th e le tters " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 261
ture rs also must indicate the mate rials in the
tire , which include 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 ,
tract ion, and t emperatur e resistanc e
Tre ad wear, t raction and tempera ture grades
c::> page 2 62 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that 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 inations can lead to loss of control
'
coll is ion and serious personal inj ury.
- Always use tires, 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 fail sudden ly , especially at high
speeds . Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special 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 four whee ls must be fitte d with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
~
•
•

264 Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code( ¢ page 251) is
on the side wall of the tire¢ page
259.
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 Drive.
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 294.
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 265
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 254 , 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 ..,.
•
•

2 70 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. 217 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cove r
folded upward
Fig . 218 Trunk lid: Vehicle tool k it
... Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
... Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip
c> fig. 217.
... Remove the spare wheel to reach the vehicle
tool kit .
.,. Remove the foam p iece.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to
remove the wheel covers* or wheel
hub covers
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Towing 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 acc ident.
- 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 275 .

-Always store the vehicle tool ki t, the jack
and t he replaced t ire in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 141 .
@ Tips
Before chang ing the wheel, you must acti­
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto­
mat ic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus­
pens ion do not make it more difficu lt to
lift the vehicle with the jack¢
page 2 75.
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
c:;.page275.
2. Remove the decorative whe el co ver* . For
mo re deta ils see also
c:;, page 2 73, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c:;, page 2 7 4,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3 . Loosen the wheel bo lts c:;, page 2 7 4.
4. Locate the proper mo unt ing po int for the
jack and align the jack below that point
c:;, page 2 75.
5 . Rai se the car w ith the jack c:;, page 275.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare c:;, page 2 76 .
7. Tighten all wheel bo lts light ly .
8 .
Lower the ve hicle w it h the jack.
9 . Use t he wheel bolt wre nch and
firmly
tighte n all whee l bolts c:;. page 274.
10. Rep lace the de corative wheel cover* .
11. D eactivate the vehicle jack mode in t he
MMI:
! CARI fu nction button > Car system s
control button > Servicing & che cks > Air
susp.: jack mode > Off .
The vehicle jack mode sw itches off automati ­
cally at speeds above 10 km/h.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c:;, .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page 275
and c:;, page 277.
What do I d o now ? 273
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:;, page 141 .
.,. Check the tire pressure on the spare whee l
immed iate ly afte r mounting i t.
.,. As soon as poss ib le, have the
tight ening
torque s
on all wheel bolts checked w ith a
torque wrenc h. The co rrec t tighten ing tor­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble .
@ Tips
-If you notice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, they should be replaced
before you c heck the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the tightening torques checked .
- After changing a whee l, the ti re press ure
in all four tires must be checked/correct­
ed and the tire press ure monitoring ind i­
cator must be sto red in the M MI
c:;. page268 .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to veh icles: w ith decorative w hee l cove rs
The decorative wheel covers mus t be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fi g. 22 1 Chang ing a whee l: Re moving th e w hee l cover
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (provided with the vehicle
t oo l kit) in the ho le in the whee l hub cover .
i,,.

274 What do I do now ?
• Pull off the dec orat ive wheel co ve r
Q fig. 221 .
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: wit h wheel bo lts wit h caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts con be un­
screwed .
Fig. 222 Chang ing a w hee l: remov ing the w hee l bo lt
c aps
R emoving
• Push the pl as tic clip (provided w ith the vehi­
cl e tool kit)
over the whee l bolt cap unt il the
inner retainers on the clip align with the
edge of the cover.
• Remove the cap with the
pla sti c cl ip (vehicle
tool kit)
~ fig . 222.
Refittin g
• Place the caps ove r the wheel bo lts 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.
F ig . 223 C hanging a whe el: loosening the w hee l bol ts
L o os en ing
• Slide the wh ee l w rench onto the wheel bolt
as far as it will go.
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
c ou nte r­
cl ockw ise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
Q fig . 223 .
Tight ening
• Slide t he wheel wrench onto the wheel bo lt
as far as it w ill go.
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clock wise
until it is seated .
A WARNING
--Do not use force or h urry when changing
a wheel -you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serio us pe rsonal
in ju ries.
-Do not loosen the wheel bo lts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack . - Yo u risk a n inju ry .
© Tips
- Never use the hexagona l socket in the
hand le of the screwdr iver to loose n or
tighten the whee l bolts.
- If a wheel bo lt is very tight, you may find
it eas ier to loosen by carefu lly pushing
dow n on the end of the wheel bolt
w rench with
one foot only. As you do so, ..,.

276 What do I do n ow ?
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the si ll. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift­
ing points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi­
cle will be damaged.
{l) Tips
The vehicle jack mode switches off auto ­
mat ica lly at speeds above 10 km/h .
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fi g. 2 26 Cha ngin g a w hee l: u sing t he sc rewdrive r ha n·
dl e (w it h th e blade r emov ed) t o tu rn th e bolt s
F ig. 22 7 Chang ing a w hee l: a lig nm en t pi n inside t he
t op hole
After you have loosened a ll wheel bolts and
ra ised the ve hicle off the ground,
remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdri v­
er handle
to comp letely remove the top·
most wheel bo lt and set it as ide on a
clean
surface ¢fig . 226 .
.. Sc rew the th readed end of the alignment
pin
from t he tool kit hand-tight into t he
empty bolt hole¢
fig. 22 7 .
.. Then remove the other whee l bolts as de­
scribed above.
.. Take off the whee l leaving the a lignment pin
in the bo lt hole
c::> (D .
Putting on the spare wheel
.. Lift the spare whee l and carefu lly s lide it
over the alignment p in to g uide it in place
¢ (D .
.. Use the hexagonal socket i n the screwdriver
ha ndle to screw in and tighten a ll whee l
bolts
slightly .
.. Remove the alignment pin and inse rt and
tighten the rem aining wheel bol t slightly
like the res t .
.. Turn the jack hand le co unter-cloc kwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re­
leased .
.. Use the wheel bo lt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts firm ly
c;, page 2 74 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap ­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel ce nte red.
(D Note
When remov ing or installing th e whe el,
th e rim cou ld hit the b rake ro to r and dam­
age the ro tor. W ork caref ully and have a
s eco nd pers on h elp yo u.
{i) Tips
N eve r use the he xagona l socket in the han­
d le of t he s crewdr iver to lo ose n or t igh ten
t he wheel bo lts .
- P ull the revers ible blade from the screw­
dr iver be fore y ou use the hexagon al
s o ck et in t he han dle to tur n t he w heel
bolts.
- W he n m oun tin g ti res w ith
unidirectional
tread design
make sure t he tre ad pat­
t er n is poin ted t he righ t way
c;, page277.
- Th e wheel bolts shou ld be clean and easy
to t urn. Check for dirt an d corrosion on
the mating surfaces of both the w heel

and the hub. R emove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo unt ing the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread de sign 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 spa re tire w ith a tread patte rn
intended for use in a specific direction, please
note t he following:
- T he direction o f rotation is marked by an a r­
r ow on the side of the tire.
- If the sp are tire has to be install ed in the in­
correct di rection, use the spare tire only
temporar ily since the t ire wi ll not be a ble to
ac hieve its optimum performance character­
ist ics with regard to aquaplaning, noise and
wear.
- We recommend that you pay particular at­
tent ion to this fact during wet weat her and
t h at you adjust your speed to matc h road
condit ions .
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your ve hicle as soon as
poss ib le to restore the hand ling advantages
of a uni direct io na l ti re.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information ¢ page 259, New
t ires and repl acing tires and wheels
if you are
goi ng to use a s pare t ire which is differen t
from the tires on your ve hicle.
Afte r you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified s ervice station .
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm). What do I do now? 277
- 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 t ightening torque.
- Replace the flat ti re with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then , drive with extra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- I f you are g oing to eq uip your vehicle
wit h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be sure to read the information ¢
pag e 259,
N ew tires and replacing tir es and
w heels.
- Always ma ke sure t he damag ed wheel o r
even a fla t tire an d the jack a nd tool ki t
a re prope rly se cu red in t he luggage co m­
p art me nt and a re not loose in the p as­
senger compartment .
- I n an a ccide nt or sudde n maneuver they
could fly forward, injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
- Always s tore da mage d wheel, j ack and
t oo ls se curely in the lugg age comp art­
men t. Othe rwise, in an accident o r su d ­
den maneuver they co uld f ly forwa rd,
causing inju ry to passengers in the veh i­
cle. •
•