Tires and wheels 251
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity, Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
number of occupants of occupants mally loaded vehicle
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. 205 Tire press ure label: located on driver 's s ide B·
p ill ar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the interna
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle 's design and load limit -
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop
er tire pressure is frequent ly referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal friction when it flexes in
use . The tire pressu re is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the
in flat ion pressure i n a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefo re, you shou ld neve r let air out of a
warm tire to ma tch "cold tire inflat ion pres
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tir e pressure is one of the
most impor tant things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a ma jor cause of s udden tire failure . Keep·
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-tD
-
---------------------.. ,;
•(==.: I :::; I :,,. I)@ gi n. ............ .,_____, .... -.ito._.. ____ .... _ ...
&..p0idit,101111-~--.,...,....-- ..... ~ .... ..
-··-.....
-
-Dlst<:OURS
- KPA.. a PSI
- KPA..
a PS I
- KPA.. a PSI
Fig. 206 Tire pressu re labe l
traction, braking and load carrying. Tire pres
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci
ties approved for your vehicle.
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your ve hicle
and the number of passengers and/o r amount
of luggage you w ill be transporti ng.
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 io n pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
t he time it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 occu
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before op
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
9 .&..
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system * can only monitor the tire pressures
II>
252 Tire s and wheel s
you have stored . The system does not recog
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressu re monito r
ing system* will be impai red if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load¢.&. .
See the illustration¢
fig. 205 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l labe l and exact location on the ve
hicle wi ll vary slightly) .
Note that the followi ng tab le is accurate a t
the time o f go ing to press and is subject to
Model / Tire de
signation
change. In the event of discrepancies, the t ire
pressure label located on the driver's side 8-
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressu res for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear
front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
2 3 5/60 R18 103H
29 200 29 200 32 220 32 220 All Season
Q5 :
235/ 55 R19 101H
2 .0 liter
All Season
30 210
30 210
33 230
33 230
4-c
ylind er
235/55 R1 9101W
and 29 200 29 200 33 230 33 230 High P erforman ce
QS:
3 .0 l iter 2
55 /45 R 20 101W
29 200 29 200 33 230 33 230
6-cy lind er High Pe
rformance
255 /40 R21102Y
35 240
36 250 36 250 39 270 High Performan ce
25 5/4 5 R20 101W
39 270 39 270 280 280 SQ5:
High Performan ce 41 41
3.0 liter
6-cylind er 255
/40 R21102Y XL
41 280 36 250 41 280 42 290 High Perfo rmance
X L = rei nfo rce d or extra load tir e. It ma y al so a ppea r a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on th e tire sid e-
wall.
The cor rect tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label on the dr ive r's side 8-pilla r.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on you r veh icle w it h the
tires on your vehicle. Ma ke su re that the tire
size info rmation on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi- cle w
ith different rims/t ires or you bought the
vehicle as a prev iously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making sure that
load lim its are not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes eve rybody and everyth ing in and on the
vehicle. These load l imits a re techn ica lly refer
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing ("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 compliance sticker label 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 location of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 205 .
.8, 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 a 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 causing loss of con
trol 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 .
.8, WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 253
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
tire pressure label and in the table
¢ page 251, Cold tire inflation pressure.This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction 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 air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations¢
page 251 . The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, original
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca
tion of the label¢
page 251, fig. 205 .
Most tires lose air naturally over time . They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot
hole or hit a curb while parking.
It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
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 trip. 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¢
page 255, 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 tires and be sure not to ..,. •
•
254 Tire s and wheel s
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too h igh when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference 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
your veh icle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do .
Never exceed th e ma ximum inflati on pres
s ur e list e d on th e tir e s idewall f or an y re a
so n.
Remembe r that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufactu rer , determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the t ires on your vehicle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires a re cold .
- Read the requ ired t ire pre ssure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side 8 -p ill ar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inflat ion pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity we ight a nd the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
u factured. For recommended tire press ures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
¢ page 251 .
-Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should only be chec ked
and adjus ted when the tires are cold . The
s li ghtly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying .
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap o n the valve .
When should I check th e tir e pre ssure ?
The correct tire pressu re is especially impor
tant at high speeds. The pressu re should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jo urney . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adju st the ti re pre ssures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying . After changing a whee l
or replacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tir e pressur es
on all wheels. In addition, you m ust then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres
sure monitoring system*¢
page 267.
A WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, se rious pe rsonal injury
or even death.
- When the warn ing symbol
[DJ appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
- Incorrec t tire pressures and/or underin
flation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticker on the dr iver's s ide 8-pil
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres
sure mon itor ing system* can work cor
rectly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to acc idents or other damage .
Therefore it is essential that the drive r
observe the spec ified t ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
II),
th e f unct ion of the tire pressure monitor
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a w heel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest serv ice sta
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as requi red.
{Q) Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves . To preve nt this,
always ma ke s ure t hat facto ry installed
va lve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mounte d on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflat ed tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are l imits to the amo un t of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not handle
w ell and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an a lso damage import ant parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are n ot exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . Th ese
Tire s an d wheel s 255
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a f ull
tan k of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
max imum load. The max imum load incl udes
the n umber of passengers t hat the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) fo r each
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and the tota l weight of a ny luggage i n the ve
hicle. If you tow a tra ile r, the we igh t of the
tra iler hi tch and the tongue we igh t of t he
loaded tra iler mus t be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR ") is
the max imum load th at can be appl ied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fe ty comp lian ce sti cke r la bel lo cate d on the
driver's side B-pillar. Yo ur Audi has
5 seat ing
pos itions , 2 in the front and 3 in the rea r for
total seating capacity of 5. Eac h seating posi
tion has a seat be lt
c:> page 149, Safety belts.
T he fac t that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier than the sta ndard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be ca rried as lug
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and l uggage or other cargo that
the ve hicl e can ca rry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
la bel
c:> page 251, fig. 205 .
_&. WARNING
--==
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss o f ve -
h icle cont ro l, a crash or other accide nt, se-
rious pe rsonal in ju ry, and even death. ..,
•
•
256 Tires and wheels
-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 251,
fig. 205.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas
sengers from
"XXX" kilo
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 251, fig. 205.
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 SO
(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 transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual ..,
258 Tires and wheels
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 Qpage 202 .
.&_ 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 tires.
- 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
you a re 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. 209 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
t ire
No. Description
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load 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 specially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..
contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&. .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be performed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa
cilities for dispos ing of the old tires .
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and rims.
R eplacing t ires and w heels
Tires shou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be s ure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 265.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the t ires approved
for your ve hicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 251.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
veh icle. The table
(¢page 251) lists spec ifica
tions of the t ires approved for the Audi mod
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on the driver's
side B-pillar ¢
page 251, fig. 206 lists the
specif ications of the or iginal equipment tires
installed on your vehicle at the time it was
manufactured.
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide
wall of all tires¢
fig. 209 . This information
i dent ifies and desc ribes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ide ntificat io n number
Tire s an d wheel s 259
for sa fety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas
ier to choose the co rrec t tires . Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P235 / 60 R 18 103 H
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
235 Nom inal tire width i n mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
60 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra -
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (i n inches)
103 Load ra ting code
H Speed ra ting letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
t h at the t ire is a "Reinfo rced" or an " Ext ra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capab ility
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotat ion
¢ page 247 .
Tire manufacturing d ate
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2213 .. . " means, for example, that the
tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2013.
Speed rating (letter code )
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 263.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
•
•