248 Tire s and whee ls
- 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 tire 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
Acces sory weight
means the comb ined we ight (in excess of
those standard 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 these
items are availab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the 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 s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typica
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 cold tem peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, resulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un
balanced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pre ssure
means the t ire p ressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des ignated
s ize that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicle 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
means 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 -carry ing capacity of a s ingle
axle system , measured at the tire-ground in
terfaces.
Gr oss Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e vehi cle. .,.
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 249
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 248, 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.
•
•
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 ..,. •
•
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 ..,
260 Tire s and wheel s
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)
1l
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)
1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1 )
Your veh icle is norma lly fac to ry equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac
teristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
c:> page 27 wi ll normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faster than the tire speed rating
c:> & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Numb er (TIN )
a nd tire manufacture d ate
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the p lant whe re it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers r epresent the week and year of manufacture.
F or example, the numbers 2213 mean tha t
the tire was produced in the 22nd wee k of
2013. The other n umbers are marketing co
des that may or may not be used by the tire manufacturer. This information is used to con
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re
call.
Aud i O riginal tir e
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authorized Aud i dealer w ill
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the numbe r of plies, the
ll For tir es w it h a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity ove r 149
mph (2 40 km/ h), ti re ma nufac tur ers somet imes use
t h e lett ers " ZR."
more we ight a tire can support. Tire manufac
turers also must indicate the materials in the
t ire, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others.
Ma ximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
ki log rams and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction, and temp eratu re re sis tance
T read wear, t raction and tempe rature grades
c:> poge261 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the g reatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions.
A WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
coll is ion and serio us personal injury.
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specif ications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina
tions that have been specifically ap p roved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly , especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w it h specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are no t sure of the ir "previo us histo
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that ca n lead to sudden tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
264 Tire s and wheel s
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are f itted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
¢ page 295.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious p ersona l in
Jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in t he wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop
erly tigh tened.
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- N ever use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always mai nta in the co rrec t tighte ning
tor que fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the veh i- cle is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
105 ft lb (140 Nm) with a to lerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bolts
diagonally . After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as poss i
ble with a to rque wrench -preferab ly by an
a uthorized Aud i dea le r or qualified wor k
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is factory -eq uipped w it h low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi
t ions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in percentage. Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
Th e performanc e of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
pa rticularly sensi tive to improp er inflation
pre ssure. It i s ther efor e important that low
a spe ct ratio tir es are inflated to the spe cified
pre ssure and that the inflation pre ssure i s
regula rly checked and mainta ined. Tire pre s
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
month and al way s befo re a long trip
¢ page 2 53, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to a void tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gul lies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated . ..,.