28 0 T ire s and wheel s
your veh icle and in this manua l and the kind
of driving yo u plan to do .
Neve r e xcee d the m ax imum inflati on pres
s u re list e d on th e tir e s ide wall f or a ny r ea
s on.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer , determ ines the co rrect
tire pressure for the t ires on your veh icle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires a re cold .
- Read the required t ire pres sure from the tire
pressure label. The ti re pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side 8-p illar . The t ire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inflat ion p ressu res for the veh icle at its
maximum capacity we ight and the tires that
were on you r vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured . For recommended tire pressures
for normal load condit ions, please see chap
ter
c:> page 2 77.
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the a ir pressure gauge on the valve.
- T he tire pressures should on ly be checked
and adjusted 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 .
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve.
When should I check the tire pressur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always befo re starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare wheel.
When should I ad ju st th e tire p re ss ures?
Adj ust the tire p ressure to the load you are
carry ing . After chang ing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels . In addition, you must then
store the new tire press ures in the tir e pres
sure monito ring system
c:> page 293.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death .
- When the warn ing symbol
[I] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the hand ling of the vehicle and
stopping abi lity.
- I nco rrect tire pressures a nd/or underin
f lation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The drive r is responsible for the correc t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B -pil
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure mon itoring system can work cor
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re press ure monitor
ing system.
- Always inflate t ires to the recommended
and correct t ire p ressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread sepa ration, s udde n tire failure
and loss of cont ro l.
- E xcessive speed and/overloadi ng can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont ro l.
- I f the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prema turely and the
vehicle wi ll not handle well. ..,
-All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care. Refit the nor
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping distances and caus
ing a collision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on
vehicles that were equipped with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires. Incor
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi
cle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire specialist
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed on all four
wheels . Mixing tire types is not permit
ted.
Tires and wheels 287
@ Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged.
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 284,
fig. 253.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 1S0 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100. •
•
was manufactured. Please see ¢ page 285,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a listing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the maximum
speed at wh ich the t ires can be driven .
The speed rating letter code (¢
page 2 76) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 284.
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
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an acc ident and serious
pe rsonal inj ury to you and yo ur passen
gers .
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can ca use tire fai lure in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immed iately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
wh ich 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 winte r tires and all-whee l
drive tempt you into taking extra r is k s . A l
ways remember:
- When bra king, an a ll-wheel drive vehicle
hand les in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice conditions.
Tire s an d wheel s 289
'
@) For the sake of the env ironment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the rear
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Aud i dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm) , includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow cha ins on your vehicle
c::> Q) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are ava il
able from autho rized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi
cle or insta lling them incorrect ly can in
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l 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 specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
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 pos ition of the snow chains after
•
•
2 94 What do I do now ?
What do I do now?
Jack, tools and
inflatable spare tire
Tools
The tool kit is located in the luggage com
partment under the cargo floor cover.
Fig. 255 Luggage compart men t: vehicle too l kit
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plast ic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench
- Towing eye
(D Tips
Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certa in models only or are
optional ext ras .
Jack and folding chocks
The jack and the folding chocks are located in
the luggage compartment under the cargo
floor cover.
Fig . 256 Luggage compartment veh icle jack and fo ld
i ng chocks
-----........ -
Fig. 257 Open ing fold ing chocks
Veh icle jack
The jack is located under the tool kit
<=> fig . 256. Before storing the jack, make sure
it is wound back down as far as it will go.
Folding chock s
Two unassembled folding chocks are attached
to the foam section at the front with the jack
<=>fig. 256.
Release the two hook-and-loop fasteners, and
remove the two chocks. To use the chocks, you
first have to raise the support plate
<=> fig. 257 (!) and then insert the locking plate
with the two "tabs" into the elongated holes
in the base plate@<=>&. .
A WARNING
--The chock cannot fulfill its function and
may lose its stability if the "tabs" on the
suppo rt p late are not inse rted correctly
into the elongated holes in the base
plate. If this hap pens , the vehicle may
start to m ove whi le a whee l is being
changed.
- Never use the folding chocks if they are
damaged or i f they have not been assem
bled correct ly.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
ser ious personal injuries.
- 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 w ith .
- Us ing a bumper jack to raise the vehicle
will damage the bumper system. The
jack may slip, causing i njury.
- Never support your vehicle on cinder bloc ks, b ricks or other objects. Th ese
may not be able to support the load and
cou ld cause injury when they fail.
- Never start or run t he engine while the
vehicle is suppor ted by the jack.
- If you must wo rk under the vehicle, al
ways use safety stand s spe cifically de
signed for this purpose.
- Always make sure the inflatable spare
tir e a nd even a f lat t ire are se cured in
place and not loose, ot herwise they
cou ld fly forward, causing personal inj ury
to passengers in the veh icle in an acc i
dent or sudden mane uver.
Removing bass box
Applies to vehicles: with bass box
Before the inflatable spare tire can be taken
out, the bass box must be removed .
Fig . 2 58 Spare wheel well: Sass box
What do I do now ? 295
Removing bass box
.,. Squee ze the locking tabs ~ fig . 258 (D of
the conne ctor .
.,. Disconnect the connector @and place the
lead to one side.
.,. Turn the large screw counter-clockwise .
.,. Carefully remove the bass box.
Installing bass bo x
.,. Carefully p lace the bass box in the wheel.
The inscription "F RO NT" on the bass box
must face forward .
.,. Reconnect the connector that was removed.
.,. Secure the bass box with the large screw .
Inflatable spare tire
The inflatable spare tire expands to its full di
ameter when it is inflated.
Fig. 25 9 In flatable spare tir e w ith compressor
Removing inflatable spare tire
.,. Lift up the cargo floo r us ing the handle .
"' Turn the large screw
9 fig . 259 co unte r-
clockw ise.
"' Remove the bass box as required
¢ page 295 .
.,. Take out the in flatable spare tire .
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
9 page 170.
Stowing the inflatable spare t ire
"' Release the ai r by u nscrewing the valve
stem .
.,. Screw the valve stem back in afterwards .
.,. Wait a few hours before p lac ing the wheel in
the spare wheel we ll¢ ,& .
"' Install the bass box as required ¢
page 295 . ..,_
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel .
.,. After you experience a tire fa ilure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level gro und before you stop¢.&_ .
.. All passengers should
leav e the car and
move to a safe location (fo r instan ce, be hind
the guardra il) ¢.&_ .
.,. Engage the
parkin g brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally ¢.&_ .
.. Move
selecto r le ver to p osition P ¢ .&_ .
1> Ifyou are towing a trai ler: unhitch the trail
er from your veh icle.
.,. Block the diagonally opposite wheel with
the folding chocks or other objects .
.. Take the
jack and the inflatab le spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢ page 294.
& WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if yo u do not fol
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat t ire, move a safe dis
tance off the road . Turn off the eng ine,
t ur n the emergency flashers o n and use
other warning devices to alert other mo
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To he lp prevent the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking b rake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the wheel being cha nged with the fo ld
ing chocks or othe r objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the g ro und, plac
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Park) wi ll
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
What do I do now? 297
-Before you change a whee l, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
<=:>page 170 .
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 (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air S uspension)
¢ page 159 .
2. Remove the decorati ve wheel co ver* . For
more details see also <=:>
page 298, Deco
rative wheel covers
or <=:> page 298,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps .
3. Loosen the wheel bolt s¢ page 298 .
4. Loca te the p roper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 299.
5. Lift the car with the jack Q page 299 .
6. Remove the wheel with the flat ti re and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢ page 300.
7. Tig hte n all wheel bolts lightly.
8 .
Lowe r the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten all wheel bolts¢ page 298 .
10. Replace the decora tive whe el co ver* .
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (on ly
vehicles with Adaptive Air S uspension)
¢ page 159 .
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
informat ion<=:>
& in Raising the vehicle on
page 300
and <=:> page 301.
•
•
Loosening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
whee l bolt and push it down as far as it wi ll
go.
• Take tight hold of th e
end of the wrench
handle and turn the whee l bolts
counter
clockwise
abou t one single turn in the di rec·
tion of arrow
c::> fig. 262 .
Tightening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
& WARNING
-Do not use force or hurry when changi ng
a whee l· you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jac k and cause serious personal
injuries .
-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
(j) Tips
If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find it
easie r to loosen by carefully pushing down
on the end of the wheel bolt wrench with
one foot only. As you do so, hold on to the
car to keep yo ur balance and take care not
to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with th e jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
Fig. 263 Sill pane ls: m arkin gs
What do I do now? 299
Fig. 264 Sill: p ositioning the jack
• Activate the vehicle jack mode* (only
veh icles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
c::> page 159 .
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
• Move the
selector lever to position P .
• Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that is
nea rest the whee l that will be changed
c::>fig. 263. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the jack.
• Turn the
jack located under the lifting point
on the sill to raise the jack until its arm@
c::> fig. 264 is located under the designated
plastic mount
c::> .&. c::> Q) .
• Align the jack so that its arm@ c::> fig. 264
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door s ill and the movable base® lies
flat on the ground. The base@ must be
ver
tical
under the lifting point@.
• Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground
c::> .,& .
Position the jack only under the designated
lifting points on the sill
c::> fig. 263. There is
exactly
one locat ion for each whe el. The jack
must not be positioned at any other location
c::> .&. c::> Q).
An unstable surface under the jack ca n cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground . If nec
essary place a sturdy board or similar support
under the jack . On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
c::> ,&.. .,,.
300 What do I do now?
& WARNING
-You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not
follow these safety precautions:
- Position the jack only at the designated
lifting points and align the jack. Other
wise, the jack could slip and cause an injury if it does not have sufficient hold
on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable surface under the
jack may cause the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide a firm base for
the jack on the ground . If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping.
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the jack only at the designated lifting
points on the sill. Otherwise , your vehicle
will be damaged.
Taking the wheel off /installing the
inflatable spare tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel
Fig. 265 Changing a wheel: alignment pin inside the
top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.,. Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
and set it aside on a
clean surface.
.,. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole
¢ fig . 265.
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de
scribed above.
.,. Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole ¢(D.
Putting on the inflatable spare tire
.,. Inflate the inflatable spare tire ¢ page 296
and push the wheel over the alignment pin.
"Screw in and tighten all wheel bolts
slightly.
.,. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest .
.,. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re
leased .
" Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly ¢
page 298 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.