274 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. .,.
-If the ti re is not flat and y ou do not have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secu re ly
mounted on the va lve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight t hat any veh icle and any t ire ca n car ry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
vehicle 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 yo ur passenge rs a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These
load limits a re tech nica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
ve hicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of f uel, oil, coo lant and othe r fluids plus
max imum load. The maximum load includes
the number o f passenger s that the ve hicl e is
intended to carry ("se ating capacity") w it h an
assumed weig ht o f 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any luggage in the ve
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
Tire s an d wheel s 281
loaded tra ile r must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Ax le Weight Rating (" GAWR") is
the max imum load th at can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are l iste d on the
s af ety comp liance s tic ke r la bel lo cated on the
driver's side 8 -pillar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear fo r
total seating capacity of 5. On vehicles with
s ix seats*, your vehicle has two front seats,
two seats in the second row seat ing and two
seats in the th ird row seati ng. On veh icles
with seven seats*, your vehicle has two front
seats, t hree seats in the second row s eating
and two seats in t he third row seating. Ea ch
seat ing pos itio n has a se at belt
~page 174,
Safety be lts .
The fact that ther e is a n upper limit to you r
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weigh t Rati ng means
that the to tal weig ht of whatever is bei ng car
ried in the vehicle ( in cl ud ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the l oa ded trai le r) is limite d. The more passen
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less we ight can be carried as lug
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e ve hicle can carry. Fo r the locat ion of the
label
~page 277, fig . 249.
A WARNING
Overloading a veh icl e can cause loss of ve
h icl e cont ro l, a crash or o ther accide nt, se
rio us pe rson al inj ury, a nd eve n death .
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry w ill prevent the
veh icle from h andling proper ly and in
crease the risk of the loss o f vehicle con
trol.
•
•
29 0 T ire 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 .
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains because the vehicle will be ex
tremely low. If you do dr ive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev
el, the snow chains might severely 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-whee l dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures t hat wheels a re fitted
secure ly and that the brake system f unctions
correctly .
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
<=?page 318.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened o r maintained wheel
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque. -
On ly use wheel bolts that be long to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce the
risk of a whee l loss. If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is mov ing. If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bolts is 120 ft lb ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7,4 ft lb( ± 10 Nm) . T orque wheel bolts
diagonally. After changi ng a wheel, the
torque m ust be che cked as soon as possi
ble with a to rque wrenc h - preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea le r or q ualified work
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving condi
tions . As k your au thor ized A udi dealer for
more de tails .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umeral rep resen ts the ratio
of the tire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven
t iona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performan ce of l ow-a spect-r atio tire s is
particularl y sen sitive to imp roper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefo re important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and th at the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres -
s u res should be checked at least onc e a ..,.
312 Emergency situations
fall from a lift if there is a change in ve
hicle weight distribution and balance.
This might happen, for example, when
heavy components such as the engine
block or transmission are removed .
- When removing heavy components like
these, anchor vehicle to hoist or add cor
responding weights to maintain the cen
ter of gravity. Otherwise, the vehicle
might tilt or slip off the hoist, causing
serious personal injury.
(D Note
- Be aware of the following points before
lifting the vehicle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine
oil pan, the transmission housing, the
front or rear axle or the body side
members. This could lead to serious
damage.
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear
ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle.
318 Con sum er Inf ormation
-Always make sure the transmission se
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in P (Park position) and the park brake is
firmly applied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll ad
versely affect em iss ion levels. This is det
rimental to the environment and increas
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula
tions when dispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo
rate Material -spec ial handling may ap
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous
was te/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the res traint system including
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authori zed Aud i dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of a c
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap
proved changes to the ve hicle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced , please obse rve
the following points when install ing addition
a l accessories: Approved Audi accessories and genuine Aud
i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal
ers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have the necessary facili
ties, tools and tra ined specialists to install the
parts and acc essories proper ly .
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and gen uine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on yo ur ve
h icle .
- Never install accessor ies such as tele
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir
bag covers or within the airbag deploy
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNI NGS
9 page 257.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth
ods, this c an resu lt in seve re damage to
your vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ich occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.
Doors
Power child saf ety lock . ... .. .. .. .. ..
48
Dr iver information system ... .. .. .. .. .. 2 1
Di gita l speedomete r ...... .. .. .. .. .. 22
D river info rmation messages . . . . . . . . . 30
Open door or rear lid warning . . . . . . . . . 22
Outside temperature display . ... .. .. .. 22
Sound system display .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 2 1
D river seat
refer to Seat ing pos it ion ... .. .. .. .. . 165
Driver's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Driver's seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Activating remote control key . .. .. .. ..
75
Recall ing a seat posit ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Sto ring a seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
D riving messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Driving mode
refer to Adaptive Air Suspe nsion . 155, 1 57
Driving offroad
Driving through water ......... ... .. 238
Driving tips .... ........... ... ... ..
237
Rule s of behav io r ............ .. .... 23 7
S and and m ud ........... .... .. .. . 238
Snow-covered groun d ..... .. .. .. .. .
238
Unpaved roads ........... .... .. ... 238
Dr iving safe ly .......... ...... .... ..
164
Driving through water ... ... .. .. .. .. . 238
D riving t ime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
Duplicate key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
D ust filter
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
92
E
E asy en try featu re .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 104
Efficiency program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Fue l economy messages . ...... ... ... 27
M emory levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Othe r equipmen t ......... .. .. .. .. .. 2 7
Electric seat adjustment
refer to Power seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Electro nic differential lock (EDL) . ... .. . 224
Warn ing/ indicator lights . . . . . . . . . 16, 18
Ele ctr onic immobili ze r ...... .. .. .. .. .. 40
Electronic power co ntrol
( E PC) wa rn ing/indicator light ... ... ...
15
Electronic speed limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Inde x 325
Electronic Stabilization Cont ro l (E SC) ... 224
Hill descent contro l ..... .... ... .. .. 225 •
Offroad mode .. .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 225 •
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 16
Emerge ncy flashe r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Wa rning/ind icator lights ..... ... .. .. . 16
Emergency locking of doors ............ 45
Emergency operation
Rear lid . .. .. .. .. .. ............... .
48
Emergency starting . .. .. ..... ... .. .. 3 0 7
Emerge ncy towing ... . .. .. .. ... ... .. 309
Energy management ... .. .... ... .. .. 229
Battery power . .. .... ........... .. 230
Driver notification ................. 230
Engine
Compartment .... .. . .. .. ..... ... ..
259
Coolant ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 264
Data ..... .. .. .. ... ............ .. 315
Hood ..... .. .. .. ................. 257
Start ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 106
Starting with jumpe r cables ........ . 307
Stopping ........ .. ............... 106
Engine compartment
Safety instr uctions .. ........... .... 257
Work ing the eng ine compartment .. ..
257
Engine coolant system . .. ..... ... .. .. 264
Adding coo lant ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 266
Checking coolant level .............. 265
Checking the engine coolant level ... .. 265
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Radiator fan ..... .. ............... 267
Engine coolant temperature
Temperat ure gauge ............ .... .
10
Engine hood
Closing ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... ..
2 57
How to re lease the hood ..... ... .. .. 257
Engine o il ..... ... .. ............... 259
Adding ... .. .. .. ............... .. 263
Addi tives .... .. ...... ........... ..
2 63
Changi ng ... .. .... .. ... ..... ... .. 263
Checking the engine oil leve l .. ... .. ..
262
Consumption . ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 261
Ind ications and conditions requir ing ex-
tra checking . .. .. ............... ..
262
Oil grades . .. .. .. ................. 259
Recommended oil check intervals . .. .. 262
Spec ificat io n and viscosity .......... . 259