2014 AUDI Q7 tire pressure

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. ..,

-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.
•
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282 Tires and wheels
-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 vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 2 77,
fig. 249.
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 277, fig. 249.
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 50
(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
to determine how this re­ duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle. ..,

.,.Check the tire sidewall
(i=> page 284, fig. 253) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 251 Tire tread: tread wear indicators (TWI)
Fig. 252 Rotating tires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig. 251 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators . Worn tires must be replaced.
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> &. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
Tires and wheels 283
reason , tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 2 79.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all-wheel drive (q uattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 252.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 301.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­ anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
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.
Ill>

contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&. .
We recommend that all work on t ires and
wheels be performed by an authorized A udi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as we ll 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 r ims.
R eplacing t ires and wheel s
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 291.
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 277.
Aud i-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving character istics, and safety of the
veh icle. The table
(¢page 277) lists spec ifica­
tions of the t ires approved for the Audi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on the driver's
side B-pillar
¢ page 2 77, fig. 250 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 . 253 . 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 285
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:
P255 / 55 R 18 109 H XL
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
255 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
55 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra -
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (i n inches)
10 9 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"Re info rced" or an " Extra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the ti re has
some mud and snow capab ility
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotation ¢
page 273 .
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 examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2013.
Speed rating (letter cod e)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 289.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (1 58 km/h)
R up to 106 mph ( 170 km/h)
•
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286 Tires and wheels
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
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)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1
l
Your veh icle is normally factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum d riving
comfort . An electronic speed limiter
c::> page 28 will normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
¢ &. .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the tire'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 plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example, the numbers 2213 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd wee k of
2013. The other numbers are mar keting 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.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched with 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 composit ion and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
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 manufact urers somet imes use
the lett ers " ZR."
genera l, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
t ir e, which include steel, nylon, po lyester, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction , and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c::> page
287.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder normal driving conditions.
.&, 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 serious personal injury.
-Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- 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 emergen cy
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your 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 fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.

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 ..,.

month and always before a long trip
¢ page 2 79, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n order to minimize the occurrence o f impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
t ires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer . Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and unde rinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause tire failure. If you be lieve that a
tire may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wea r more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices .
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes .
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally installed on your veh icle are in ­
tended for max imum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather condit ions . If
Tires and wheels 2 91
you drive under those ci rcumstances, you
shou ld equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­ ommended snow or all-season t ires specified
for your vehicle, or their equivalent .
Refer to
¢ page 288 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires .
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, incl uding the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a d ifferent size than the
s iz e indicated o n the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat io n pressu re lab el, you sho uld determine
the p roper tire inflation pressure for those
tires).
As an added safe ty feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monito ring
system ( TPMS) that illuminates a low ti re
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated. According­
l y, when the low tire pressure te lltale illumi­
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure . Driving on a sign ificantly un ­
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure. Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel efficien cy and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's hand ling and
stopping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a subst itute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the leve l to tr igger illumination of the
T PMS low tire pressure tellta le .
Your vehicle has also been eq uipped with a
T PMS ma lfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The
ll-
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