2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER tire pressure

Tires and wheels 193
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity, Vehicle normal load, Normally loaded vehicle,
occupant distribution
number of occupants number of occupants
2 2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 149 Tir e pressure label: located on driver 's s ide B·
pillar
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 p ressure 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 PSI
- KPA..
a PSI
Fig. 150 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 will 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 pre ssures
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 2 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
¢ &.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system can only monitor the tire pressures
II>

194 Tire s and wheel s
that are stored . The system does not recog ­
nize the load cond ition of your vehicle.
See the il lustration ~
fig. 149 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 at
the time o f go ing to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire pressure label on driver's s
ide 8 -pillar always
takes precedence .
T he table below l ists t he recommended cold
t ire inflat ion pressu res for the Aud i mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi ­
cle's capacity weight and the tir e sizes i nstal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a facto ry option.
I Model / \I Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear I
Engine
normal load full load normal load full load
condition condition condition condition
PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI ]I kPA
PSI II kPA
RS: 235/35 R19 91 Y XL 45
310 45 310
4 .2 liter
295 /30 R19 lOOY X L 280
8-c ylin-
305/30 R1 9 102V
XL
der 41
280 41
280
RS: 235/35 R19 91 Y XL 45
5.2 liter 295 /30 R19 l00Y XL 41 280 41
280
10-cyl-
305 /30 R19 102V XL
inder 41 280 41 280
--XL= reinforc ed or extra load tire. It may also a ppear as xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side·
wall.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the t ire
size information on the ve hicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bough t the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
ve hicle as a previously owned vehicle .
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in ­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load lim its are technically refer­
r ed to as the vehicle 's Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le 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
G ross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety compl
iance sticker label located on the
driver's side 8-pillar. The tire p ressure labe l on
yo ur Audi lists the max im um combined
weight of all o f the occ upants and luggage or
othe r ca rgo that the vehicle can carry. Fo r the
location of the tire pressure label
~ fig . 149.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was designed to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly a nd i n­
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
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload ­
ed can fail suddenly ca using loss of con­
trol and a crash.

A 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 fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
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 t ire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
¢ page 193, Cold tire inflation pressure . This
means that the pressure must be checked and
ad justed when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal fr iction 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 t ire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
¢ page 193. The
tires would then be under inflated and could
fa il suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures for
the new, or iginal equipment tires that were
on you r vehicle at the t ime it was manufac­
tured. For the location of the label
¢page 193, fig. 149.
Most tires lose a ir naturally over time. They
can also lose some a ir if you dr ive over a pot­
h ole o r hi t a curb while pa rking. It is usua lly
not possib le to see whether the radia l tires
Tire s an d wheel s 195
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them .
T he refore, be su re to check t ire p ress ures at
least once a month and a lways befo re going
on a long trip . Make s ure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that yo u wou ld not consider to be
"long". See
¢ page 196, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres­
sures. Check all of the tires. If the pressure in
any tire is too high when the tire is "cold", let
a ir out of the tire slowly with the edge of the
tire gauge and keep checking the pressure un­
ti l you reach the pressure that is co rrect fo r
the load (passenge rs and luggage) and kind of
driv ing you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the p ressure in the cold
t ir e and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this man ua l and the kind
of driving you plan to do .
Never e xceed the m ax imum infl ation pre s­
sure listed on the tire side wall f or an y re a­
s on .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufact urer, determines the cor rect
tire p ress ure for the tires on your ve hicle .
I t i s important to check the t ire press ure when
the tires are co ld .
- Read the required tire pressure from the t ire
p ressure labe l located on drive r's side B-pil­
lar.
- Tu rn the va lve stem cap counter-clockw ise
to remove it from the t ire va lve.
- Place the a ir p ressure gauge on the va lve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked and ad justed when the tires are cold . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
no t be reduced. .,. •
•

196 Tire s and wheel s
-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 pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey.
When should I adjust th e tir e pre ss ures ?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition , you must then init i­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire p res ­
sure mon itoring system ¢
page 206.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
contro l, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbo l
(11 appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the cor rect
t ire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressu re values are locat­
ed on a stic ker on the d rive r's side 8 -pil ­
lar .
- Only when all t ires on the vehicle a re fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire p res­
sure monitoring system can work cor­
rect ly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
T herefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure va lues
for the tires and the correct press ures for the function of the ti re p
ress ure monitor­
ing system.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
ai r as req uired .
@ Note
Driving w ithout valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this ,
always make sure that factory insta lled
valve stem caps o n all whee ls are se curely
moun ted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires w ill also increase the
fuel consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
T he re a re limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more d ifficu lt to stop . Overloading
can not only lead to lo ss of vehicle control,
but can also damage impor tant parts of the
vehicle and ca n lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
clud ing a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to cras h.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits a re
not exceeded . Vehicle load i ncludes eve rybody
and everything in and on the veh icle . These .,..

load limits are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve­
hicle.
T he
Gross Axle Weight Rating (" 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 . Your Audi has 2 seating
positions. Each seating position has a safety
belt ¢
page 103, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle 's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle is limited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also 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 label
¢page 193, fig. 149 .
A 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 the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
Tires and wheels 197
- 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 .
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 193,
fig. 149.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo-
grams or
"XXX" pounds .,.
•
•

198 Tires and wheels
shown on the sti cker
¢ page 193, fig. 149 .
4. The re sulting figure equals
th e available amount of car­
go and luggage load capa ci­
ty . For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lb s.
and there will be five
150
lbs . passengers in your vehi ­
cle , the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca ­
pacity is
650 lb s. (1400-7 SO
(5
x 150) = 650 lb s.)
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
(¢ page 199, fig . 152) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire .
Tire service life
The service life of t ires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, c orrect tire p ressur e and dr iv ­
ing style .
Fig. 151 Tire tread: tread wear indicators (TWI)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
T he or iginal tires on your vehicl e ha ve
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wea r indic a-
tors"<=:>
fi g. 15 1 run ning ac ross the tread . De­
pend ing on the make, the re wi ll be six to eight
of them evenly p laced arou nd the ti re. Mar ks
o n the tire s idewall (for example "TWI" or
othe r symbols) ind icate the positions of the
t read wea r indicators. Worn tires mus t be re­
placed. Diffe ren t fig ures may apply in oth er
co unt ries
c::> .& -
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudd en tire blow-o ut. For this
re as on, tir e pre ssu re m ust be ch ecked at least
o nc e a month
c::>page 195.
Driving style
Driving fast ar ound c urves , heavy accel erat io n
and hard braki ng increase tire wear.
Wheel balancing
T he w heels on new ve hicles are balance d .
H oweve r, va rious s ituati ons dur ing everyday
driv ing can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulti ng i n vib rat ions y ou can usually
f eel th rough th e steer ing whee l.
Un balanced w hee ls m ust be rebalance d to
avo id excessive wear on steering , su sp ension ..,.

200 Tires and wheels
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&. .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized A udi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
tools and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires .
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about technica l requirements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢ page 201.
A lways buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
fo r your vehicle 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 193.
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 characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table (q page 193) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on driver's side
B-pillar (¢ page 193, fig. 150) lists the speci­
f ications of the orig inal equipment tires in­
stalled on your veh icle at the time it was man­
ufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires q fig. 152. This information
identifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire ident ificat ion number
fo r safety standard certificat ion and in case of
a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P235 / 35 R 19 91 Y
This conta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
235 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idt h ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF") indicates
t h at the t ire is a"Reinforced" or an "Extra
Load " tire
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that the ti re has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat ion q page 189.
Tire manufacturing date
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 code)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
q
.&. in Winter tires on page 204 .
p up to 93 mph (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)
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)1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your veh icle is norma lly factory equipped with
t ires, which posses s excellen t driving charac­
ter istics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort
~ Ii':,. .
U.S . DOT T ire Identific ation Numbe r (TIN)
a nd tire manufacture d ate
T his 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 lette rs indicate the p lant whe re it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
F or example, the numbers 2213 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2013. The other numbers are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used by the t ire
manufac turer. This information is used to con­
tact consume rs if a tire defect requires a re ­
call.
Audi Origin al tire
T ires 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 will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies ind icates the number of
layers of rubber -coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the numbe r of p lies, the
mo re weight a tire can support. Tire manufa c­
turers a lso must i ndicate the materials in the
tire, wh ic h include steel, nylon, polyes ter, and
others.
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e le tters " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 201
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
k ilograms and pounds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion, and temp erature resistance
Tread wear, t raction and tempe ra tu re grades
¢page 203 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
Replacing tires or rims on vehicles
equipped with tire pressure monitoring
s ystem
The wheels on yo ur vehicle are equipped with
a sensor which constantly monitors the air
pressure inside the tire, and then transm its
th is information to the tire pressure monitor­
ing system. If you are going to repl ace the
whee l rims on your veh icle, make s ure the new
rims also have these sensors . The sensors
mus t be compatib le wit h the t ire pressure
monitori ng system on you r vehicle.
If you install rims, w hich do not have the sen ­
sors, or have senso rs which are not compat i­
ble, then the t ire p ressure monitoring system
will not wor k prope rly. In t his case, t he tire
pressure monitoring system wou ld not be
able to moni tor the tire pressure or warn you
if it is necessary .
- The battery inside of the tire pressure sen ­
sor has a limited serv ice life.
- Always dr ive with the va lve stem caps se­
curely mounted . We recommend using fac­
t o ry installed valve stem caps. Ask yo ur au­
thorized A udi dealer to rep lace lost valve
stem caps .
T he installat ion of repl acemen t tires with
stee l co rd body p lies in the ti re sidewall may .,..
•
•