and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
I nco rrect whee l alignment can cause exces
sive tire wea r, impair ing t he safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel d rive
Only the wheel/tire sizes specified by the
manufacturer may be used on vehicles wi th
all-wheel drive. For details see
<:!) page 149.
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
tro l, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any t ire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard , they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fl uid away from t ires.
- 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 emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- 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 s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 199
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels hove to be broken in .
Fig. 152 Tir e spec ificat io n codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. De scription
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nomina l width of t ire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ia l
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Aud i O rigina l tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire p ly composi tion and mater ials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ T readwear, tracti on and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essentia l parts of the
vehicle 's design . The t ires and rims app roved
by A udi are spec ially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can ma ke a major
contr ibu tion to good road holding and safe .,.
•
210 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h tru nk escape hand le
In case of an emergency, the front lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es
cape handle .
.,. To
open the front lid pu ll the handle.
The trunk escape handle inside the luggage
compartment is made of fluorescent material
to g low in the dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency.
Vehicle tool kit
The tools are stored underneath the floor
panel in the luggage comportment.
Fig. 153 Luggage compartment: ve hicle tool k it
.,. Swing the luggage compartment floor up-
wards .
.,. Remove the vehicle tool kit.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing hub cap
- Lug wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- T owing eye
- Jack* (not a vehicle component; contact your
authorized Aud i dealer if needed)
Some of the on board items listed above are provided on certain models only or are option
a l extras. Before
returning the jack* to its place, retract
t h e jack arm fully.
A WARNING
-
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can
not attain the necessary tightening tor
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir
cumstances should it be used to
lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in
juring yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Aud i on another vehicle, part icularly on a
heav ier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
Tire repair
General and safety pointers
Applies to veh icles: w it h Tire Mob ility System
Tire repair is intended only for temporary,
short-term use.
Fig . 154 Tire damage for wh ich the Tir e Mob ility Sys
te m is no t suited
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire repair kit,
the
Tire Mobility System (TMS). .,,.
216 What do I do now?
Removing the wheel
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriv
er handle
to comp letely turn out the top
most wheel bolt and set it aside on a
clean
sur face .
.. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
now vacant bolt hole
o fig. 162.
.. Then completely unscrew the other wheel
bolts as described above .
.. Take off the wheel leav ing the alignment pin
in the bolt hole
o(D .
Putting on the wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and carefully slide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place
o@.
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdr iver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly .
.. Unscrew the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining whee l bolt slig htly
like the rest.
.. Turn the jack handle counter-clockw ise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re
leased .
The wheel bolts must be clean and turn easily.
Check the contact surfaces of wheel and hub. Remove contaminants on these surfaces be
fore installing the wheel.
The hexagonal socket in the screwdriver han
dle makes it easier to handle the wheel bolts.
The reversible blade should be removed.
When mounting
unidirectional tires, observe
the direction of rotation
o page 214.
«I) Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor/ceramic
brake rotor* and damage the rotor. Work
carefully an have a second perso n he lp
you .
1l You need the appropriate adapte r to tigh ten the anti
theft whee l bo lts
c:> page 214.
(D Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bo lts.
Tightening wheel bolts
.. Fit the wheel bolt wrench over the wheel
bolt and push it down as far as it will go
ll.
.. Close your grip around the end of the
w rench handle for maximum torque and
turn each wheel bolt
clockwise until it sits
tight .
Have the
tightening torque of the wheel bolts
checked as soon as possible with a to rque
wrench. It should be 120 Nm .
Check the
tire pressure as soon as possible.
Return the veh icle tool k it to its proper place.
A WARNING ..,___
Loosening the wheel bolts is prohibited;
danger of an acc ident!
(D Tips
- Never try and use the hexagonal socket
in the handle of the screwdriver to loos
en or t ighten the wheel bo lts.
- If you have determined that wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to turn, the
bolts must be replaced before check ing
the torque .
- Until the t ightening torque is checked,
dr ive at reduced speeds as a precaution.
Notes on wheel change
-
Please read the information o page 199, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels,
if you are
go ing to use a spa re tire wh ich is different
from the tires on your vehicle.
After you change a tire: