2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER width

Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a g iven inflation pressure. You
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is no t req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 191
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in wh ich the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see ¢ page 190, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflat ion pressures than
the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced
tires my be identified as "XL", "xl", "E XTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead. •
•

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 .,.
•

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)

Uniform tire quality grading
- T read wear
- T raction AA A BC
- Temperature ABC
Qua lity grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wa ll between tread shoulder
and maximum sect ion width
c::> page 199,
fig . 152.
Fo r exa mpl e: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenge r car tires must confo rm to Feder ­
a l Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread we ar
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a speci fied
government test course .
F or example, a t ire graded 150 wou ld wear
one and one half (1 1/2) t imes as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100 .
The rela tive pe rfo rmance of tires depends
upon the a ctua l conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart sign ifican tly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character ­
istics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades , from highest to lowest,
a re AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
c::> &. .
Temp erature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Tire s an d wheel s 203
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperat ure can lead
to sudden tire failure
c::> &, .
The grade C corresponds to a level of pe rform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
u nder the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test
whee l than the minimum required by law.
A WARNING
The t raction grade assigned to th is tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include accele rat ion,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak t raction
characterist ics.
A WARNING ~
The temperature g rade for this tire is es-
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, e ither
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possible tire failure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires .
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true w inter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires should
o nly be used in pairs and be installed on all
fou r wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
t ir es that a re t he same s ize and construction
type as the othe r ti res on you r vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped w it h all -wheel
drive*, th is w ill imp rove traction during w inter
driv ing , even with the standa rd tires . Howev­
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four whee ls o n your ve hicle w ith cor­
rect ly fitted winter tires o r all-season t i res,
when winter road conditions are expected .
ll-
•
•

206 Tires and wheels
and handling under a variety of driving condi­
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven­
tional tires have a height/width ratio o f 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pressure is regularly checked and maintained . Tire pres·
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
~ page 195, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio t ires can be damaged more
ea5i ly by impact with potho le5, curb5, gullie5
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated .
In order to minimize the occur rence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Chec k your tire pressure every
2.000 miles (3.000
km) and add air if neces ­
sary .
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
t h ro ugh or over such obstacles can damage
yo ur tir es. Impact with a curb may also
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tir es 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 underinflation, wh ich could eventu- ally cause
tire failure. If you believe that a
tire may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wear 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 h igh performance
t ir es or iginally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
fo rmance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
sho uld equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction unde r
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 203 for more de tailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
sho uld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufact urer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in ­
flat io n pressure label, you should dete rmine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t i r es.).
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of you r
t ir es is significantly under-inflated. According -
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale ..,.