2014 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK wheel torque

190 Intelligent technology
differential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and
selective whee l torque control. ESC is switch­
ed on all the t ime. In certa in situations when
you need less traction, you can switch off ASR
by pressing the button
[ill c> page 191,
fig. 180. Be sure to switch ASR on again when
you no longe r need less traction .
Anti-loc k br ak ing system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard brak ing. Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal ind icates that
the system is he lp ing you to b rake the vehicle.
B rake as sist sys tem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quick ly in emer ­
gency situations. You must p ress and hold the
b rake pedal until the situation is over. I n
vehicles w ith adaptive cru ise cont rol*, the
b rake assist system is more sens it ive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engi ne power when the d rive
wheels begin to spin and ad apts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes i t easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the d rive powe r to the other d rive
wheel o r whee ls if the vehi cle is equipped wi th
a ll-w hee l drive* . This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly swit ches
off to help keep the brake o n the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Dynamic steering*
On vehi cles w ith dy namic stee ring*, ESC helps
stabilize the steering i n critical s ituations.
Selective wheel torque control
T he sele ctive whee l torq ue con trol ope rates
when driving through c urves . The front whee l
on the inside of th e curve o r both wheels on
the inside of the curve are braked selectively
as needed. This minimizes sliding in the front
whee ls and allows for more precise driving
t hr ough curves. The appl icable system may
not act ivate when dr iv ing in wet or snowy con­
ditions .
,&. WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, dy namic steeri ng*
and the select ive wheel torq ue con trol
c a nnot ove rcome the laws of physics.
T his is especially important on slippery
or wet roads.
If the systems begin acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and wea ther conditions. The risk of los­
ing con trol of t he vehicle increases when
d riving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys­
tem, ASR, EDL, dynam ic steering* and
the selective wheel torque contro l can­
not prevent collisions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin eve n w ith
these assistan ce systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve ­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D iffe ren t tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
-
...

Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en .
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See also
t::;> page 189.
A center differential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear axle. It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving through
curves
t::;> page 190 . With the sport d ifferen­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
va riable and can be adjusted with drive select
¢page 96.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
hi gh engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iv ing charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and
ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions
t::;> .& .
Winter tires
When driving in the w inter, your ve hicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels. See also ¢ page 243, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive¢
page 244, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
t::;> page 239, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Intelligent technology 195
Off•Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough g round clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
¢page 199.
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­ fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions - risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of tim e, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in there being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectrica l ene r­
gy. Starting ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
ll>
•
•

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on whic h tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
I f you are going to use snow chains , then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch (10 ,5 mm), including the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and tr im discs
before putting snow cha ins on your vehicle
c:;, Q) _ For safety reasons cover caps must the n
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are ava il­
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for yo ur vehi ­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
ser ious personal inj ury.
- Snow chains are ava ilable in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in­
struct ions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer .
- When driving w ith snow chains never
dr ive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow cha ins.
- Always observe local regulat ions .
([) Note
-Remove snow cha ins before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging t ires and wear ing the snow
chains down unnecessar ily.
- Snow chains, wh ich come into d irect con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitab ly covered . Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sa ry. Follow the i nstructions from the
snow cha in manufacture r when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do no t mo unt or use snow chains because the vehicle will be ex
­
treme ly low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev ­
el, the snow cha ins might severely dam­
age the whee lhouse and other parts of
the vehicle .
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer­
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bol ts mus t alway s be tightened to the
correc t torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims . If different r ims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bol ts with the righ t
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used . T his ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the b rake system functions
co rrect ly.
In certa in circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different veh icle -even if it
is the same model
c:;, page 275 .
A WARNING
Imp rope rly t ightened or ma inta ined wheel
bo lts can become loose c ausing loss of
control, a col lision and serio us pe rsonal i n­
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bo lts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bo lts can turn easily and be prop­
erly tightened.
- Never g rease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in t he wheel hubs . They can
become loose while driv ing if greased or
oiled, even if t ightened to the specified
torque.
- On ly use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct t ightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce the

risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
c ome loose.
(D Note
The spec ified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of ± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque wheel bo lts d iago­
na lly . After chang ing a wheel, the torque
m ust be che cked as soon as possib le w it h a
t orque wrenc h -preferab ly by an a utho r­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipp ed with low aspect
ratio t ires. These t ires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
and handling unde r a va riety of driving condi­
tions. Ask your a uthorized Aud i dea le r fo r
mo re deta ils.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a nume ral of
55 or less in the tire's size
des ignation . T he numeral represents the rat io
of the ti re's sidewall height in relat io n t o its
tread wid th expressed in per cen tage . C o nven­
tional t ires have a height/width ra tio of 60 or
mo re.
Th e performan ce of low -aspe ct-ratio tir es is
parti cularl y se nsitive to improper inflation
pressure . It is therefore impor tant that low
a s pect ratio tire s are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pre ssure is
regularly checked and maintained. Ti re pres­
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
c::> page 234, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
eas ily by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
Tire s an d wheel s 245
or r idges on the road, partic ularly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
In orde r to minimize t he occ urren ce of impact
dam age to the tires o f your vehi cle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following p reca u­
tions:
- Always ma int ain re commended inflation
pressu res . Check your tire pressu re eve ry
2,000 miles ( 3,000 km) and add air if neces ­
sary.
- Dr ive ca re fu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies o r 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, immed iate ly inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
au thor ized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000
km) for damage and wear. Damage is no t al­
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air a nd under inflat ion, which could eventu­
ally cause tire failure .
If you believe that a
t ire may have been damaged, rep lace the
t ire as soon as possib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly tha n oth­
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
de live r respon sive handling, they may ride
less comfo rtably and m ake more noise tha n
other choi ces .
Reduced performance in winter /cold
season conditions
A ll ti res are designed for cer ta in p urposes.
T he low aspect ratio, ult ra h igh performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are i n­
tended for maxim um dry and wet road per­
f ormance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold , snowy or icy weather condi tions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
shou ld equ ip your vehicle w it h all -season or
winter tires, which offer bette r traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow o r all-season t ires specified
f o r yo ur vehicle , or t hei r equivalent . .,..
•
•

11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode* in the
MMI:
! CARI function button> (C ar)* sys ­
tem s
control button > Servicing & chec ks
> Air susp. : jack mo de> Off .
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automati­
cally at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h).
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
information
c:> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page 257
and c::> page 259.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
.. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c::> page 129.
.. As soon as possible, have the tighten ing
torqu es
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench . The correct tightening tor ­
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
.. Have the flat tire
re pl ace d as soon as poss i­
ble.
@ Tips
- If you notice that th e whee l bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn wh ile
changing a t ire, they should be replaced
before you check the tighten ing torque .
- Drive at reduced speed unt il you have the
tightening torq ues checked .
- After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
i n a ll four tires must be checked/cor rect­
ed and the tire pressure mon itoring indi­
cator must be stored in the MM I
c::>page248 .
What do I do now ? 255
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un­
screwed .
Fig. 208 C hanging a whee l: removi ng the wheel bo lt
caps
Removing
.. Push the pla stic clip (provided with the veh i­
cle too l kit) over the wheel bo lt cap until the
inner retainers on the clip align w ith the
edge of the cove r.
.,. Remove the cap with the
plas tic clip (ve hicle
too l kit)
c::> fig. 208 .
Refitting
.,. Place the caps over the whee l bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle.
Fig. 209 Changing a wheel: loosening t he wheel bolts ..

Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Using a replacement tire with a tre ad
patte rn intend ed for us e in a specific
directi on
When us ing a replacement t ire with a tread
pattern intended for use in a specific direc­
tion, please note the fo llowing :
- T he direction of rotation is marked by an ar­
row on the side of the tire .
-If the replacement tire has to be installed in
t h e incorrect d irection, use the rep lacement
t ire only temporarily since the t ire will not
be able to achieve i ts optimum performance
characteristics with regard to aquap laning,
noise and wear .
- We recommend that you pay particular at­
tention to this fact during wet weather and
that you adjust your speed to match road conditions .
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on you r veh icle as soon as
poss ible to restore the handling advantages
of a unid irect ional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
P lease read the information ¢ page 239, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
i f you are
go ing to use a replacement tire w hich is dif­
fe rent from the tires on your vehicle.
After you change a ti re :
- Chec k the tir e p ress ure on the rep lacement
t ire immed ia tel y aft er in stall ation.
- Ha ve the wheel bolt tight ening torque
checked w ith a to rqu e wrench as soon as
possible by your auth oriz ed Aud i dealer o r
a qu alifi ed s erv ice station .
- With steel and allo y wheel rims , the wheel
bol ts are correctl y tightened at a to rque of
9 0 ft lb (1 20 Nm ).
- If y ou no tice th at the whee l bolts are cor­
roded and d ifficult to tu rn whil e cha nging
What do I do now? 259
a tire , th ey s hould be repl aced before you
c heck the tightening torq ue.
- Repl ac e th e flat ti re with a new on e and
ha ve it in sta lled on you r veh icle as s oon a s
po ssible. Remount the whee l cove r.
Until then , dri ve with extr a care and at r e­
du ced sp ee ds.
A WARNING
-=
- If you are going to equip your vehicle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be sure to read the information ¢
page 239,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels .
-Always make sure the damaged wheel or
even a flat tire and the jack and tool kit
are properly secured in the luggage com­
partment and are not loose in the pas­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
co uld fly forwa rd , injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
- Always sto re damaged wheel, jack and
too ls securely in the luggage compa rt­
men t. Othe rwise , in an accident or s ud ­
den maneuver they co uld f ly forward ,
causing injury to passengers in the vehi ­
cle.
([) Note
Do not use commercially avai lab le tire
sea lants . O therwise, the e lectr ica l compo­
nents of the tire pressure monitoring sys ­
tem will no longer work properly and the
sensor for the tire pressure mon itor ing
system will have to be rep laced by quali­
fied workshop. •
•