2014 AUDI S4 ESP

236 Tires and wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 3 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
S4 Sedan : 245/40 Rl8 93H
36 250 32 220 41
280 41
280 3.0 liter All Sea son
6-cylinder 245/40 Rl8 93V
High Performance
39 270 3 5 24 0 41 28 0 41 280
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
39 270
33 230 41
280 41 280 High Perfo rmance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may al so appear a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
l o cated on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical cha nges may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compa re the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l o n you r ve hicl e w it h the
tires on your vehicle. M ake s ure that the t ire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the t ire s on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be ­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you boug ht the
ve hicle as a p reviously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing s ure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle . These load lim its are technically refer­
red to as th e vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rati ng ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
i ng ("GA WR") is the ma ximum load tha t can
be applied at each o f the veh icle's two axles.
T he G ross Vehicle We ig ht Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance st ic k er labe l located on the
driver's side B-p illar. The tire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
o ther cargo tha t the vehicl e can carry. For the
l ocat io n of the ti re pressu re labe l~
fig . 189 .
A WARNING
Overloadin g a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hi cle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
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
ve hicle w ith in a safe distanc e.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s uddenly ca us ing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g transported -including t he weight of
a trailer hitch and t he tongue we igh t of a
loaded tr ail er -does not ma ke t he ve hi­
cle he avier th an the vehicle' s Gro ss V ehi­
cle Weigh t Ra tin g.
.8_ WARNING
- In co rrec t tire pressure s and /or u nderin­
fl ation can lead to a serio us or fatal acci ­
dent .
- I nco rrec t tire pressures an d/or un derin­
fla tion ca use increased ti re wear an d can
affect the handling of the vehicle. .,.

238 Tire s and whee ls
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I ch eck 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. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adj ust the tire p re 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 initi­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*~
page 249.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
RI] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
t ion can cause increased t ire 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 correct
t ire pressures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressure va lues are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil ­
lar.
- Only when a ll ti res on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work cor­
rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified t
ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the ti re pressure monitor­ing 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 cont rol.
- 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 wh eel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
air as required.
Q) Note
D riving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure tha t factory insta lled
valve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
U nderinflated tires w ill also incre ase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is over loaded will not handle
well and is more d iff icult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
clud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation tha t
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are .,..

symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other co untries
c:> .&. .
Tir e pres sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
<=:> page 237.
Driving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for mo re even wear
For all four t ires on your vehicle to have the
same se rvice life, we recommend that the
fro nt and rea r tires are rotated according to
the t ire manufacture r's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow ­
ing:
- T ire rotat ion inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Maintenance and Wa rranty Booklet .
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
fo llow the t ire manufacturer's suggested
t ire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all whee l drive (quattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
<=:> fig. 192.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c:> page 259 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H oweve r, va rio us situations d uring eve ryday
driving can cause them to be come unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can us ually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing , suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Tire s an d wheel s 241
Incorrect wh eel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
<=:> page 192.
_8 WARNING
Sudden tire fa ilure can lead to loss o f con­
trol, a crash and serio us personal in jury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn ti res are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of thei r "previo us histo­
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control. •
•

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Tire pl y compo sit ion and materi als used
The numbe r of plies ind icates the n umber of
l ayers of rubber -coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ic h include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others.
M ax imum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadw ear ,
tr act ion, a nd t emper ature re sis tan ce
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c:> page245.
Max imum Permiss ibl e Inflation Pressur e
This numbe r is the greates t amo unt of air
p ress ure that sho uld ever be put in the ti re
under normal driving conditions .
A WARNING
-Us ing incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
co llision and serious persona l injury .
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed t ires or other combina­
t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tir es that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not su re 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 failure and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir- cumference) and the same tread pattern
.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires - only use
the spare t ire fo r a short pe riod of time
and d rive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i­
b le.
- Never d rive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on you r vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fai l
suddenly .
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of cont ro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or un­
de rinf lated .
- For technica l reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other
veh icles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same veh icle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the a ir flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopp ing distances and caus­
ing a co llision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on veh icles that were equipped with them
at the factory. The veh icle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
f a ctory -inst alled tire pressure monitor­
ing sys tem * that indicates a loss of tire
pressu re . I ncorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equ ipped w ith run flat t ires. If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all fo ur wheels . Mix ing tire types is not
pe rm itted.

(D Note
-For technica l reasons, it is not genera lly
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare ti re is different from the tires that you have mounted on your ve­hicle (for example w inter t ires or wide
profile t ires), then use the spare t ire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra ca re. Replace the flat tire with the
tire match ing the others on you r vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never dr ive without the valve stem cap.
The valves could ge t damaged.
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the
local requ irements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- T read wear
- T raction AA A BC
- T emperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum sect ion w idth
¢ page 242,
fig . 193.
For e xample: Tread wear 200 , Tract ion AA ,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must confo rm to Feder­
a l Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tr ead wea r
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
F or examp le, a tire graded 150 wou ld wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100 .
The rela tive performance of t ires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how -
Tires an d wheel s 245
ever, and may depa rt s ignificantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits , serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and cl imate.
Traction
T he traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those g rades represent the
ti re's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under contro lled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
¢ A .
Temper ature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­ pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specif ied indoor laboratory test
whee l.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the
mater ial of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
¢ A .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand ­
ard No . 109 . Grades Band A represent higher
levels of perfo rmance on the labo rato ry test
whee l than the minim um requ ired by law.
,&. WARNING
The t ra ction gr ade assigned to t his tire i s
based on s traight -ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acce leration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak t raction
characterist ics .
,&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a tire that is properly inf lated
and not overloaded. Excess ive speed, un­
de rinflation, or excess ive l oad ing, e ither
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
h eat bui ldup and possib le tire failure.
-
•
•

248 Tires and wheels
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi­
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been selected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road feel
and handling under a variety of driving condi­
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer 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 of 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 23 7, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
In order to minimize the occurrence of 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
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your tires 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, which 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 high performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should 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 tires specified
for your vehicle , or their equivalent.
Refer to
~ page 246 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.

Tire pressure monitoring system
UJ General notes
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
Each t ire, i ncluding the spare (if provi ded),
should be chec ked month ly w hen cold and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacture r o n the vehicle
placar d or tire infla tion pressure label. (If your
veh icle has t ires of a diff erent siz e than the
size ind icat ed on the vehicle p lacard or tir e in ­
flation pressure label, you should deter mine
the proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitor ing
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pr essu re tellta le when one or mo re of your
tires is significantly under -inflated . Accord ing ­
l y, when the low tire p ress ure telltale illumi­
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driv ing on a signif icantly un­
der-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire failure. Under -inflation al ­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire t read life,
and may affect the ve hicle's handling and
stopping ab ility.
Please note that the TPMS is not a subst itute
for p roper t ire mainte nance , and it is the dr iv­
e r's responsib ility to ma inta in cor re ct t ire
p ress ure, even if under- infla tion has no t
reached the leve l to trigger ill umin ation of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also bee n equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunc tion indica to r to indica te when
the system is not opera ting properly. The
TPMS mal function indicato r is combined wi th
the low tire press ure tellta le . When the sys­
tem detects a malf unct ion, the te lltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain cont inuo usly illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lf u nction ex ists .
Tire s an d wheel s 249
When the malfunction indicator is illum inat ­
ed , the system may not be ab le to detect or
s ignal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a var iety of rea­
sons, including the insta llation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi ­
cle that p revent the TPMS from functioning
proper ly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
te lltale after rep laci ng one or more tires o r
whee ls on you r vehicle to e nsur e th at the re­
placement or alterna te t ires and wheels a llow
the TPMS to continue to func tion p roperly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indica tor in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
Low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fi g. 194 D isp lay: un de rin flat io n warni ng
U sing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure mo ni­
toring system compares the tire tread c ircum­
ference and vib rat ion character istics of the in­
dividua l tir es . If the pressure decreases i n one
o r more t ires, this is indicated in the inst ru­
ment cluster with a
RI] war ning symbol and a
message ¢
fig. 194. T he d river message in the
display goes o ut afte r 5 seconds . The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
ISE TI button. If only one t ire is affected,
the d isplay w ill indicate its position.
T he tire pressure monitoring system m ust be
reset via radio or M MI* each time the pres ­
sures are ad justed (e.g. when switc hing be­
tween part ial and f ull load pressure) o r after
changing or rep lacing a tire on your ve hicle
¢
page 250. T he TPMS indicato r o nl y mo ni-
tors the t ire p ress ure t hat yo u have p revio usly ..,.
•
•

250 Tire s and wheel s
stored. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on driv­
er 's side 8-p illar ¢
page 234.
Tire tread c ircumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and ca use a tire pressure
warning if :
- the tire pressure in one or more t ires is too
low,
- the tire has st ructu ral damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed o r replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢page 250.
Warning s ymbols
rD] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢& .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
n ecessary. The
rD] indicato r light in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢ page 13.
Check/correc t the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via radio or
MMI* .
Ill (T ire Pressu re M onitor ing System) Tire
pr essur e: Syst e m malfuncti on!.
Iflll appears after switching the ignit ion on
or while driving and the
rD] i ndicator light in
the instrument cluster blinks for approxi­ mately one mi nute and the n stays on, the re is
a system ma lfunction.
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢ page 250. If the ind icator light does not
turn
off or if it tu rns o n short ly thereafter, im­
mediately drive your veh icle to an autho riz ed
Aud i dea ler or autho rized repair facility to
have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cl uster d isplay, one or
more of your tires is s ignificantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braki ng
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In­
flate the tire pres sure to the proper p res­
s u re as in dic ated on the vehicle 's t ire
pressure label¢
page 234 . Driving on a
significantly under-inf lated tire ca uses the tire to overheat and can
lead to tire
fa ilure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regu larly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­ paved roads), the pressure monitor indi ­
cato r may be delayed .
-Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler if run­
flat t ires may be used on you r vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these t ires when not perm it­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could a lso result.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure mon itoring system
stops work ing whe n there is an ESC/ABS
m alfu nction.
- Us ing snow chains may result in a system
ma lf u nction.
- The tire pressure mon itoring system on
your Audi was deve loped using tires with
t he "AO" or "R O" ident ifi cat ion on the
tire sidewa ll¢
page 242 . We recom ­
mend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h tire p ressu re mo nito rin g system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro ­
tated or changed, the TPM5 must be reset via
radio or MMI*.
" Before resetting t he TPM S, the c urrent pres­
sures of a ll four tires must correspond to
the specified values . Ad just the tire p ressu re
and reset the pressure in the tire pressure
mon itoring system according to the load
you are carrying
¢ page 234.
"Turn on the ign ition.
" Select: the
I CAR I funct io n button > Tire pr es­
sure monitoring
> Store now . Or
" Select: the
I CAR I funct ion button > Car sy s­
tem s*
cont ro l button > Servi cing & che ck s > ..,..