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.
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 > ..,..
282 Index
Child restraints
Dang er of using child restraints in th e
front seat . .... .... ......... ..... . 147
Where can I get addit ional information
about child restra ints and their use? . . 185
Child restraint system anchors ..... .. . 181
Ch ild safety .. ................ ... ... 167
Conve rtible locking retracto r .. .. .....
177
Important safety instructions fo r using
ch ild safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 0
I mportant things to know when driving
with chi ldren ........... ... .. .... .
167
Installing a child restraint using the
LATCH system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Lower anchorages .......... .. .... . 182
Mounting and releasing the anchorage
hook .. .... .......... ...... ... .. . 182
Tether anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Tether straps .......... .. .. .. .. .. . 183
Child safety locks Power windows . ..... .... .. .. .. .. .. 43
Rear doors . .............. ... .. .. .. 42
Child safety seats .................. .
173
Booster seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
Convertible child seats .... .. .. .... .
17 4
Convertible locking retracto r .. .. .....
177
Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat .. .......... ...... ... .. . 147
H ow do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ...... .. .. .. .. .. .
170
Infant seats ............. .. .. .. .. . 173
I nstalling . .. .... ........ .. .. .... .
177
LATCH system .. .. ...... .. .. .. .... . 182
Safety instructions ................ . 170
Unused safety belts on the rear seat . .
172
C ig are tte lighte r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Cleaning .. .. ................ ... .. .
204
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
C limate control system
Automatic recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
79
Supp lementary heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
synchronizing .. ........ .. .. .. .... .. 79
C lock ....... .......... ...... ... .. .. 12
C losing
Power windows .......... .. .. .... .. 43
Sliding/tilting sunroof ...... ..... .. .. 44
Sunshade .. ................ ... ... . 44 Closing/opening
at the lock cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
by remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
with the centra l locking switch ... .... . 36
wi th the conven ience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Cold tire inflation pressure ........ .. .. 234
Coming home ..... ................ .. 48
Compact spare ti re .............. .... 252
also refer to Spare tire .......... .. .. 252
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Compass in the mirror ..... ... ..... .. . 56
Compliance ..... .. .. ... ........ .. .. 278
Consumer Information . . . . . . . . . . 136, 275
Contac ting NHTSA . ... .......... .. .. 136
Controls Cleaning . ..... .. .. ... ........ .. .. 206
Convenience key Indi cator lights .. ... .......... .. .. . 84
Starting engine (S TART ENGINE STOP
button) ... .... .. ... .. ........ .. .. . 83
Stopping the engine (START ENGINE
STOP button) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Switching on ignition ........... .... . 83
unlocking/locking ............. .... . 36
Convenience opening/closing ..... .. .. . 43
Convertib le child safety seats ......... 17 4
Convertib le locking retractor
Activating ... .. .. ............. .. ..
179
Deact ivat ing ... .. ... .... ....... ... 180
Using to secure a child safety seat
1.77, 179
Coolant system .... .. ........... .. .. 221
Cooling mode (automatic climate control) 77
Cooling System Expansion tank . .. .......... ...... . 221
Cornering light .... .. ........... .. .. . 47
Cruise control Changing speed .. ............. .. .. . 89
Presetting your speed .......... .... .
90
Switching off .... ... .......... .. .. . 90
Switching on ... .. ... .......... .. .. . 89
Cruising range ... .. ............. .... . 25
(upholder .. .... .. ............. .... . 65
D
Data recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Date display .... .. ............. .... . 12