248 Tire s and whee ls
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that all -important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, making
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safe ly han
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and overall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in
cluding tread separation and blowouts.
A vo idin g dama ge
I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi
ble at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem icals including grease, oil,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the tires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or bl isters, etc.). Remove any foreign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
St orin g tire s
Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
install them.
When removed, the wheels or tires should be
stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims. N
ew tir es
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type and make of t ire and the tread
pattern .
Hidden damag e
Damage to tires and r ims is often not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual vibrat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
t ir es must be checked immed iate ly by an au
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified wor kshop.
Unidirecti onal t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sidewall, that po int in the direc
t ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must
fol low the specified direction of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information ¢
page 2 77.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a collision and ser ious personal
injuries, drive w ith special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de
flation, c rashes and serious personal in
juries . Have worn or damaged tires re
p laced immediate ly.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see ~page 204.
_& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire 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 "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- 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 your 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 sudden tire failure
and toss of vehicle control. Tires and wheels 259
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in
.
Fig. 212 Tire specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
@ Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specialty matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
chains because the vehicle will be ex
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev
el, the snow chains might severe ly dam
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle .
@ Tips
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with All Wheel Drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mu st always be tigh tened to the
correc t torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory in sta lled r ims. If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used . This ensures that wheels are f itted
secure ly and that the brake system f unctions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a d iffe rent vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l
¢page 294.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig hte ned or maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose causin g loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
jury .
- Alw ays keep the w heel bolts and the
th reads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the w heel h ubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the co rrect tightening
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
Tire s an d wheel s 265
risk of a wheel loss. If the tighte ning tor
que of t he wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is mov ing . If the tighte ning torque is
too h igh, the wheel bol ts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be
come loose.
(I) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb ( 120 Nm) with a tole ranc e of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago
nally. Afte r cha nging a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque w rench -prefe rably by an au thor
i z ed Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is facto ry-eq uipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance , road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving cond i
tions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation . The numera l rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewall height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in perce ntage. Conven
tion al tires have a he igh t/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspe ct-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitiv e to improper infla tion
pres sure. It is therefore important that l ow
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure 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 254 , Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes , curbs, gul lies ..,.
•
•
288 Emergency situations
- When removing heavy components like
these, ancho r vehicle to ho ist o r add cor
responding weig hts to ma inta in the cen
ter of g ravity. Othe rwise, the vehicle
m ight tilt o r slip off t he hoist, causi ng
serious p erson al inju ry .
@ Note
- Be awa re of the following points befo re
li fting the vehicle:
- The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine
oil pan, the transmission housing , the
front or rear axle or the body side membe rs. This could lead to serious
damage.
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the veh icle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist .
-Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear
ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle.
29 4 Con sum er Inf ormation
-Always make sure the transmission se
lector lever (automatic transmiss ion) is
in "P" (Park position) and the park brake
is applied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the engine settings wi ll ad
versely affect em iss ion levels. This is det
rimental to the environment and increas
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula
tions when dispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo
rate Material -spec ial handling may ap
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous
waste/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the restraint system including
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authori zed Aud i dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of ac
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be compromised by non-ap proved changes to the veh icle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced , please observe
the following points when install ing addition
a l accessories: Approved Audi accessories and genuine Aud
i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal
ers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have the necessary facili
ties, tools and trained specialists to install the parts and acc essories proper ly .
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare parts or using non-
approved accessories can cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and gen uine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on yo ur ve
h icle .
- Never install accessor ies such as tele
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir
bag covers or within the airbag deploy
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accident!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNI NGS
9 page 231.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair work is not
performed accord ing to specified meth
ods, this c an resu lt in seve re damage to
your vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
corrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi
cle's warranty .
- T he innovat ive a luminium concept of
your Audi AB means that all servicing, re
pairs or other work on the vehicle body
must be carr ied out exclusive ly by an
Audi workshop .
- If emergency repairs must be performed
elsewhere, have the veh icle examined by
an authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ic h occurs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations .
298 Index
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Setup ..... ................ ..... .. 82
Automatic climate control system
synchron izing .......... .. .. .. .. .. .. 81
Automatic transmission . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 116
Automatic transmission (tiptronic) Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Kick -down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Manual shifting .......... .. .. .. .. . 119
Parking lock emergency release . .. .. . 121
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Automatic wipers .................. .. S3
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Average consumption ........... .. .. .. 25
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Avoid damaging the vehicle ...... .. .. . 209
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Charging . .. ................ ... .. . 245
I mportant warnings .......... .. .. . 243
L ocat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
low ... .. .. .. . .......... .. .. .. .. . 204
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
State of charge ............ ... .... . 204
Winter operation .......... ... .... . 243
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 243
Before driving ........... .. .. .. .. .. . 135
Blended gasoline . ...... ... .... .. .. . 222
Blower (automatic climate control) . ... .. 81
Booster seats .............. ... .. ... 185
Brake fluid Changing the brake fluid ... .. .. .. .. . 242
Check ing the brake fluid level ... .. .. . 242
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 242
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 242
Brake system Anti-lock braking system ... .. .. .. .. . . 19
Brake assist system ......... .. .. ... 199
Brake booster . .. ...... .... ... .. .. . 203
Brake fluid .............. .... ..... 242
Brake fluid spec ificat ions for refill and re
p la cement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Brake light defective ....... ... .... . . 22
Brake pads ............... ... .... . 207
Electromechanica l parking brake .. .. . . 86 Fluid
reservoir ... ................ . 242
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? .......................... 201
Warning/indicator lights ........ .... . 14
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
braking guard Messages ..... .. ............. .... 101
Braking guard . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 94
Settings .. .... ............... .... 101
Break-in period .. .. ... .......... .. .. 207
Brake pads .. .. .. .......... ... .. .. 207
Tires ...... ... .. .. ........ ... .. .. 207
Bul bs .. .... .... ................... 282
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 232
Battery specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24S
Capacities .. .. .. . .............. .. .. 290
Engine oil ..... .. ... .......... .. .. 234
Carbon parts Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218,219
Car carrier Transporting your vehicle ....... .... 287
Care ... .... .... ............... .... 216
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment . .. .. .. 141
Catalytic converter . ................. 208
Center armrest
Cockpit ........................... 61
Rear ............................. 68
Central locking .. .. ... ........... ... . 33
Emergency locking .. ........... .... . 37
Certification .. .. .. ............. .. .. 29S
Changing a wheel .. ............. .... 272
Chang ing engine oil ....... ...... .. .. 238
Checking Engine coolant level . ........... .. .. 240
Tire pressure .................... .. 254
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . ................... .... 15S
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? .. 196
Child restraint system anchors ..... ... 190
Engine compartment .... ... .. .. .. .. . 233
C losing the hood . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 232
Opening the hood ....... ... .. .. .. . 231
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .. .. . 231
Working in the engine compartment . . 231
E ng ine coolant ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 239
Adding coolant . ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 240
Chec king the eng ine coolant leve l .. .. . 240
Expansion tank ........... .... .. ... 240
Malfunct ion symbo l ....... .. .. .. .. .. 16
Radiator fan ................ .... .. 241
Temperature ga uge ....... .. .. .. .. .. 1 0
Engine oil ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 234
Adding .. .. ............. .... .. .. . 237
Addit ives . .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 237
Changing ................ ... ... .. 238
Checking oil level ............. ... .. 237
Checking the eng ine o il level .. .. . ... . 236
Consumpt ion ............ .... .. .. . 237
I ndications and cond it io ns requ iring ex-
tra checking ............. .. .. .. .. . 236
I ndica tor light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7
Oi l cons umption .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 236
O il grades .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 234
Pressure malfunction ...... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Recommended oil check intervals .. .. . 236
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Specification and viscos ity ... ... ... .. 234
Engine sound . ... .. .... ... .. .. .... . 110
E ng ine speed limitat io n ..... .. .. .. .. .. 2 1
Eng ine start-stop mode
refer to Sta rt-Stop-System ..... . ... .. 90
Entry assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
E nv iro nment
Brea k-in period ........... .. .. .. ... 20 7
Cata lytic conver ter ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 208
Diese l partic ulate fi lter . ... .. .. .. .. . 208
Disposing of yo ur vehicle batte ry . .... 246
Driving at h igh speeds ..... .. .. .. .. . 210
Driving to m inimi ze pollution and no ise 209
Fue l ..... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 225
Fuel economy ............. ... ... .. 209
L eaks under your veh icle .... ... ... .. 23 1
L ett ing the ve hicle stand and wa rm up . 210
P rope r disposal of dra ined brake flu id . 24 2
Inde x 301
Proper disposal of d rained eng ine cool -
ant . ... .. .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 240
Proper disposal of drained eng ine
o il . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237,238
Recycling used engine oil ............ 23 7
U nleaded fuel .. ... ................ 222
What should I do with an o ld battery? . 246
EPC
refer to Electron ic power control (EPC) . 20
ESC
refer to E le ct ron ic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 199
E vent Data Recorde r (ED R) ........ .. .. 199
Exhaust tail pipes Cleaning .. .. .. .. ............... .. 218
Expansion tank . ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. 240
Exterior lighting .... ................. 46
Exterior mirrors Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S5
Dimming .. .. .. .... ... ....... ...... 56
Heating ..... .. .... ... ....... ...... 55
Exterior temperat ure display ... ... .. .. . 24
F
Fastening
Booster seats ...... . .. .. ..... ... .. 185
Convertib le child sa fety seats . ... .. .. 184
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Fo ld ing table ...... .. ................ 69
Foot peda ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Fo r th e sake of the envi ronment
Gasoline fumes and the env ironme nt .. 2 25
Red ucing engine noise by early upshift -
ing .. ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 10
Ref uelling ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 225
Saving f uel by early upsh ifting ..... .. . 10
Fo ur zone a utoma tic cl im ate cont rol .. .. . 80
Front airbags Desc ription ...... .. ............... 157
How they work ... .. ... ....... .... . 162
Frontal coll is ions and the laws of physics 146
Fron t passenger seat a djustment . . . . . . . 64
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Adjust ing . .. .. .... .......... ..... 137
Child rest raints in the front seat .. .. .. 155
•
•