2014 AUDI S8 tire pressure

258 Tires and wheels
ve hi cle. C onsult thi s m anual
t o deter mine how this re­
d uce s the availabl e cargo
a nd lug gage lo ad ca pacity of
yo ur vehicle .
.,.Che ck the tire sidewall
(¢ page 259 , fig . 212 ) to de­
termine the de signa ted lo ad
rating for a specific tire .
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
a nd balan cing, correct tire pressure and driv ­
ing style.
Fig . 210 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icato rs (TWI)
( r------
{ \.._ ______ _.
F ig. 211 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c:::> fig . 210 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire . Marks on
the tire s idewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) ind
icate the positions o f the tread
wear indicato rs . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may app ly in other countr ies
¢ Ll:). .
Tire pressur e
Incorrect t ire pressure ca uses prema ture wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c:::> page 254.
Driving style
Dr iving fast around c urve s, he avy a ccele rat ion
and hard braking inc rease tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all four tires on your veh icle to have th e
same service life, we recomme nd that the
fron t and rear tires a re rotated ac co rd ing to
the tire m an ufa ctu rer's suggested tire ro ta­
tion intervals . Please remembe r th e fo llow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation in tervals may diffe r from the
ve hicle service inte rva ls o utlin ed in your
Warranty
& M aintena nce booklet.
- The longe r one tire is used in one lo cation
on t he veh icle, the more it wears at cer tain
points; there fore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Vehicles w ith front-whee l dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front w heels com­
pa red to a ll-wheel drive (q uattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c:::>fig . 211.
- Extra care mus t be taken when ro ta ting di-
rection-specific tires¢
page 2 77.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced.
However, va rious s ituatio ns dur ing everyday
driv ing c an cause them to become unbal ­
anced, res ulting in vib rations you can usually
feel thro ugh the steering whee l.
Un balanced w hee ls mu st be rebalanced to
avo id excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires . A whee l m ust also be reba lance d
when a new tire is insta lled .
ll-

260 Tire s and wheel s
contribution to good road ho lding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ ,& .
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and whe els
Tires sho uld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 266.
A lways buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
¢ page 252.
Aud i-approved specification ti res are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(¢page 252) lists spec ifica­
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 252, fig. 209) 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 t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires
¢ fig. 212 . This information
i dent ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ident ificat ion number f
or sa fety standard ce rtification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of ti re specificat ions makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
255 /45 R 19 104 H
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the t ire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
2 55 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewa ll edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
45 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construction: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
104 Load rating code
H Speed rat ing letter code
X L (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") Indicates
t h at the t ire is a "Reinforced" or an "E xt ra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capabi lity
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotatio n ¢
page 248 .
Tire manufacturing date
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel) :
"DOT ... 2213 ... " means, for example, the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2013.
Speed rating (letter cod e)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 264.
P up to 93 mp h (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)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)l)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)l)
Your veh icle is no rma lly factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac ­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
c::> page 30 wi ll normally prevent you r vehicle
from go ing faster than the tire speed ra ting
c:::> .& .
U.S . DOT T ire Identification Numb er (TIN )
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
wi th the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers r ep resent the week and year of manufacture.
F or
examp le, the numbers 22 13 mean the ti re
was prod uced in the 22nd week of 2013. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not be used by the tire manufacturer .
T his information is used to contact consumers
if a t ire defect requires a reca ll.
Aud i original tir e
Tires with t he identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched w ith your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply compo sit ion and materi als used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac -
llFt· "h · or ires wit a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire man ufacturers some times u se
th e le tters " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 261
ture rs also must indicate the mate rials in the
tire , which include stee l, nylon , po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion, and t emperatur e resistanc e
Tre ad wear, t raction and tempera ture grades
c::> page 2 62 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be pu t in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_&. WARNING ,-=
-Using incorrect o r unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inations can lead to loss of control
'
coll is ion and serious personal inj ury.
- Always use tires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- insta lled tires or other combina ­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
a nd can fail 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 lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four whee ls must be fitte d with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
~
•
•

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 ..,.
•
•

266 Tire s and wheels
or ridges on the road, part icu larly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n o rder to minim ize the o ccurrence 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 carefu lly 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 Aud i dealer. Replace a damaged
t ir e 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, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire failure . If you be lieve that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
t ir e as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r mo re quick ly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, whi le these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make mo re no ise 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 condit ions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle with all -season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond it ions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or their equivalent. Refer
to
q page 263 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure monitoring system
ill General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, including the spare ( if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufacturer 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
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper tire inflation pressu re fo r those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon itoring
system ( TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significant ly under-inflated. According­
l y, when the low tire pressure telltale i llumi­
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un­
der-inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al ­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illuminat ion of the
TPMS low tire pressu re tellta le .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPM S ma lfunction indicator to ind icat e when
the system is not operating properly. The
T PMS ma lfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale. When the sys­
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then ..,_

remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intend ed . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 213 Display : underi nflatio n warning
Fig. 214 Di splay: Syste m mal functio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration ch arac teristics of the in­
dividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru-
Tires and wheels 267
ment cluster with a warning symbol [I] and a
message
r::!) fig. 213.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad ­
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle
r::!) pag e 268. The
TPMS indicator only monitors the tire pres­
sure that you have previously stored. You can
find the recommended tire pressures for your
vehicle on the label on driver's side 8-pillar
<=:>page 252 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
r::!) page 268 .
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire q &..
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
necessary. The indicator light
[I] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 11.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
i:mJ) (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction .
If@m appears after switching the ignition on
or while driving
q fig. 214 and the indicator
light
[I] in the instrument cluster blinks for
approximately one minute and then stays on,
there is a system malfunction .
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢ page 268. If the indicator light does not
turn off or if it turns on shortly thereafter, im­
mediately drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized repair facility to
have the malfunction corrected .

268 Tire s and wheel s
_&. WARNING
-If th e tire pressure indicator appea rs in
the instrument cluster d isplay, one or
more of your tires is s ignificantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or bra king
maneuvers . Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres ­
sure as indicated on the vehicle 's t ire
pressure label
q page 252. Driving on a
signif icant ly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ab ility .
- The driver is responsible for ma inta ining
the correct tire pressures. You must check the t ire pressures regula rly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter condit ions or un­
paved roads), the pressure mon itor ind i­
cator may be de layed.
- Ask your author ized Audi dealer if r un­
flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
Yo ur vehicle regist rat ion becomes inval id
if yo u use these tires when not permit ­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or acc idents
cou ld also resu lt.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESC/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
you r A udi was developed using t ires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall ~
page 259 . We recom­
mend using these t ires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI .
.. Switch on the ignition.
.. Select in the MMI :
ICARI function button>
Car system s control button > Servicing &
check s > Tire pres sure monitoring > Store
tire pre ssur es > Ye s, store now .
@ Tips
Do not sto re the tire pressure if there are
s now cha ins on the tire.

Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)*
A pplies to vehicles: with space-sav ing spa re tire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
F ig . 2 19 Spare t ire
Tak ing ou t the sp ar e tire
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
¢ fig. 219 .
.. Hook the hand le into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw
¢ fig. 219 counter­
clockwise .
.,. Take out the spare tire.
.,. Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 141.
.. Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is only intended for
emerge ncies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand ­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some res trictions on the use of the
compact spare t ire. The compact spare t ire
h as been des igned specifically for you r type of
vehicle . It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare tire from another type of vehicle .
Snow chains
For technica l reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compa ct spare tire is
not p ermitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spar e whee l w ith
What do I d o now ? 271
tire instead of a rear tire. Install the snow
c hains o n the rear tire and use it to replace
the defect ive front tire.
_& WARNING
- Never use the spare t ire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
d icators .
-If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency a nd with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as poss ible with the
normal whee l and tire.
- After mounting the compact spare t ire,
the t ire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire mu st be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk having an a cc id en t.
- Do not dr ive faste r than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You ri sk havi ng an accide nt.
- Avoid full-thro tt le acceleration, heavy
brak ing, and fast co rnering. You risk hav­
ing an a ccident .
- Neve r drive using more than one spa re
wheel and ti re. You r is k having an ac ci­
dent.
- Normal summer or w in ter tires must no t
be mou nted on t he compa ct spare w heel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
ch ains on the spa re tire is not permi tted.
If i t is necessary to drive with t ire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
fro nt ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The newly available front wheel
m ust then be insta lled in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire cha in before mounting the whee l
and tire is recomme nded.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause se rious pe rsonal injury
du ring hard brak ing or in an accident.
Never store the inflatable spa re tire or
jack and tool s in t he passenger compart ­
men t.