Tires an d wheel s 253
Bear in mind that the ti re press ure monitoring
system* can only monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recog
n ize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor
ing system* will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its maximum load
c;, &.
See the i llustration c;, fig. 208 for the location
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (co lor of
the actua l labe l and exact location on the ve
h icle wi ll vary slightly). Note that the
following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
change. In the event of d iscrepancies, the tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold
tire inflat ion pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
led on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Model /En-
Tire design ation normal load condition
full load condition
gine fronta> reara>
front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
AB /AB L: 235/55 R18 104H
35 240 32 220 36 250 38 260
3 .0 lit er
255/45 R1 9 104H 35 240
32 220 36 250 38 260
6-cy lind er
26 5/40 R2 0 104H 35 240 32 220 36 250 38 260
265 /40 R20 104 V 33 230 32 220 33 230 35 240
275
/35 R 2110 3Y XL 35 240 32 220 36 250 35 240
A8/A8 L: 235 /55 R1 8 104H 35 240
32 220 38 260 38 260
4.0 l it e r
255/4 5 R19 104H 35 240 32 220 38 260 38 260
a-cy lind er
26 5/ 40 R 20 104H 35 240
32 220
38 260
38 260
2
6 5/40 R 20 104V 33 230 32 220 35 240 35 240
27
5/35 R2 110 3Y XL 35 240 32
220
38 260
38 260
AB L
: 265/40 R20 104 V 35 240 32 220 36 250 35 240
6.3 liter
255 /45 R1 9 104H 36 250 32 220
39 270
38 260
12
-cy lin-
26 5/40 R 20 104H 36 250 32 220 39 270 38 260
der
275/35 R 21 103 YXL
35 240 32 220 36 250
35 240
58
: 2 65/40 R 20 10 4V 36 250 32 220 39 270 38 260
4.0 liter
265 /35 R21101 Y 39 270 35 240 44 300 42 290
a-cy lind er
275/35 R 2110 3Y XL 39 270 35 240
44
300 42
290
XL= reinf orce d or extra lo ad tir e. It ma y als o appe ar a s x l, E XTRA LOAD, or RF on th e tire s ide-
w all .
al no rmal load co ndit ion c:> page 252.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
l ocated on a label on the dr iver's side B-pilla r.
Because technical changes 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 pressu
re label on you r vehicle with the
t ires on you r vehicle. Make sure that the t ire
size in formation on the vehicle labe l is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be-
l ongs to someone else or yo u bought the ...,
•
•
of people and the amount of luggage into ac
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See
c> page 256 , Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres
sures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this manual and the kind
of driving you plan to do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pres
sure listed on the tire sidewall for any rea
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the correct
tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold.
- Read the required tire pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side 8-pillar.
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve .
Tires and wheels 255
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel
c::;,page 271.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures on all wheels. In addition, you must then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres
sure monitoring system*
c::;, page 266 .
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
[I] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle.
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil led to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure monitoring* system can work cor rectly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage .
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
IIJ,
•
•
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)
26 2 T ire s and wheel s
Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
co ntrol.
- I f the spare tire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - only use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care . Refit the nor
ma l road wheel as soon as safely possi
ble.
- Never drive faste r than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are rated because ti res that a re driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly .
- Overloading t ires cause heat build- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- T emperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over o r un
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you insta ll wheel trim discs on the ve
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air f low
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus
ing a collision .
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that were equ ipped w ith them
at the facto ry . The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for run f lat t ires . Incor
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi
cle damage or acc idents. Check with an
au thorized Aud i dealer or ti re specia list
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run f lat tires. If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed on all four
wheels . Mix ing tire types is not permit
ted .
(D Note
-For technica l reasons, it is not generally
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth- er veh
icles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is d iffe rent from the
tires that yo u have mounted on your ve
hicle (for example winter tires o r wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w ith the
tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as possible .
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
T he valves could get damaged .
® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicab le
on the t ire s ide wall between tread shou lder
and maximum section width
c> page 259,
fig. 212 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger ca r tires must conform to Feder
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions o n a specified
government test course .
For example, a tire graded 1S0 would wear
one and o ne ha lf ( 11/2) times as well on the
gover nment course as a t ire g raded 100 .
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how
ever, and may depa rt s ignificantly from the
norm due to va ria tions in d riving hab its, se rv
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
ll-
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
a re AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance¢ .&..
Temp eratu re
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the tire 's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under controlled condi
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failu re ¢ .&. .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires m ust meet
u nder the Federa l Motor Ve hicle Safety Stand
ard No.
1 09. Grades Band A represent higher
l eve ls of pe rformance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_& WARNING
Th e traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering , hydrop laning or peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possibl e tire fa ilu re.
-
Tire s an d wheel s 263
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true w inter o r "snow" tir es, those
with very deeply cut t read. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
f o ur wheels . Make sure you p urchase snow
ti res that are the same size and cons truc tion
type as the other tires on yo ur vehicle .
I f your veh icle is eq uipped w ith all-whee l
drive *, t his w ill improve trac tion durin g w in ter
driv ing, even wi th the s tanda rd tires. Howev
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four wheels on your veh icle w ith cor
rect ly fitted winter tires or all-season t ires,
when winter road condit ions are expected.
This also improves the veh icle 's b rak ing per
fo rmance and reduces stoppi ng d ista nces .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur whee ls .
As k your au thori zed A udi d ealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
winter tire size s. Use
o nl y radial winter ti res .
Win ter tires lose their effec tiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth o f
0.15 7 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w it h w inte r tir es under w inte r con
di tions. S umme r tir es handle bette r whe n
t h e re is no s now o r ice on the ro ad s an d the
temperature is above 45 ° F (7 °C) .
I f you have a flat t ire, see notes on spare
whee l
¢page 259.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r sp eed rating than the tires o rig i
nally i nstalled on your veh icle at t he time it
was ma nufactu red. Please see ¢
page 260,
Speed ra ting (letter code)
for a lis ting o f th e
speed ra ting lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
111>-
•
•
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 ..,_
2 70 What do I do now ?
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 217 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cove r
folded upward
Fig . 218 Trunk lid: Vehicle tool k it
... Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
... Hook the handle into the luggage compart
ment weather strip
c> fig. 217.
... Remove the spare wheel to reach the vehicle
tool kit .
.,. Remove the foam p iece.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to
remove the wheel covers* or wheel
hub covers
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Towing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
A WARNING
-Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in
juring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional extras .
- Before you can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
c> page 275 .
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.