2014 AUDI TT ROADSTER warning

Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged battery.
11-Al way s read and heed all WARNING S be­
low¢
A and ¢ A in Working on the bat­
tery on page 177.
11-Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con­
sumers.
11-Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the bat tery.
11-Connect charger cables. ALWAY S co nnect
charge r cables POSITI VE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Qto NEGA TIV E Q .
11-Switch on the charger.
11-Turn off the charger¢ &_.
11-Disconnect the charger cables.
11-Connect both battery cables to the battery if
necessary -
first plus, then m inus.
When charging at
low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle charg er), the battery cables do not
h ave to be d isconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. " fas t charging ", you
must disconnect both cables. In e ithe r case,
follow the instru ctions from the man ufactu rer
of the charger .
Fastcharging a battery is
dan gerou s¢ & in
Working on the battery on page 177.
It r e­
q ui res specia l charg ing equipment and the
know ledge to go with it. We recommend hav­
ing your battery fast charged on ly by a quali­
f ied workshop .
A discharged battery can
freeze at tempera ­
tures of on ly 32 °F (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely befo re attempting to
charge it¢ & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery cas ing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid.
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery.
A WARNING
-
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
Checkin g and fillin g 179
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect c harger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing.
- Fast cha rging a batte ry is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian with the prope r equip­
men t.
- Battery acid that may spi ll dur ing cha rg­
i n g should be washed off wi th a solu tion
of wa rm w ater and baking soda to neu­
trali ze the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast cha rg er as a boost er to
star t the engi ne. This w ill ser iously dam­
age sens it ive e lectronic componen ts, su ch
as cont ro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the batte ry charger.
(D Tips
T he vehicle ba tte ry mu st not be charged
wi th a standa rd small charger that plugs
into t he cigarette lighter or outlet . •
•

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
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A vo idin g damage
If you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires 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
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, dry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 181
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is often not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat 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
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must
f ol low the specified di rection of rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 212.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, 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 r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with 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 blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
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.
•
•

load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
veh icle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is th e ma ximum load that can
be ap plied at each of the veh icle's two axles .
The Gross Ve hicle We ight Rating and the
Gross Axle We igh t Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
d river's side 8-p illa r. T he tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the locat ion of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 138.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a cras h or other accident, se­
r ious personal inju ry, and even death.
- Carry ing more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­ cr ease the ris k of a loss of veh icle con­
t ro l.
- T he bra kes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may no t be ab le to stop t he
vehicle within a sa fe distance.
- T ires on a vehicle that has been ove rload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
t ro l and a c rash.
A WARNING
- Incorre ct ti re pressures and/or underin­
fla tion can lead to a serious o r fata l acci ­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wea r and can
affect the handling of the vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin ­
flation can also lea d to sudden tire fa il­
u re, incl uding a b lowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Tire s an d wheel s 187
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
ti re pressu re label and in the table
¢
page 185, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
mea ns tha t the pressu re m ust be chec ked and
adjus ted when the t ire has not been dr iven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) a t
low speeds d uring the previous three ho urs.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l frict ion as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than whe n it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" t ire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let a ir o ut
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recomme ndat io ns¢
page 185 . The
ti res wou ld then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire inflation pressures for
the new, orig inal equ ipment tires that we re
on your veh icle at the time it was manufac­
tured. Fo r the location of t he labe l
¢page 185, fig. 138.
Most tires lose air natura lly ove r time . They
can a lso lose some air if you d rive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while par king.
It is usually
not po ss ible to see whethe r the rad ia l t ires
u sed today are underinflated just by loo king
at them .
T he refore, be sure to check t ire p ressu res at
l east once a mo nth and a lways befo re goi ng
on a long t rip. M ake s ure to ta ke the n umber
of peop le and the amount o f luggage into ac ­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that yo u wou ld not conside r to be
"long." See ¢
page 189, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an acc urate tire pressure ga uge
when checking and ad justing inflation pres­
s u res. Check all of the tires and be sure not to ..,.
•
•

188 Tire s and wheel s
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
ga uge 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
d ifference 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 veh icle as listed on the on
your ve hicle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do .
Never exc eed th e maximum inflati on pres­
sure listed on th e tir e s idewall for any rea ­
s on.
Remembe r that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the t ire manufactu rer, determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the t ires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the t ires a re cold .
- Read the requ ired tire press ure from the tire
pressure label located on driver's side B-pil­
lar .
- 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 sho uld 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.
- Re insta ll the valve stem cap on the valve.
Wh en should I check the tir e pr essure?
The correct tire pressure is espe cially impor ­
tant at high speeds . The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey.
When should I ad ju st the tire pressures?
Adj ust the t ire p ressu re to the load yo u are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
or replacing whee
ls you have to adjust the tire p ressures
o n all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then initi­
alize the new tire press ures in the t ire pres­
s u re monitoring system¢
page 199.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious pe rsonal injury
or even death.
- When the warn ing symbol
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
s topping ability.
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
f lation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowout and su dden de­
flation, ca using loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- The drive r is responsible for the co rrec t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle .
The applicable pressure values are loca t­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B -pil­
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressu re, the tire pres­
sure mon itor ing system can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressu re va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re p ress ure monito r­
ing system.
- Always inf late tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with unde rinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in tre ad separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont ro l.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont ro l.

-If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle we ll.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
([) Note
Driving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves . To prevent this ,
always make su re that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re secure ly
mounted on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to t he amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry.
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill no t handle
well and is more diff icult to stop. Overloading
can not on ly lead to loss of veh icle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of yo ur passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
no t exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits a re techn ica lly refer red to as the
ve hicle's
Gro ss Vehicl e W eight Rat ing
(" GVWR ").
T he "GVWR " includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accesso ries , a full
tank of fue l, oil, coo lant and other fluids pl us
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers th at the ve hicl e is
i ntended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for eac h
passenger at a designated seating position
Tire s an d wheel s 189
and the total weight of any luggage i n the ve­
hicle .
T he
Gro ss Ax le Weight Rating ( " G AWR ") is
the max imum load th at can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are l iste d on the
s af ety comp liance s ticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side 8-pillar . Your Audi has 2 seating
positions. Each seating position has a safety
belt ~
page 101, Safety belts.
The fac t that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle is lim ited . The more passen ­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug ­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
t h e ve hicle can ca rry . Fo r th e locat ion of the
label
~ page 185, fig . 138 .
_&. WARNING
Overloading a veh icle can cause loss of ve­
h icl e co ntro l, a crash or o ther accide nt, se­
rio us pe rsonal inj ury, and even dea th.
- Ca rrying more we igh t tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry wi ll prevent the
veh icle from handling properly an d in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- T he b rakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowo ut
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
•
•

192 Tires and whe els
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious persona l 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
yo ur risk of "hydroplan ing" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly , especially at high
speeds . T ir es that are more t han 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 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 loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 142 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idew all o f a
t ire
No. De scription
@ Nomina l w idth of t ire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ial
® Rim diamete r code
® Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S . DOT tire ident ification number
® Aud i Origina l t ire
® Seve r snow cond it ions
@ T ire ply composi tion and mater ials used
@ Max imum load ra ting
@ Treadwear, traction and tempe rature
grades
@ Maximum permiss ible inflation pres -
sure
The tires and rim s are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The t ires and rims app roved
by Audi a re spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major contribu tion to good road holding and safe .,..

194 Tire s and wheel s
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1l
Your veh icle is norma lly factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. A n electronic speed limiter
~ page 31 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r than t he tire speed rating
~ .&. .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
wi th the le tte rs "DO T" and indica tes that the
tire meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or letters indicate the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example, the numbers 2213 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2013 . The other numbers are marketing co ­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer. This information is used to con­
tac t consume rs if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi Original tire
T ires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only t hese tires because
they meet the highest standards rega rd ing
safety and d riving char acter istics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The numbe r of p lies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber -coa ted fabric in the t ire. In
general, the grea ter the number of p lies, the
mo re weight a tire can support . Tire man ufac­
turers a lso must indicate the materials in the
ll For tires wit h a ma xim um spee d ca pabil ity ove r 149
mph (2 40 km/ h), tire manufac tur ers somet imes use
t h e lett ers " ZR."
tir e, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilog rams and po unds t hat can be ca rr ied by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, tra ct ion and tempera ture grades
~page 195 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_& WARNING
- Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinat ions can lead to loss of control
'
collis ion and serio us personal i nju ry .
- A lways use t ires, 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
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previo us histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sud den tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) an d the same tread pattern . ..,

196 Tire s and wheel s
The relat ive performance of tires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how ­
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to var iat ions in dr iving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and climate.
Tr action
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled cond itions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance¢ .&,.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the t ire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its abi lity to dissi ­
pate heat when tested under controlled cond i­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden ti re fa il ur e~ .&, .
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger ca r tires must meet
u nder the Federa l Moto r Veh icle Safety Stand­
a rd No.
1 09. Grades Band A represent higher
l eve ls of performance on t he laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law .
.&_ WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering , hydrop lan ing or peak traction
character istics.
.&_ 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, eithe r
-
separately or in combination, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possib le tire failure.
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 winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread . These tires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same s ize and construction
type as the othe r tires on your vehicle .
If your vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive", th is w ill improve traction during winter
driv ing, even with the standard tires . Howev­
er, we st rongly recommend that you always
equip all fou r whee ls o n your ve hicle w ith cor­
rect ly fit ted winter tires or all -season t ires,
when w inter road condit ions are expected.
T his also improves the vehicle's braking per ­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires provide less grip on i ce and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all four whee ls .
Ask your author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tir e siz es. Use
on ly rad ial winter t ires .
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
O .15 7 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under winter con ­
ditions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat ti re, see notes on spare
whee l
¢page 192.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi -
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it .,.