2014 AUDI TT ROADSTER tire pressure

Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
F ig. 14 0 Tire tread: tread wea r ind ica tors (TWI)
f ~----~
~ ------- .../
Fig. 141 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 in ch (1.6 mm) high "wear ind icators"
c::> fig . 140 run ning 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 t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tir e pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premat ure wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 18 7.
Dri ving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Tires and wheels 191
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your ve hicl e to have the
same service life, we recomme nd that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota­
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty & Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all -wheel d rive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 141.
-Extra care must be taken when rotat ing di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 212.
Wheel balancing
T he wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Inco rrect wheel alignm ent
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impai ring the safety of the vehi­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
all -wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
c::> page 147.

handling when in good condition and properly
inflated¢&..
We recommend that all wo rk on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an au thorized A udi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary special
too ls and spare parts as we ll as the proper fa­
cilities for dispos ing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about technica l requirements for
insta lling or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ire s an d wheel s
Tires s hou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front t ires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the t ire pressure monitor ing system
¢page 199.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your ve hicl e 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 185.
Aud i-approved specifica tion ti res are specially
matched to you r vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
( q page 185) lists specifica­
tions of the t ires approved for the Audi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on driver's side
B-pillar
( q page 185, fig. 139) lists the speci­
fications 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
place standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires
q fig. 142. This information
ident ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire identificat ion number
for safety standard certificat ion and i n case of
a recall.
Tire s an d wheel s 193
Tire specification s
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the co rrect tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P245 / 45 R 17 95 H
This conta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
2 45 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
45 Height/w idt h ratio in percent (aspect ra-
tio)
R Tire construction: Radial
17 Rim diameter code (in inches)
95 Load rating code
H Speed rat ing letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF") ind icates
that the t ire is a"Re inforced" o r an " Extra
Load " tir e
M+5 (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capabi lity
The t ires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotat ion
q page 181 .
Tire manuf acturing d ate
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel) :
"DOT ... 2213 ... "means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2013.
Sp eed rating (letter code )
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
q .&. in Winter tires on page 197.
p up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (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 u
p to 130 mph (210 km/h)
•
•

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 . ..,

Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and drive with extra care. Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
deri nflated.
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
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 tires may only be used on
vehicles that were equipped with them
at the factory . The vehicle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
factory-installed tire pressure monitor­ ing system that indicates a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not
permitted .
Tires and wheels 195
@ Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged.
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 192,
fig. 142 .
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 1S0 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100. •
•

198 Tire s and wheel s
snow cha ins a re suitab ly covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after driving a few yards and correct if neces ­
sary. Follow the instr uctions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
{O) Tips
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this norma lly also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correc t torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims . If different rims are fit ­
ted, the correct wheel bolt s with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bol t heads mus t
be used . This ensures that wheel s are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a d iffe rent vehicle -even if it
i s the same model
Q page 228.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious person al in­
jury .
- Always keep the w heel bol ts and the
t h reads in t he wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can t urn easily and be p rop ­
er ly t ightened .
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lt s an d
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use whee l bolts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always mai ntai n the co rrect tighte ning
torq ue for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor- que of the whee
l bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tig hte ning torq ue is
too high, the w heel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for t he whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally . After changing a whee l, the to rq ue
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench - prefe rably by an author­
iz ed A udi dealer or quali fied workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-eq uipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have b een tho ro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their supe rb performance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of driving condi­
t ions . Ask your author ized Audi dealer for
more de tails .
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire 's s ize
designation . The numera l rep resents the ratio
of the tire 's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tire s have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The p erformance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularly sensitiv e to improper inflation
pre ssure. It i s ther efore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pre ssure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a long trip
Q page 187, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith po tholes, curbs, gul lies ..,.

or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is underinflated .
I n o rder to m inim ize the occu rrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended inflat ion
pressures. Chec k 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 a lso
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 ire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires 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 tire failure . If you be lieve that a
t ire may have been damaged , replace the
t ire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r mo re qui ckly than ot h­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, whi le these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
l ess comfortably and make mo re noise than
othe r choices.
Reduced perf ormance in winter /cold
s eason condition s
All tires are des igned for certa in pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally installed on your veh icle 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 dr ive under those circums tances, you
should equip your vehicle with all -season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond itions . We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
for your ve hicle, or their equ ivalent.
Tire s an d wheel s 199
Refer to q page 196 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure monitoring system
General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith t ire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, incl uding the spare (i f provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inf lation pressure recommended
by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle ha s tires of a different size than the
s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire i n­
flat ion pressu re labe l, you shou ld dete rm ine
the p roper t ire inflation p ress ure fo r those
t i r es.)
As an added safety feature , your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon ito ring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low ti re
pressure te lltale when one or more of your
tires is significant ly under -inflated . Acco rding­
ly, when the low tire pressure te lltale 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 effic iency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's hand ling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er's respons ibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
rea ched the level to tr igger illum inat ion of the
T PMS low tire pressure tellta le .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lfunction indicator to ind icate when
the system is not operating prope rly . T he
T PMS ma lfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure te lltale. When the sys­
tem detects a malfunction , the telltale wi ll
flash for approximate ly one minute and then ..,_
•
•

200 Tires and wheels
remain continuo usly illuminated . This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended. 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
tellta le after replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle 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.
F ig. 143 Display : underi nflat io n warn ing
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring sys tem compares the t ire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, th is is indicated in the instru­
ment clus ter with a warning symbo l
ail and a
message<>
fig. 143. The dr iver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds . The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! CHECK I button @¢ page 10, fig . 3 . If on ­
l y one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its pos ition.
The tire press ure monitoring m ust be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
ad justed (e.g. when switching between parti- al and fu
ll load pressure) or after changing or
replacing a tire on your vehicle<>
page 201.
The TPMS indicator only mon itors the t ire
pressure that you have previously stored . You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on the driver's door
pillar
¢ page 185.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire 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
¢ page 201.
Warning symbols
ail Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢& .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary . The indicator light
HE in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
<>page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display .
ffim (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction. Ifffim
ap­
pears after switching the ignition on or while
driv ing and the indicator lig ht
HE in the in­
strument cluster blinks for approx ima tely one
minute and then stays on, there is a system
malfunction .
At tempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢ page 201. Ifthe indicator light does not
turn
off or if it turns on shortly thereafter, im ­
med iate ly drive your vehicle to an author ized
Audi dealer or author ized repair facility to
have the malfunction corrected.
_&. WARNING
-
- If the tire pressure indicat or appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significant ly under­
inflated . Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures.
IJJ,,

Inflate the tire pressure to the proper
pressure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label¢
page 185. Driving on a
significantly 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 ability.
- The driver is responsible for mainta ining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, wint er conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed .
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you use these tires when not permit ­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could also result.
- If you switch between standard and run­
flat tires, an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop must reprogram the
control module .
@ 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
your Audi was developed using tires with the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall¢
page 192. We recom­
mend using these tires.
Tires and wheels 201
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
(Stepl)
Appl ies to vehicles: wi th tire p ress ure mo nito ring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels ore ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset in
the menu display.
--- ®
Fig. 144 Wiper lever : Controls for the menu display
Fig. 145 Display: Start menu
I Reset I button @ and rocker switch @
¢
fig. 144 functions:
To open the menu
.,. Press the I Reset I button @ until the menu
disp lay
9 fig. 145 appears
Selections and settings
.,. Press the rocker switch@ to reach a menu
disp lay. The switch is operated the same as
the display (up/down) .
Entering and confirming
.,. Press the I Reset I button @.
Returning to the Start menu
.,. Press the I Reset I button longer than 2 sec ­
onds to return from any menu level to the
Start menu. "'