switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
lru. Be sure to
switch ESC on again when you no longer need
less traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard braking . Apply steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency si tuations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on again au
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
..&, WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot overcome
th e laws of physics. This is especially im
portant on slippery or wet roads.
If the
systems begin acting to stabilize your ve
hicle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the increased safe
ty provided by these systems tempt you
Intelligent technology 143
to take risks. Doing so will increase the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control, co llision
and serious personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys
tem, EDL and ASR cannot prevent colli
sions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve
hicle control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi
cal tires. D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the ind icator lightD] orE (USA
models)/ [iJ (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 18,
¢ page 18.
Switching on and off
ESC turns on au tomatically when you start
the engine.
Fig . 123 Ce nter conso le: ESC OFF butto n
-If the power steering system is not fu nc
tioni ng properly, contact your a uthorized
Audi dealer immediate ly.
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to vehicles: with a ll-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
Gene ral inform ati on
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See a lso
r=;, page 142.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power. Your vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has excellent dr iving charac
ter istics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions
c::;, ,&. .
Winter t ire s
When drivi ng in the w inter, your ve hicle w ith
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter t ires (or all-sea
son t ires) for improved driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll f our
w heel s.
See also c::;, page 196, Winter tires.
Snow chains
Where t ire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally a lso applies to vehicles
w ith a ll-wheel d rive
c::;, page 19 7, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /tire s
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t i res
with d iffe ren t tread depths. For details see
page
c::;, page 192 , New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off-road veh icle.
It is
Int ellig ent technolog y 147
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
r=;, page 151.
_& WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire tract ion. You
should t herefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road s urfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If th is should occur, yo u
wi ll have no warning from a s udden in
crease in engine speed as with a front
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con
ditions. -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not d rive n for a long per iod of t ime, the bat
te ry is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can res ult in there being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intellige nt energy managemen t in your vehi
cle handles the dis tribution o f electrica l ene r
gy. Starting ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy managemen t consis ts of
batt ery diagno sis, idling cur rent man age
ment
and dyn amic energ y management .
•
•
184 Tires and wheels
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ic h a tir e is des igned to
be d riven for extended per io d s o f time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ page 193. You may
not find this in format ion on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, w here a pplica
b le, is molded on the tire s idewa ll and indi
cates the maxim um permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 197.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a sys tem that detects whe n one or
mo re of a vehicle's t ires a re under inflated and
il lum inates a low t ire p ress ure warn ing te ll
tale.
Tread
means t hat port ion of a tire tha t comes into
con tact w it h t he road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the t read from the t ire
car cass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means t he p rojections withi n the pr inc ipal
g rooves desig ned to give a v isua l ind ication of
the deg rees of wea r of the tre ad . See
¢
pag e 191, Tread W ear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat io n on measu ring tire we ar.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a ti re i nfo rmation system developed by the
United States Nat io nal Highway Traffic Safety
Admi nistration (N HTSA) that is designed to
h e lp buye rs m ake re lative compa risons among
tires. The UT QG i s n ot a safety r ating an d no t a
g ua ran tee t hat a tir e will las t fo r a presc ribed
n umber of m iles or per form i n a certa in way .
It sim ply g ives tire buyers a dditio na l info rma
tion to combine w ith other considerations, s
u ch as pr ice, brand loyalty a nd dealer recom
me ndations. Under U TQG, tires are gra ded by
t h e tire man ufact urers in three areas : tread
wear, traction and temperature resistance .
The UTQG informat io n on the tires, m olded in
to the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN )
This is the tire's "se ria l numbe r" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and ind icates that the
t ir e meets all federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it
was ma nufactu red, and the last four numbe rs
r eprese nt the week and year of ma nufact ure.
Fo r exampl e,
DOT ... 2213 ...
means that the tire was produced in t he 22nd
wee k of 2013. The ot her numbers are market
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
t ire manufacturer . This information is used to
contact consumers i f a tire defect requires a
r ecall .
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load p lus
150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo
cated on the driver's side B-pilla r.
Vehicle maximum lo ad on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distrib uting to eac h axle its
share of the maxim um loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two .
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l t ir e that is
determined by distrib uting to eac h ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weig ht (d istr ibuted in
accorda nce wit h tab le below¢
page 185)
and divid ing by two .
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.
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. •
•
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 .,.
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,,
202 Tires and wheels
@ Tips
-Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of
all four tires must corre
spond to the specif ied values. Adjust the
tire pressure and reset the pressure in
the tire pressure mon itor ing system ac
cord ing to the load you are carry ing
¢page 185.
- Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
(Step2)
Ap plies to vehicles: with tire pressure mo nit oring sys te m
F ig. 146 Display: Tire pressure
Fig. 147 Display: Tire pres sure
I Reset I button @ and rocker switch @
c::, page 201, fig . 144 functions:
Storing tire pres sures
.. Turn on the ignition.
.. Se lect the menu :
> Adjust ing * > Tire pres
sure > Store.
Entering and confirming
.. Select the menu: Store now
.. Press the
I Reset ! button @.
.. Se lect the menu : Confim
.. Press the
I Reset ! 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 men u.
(D Tips
-Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures o f
all four tires must corre
spond to the specified values . Adjust the
tire pressure and reset the pressure in
the tire pressure monitoring system ac
cording to the load you are carrying
c::, page 185.
-Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire .
Run-flat tires
Introduction
Applies to vehicl es: wi th Run-fla t tires
Run-flat tires help keep you moving if a tire
goes flat.
Re inforced sidewalls give the ti res run-flat ca
pability if tire pressure is lost .
We recommend that run-flat tires only be
mounted on vehicles that were originally
equipped with these special t ires at the facto
ry and have a Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys
tem.
Run-flat tires can be identified by the letters
"RSC " on the tire sidewall.
If you do change the tires on your veh icle from
normal to run-flat tires., you must buy the
special rims required for run-flat tires, and the
T ire Pressu re M on itor ing System must be re
programmed by an authorized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop .
What do run-flat tires do?
These special t ires have run-flat capabilities
that help keep you moving if a tire loses pres
su re and goes f lat . Under favorab le condit ions
t ir es can be dr iven
at least 30 miles (50 km) ,
but you must not drive faster than 50 mph
(80 km/h)
c::, page 203, Driving with run-flat
tires .
IJI>