M N
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Driving style
Driving fast around curves,
heavy acceleration and hard
braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even
wear
For all four tires on your vehicle
to have the same service life,
we recommend that the front
and rear tires are rotated ac
cording to the tire manufactur
er's suggested tire rotation in
tervals. Please remember the
following:
-Tire rotation intervals may dif fer from the vehicle service intervals outlined 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 recom
mend that you follow the tire
manufacturer's suggested tire
rotation intervals.
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread
wear on the front wheels com
pared to all-wheel drive (quat
tro).
-Please rotate ti res as shown
¢ fig. 175.
Tires and wheels 24 7
-Extra care must be taken when rotating direction-specific
tires ¢
page 268.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are
balanced. However, various sit
uations during everyday driving
can cause them to become un balanced, resulting in vibra
tions you can usually feel
through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be re
balanced to avoid excessive
wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced when a new tire is
installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive
wear, have the wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must al
ways have tires of the same size, construction and tread
type . For details see
¢ page 192 .
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Tires and wheels 253
sure of their "previous histo-and sudden deflation and
ry." Old used tires may have loss of control.
been damaged even though -Temperature grades apply
the damage cannot be seen to tires that are properly in-
that can lead to sudden tire flated and not over or un-
' •
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failure and loss of vehicle derinflated.
control. -For technical reasons it is
-All four wheels must be fit- not always possible to use
ted with radial tires of the wheels from other vehicles -
same type , size (rolling cir-
in some cases not even
cumference) and the same wheels from the same vehi-
tread pattern. Driving with cle model.
different tires reduces vehi- -If you install wheel trim
cle handling and can lead to discs on the vehicle wheels,
a loss of control. make sure that the air flow
-If the spare tire is not the to the brakes is not blocked.
same as the tires that are Reduced airflow to the
mounted on the vehicle - for brakes can them to over-
example with winter tires - heat, increasing stopping
only use the spare tire for a distances and causing a col-
short period of time and lision.
drive with extra ca re. Refit -Run flat tires may only be
the normal road wheel as used on vehicles that were
soon as safely possible. equipped with them at the
-Never drive faster than the factory. The vehicle must
maximum speed for which have a chassis designed for
the tires on your vehicle are run flat tires. Incorrect use
rated because tires that are of run flat tires can lead to
driven faster than their rat- vehicle damage or acci-
ed speed can fail suddenly. dents. Check with an au-
-Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire
' M • N
" build-up, sudden tire fail- specialist to see if your vehi-> co ......
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with ... \!) 1.1'1
...... 1.1'1 ......
M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Sustained high tem perature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure <=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of per form
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_&. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
c o rnering, hydrop lan ing o r peak tr actio n
character istics .
_&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es
tablished for a ti re that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
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, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel
d rive*, this will improve tract ion during winte r
d riving, eve n w it h the standard t ires. Howev
e r, we strong ly recommend t hat you a lways
eq uip a ll four wheels on yo ur vehicle wi th cor
rectly fitted win ter t ires or a ll-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected .
Tires an d wheel s 255
This also improves the veh icle's b rak ing per
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r ti res prov ide les s gr ip on i ce and
snow.
Winter t ires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur whee ls.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted winter tire sizes. Use
o nl y rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con
dit ions. 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 tire, see notes on spare
whee l¢
page 248.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating t han the tires o rigi
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease see¢
page 251,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a listing of the
speed rating le tter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d rive n.
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 233) is
o n the side wall of the tire ¢
page 248.
_&. WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may b e lower than yo ur vehicle's max
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur spe cific
win ter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen
gers.
_&. WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause t ire fail ure in
cluding a blowout and sudden d eflation,
-
•
•
•
256 Tires and wheels
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sona l injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
q 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi
cle or installing them incorrectly can in
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly . .,..
M N ,....
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In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -
even if it
i s the same mode l
Qpage 284.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
control, a collision and ser ious personal in
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled,
even if tightened to the spec ified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bo lts that belong to the
rim being ins talled.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque fo r the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tigh teni ng tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is moving . If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel ca n be
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi
b le with a torque wrench -prefe rably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
Tire s an d wheel s 257
and handling under a variety o f driving condi
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspec t ratio of these tires is ind icate d
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage.
Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularl y sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tir es are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and ma intain ed . Tire pr es
s ure s should be checked at lea st on ce a
month and alway s bef ore a long trip
~ page 240 , Checking tire pressure .
A Word about Low Aspect Ratio and High
Performance Ti res
Hig h pe rformance tires are des igned for bet
ter performance and handling in warm cli
mates. When driving in cold, snowy or icy
weather, you sho uld equ ip your vehicle w it h
four all-season or winter tires, which
offer
better traction under those condit ions. We
suggest you use the Audi recommended win
te r or a ll-season tires specified for you r Audi.
High performance tires a lso have a lower as
pect ratio that aids performance and han
dling . Driving over rough or damaged road
surfaces, as well as debr is, cu rbs and other
obstacles can cause serious damage to
whee ls, tires, vehicle body, and suspens ion
parts . B e carefu l to avo id road hazards and re
du ce your speed , espec ia lly if your vehicle is
equipped wi th low prof ile tires .
Please a lso remember when making your se
lection that, wh ile these tires deliver respon
s ive handling, t hey m ay ride less comfo rtably
and make more noise than o thers . Finally,
these tires may wear more quickly than other
c h oices.
IJJ>
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258 Tires and wheels
It is important that the inflation pressu re is
regularly checked and maintained at recom
mended levels .
Fo r more informat ion please ask your A udi
dealer for more details .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n o rder to minim ize the occurrence 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 Audi 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 believe that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r more quickly than oth
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance ti
res or iginally 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 conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction unde r
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow o r all-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or thei r equivalent.
Refer to~ page
255 for more detailed infor
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in
flated to the inflat ion pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufactur er on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ir es is signif icantly under-inflated. According
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper p ressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un
der -inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al
so reduces fuel eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Locking/unlock ing
by remote contro l
.............. .. .. 33
with the central locking switch .. .. .. .. 35
with the convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
wi th the door lock ........ .... .. .. .. 35
L ong -term memory .............. .. .. 27
L ow beam
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Low beams .. .... ............. .. .. .. 49
L ower universal anchorages (Canada) . .. 183
L uggage compartment .. .... .. .. .. .. .. 65
Cargo net .................. .... ... 68
I ncreasing the size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
L oading .. .. ................. .. .... 65
Reversible mat .............. ... .. .. 69
Socket ..... .. .............. ... .... 64
Storage hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Stowing luggage ......... .. .. .. .. . 132
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
L uggage compartment lid
Centra l locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Emergency release ................. 261
L umbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 61
M
Maintenance ............... ... ... .. 282
Maintenance intervals
with driver information system .. .. .. .. 13
Mirror Digital compass switching on and
off ... 57
dimming ... ................ ... .... 56
Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Mirror compass ............ .... .. .... 57
Mirrors Adjusting the exterior mirrors . .. ... ... 55
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 158
Motor stopping (driver messages with mechani-
cal ignition key) .............. .... .. 81
Multifunction steering wheel ..... . ... .. 27
On-board computer ........... ... ... 27
N
Natural leather care/cleaning .. .. .. .. . 207
Navigation system
CD-ROM player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Index 293
New tires and wheels
NHTSA 248
Contacting .. .. .. ................. 134
Number of seats . .. ................. 138
Number of vehicle keys ............... 31
0
Occupant protection .. .. ......... .. .. . 95
Occupant seating posi tions ....... .. .. 127
Octane rating ..... ................ . 210
Odometer ........ .. ................ 11
Oil Indicator light . .. ............. .... . 23
also refer to Engine oil . . . . . . . . 217, 218
Oil change interval
with driver information system . . . . . . . . 13
On-Boa rd-D iagnost ic System (OBD)
System indicator light (MIL) ..... .. .. . 29
On-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Operation (multifunction steer ing
wheel) .. .. .. .. .... ... .. ..... ..... . 27
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
Data Link Connector (DLC) ......... .. . 30
On Board Diagnostic System (OBD)
E lectronic speed limiter .............. 30
Open ing .... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. . 31
Fuel filler door ... .. ........... .... 212
Hood ..... .. .. .. .... ............. 215
Luggage compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Windows ......................... 38
Open ing/closing
with the centra l locking sw itch ... .. .. . 35
with the conven ience key ........ .. .. . 34
with the door lock ................ .. 35
Operate your vehicle economically and
minimize pollution ..... ......... .. .. 198
Other equipment (efficiency program) .. . 29
Outside temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Overview (cockpit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
p
Paint damage
206
Paint No ..... ..... .. .............. . 279
Parking aid Cleaning sensors/came ra lenses .... .. 205
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