24 2 T ire s and wheel s
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-wheel dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design o f whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims . If different rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 270.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
c ont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
Jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop er ly t igh tened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue fo r th e wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque wheel bolts diago
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench -preferably by an author
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of d riving condi
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflat ed to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
m onth and always bef ore a long trip
r=> page 231, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be d amage d more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.
(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the bra ke rotor and dam
age the rotor . W ork carefully and have a
second person help you.
N ever use the hexa gonal s ocket in the ha n
d le of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw
drive r before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in t he handle to t urn the whee l
bo lts .
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make s ure the tread pat
te rn is poi nte d the r ight way
c:> pag e253 .
- The w heel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Ch eck for dirt and corros ion on
the mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
a nd th e hu b. Remove a ll dir t fro m these
s ur fa ces before remo unting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern poin ted in
t he right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a sp are tire w ith a tr ead p atte rn
i ntended fo r u se in a specific direc tion, p lease
note t he following:
- T he di rection of rotation is ma rked by an a r
r ow on the side o f the tire.
- If th e spare t i re has to be installed in the in
c orrec t direction, use the spa re tire only
tem por ari ly si nce the t ire will no t be able to
ac hieve its op timum perfo rmance character
ist ics with rega rd to aquaplani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend that you pay particular at
tent io n to this fact du ring wet weat he r and
that you adjust your speed to matc h road
condit ions .
What do I do now? 253
-Replace the flat t ire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the han dling advantages
of a un idirectional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the i nfo rmation c:> page 236, New
tires and replacing tires and wh eels
if you a re
go ing to use a spare tire wh ich is different
from the ti res on you r vehicle.
After you cha nge a tire :
-Check the tire pressure on the spare imme
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer o r
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel r ims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor
roded and diff icult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the whee l cover.
Until then , dr ive with e xtra care and at re
duced speeds.
A WARNING
-
- I f you are going to e quip your ve hicle
wit h tires o r rims which differ from those
which were fac to ry inst alled, t hen be
s ure to read t he informa tion
c:> p age 2 36,
New tire s and repla cing tires a nd
wheels .
-Always make s ure th e d am age d wheel o r
eve n a fla t tire an d the jack an d too l ki t
are p rope rly secu red in the luggage com
pa rtment an d are not loose in the pas
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
co uld f ly forwa rd, inj uring a nyone in the
veh icle.
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