2015 AUDI A4 ESP

232 Tires a nd whee ls
Recommended inflation
pressure
see c:::> page 230, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher
inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard t ire .
Reinforced tires may be identi ­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a meta l support for a
tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If yo u change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new t ires to ma tch the
new rim d iameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance be­
tween rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that por tion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire
is designed to be driven for ex­
tended periods of time . The rat­
ings range from 93 mph
( 1 50 km/h) to 186 mph
( 2 98 km/h)
c:::> page 2 50. You
may not find th is informat ion
on all tires because it is not re­
quired by law.
The speed rati ng letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the ti re sidewall and ind icates
the maximum permissible road
speeds
c:::> & in Winter tires on
page 255.
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflate d an d ill u­
minates a low tire press ure
warn ing telltale.
Tread
means that por tion o f a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.

Tires and wheels 235
Tire pressure generally refers to tant things you can do to help •
the amount of air in a tire that avoid sudden tire failure. Un-• '
it needs it to do its job and derinflated tires are a major
safely carry the combined load cause of sudden tire failure. of the entire vehicle and its con- Keeping tires at the right pres-
tents. Tire pressure is measured sure is also important for safe
in kilopascals (kPa), the inter- and responsive vehicle han-
national measuring unit and in dling, traction, braking and
pounds per square inch (PSI) . load carrying.
Tire pressures
Tire pressure is based in part on are particularly important
the vehicle's design and load when the vehicle is being driv-
limit - the greatest amount of en at higher speeds, and then
weight that the vehicle can car -especially when heavily loaded
ry safely and the tire size. The even within the permissible
proper tire pressure is frequent-load-carrying capacities ap-
ly referred to as the "recom-proved for your vehicle.
mended cold tire inflation pres-The recommended tire pres-
sure ." Air in the tires expands
sures for your Audi depend on
when the tire heats up because the kind of tires on your vehicle
of internal friction when it flex- and the number of passengers
es in use. The tire pressure is and/or amount of luggage you
higher when the tire has will be transporting.
warmed up than when it is The tire pressure label is locat-
"cold. " It is the inflation pres-
ed on the driver's side B-pillar.
sure in a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let The tire pressure label lists the
recommended cold tire infla-
air out of a warm tire to match
"cold tire inflation pressure" tion pressures for the vehicle at
its maximum capacity weight
recommendations. The tires
would then be underinflated and tires that were on your ve
-
and could fail suddenly. hicle at the time it was manu-
'"" factured
. N
0
Maintaining proper tire pres-::.,: co ,...., \!)
sure is one of the most impor-1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,

236 Tires a nd whee ls
If you wish to improve comfort See the illustration ¢ fig. 189
when operating the vehicle at for the location of the label on
normal load (up to 3 occu -driver's side B-pillar (color of
pants), you can adjust tire the actual label and exact loca-
pressures to those specified tion on the vehicle will vary
for normal vehicle load. Before slight ly) .
operat ing the vehicle at maxi -Note that the following table is
mum load, you must increase accurate a t the time of going to
the ti re pressures to those press and is subject to change .
specified for maximum vehicle In the event of discrepancies ,
load¢&. the tire p ressure labe l is locat-
Bear in mind that the tire pres- ed on the driver's side 8-pi llar
sure monitoring system* can a lways takes precedence .
on ly monitor the tire pressures
The table be low lis ts the rec -
you have sto red . The system
ommended cold tire inflation
does not recogn ize t he load
pressures for the Audi model
condition of your vehic le.
covered by your Owner's Li tera-
T he effect iveness of the tire ture at the veh icle's capac ity
p ressure mon itor ing system* weight and the tire sizes instal -
will be impaire d if you st ore led on the respect ive mode ls as
normal load press ures but then original eq uipment, or as a fac -
operate the vehicle at its max i- tory optio n.
...
mum load¢&.

'"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Tires and wheels 237
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
• Engine
normal load condition full load condition
• (up to 3 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
PSI kPA
A4 Sedan: 225/55 Rl6 95H
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl 7 95H
All Season
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
245/40 Rl8 93V 32 220 29 200 33 230
35 240 High Performance
225/50 Rl 7 94H
33 230 30 210 35 240
36 250 All Season
245/40 Rl8 93H
33 230 32 220 36 250 38 260 All Season
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
32 220
30 210
35 240
35 240
High Performance
allroad: 225/55 Rl 7 97H
30 210 30 210 33 230 36 250 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl8 lOOH
All Season
32 220 32 220 33 230 36 250
24S/4S R18 96Y
30 210 30 210 33 230 36 250 High Performance
245/40 R19 98Y XL
32 220 29 200 35 240 38 260 High Performance
S4 Sedan: 245/40 Rl8 93H
36 250 32 220 41 280 41 280 3.0 liter
All Season
6-cylinder 245/40 Rl8 93Y
High Performance
39 270
35 240 41
280 41
280
255/35 Rl9 96YXL
39 270 33 230 41 280 41 280 High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la­
bel on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always
compare the tire size designa- tion on the tire pressure label
on your vehicle with the tires on
your vehicle. Make sure that the
tire size information on the ve­ hicle label is the same as the
size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone ""

Tires and wheels 241
-Turn the valve stem cap coun- ize the new tire pressures in the •
ter-clockwise to remove it tire pressure monitoring sys-• '
from the tire valve. tern*
¢ page 257.
-Place the air pressure gauge
A WARNING
on the valve.
Incorrect tire pressures and/
-The tire pressures should only or underinflation can lead
be checked and adjusted when sudden tire failure, loss of
the tires are cold. The slightly control, collision, serious per-
raised pressures of warm tires sonal injury or even death.
must not be reduced. -When the
ti] warning sym-
-Adjust the tire pressure to the bol appears in the instru-
load you are carrying. ment cluster, stop and in-
-Reinstall the valve stem cap spect the tires.
on the valve. -Incorrect tire pressure and/
When should I check the tire or underinflation can cause
pressure? increased tire wear and can
The correct tire pressure is es- affect the handling of the
pecially important at high vehicle and stopping ability.
speeds. The pressure should -Incorrect tire pressures
therefore be checked at least and/or underinflation can
once a month and always be- also lead to sudden tire fail-
fore start ing a journey. Do not ure, including a blowout
forget to check the tire pres- and sudden deflation, caus-
sure for the spare wheel. ing loss of vehicle control.
When should I adjust the
-
The driver is responsible for
the correct tire pressures for
tire pressures?
all tires on the vehicle. The
Adjust the tire pressure to the applicable pressure values
load you are carrying. After are located on a sticker on
changing a wheel
or replacing the driver's side B-pillar.
wheels you have to adjust the
'"" N
0 tire pressures on all wheels. In ::.,: co ....
addition, you must then initial-\!) 1.1'1
.... 1.1'1 ....

Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, im­
pairing 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 190 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and
serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn
down to the wear indica­
tors.
-Worn tires are a safety haz­ ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
- Always keep chemicals that
can cause tire damage, such
as grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
-
Tires and wheels 24 7
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not
sure of their "previous histo­ ry ." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
failure and loss of vehicle
control.
•
•
'

252 Tires and wheels
Maximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that
should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving condi­
tions.
.&_ WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatch­ ed tires and/ or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control, collision and
serious personal injury.
-Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the
specifications of original
factory-installed tires or
other combinations that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manu­
facturer.
-Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be used in an emergency and
then with special care and
at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous
histo­
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
failure and loss of vehicle
control.
-All four wheels must be fit­ ted with radial tires of the
same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) and 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 normal road wheel as soon as safely possible.
-Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which
the tires on your vehicle are
rated because tires that are
driven faster than their rat­
ed speed can fail suddenly.
-Overloading tires cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail ­
ure, including a blowout
..

254 Tires and wheels
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispo se of old tires in accord­
ance with the local require­
ments.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- T raction AA A B C
- T empera ture ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wa ll between tread shou lder
and max imum sect ion width
¢ page 248,
fig. 193.
For example: Tread wear 200, Tract ion 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 spec ified
government test course .
For example, a t ire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) t imes as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relat ive performance of t ires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the norm due to var iations in dr iving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and climate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's abil ity to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled cond it ions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
trac tion performance ¢&,. .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and red uce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
¢ &,..
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction
characteristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es ­
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive load ing, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible 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" tir es, 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 size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle. .,.