-If you notice unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam age.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea
sons. Audi recommends using winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem peratures significantly de
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 229
If summer tires are used in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in perma
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
•
•
'
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indi
cate a low sidewall for im proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire
at the maximum permissible in
flation pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla
tion pressure to which a tire
may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the
total seating capacity of your
vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occu pants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of
an inflated new tire.
Tires and wheels 231
Overall width
means the linear distance be
tween the exteriors of the side
walls of an inflated tire, includ ing elevations due to labeling,
decorations, or protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular produc
tion options weighing over 5 lbs. (2 . 3 kg) in excess of those
standard items which they re place, not previously consid
ered in curb weight or accessory
weight, including heavy duty
brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery , and special
trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in
which the ply cords that extend
to the beads are laid at sub stantially 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread.
•
•
'
238 Tires and wheels
else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ
ously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and
that of your passengers also de
pends on making sure that load
limits are not exceeded. Vehicle
load includes everybody and ev
erything in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical
ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle
Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can be ap
plied at each of the vehicle's
two axles . The Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed
on the safety compliance stick
er label located on the driver's
side B-pillar. The tire pressure
label on your Audi lists the
maximum combined weight of
all of the occupants and lug
gage or other cargo that the ve
h icle can carry . For the location
of the tire pressure label
¢fig . 189.
.&_ WARNI NG -
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the ve
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of a
loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not be able to stop the vehi
cle with in a safe distance .
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail
suddenly causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the
total load being transported
- including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
.&_ WARNI NG
-Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
-
244 Tires and whee ls
occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry .
For the location of the label
¢ page 234, fig . 189 .
A WARNI NG
-~
Overload ing a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and
even death.
- Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of the
loss of vehicle control.
- The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi
cle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a veh icle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash.
- Always make sure that the
total load be ing transported
- including the weight of a
traile r hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded traile r -
does not make the vehicle heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal
culate the total weigh t of the
passengers and luggage or oth
er th ings that you p lan to trans
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle w ill not be
overloaded .
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBI NED WEIGH T OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD N EVER EXCE ED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi
c le's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 234,
fig . 189 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle .
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers from
"XXX" k ilo
grams or
"XXX" pounds
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.
•
•
'
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
-Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly in
flated and not over or un
derinflated.
-For technical reasons it is not always possible to use
wheels from other vehicles_ 1n some cases not even
wheels from the same vehi
cle model.
-If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels
I
make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked.
Reduced airflow to the
brakes can them to over
heat, increasing stopping
distances and causing a col lision.
-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 moni
toring system* that indi cates a loss of tire pressure.
Incorrect use of run flat
tires can lead to vehicle damage or accidents. Check
Tires and wheels 253
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
I
they must be installed on all
four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted.
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to
use the wheel rims from
other 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 vehicle
(for example winter tires or
wide profile tires), then use
the spare tire for a short pe riod of time only and drive
with extra care. Replace the
flat tire with the tire match ing the others on your vehi
cle as soon as possible.
-Never drive without the valve stem cap. The valves could get damaged.
I),
•
•
'
"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
~ Unscrew the va lve stem from the s pare tire .
~ Screw the tire filler hose from the compres
sor firm ly onto the valv e of the spare tire.
~ In se rt the p lug from the compress or into a
socket of the vehicle¢
page 66.
~ Switc h the compressor on .
~ Let the compressor run until the valu e speci
fied on the tire pressure label is reached ¢
page 234, fig . 190. Sw itch the compres
so r off afte r runn ing for 12 minutes at the
most -danger of overhea ting!
A WARNING
The compressor and the tire filler hose can
become extremely hot while they are run
ning -danger of burns!
(D Note
Switch the compressor off after running
for 12 minutes at the most -danger of
overheating! Allow the compressor to cool
down for a few minutes before you use it
again.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger' s safety when chang
ing a wheel .
~ After you experience a tire fa ilure, pu ll the
ca r well away from moving traffic and try to
r e ach
level gro und before yo u stop ¢ LI)..
~ All p assengers sho uld leave the car and
move to a safe loca tion (for instance, beh ind
the guardrai l) ¢
A .
~ Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling un intentionally ¢
A.
~ Shift into 1st gear on vehicles with manua l
transmission, o r move the
selector lever to
the P po sition
on veh icles with au toma tic
t ransmission .
~ If you are tow ing a tra ile r: u nhi tch the trail
er from your veh icle.
~ T ake the jack ¢ page 260 and the spare tire
¢ page 261 out of the luggage compart
ment.
What do I do now? 263
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while c hanging a wheel if you do not fo l
low these safety precaut ions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is
tance off the road . T urn off the engine,
tur n the eme rg ency flashers on and use
other wa rn in g devices to a le rt othe r mo
torists.
- Ma ke sur e that passengers wait in a safe
p lace away from the vehicle and well
away from the ro ad and traffic.
- T o help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly sli pping off the
j a ck, alw ay s fu lly se t the par king br ake
an d block the wheel d iagonally opposi te
the whee l be ing changed w ith the fol d
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
grou nd is level and firm. I f necessary,
use a sturdy board unde r the jack .
- Always sto re the vehicle tool kit, the
jack* and the replaced tire in the luggage compa rtment
¢page 132.
(D Note
If you are changing the whee l on a steep
i ncline, use a rock or s imilar object to
block the opposite whee l to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
l. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
-
the wheel bolt caps* . For more details see..,.
•
•
M N
~ co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Refitting
• Place th e caps over the wheel bo lts and
push th em back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before ra is
ing th e vehicle .
Fig. 20 2 Changin g a w hee l: l oosening t he w heel bolts
Loo sening
• In stall the w heel bo lt wre nch over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the whee l bolts
co unter
cl ock wise
about one single turn in the direc
t ion of arrow
9 fig. 202 .
Tightening
• Install the whe el b olt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
hand le and turn each wheel bolt
cl ockwi se
until it is seated .
_& WARNING
-Do not use force or hurry when changing
a whee l -you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious persona l
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury .
What do I do now ? 265
@ Tips
-Never use the hexagona l socket in the
hand le of the screwdr iver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a wheel bo lt is very tight, you may find
it eas ier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only . As you do so,
hold o n to the car to keep your balance
and take care not to slip .
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
Fig . 203 Sill panels: mark ings
Fig. 20 4 Sill: positi on ing the v eh icle ja ck
The location of the jack po int is indicated by
an indentation on the underside of the vehicle
9 fig . 203 .
• Activate the parking brake to prev ent the
veh icle from rolling unintentionally .
• Shift into
1st ge ar on veh icles with manual
transmiss ion or move the selector lever to
the P position on vehicles w ith automatic
transmission .
• Find the
mark ing (imprint) on the sill that is
nearest the wheel that will be changed .,..