Trailer mode
Tire pressure
When tow ing a trailer, inflate the tires of your ve
hicle to the cold tire pressure listed under " Full
load" on the label located on the driver's side B
pillar (visible when the door is open). Inflate
trailer tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off . Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be su re trailer safety chains are properly connect
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded .
.. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles.
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
182
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and contro l.
This means that the tow vehicle shou ld be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keep ing the trailer as light as possible under the
c ir cumstances. Whenever poss ible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require
ments and vehicle load ing considerat ions .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
cond it ions are unfavorab le - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When dr iving down
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im
med iately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
If the coolant temperature warning light . in
the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two m inutes to prevent heat build-up .
&_ WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
-
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les differently when tow ing a
trailer because of the additional weight and dif
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful
ly you load your trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be
come completely familiar with the way your vehi
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice. Back
ing up with a trailer generally requires steering
action opposite to that when backing up your ve hicle without a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You wi ll need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot acce l
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may require
more frequent maintenance due to the ex
tra load
¢ page 244 .
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
~ .. Apply the foot brake.
~ .. Have someone place chocks under both the ve-
~ hide and the trailer wheels . ..,.,
N ..,., ,....,
Trailer mode
.. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.. Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
.. App ly the parking brake.
.. Place an automatic transmission* in P, respec
tively a manual transmission in first or reverse
gear .
When restarting after parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Start the engine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S, respectively a
manual transmission in first gear .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat
ic transmission* to P before applying the
parking brak e and before blocking the wheels,
you may have to use more force later to move
the lever out of the P position.
183
® Mud and snow capability
"M/S" or "M+S" indicates the tire
has characte ris tics that make it
suitable for driving on mud and snow .
& indica tes a winter tire.
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
T he number of plies indicates the
number of rubber ized fabric lay
ers in the tire . In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry. Tire manufacturers
must also specify the mater ials
used in the ti re. These include
stee l, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry .
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Treadwear , traction and tempera
ture ranges¢
page 221.
@Running direction
The arrows ind icate the running
direction of unidirect ional tires.
You must always follow the speci- fied running direction
¢
page 231.
€3) Ma ximum permitted
inflation pressure
Whe els
This number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat
ing conditions .
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 steer
ing, power brakes, power win
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in
stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low s idewall for improved steer
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement . .,.
207
Wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands form ing the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom
mended by the vehicle manufac
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more than a coup le of miles (kilo
meters) at low speeds in the three
hour period before the tire pres
sure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle with standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oi l, and coolant , air condi
tioning and additional weight of optional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire des igned to operate
at higher loads and at higher in-
208
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
G ross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the tire-ground interfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
( "GVWR" )
means the max imum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code )
means the max imum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in
flation pressure . You may not find
this information on all tires be cause it is not required by law.
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla
tion pressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
w eight
means the sum of: ...
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Product ion options weight
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the max im um cold infla
tion pressu re to which a tire may
be inflated . Also called "ma xi
mum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilog rams)
times the number of occupants
seated in the veh ic le up to the to
tal seating capacity of yo ur vehi
c le.
Occupant distribution
means d istr ibution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire .
Overall width
means the linear dis tance be
tween the exter iors of the side
walls of an inflated tire , including
elevations d ue to labe ling, deco
rations , or protective bands or
ribs .
Whee ls
Ply
means a layer of rubbe r-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight o f
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2 .3
kg) in excess o f those s tandard
items which they re place , not pre
viously conside red in c urb weight
or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rac k, heavy d uty batte ry, and
specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic t ire in which
the ply cords that ex tend to the
beads are la id at substantially 90
degrees to the centerli ne of the
tread .
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 208, Cold tire infla
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in
flat ion pressures than the corre
spon ding standard tire . Rein
f orced tires may be identified as
2 0 9
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel
oped by the United States Nat ion
al Highway Traffic Safety Adminis
tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relative com
parisons among tires . The UTQG is
not a safety rating and not a guar
antee tha t a tire will last for a
prescribed number of miles (ki lo
meters) or perform in a certain
way. It simply gives tire buyers
additional information to com
bine with othe r considerations,
s u ch as price , brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations . Under
UT QG,
tir es a re grade d by the tire
manu factu rers in three areas :
treadwear, traction, and tempera
ture resistance. The UTQG infor mation on the tires, mo lded into
the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" .
It beg ins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standa rds. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac -
;::: tu red, and the last four numbers
g
~ represent the wee k and year o f IO
~ manufacture . For example , ....
Wheels
DOT ... 4514 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 4Snd week of 201 4. The
other numbers are ma rketing co
des that may or may not be used
by the tire manufact urer. Th is in
formation is used to contact con
sumers if a tire defect requ ires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo
grams) times the vehicle's des ig
na ted seating capacity.
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that l oad on an ind iv idual
tire that is determined by distrib
ut ing to eac h ax le its share of t he
maximum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by d istrib
uting to each ax le its share of the
curb weight , accessory weight,
and norma l occupant weigh t (dis
tributed in acco rdance with
¢ page216) and dividing by two . .,.
211
M N
i? co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
Wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)a>
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
AS Coupe: 225/50 Rl 7 94H
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl 7 95H
All Season
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
245/40 Rl8 93H
33 230 29 200
35 240
35 240 All Season
255/35 Rl9 96Y
32 220 3 2 22 0 33 230 33 230 High Performance
SS Coupe: 245/40 Rl8 93H
36
250 30 210 39 270 36 250 3.0 liter All Season
6-cylinder
245/40 Rl8 93Y
High Performance
38 260 32
220 41 280
38 260
255/35 Rl9 96V
38 260 32 220
41
280 38 260 High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 people in the front
.8, WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure¢
page 215 and load
limits¢
page 217.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure,
including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids ""
217
Wheels
plus maximum load. The maxi
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in
tended to carry ("seating capaci
ty") with an assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen
ger at a designated seating posi
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ
ed as part of the vehicle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited . The more pas
sengers in the vehicle or passen
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
218
are listed on the safety compli
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 215,
fig . 170.
.&_ WARNING ~ -
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to
carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and in
crease the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance .
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.