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
Wheels
Occupant loading and distri
bution for veh icle normal load
for various designated seat ing
capacit ies
Refer to the tire inflation pressure
label
c:> page 215, fig . 171 for
the number of seating positions .
Refer to the table
c:> page 216 for
the number of people that corre
spond to the vehicle normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized repair facility. These fa
cilities have the proper knowledge
and are equipped with the re
quired tools and replacement
parts .
.,.N ew tires do no t yet have the
optimum adhesion properties.
D rive carefu lly and at moderate
speeds fo r the first 350 miles
(500 km) with new tires.
.,. Use tires of the same construc
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread
pattern as possib le on all four
wheels.
.,. Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the same axle at the same time .
212
.,.A udi recommends that yo u use
Aud i O rig ina l equipment tires . If
you would like to use different t ir es, please note that the ti res
may pe rform differently even if
they are the same size
c:> A -
.,. If you would li ke to equ ip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina
t ion tha t is different from what
was installed at the facto ry, con
sult with an authorized Audi
dea ler or authorized repair facili
ty before making a purchase
¢ ,&. .
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehic le - for examp le, if winter
tires or wide t ires are insta lled -
then only use the spare tire* tem
porarily in case of eme rgency and
drive carefully wh ile it is in use. It
s h o ul d be rep laced wi th a regular
tire as soon as poss ib le .
On
all wheel drive vehic les, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand
and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the
dr ive system is not damaged by
diffe rent tire speeds. For this rea
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spa re tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular tires . .,.
_& WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combinations and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident
could result.
- For technical reasons, it is not
possible to use tires from oth
er vehicles -in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
- Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif
ferent construction can differ
greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al low enough air circulation to
Wheels
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profile: Treadwear indica
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
- Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves,
rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
- Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized repair facility
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear.
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
213
...
Wheels
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread
pattern, which are bars that are 1/ 16 inch (1 .6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per pendicular to the running direc
tion ¢
fig. 169. The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall
indicate the location of the tread
wear indicators .
The tires have reached the mini mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢.&.
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in
stall the wheels from the rear
axle on the front axle and vice ver
sa. This will allow the tires to have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make sure
the tires are installed according to
the running direction indicated on
the tire sidewall¢ page
231.
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
2 14
H idden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of
ten occur in locations that are hid
den. Unusual vibrations in the ve
hicle or pulling to one side may
indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Aud i deal
er or authorized repair facility to have the vehicle inspected.
! WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega
tive effect on handling, on the risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving
through curves and when brak
ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 170 Driver 's side B -pillar : tire pres
sure label
"'
-,,--------------------,.
9c:=:=. ~_:: I =:: I :.. I)@ :l! n. ...... _..,_ ... ___ ......, ____ .... _ ..
ui ............... ~-.... ~ .... .... ...
TR IIZI. 00lO TW.PMSIUl'll '""' ONiNSIC)N$ ,...._0UntlUSAN1011
-KPA. . PSI
Fig. 171 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la
bel. The labe l is located on the 8-
pillar
¢fig. 170, ¢fig. 171.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
¢page 216. If driving the vehicle
when fully loaded, you must in crease the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure¢
A-
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
Wheels
.. Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.. Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas
es when the tires are warm.
.. Check the label¢
fig. 171 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
..Correct the tire pressure if nec
essary .
.. Vehicles with Tire Pressure Moni
tor ing System*: store the modi
fied tire pressure in the Infotain
ment system ¢
page 224.
.. Check the pressure in the emer
gency tire* /spare t ire*. Always
ma intain the maximum temper
ature that is specified for the
tire.
A WARNING
-
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read
and follow the important
safety precautions in
215
Wheels
c:::> page 217, Tires and vehicle
load limits.
-The tire must flex more if the tire pressure is too low or if
the vehicle speed or load are
too high. This heats the tire up
too much. This increases the
risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and
result in loss of vehicle con
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure increas
es tire wear and has a negative
effect on driving and braking
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print
ing, and the information is sub
ject to change. If there are differ ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side 8-pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the 8-pillar label
c:::> page 215, fig. 170.
216
behavior, which increases the
risk of an accident.
(D Note
Replace lost valve caps to re
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
@ For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in
creases fuel consumption.
(D Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a nor
mal load
c:::> page 216 or for a
full load when the vehicle is
partially loaded.
Make sure that the tire designa
tion on your tire matches the des ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom
mended tire pressures in cold
tires according to the load and the size of the tires installed. .,.
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.