2015 AUDI A6 tires

Tires and wheels 243
Tread separation UTQG information on the tires, •
means pulling away of the molded into the sidewalls. • '
tread from the tire carcass. U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Treadwear indicators (TWI) Number (TIN)
means the projections within
This is the tire
's "serial num-
the principal grooves designed ber". It begins with the letters
to give a visual indication of the "DOT" and indicates that the
degrees of wear of the tread. tire meets all federal stand-
See r=>
page 255, Tread Wear ards. The next two numbers or
Indicator (TWI) for more infor- letters indicate the plant where
mation on measuring tire wear. it was manufactured, and the
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
last four numbers represent the
week and year of manufacture.
is a tire information system de- For example,
veloped by the United States
DOT ... 2214 ...
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) that is means that the tire was pro-
designed to help buyers make duced in the 22nd week of
relative comparisons among 2014. The other numbers are
tires. The UTQG is not a safety marketing codes that may or
rating and not a guarantee that may not be used by the tire
a tire will last for a prescribed manufacturer. This information
number of miles (kilometers) or is used to contact consumers if
perform in a certain way. It a tire defect requires a recall.
simply gives tire buyers addi-
Vehicle capacity weight
tional information to combine means the rated cargo and lug-
with other considerations, such gage load plus 1
SO lbs.
as price, brand loyalty and deal- (68 kilograms) times the vehi-
er recommendations. Under cle's total seating capacity as
UTQG, tires are graded by the listed on the label located on
M tire manufacturers in three N
0 the driver's side 8-pillar.
<.J areas: treadwear, traction, and
...
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 temperature resistance. The ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,

24 4 Tires a nd whee ls
Vehicle ma ximum load on
the tire
means that load on an individu­
al tire that is determ ined by
distr ibuting to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded
vehicle weight and div iding by
two.
Vehicle normal load on the
tire
means that load on an in div idu­
al tire that is determ ined by d
istribut ing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, acces ­
sory weight, and normal occ u­
pant weigh t (distributed in ac­
cordance with table below
¢ page 244) and dividing by
two .
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for
v arious designated seating capac it ies
Designated seating Vehicle normal load, Occupant distribu-
capacity , number of number of occupants tion in a normally
occupants loaded vehicle
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back
seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety
of a vehicle.
F ig. 1 95 Tire pressure label: located
on driver's side 8-pillar
~----------~"'
~--=-==--=~1::.-=--=-•=:- :-,_. SIA COU>lR"f"fU;Sl,R
MW OWE lSlllHS P'RES5l0H OES f'Nall A, FIIICJD
:"" -ICPA. • PSI
.::. -KPA.. . PSI
°'~ -KPA. -PSI
Fig. 1 96 Tire pressure label

Tires and wheels 245
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-
M factured
. N
0
Maintaining proper tire pres-<.J 'SI: ,...., \!)
sure is one of the most impor-1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,

246 Tires and wheel s
If you wish to improve comfort See the illustration ¢ fig. 195
when operating the vehicle at for the locati on of the labe l 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 vehic le 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 at the time of going to
the ti re pressu res to those press and is subject to change .
specified for maximum vehicle In the event of discrepancies,
load¢&. the tire pressure labe l is locat-
Bear in mind that the tire pres- ed on the driver's side 8-pi llar
sure monitoring system can on -always takes precedence .
ly monitor the tire pressures The table below lists the rec-
you have stored . The system
ommended cold tire inflation
does not recogn ize the load
pressures for the Audi model
condition of your vehic le.
covered by your Owner's Litera-
T he effectiveness of the tire ture at the vehicle's capacity
pressure monitoring system weight and the tire sizes instal -
will be impaired if you store led on the respective mode ls as
normal load pressures but then original equipment, or as a fac-
operate the vehicle at its maxi- tory option.
...
mum load¢&.

Tires and wheels 24 7
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
• Engine
normal load condition full load condition
•
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A6: 225/55 Rl 7 97H
32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl8 lOOH XL
All Season
33 230 32 220 35 240 38 260
255/40 Rl9 lOOH XL
33 230 32
220
35 240
38 260 All Season
255/40 Rl9 lOOY XL
32 220 32 220 33 230 36 250 High Performance
255/35 R20 97Y XL
35 240 32 220 38 260 41 280 High Performance
A6: 225/55 Rl 7 97H
35 240
32 220 38 260 41
280 3.0 liter All Season
6-cylinder
245/45 Rl8 lOOH XL
All Season
35 240 32 220 38 260 41 280
255/40 Rl9 lOOH XL
35 240
32 220
38 260
41 280 All Season
255/40 Rl9 lOOY XL
36 250 33 230 39 270
42
290
High Performance
255/35 R20 97Y XL
39 270 36 250 44 300 46 320 High Performance
S6: 255/40 Rl9 lOOY XL
39 270
35 240 42 290 44
300 4.0 liter High Performance
a-cylinder 255/35 R20 97Y XL
High Performance
44 300 39 270 46
320 48
330
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 tire size information on the ve-
spare wheel is located on a la- hicle label is the same as the
bel on the driver's side B-pillar. size of the tires on the vehicle.
Because technical changes may This is especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you
compare the tire size designa-
M
tion on the tire pressure label bought the vehicle as a previ-N
0 <.J ously owned vehicle. ... 'SI: on your vehicle with the tires on ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., your vehicle. Make sure that the 1.1'1 ,....,

248 Tires and wheels
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
hicle can carry. For the location
of the tire pressure label
¢fig. 195.
.&_ WARNING
-
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and
even death. -Carry
ing 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 within 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
- inclu ding 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 Rat­
ing.
A WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can lead to a serious or fatal ac­
cident.
-Inco rrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation cause
increased tire wear and can .,.

M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
affect the handling of the
vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail­ ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus ­
ing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on
your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure label located on driv­er's side 8-pillar .
The recommended tire pres­
sures are on the tire pressure
label and in the table
c> page 244, Cold t ire inflation
pressure.
This means that the
pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not
been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous
three hours . Air in the tires ex­
pands when the tire heats up as
a result of internal friction as it
flexes in use . The tire pressure
is higher when the tire has
warmed up than when it is "cold."
Tires and wheels 249
It is the inflation pressure in a
"cold" tire that counts. There­
fore, you should never let air out of a warm tire to match
"Cold tire inflation pressure"
re commendations
c> page 244 .
The tires would then be under­
inflated and could fail sudden­
ly.
The tire pressure label on your
Audi lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures at
maximum capacity for the new,
original equipment tires that
were on your vehicle at the time
it was manufactured. For the
location of the label
c> page 244, fig. 195.
Most tires lose air naturally
over time . They can also lo se
some air if you drive over a pot­ hole or hit a curb while parking.
It is usually not possible to see
whether the radial tires used
today are underinflated just by looking at them .
Therefore , be sure to check tire
pressures at least once a month
and always before going on a long trip. Make sure to take the
number of people and the .,.
•
•
'

250 Tires and wheels
amount of luggage into ac-Never exceed the maximum in-
count when adjusting tire pres-flation pressure listed on the
sure for a trip -even one that tire sidewall for any reason.
you would not consider to be
Remember that the vehicle
"long." See
q page 2 52, Tires manufacturer, not the tire man-
and vehicle load limits for more ufacturer, determines the car-
important information. rect tire pressure for the tires
Always use an accurate tire on your vehicle.
pressure gauge when checking It is important to check the tire
and adjusting inflation pres- pressure when the tires are
sures. Check all of the tires and cold.
be sure not to forget the spare -Read the required tire pres-
tire. If the pressure in any tire is
sure from the tire pressure la-
too high when the tire is "cold,"
bel. The tire pressure label is
let air out of the tire slowly
located on the driver's side B-
with the edge of the tire gauge
pillar.
and keep checking the pressure
-Turn the valve stem cap coun-
until you reach the pressure
ter-clockwise to remove it
that is correct for the load (pas-
from the tire valve.
sengers and luggage) and kind
-Place the air pressure gauge
of driving you plan to do .
on the valve.
If the pressure in any tire is too -The tire pressures should only
low, note the difference be-
be checked and adjusted when
tween the pressure in the cold the tires are cold. The slightly
tire and the pressure you need
raised pressures of warm tires
and add the air that you need to must not be reduced.
reach the correct pressure for -Adjust the tire pressure to the
the vehicle load (passengers load you are carrying.
and luggage) for the tires on
-Reinstall the valve stem cap
your vehicle as listed on the on on the valve.
...
your vehicle and in this manual
and the kind of driving you plan
to do.