2015 AUDI A6 tire type

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreci­
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreci­
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle. Tires are, how­
ever, one of the most important
parts of a vehicle, particularly
considering the comparatively
small patch of rubber on each
tire that assures that all-impor­
tant contact between you, your
vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire
pressure, making sure that your
vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safely handle, avoiding
damage from road hazards and
regularly inspecting tires for
damage including cuts, slashes
irregular wear and overall con­
dition are the most important
things that you can do to help avoid sudden tire failure includ­
ing tread separation and blow-
~ outs.
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Tires and wheels 237
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb
or similar obstacle , drive very
slowly and as close as possible
at a right angle to the curb.
Always keep chemicals includ­ ing grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the t ires regularly for
damage (cuts, cracks or blis­
ters, etc.). Remove any foreign bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove
them to indicate the direction
of rotation. This ensures you to be able to mount them correct­
ly when you reinstall them.
When removed, the wheels or
tires should be stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on
rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢ _&. .
The tread depth of new tires
may vary , according to the type .,.
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0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-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 239
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.
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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.

256 Tires a nd whee ls
Driving style - Extra care must be ta ken when
Driving fast around curves , rotat
ing direction-specific
heavy acceleration and hard tires
¢
page 2 77.
b raking increase tire wear.
Wheel balancing
Rotating tires for more even
The wheels on new vehicles are
wear ba lanced. However, various sit-
For all four tires on your vehicle uations during everyday driving
to have the same service life, can cause them to become un-
we recommend that the front balanced, resulting in vibra-
and rear tires are rotated ac -tions you can usually feel
cording to the tire manufactur- through the steering wheel.
er's suggested tire rotation in- Unbalanced wheels must be re-
tervals . Please remember the
balanced to avoid excessive
following: wear on steering, suspension
-T ire rotation intervals may dif -and tires. A wheel must also be
fer from the vehicle service in· rebalanced when a new tire is
tervals outlined in your War- insta
lled.
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . Incorrect wheel alignment
-The longer one tire is used in
Incorrect wheel alignment can
one location on the vehicle,
cause excessive tire wear, im-
the more it wears at certain
pairing the safety of the vehi-
points; therefore, we recom-
cle. If tires show excessive
mend that you follow the tire
wear, have the wheel alignment
manufacturer's suggested tire
checked by an authorized Audi
rotation intervals.
dealer or qualified workshop.
-Vehicles with front-wheel
dr ive experience more t read
All-wheel drive
wear on the front wheels com-
Vehicles with quattro must al-
pared to all-wheel drive (quat- ways have tires of the same
tro) .
size, construction and tread
-Please rotate tires as shown type. For details see
¢
fig . 198. ¢page 197. ...

262 Tires and wheels
sure of their "previous histo-
and sudden deflation and
ry." Old used tires may have loss of control.
been damaged even though -Temperature grades apply
the damage cannot be seen to tires that are properly in-
that can lead to sudden tire flated and not over or un-
failure and loss of vehicle derinflated.
control. -For technical reasons it is
-All four wheels must be fit- not always possible to use
ted with radial tires of the wheels from other vehicles -
same type, size (rolling cir- in some cases not even
cumference) and the same wheels from the same vehi-
tread pattern. Driving with cle model.
different tires reduces vehi- -If you install wheel trim
cle handling and can lead to discs on the vehicle wheels,
a loss of control. make sure that the air flow
-If the spare tire is not the to the brakes is not blocked.
same as the tires that are Reduced airflow to the
mounted on the vehicle -for
brakes can them to over-
example with winter tires -
heat, increasing stopping
only use the spare tire for a distances and causing a col-
short period of time and lision.
drive with extra care. Refit -Run flat tires may only be
the normal road wheel as used on vehicles that were
soon as safely possible. equipped with them at the
- Never drive faster than the
factory. The vehicle must
maximum speed for which have a chassis designed for
the tires on your vehicle are run flat tires. Incorrect use rated because tires that are of run flat tires can lead to
driven faster than their rat- vehicle damage or acci-
ed speed can fail suddenly. dents. Check with an au-
-Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire build-up, sudden tire fail -specialist to see if your vehi -
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with
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0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
run flat tires. If run flat tires
are u sed , they must be in­
stalled on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not per­
mitted.
(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 t ire 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 .
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accord­
ance with the local require­ ments.
Tires and wheels
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality g rades ca n be foun d where applicab le
on the t ire s ide wall between t read sho ulder
and maximum section width
c> page 257,
fig. 199 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperat ure A .
All passenge r ca r tir es must con form to Feder ­
a l Safety Re quirements in add ition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear g rade is a c omp arat ive rating
based on the wear ra te of the tire when tes te d
u nder con tro lled conditions o n a specifie d
government test course .
F o r example, a tire gr aded 1S 0 wo uld wear
one a nd one h alf ( 11/ 2) times as well on the
governmen t course as a ti re g raded 100 .
T he re lative perfo rman ce of tires depe nds
up on the actu al c ondition s of the ir u se, how ­
ever, and m ay depa rt s ignificantly from t he
no rm due to va ria tions i n driving ha bits, se rv ­
ice p ractices and differences in road c haracter­
istics and cl imate.
Traction
T he trac tio n gr ad es, from hig hest to lowes t,
a re AA, A, Ban d
C. Those g rades represe nt the
ti re 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured u nder cont rolled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of aspha lt
and concrete. A t ire mar ked C may have poor
traction performance
c> ,&. .
Temperature
The temperature gr ades are A (the highest),
B, and C, represent in g the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ab ility to d issi­
pate heat when tested un der controlled condi­
tions on a specif ied indoo r labo rato ry test
whee l.
263
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264 Tire s and wheel s
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure<=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand ­
ard No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
corne ring, hydrop lan ing o r peak traction
character istics .
A WARNING ,.,.____
The temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a tire that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
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, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These t ires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure yo u purchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
If your vehicle is equ ipped with all -wheel
drive*, this will improve t ract ion during w inter
d riving, even wit h the standard tires. Howev­
e r, we strong ly recommend that you always
eq uip a ll four w heels on yo ur vehicle wi th cor­
rectly fitted win ter tires or a ll-season tires,
when winte r road conditions are expected . This also improves the veh
icle's brak ing per ­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires p rovide less gr ip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all fou r wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for perm itted
winter tire siz es. Use
o n ly rad ial winter t ires .
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under winter con ­
ditions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
wheel
<=>page 257.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi ­
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease see<=>
page 260,
Speed rating (letter code)
fo r a listing of the
speed rating lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d riven .
The speed rating letter code (<=>
page 242) is
on the side wall of the t ire
c> page 257.
A WARNING ,.___
W inter t ires have maximum speed lim its
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max­
i mum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur specific
winter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
'----
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle were designed can cause t ire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,

272 What do I do no w?
• Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 132.
• Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Using th e spare tir e (compac t spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergencies until yo u can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare tire has been des igned specifically for your type of
vehicle. It must not be swapped with a com­ pact spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Sn ow chain s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not permitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel with
tire instead of a rear tire . Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators .
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
t reme caution and careful driving .
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possible w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c ompact spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident .
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You risk having an acc iden t.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . You risk hav­
ing an a cc ident. -
Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
m ust then be installed in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart ­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident. Never store the inflatable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­ ment.
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 t ire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and t ry to
reach
l e vel ground before you stop ¢ ,&.
• All passengers should leave th e car and
move to a safe location ( for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢,& .
• Engage the
par king brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally c> _& .
• Move
selector le ver to pos it ion P c> _& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tir e out of the
luggage compa rtment c>
page 271,
i=> page 271 . ..,_