M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Driving style
Driving fast around curves,
heavy acceleration and hard
braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even
wear
For all four tires on your vehicle
to have the same service life,
we recommend that the front
and rear tires are rotated ac
cording to the tire manufactur
er's suggested tire rotation in
tervals. Please remember the
following:
-Tire rotation intervals may dif fer from the vehicle service intervals outlined in your Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
-The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle,
the more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recom
mend that you follow the tire
manufacturer's suggested tire
rotation intervals.
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread
wear on the front wheels com
pared to all-wheel drive (quat
tro).
-Please rotate ti res as shown
¢ fig. 203.
Tires and wheels 259
-Extra care must be taken when rotating direction-specific
tires ¢ page
280.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are
balanced. However, various sit
uations during everyday driving
can cause them to become un balanced, resulting in vibra
tions you can usually feel
through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be re
balanced to avoid excessive
wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced when a new tire is
installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, impairing 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
200.
•
•
'
Tires and wheels 265
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 ca re. 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-
M -Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire N <(
build-up, sudden tire fail- specialist to see if your vehi-(.J
'SI: ,....,
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with ... \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
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 per form
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.
_&. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop lan ing o r peak traction
character istics .
_&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es
tablished for a ti re that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately 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 tires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
Your veh icle is equipped w ith all -wheel drive,
this will improve tract io n during w inte r dr iv
in g, even with the standard tires. Howeve r, we
strongly recommend that you a lways eq uip a ll
four whee ls o n your ve hicle with correctly fit
ted winter tires or all -season tires, when w in
ter road conditions a re expected. This also im-
Tire s an d wheel s 267
proves the veh icle's b rak ing performance and
reduces stopping dista nces.
Summe r ti res prov ide les s gr ip on i ce and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur whee ls.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted winter tire sizes. Use
o nl y rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con
dit ions. 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 replace
ment wheel¢
page 260 .
Please always remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating t han the tires o rigi
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease see¢
page 263,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a listing of the
speed rating le tter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d rive n.
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 245) is
o n the side wall of the tire ¢
page 260.
_&. WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may b e lower than yo ur vehicle's max
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur spe cific
win ter 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.
_&. WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause t ire failure in
cluding a blowout and sudden d eflation,
-
•
•
268 Tires and wheels
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic conditions. Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used .
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch (10,5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
q 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi
cle or installing them incorrectly can in
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains because the vehicle will be ex
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev
el, the snow chains might severely dam
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the vehicle.
(j) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive .
2 70 T ire s and wheel s
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dealer. Rep lace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible.
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu
ally cause t ire failu re. If you bel ieve that a
t ire may have been damaged, replace the
t ire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wear more quickly than oth
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make mo re no ise than
othe r cho ices .
Reduced performance in winter /co ld
season condition s
All tires are des igned for certain pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high pe rformance
tires orig inally installed on your veh icle are in
tended for maximum dry and wet road per
formance and handling. They are not suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond it ions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow or a ll-season tires specified
for your vehi cle, or their equ ivalent.
Refer to¢
page 267 for more deta iled infor
mat ion regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
U) General notes
Each t ire, includ ing the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and in
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacture r on the vehicle
p lacard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a diffe
rent size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flat ion pressure labe l, you shou ld determ ine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t ires).
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ires is significantly under-inflated. According
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper p ressu re. Driving on a sig nifican tly u n
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fai lure . Under-inflation al
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's hand ling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv er's respons ibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to ind icate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS ma lfunction indicator is combined w ith
the low tire pressure telltale . When the sys
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash fo r approxima te ly one m inute and then
rema in continuously illum ina ted. This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indica to r is illum inat
ed, the system m ay not be ab le to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a var iety of rea
sons, incl uding the insta llation of replace
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more tires or
whee ls on you r vehicle to ensu re that the re
placement o r alternate ti res and wheels a llow
the TPM S to cont inue to func tion p roperly.