Tires and wheels 253
pressures. Check all of the tires It is important to check the tire •
and be sure not to forget the pressure when the tires are • '
spare tire. If the pressure in any cold.
tire is too high when the tire is -Read the required tire pres-
"cold," let air out of the tire sure from the tire pressure la-
slowly with the edge of the tire bel. The tire pressure label is
gauge and keep checking the located on the driver's side B-
pressure until you reach the pillar.
pressure that is correct for the -Turn the valve stem cap coun-
load (passengers and luggage) ter-clockwise to remove it
and kind of driving you plan to from the tire valve.
do. -Place the air pressure gauge
If the pressure in any tire is too on the valve.
low, note the difference be- -The tire pressures should only
tween the pressure in the cold be checked and adjusted when
tire and the pressure you need the tires are cold. The slightly
and add the air that you need to
raised pressures of warm tires
reach the correct pressure for must not be reduced.
the vehicle load (passengers -Adjust the tire pressure to the
and luggage) for the tires on load you are carrying.
your vehicle as listed on the on -Reinstall the valve stem cap
your vehicle and in this manual on the valve.
and the kind of driving you plan
When should I check the tire
to do.
pressure?
Never exceed the maximum in-
The correct tire pressure is es-
flation pressure listed on the
pecially important at high
tire sidewall for any reason.
speeds. The pressure should
Remember that the vehicle therefore be checked at least
manufacturer, not the tire man- once a month and always be-
ufacturer, determines the cor- fore starting a journey. Do not
....
M N
rect tire pressure for the tires <( (.J
'SI:
on your vehicle . .... \!) 1.1'1
.... 1.1'1 ....
254 Tires and wheels
forget to check the tire pres-
ure, including a blowout
sure for the spare wheel
and sudden deflation, caus-
¢page 274. ing loss of vehicle control.
When should I adjust the -The driver is responsible for
tire pressures? the correct tire pressures for
Adjust the tire pressure to the all tires on the vehicle. The
applicable pressure values
load you are carrying. After
are located on a sticker on
changing a wheel
or replacing
the driver's side B-pillar.
wheels you have to adjust the
-Only when all tires on the
tire pressures on all wheels. In
vehicle are filled to the car-
addition, you must then store
rect pressure, the tire pres-
the new tire pressures in the
sure monitoring system can
tire pressure monitoring sys-
work correctly.
tern
¢ page 270.
-The use of incorrect tire
A WARNING
-pressure values can lead to
Incorrect tire pressures and/
accidents or other damage.
or underinflation can lead Therefore it is essential that
sudden tire failure, loss of the driver observe the speci-
control, collision, serious per- fied tire pressure values for
sonal injury or even death. the tires and the correct
-When the warning symbol pressures for the function of
[IJ appears in the instru-
the tire pressure monitoring
ment cluster, stop and in-
system.
spect the tires. -Always inflate tires to the
-Incorrect tire pressure and/ recommended and correct
or underinflation can cause tire pressure before driving
increased tire wear and can off.
affect the handling of the -Driving with underinflated
vehicle and stopping ability. tires bend more, letting
-Incorrect tire pressures them get too hot resulting
and/or underinflation can in tread separation, sudden
..
also lead to sudden tire fail-
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
tire failure and loss of
control.
-Excessive speed and/over loading can cause heat
build -up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
-If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires
will wear prematurely and
the vehicle will not handle
well.
-If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a
wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the near
est service station to check
the tire pressure and add air as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem
caps can cause damage to
the tire valves. To prevent
this, always make sure that
factory installed valve stem caps on all wheels are secure
ly mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also
increase the fuel consump
tion.
Tires and wheels 255
Tires and vehicle load limits
'
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehi
cle and any tire can carry. Ave
hicle that is overloaded will not
handle well and is more diffi
cult to stop. Overloading can
not only lead to loss of vehicle
control, but can also damage important parts of the vehicle
and can lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and
sudden deflation that can cause
the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on
making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load in
cludes everybody and every
thing in and on the vehicle .
These load limits are technical ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the
weight of the basic vehicle, all
factory installed accessories, a
full tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum ""
•
•
'
256 Tires and wheels
load. The maximum load in
cludes the number of passen
gers that the vehicle is intend
ed to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of
150 lbs (68 kg) for each pas
senger at a designated seating
position 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 included as part of the
vehicle load .
The
Gr oss Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of
the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing and the Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety
compliance sticker label locat
ed on the driver's side 8-pillar .
Your Audi has 4 seating posi
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total seating capacity
of 4. In some vehicles there are
5 seating positions, 2 in the
front and 3 in the rear for total seating capacity of 5. Each seat
ing position has a safety belt
¢ page 138, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve
hicle Weight Rating means that
the total weight of whatever is being carried in the vehicle (in
cluding the weight of a trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer) is limited .
The more passengers in the ve hicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The tire pressure label on your
Audi also lists the maximum
combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the Location of the label
¢ page 247, fig . 200 .
_& WARN ING -
Overloading a vehicle can
cause Loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the ve
hicle from handling properly
~
and increase the risk of the 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, including a blow
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash.
-Always make sure that the total load being transported - including 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 .
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth
er things that you plan to trans
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
~ overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 247,
fig. 200.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers from
"XXX" kilo
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 247, fig. 200.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capaci
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150 lbs. passengers in your vehi
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo ""
•
•
'
258 Tires and wheels
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 260, fig. 204) to de
termine the designated load
rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends
on a lot of different things in
cluding proper installation and
balancing, correct tire pressure
and driving style.
Fig. 202 Tire tread: tread wear indi
cators (TWI)
Fig. 203 Rotating tires for more even
wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehi
cle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm)
high "wear indicators"
¢ fig. 202 running across the
tread. Depending on the make,
there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions
of the tread wear indicators.
Worn tires must be replaced. Different figures may apply in
other countries
¢ .&. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes
premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire press ure must be
checked at least once a month
¢page 252.
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
No. Description
® Load index and speed rat-
1ng
0 U.S. DOT tire identifica-
tion number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and
temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible in-
flation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design.
The tires and rims approved by
Audi are specially matched to
the characteristics of the vehi cle and can make a major con
tribution to good road holding and safe handling when in good
condition and properly inflated
¢ &.
We recommend that all work
on tires and wheels be per
formed by an authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with
recommended procedures and
have the necessary special tools
and spare parts as well as the
Tires and wheels
proper facilities for disposing of
the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have
the necessary information about technical requirements
for installing or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not individu
ally (for example both front
tires or both rear tires togeth er).
Be sure to read and heed the in
formation to the tire pressure
monitoring system
¢ page 270 .
Always buy replacement radial
tires that have the same specifi
cations as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Re placement tires must always
have the same load rating spec
ification as the original equip
ment or approved optional tires
listed in the table
¢ page 247.
Audi-approved specification
tires are specially matched to
your vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important roadholding , driving
261
•
•
'
262 Tires and whee ls
characteristics, and safety of This contains the following in-
the vehicle. The table formation:
(¢
page 247) lists specifica -p Indicates the tire is for pas-
tions of the tires approved for senger cars (where applica-
the Audi models covered by ble)
your Owner's Literature.
255 Nominal tire width in mm
T he tire pressure label located
of the tire from sidewall
on driver's side B-pillar edge to sidewall edge. In
(¢
page 247, fig . 201) lists the
general, the larger the num-
specifications of the original ber, the wider the tire
equipment tires installed on
40 Height/width ratio in per-
your veh icle at the time it was
cent (aspect ratio)
manufactured.
R Tire construction: Rad ia l
Federal law requires tire manu-
19 Rim diameter code (in in-
facturers to place standardized ches)
information on the sidewall of
100 Load rating code
all tires¢
fig. 204. This infor-H Speed rat ing letter code
mation identifies and describes
XL (or "xl", " EXTRA LOAD" or
the fundamental characteris -"R
F") Indicates that the tire
tics, the quality grade of the is a "Reinforced" or an
"E xtra
tire and also provides a tire Load" tire
identification number for safety
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that
standard certification and in the tire has some mud and
case of a reca ll. snow capability
Tire specifications T
he tires could also have the in-
Knowledge of tire specifications formation of direction of ro
ta-
tio n ¢
page 241. makes it easie r to choose the
correct tires . Radial tires have
Tire manufacturing date
the tire specificat ions marked
The manufacturing date is also
on the sidewall, for example: indicated on the tire sidewall
255 /40 R 19 100 H XL (possibly only on the inner side
of the wheel):
...