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U.S. Federal Standard if a child with elec
trical capac itance greater than the com
bined capacitance of a typical one-year
old infant restra ined in one of the for
ward fac ing or rearward-fac ing ch ild
seats w ith which your vehicle was certi
fied is on the front passenger seat and
the other conditions for airbag deploy ment are met.
- Acc ident statist ics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rea r seat
area than in the front seating posit ion .
- For their own safety, all children, espe
c ially 12 years and younger, sho uld al
ways ride in the back p roperly rest rained
for their age an d size .
Advanced front airbag system
Your veh icle is equipped w ith a front Advanced
Airbag System in comp liance with Un ited
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supple ments the safety belts to provide add it iona l
protection for the driver's and front passeng
e r's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle dece le rat io n is high enough.
The front Advanced A irbag System for the
fro nt seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety belts . Rather, it is part of the over
all occupant rest raint system in your ve hicle.
A lways remember that the airbag system can
only help to pro tect you, if you are s itting up
righ t, wearing yo ur sa fety belt and wearing it
properly. This is why you and yo ur passengers
must always be properly restrained, not just
because the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
h as been certified to meet the " low r isk" re
q uir ements for 3 and 6 year-o ld children on
the passenger s ide and very small adu lts on
the dr iver side. The low risk deployment crite
ria are intended to he lp reduce the risk of i n
j ury through interaction with the front airbag
A irbag system 153
that can occur, for examp le, by being too
close to the steering wheel and instr ument
panel when the airbag inflates .
In add ition, the system has been cert ified to
comply with the "s uppression" requirements
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for in fants 12 months o ld and younger
who are rest rained on the front passenger
seat in child restraints that are listed in the
Standa rd
c> page 175, Child restraints and
Advanced front airbag system .
"Suppression" requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to abo ut one year of age is re
strained on the front passenger seat in one
of the rear-fac ing or forward -facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your ve hicle was
cert ified . Fo r a listing of the chi ld restraints
that were used to certify you r vehicle's com
p lia nce w it h t he US Safe ty Stand ard
c>page 175,
-When a pe rson is detec ted o n the front pas
senge r seat that has an e lec trica l capa ci
tance t hat is more than the tota l elect rical
capacitance of a child that is about 1 year
old restrained in one of the rear-facing or
forward-facing infant restraints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
w ith which the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle was certified), the front airbag
on t he passenger side may or may not de
ploy.
The
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electron ic cont ro l unit de tects a to
ta l elect rical capac itance on the front passen
ger seat that requi res the front a irbag to be
turned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li gh t does no t come on, the front airbag on
the passenger side has not been turned off by
the contro l unit and can deploy if the control
u nit senses an impact that meets the condi
tions stored in its memory.
If the total e lectr ica l capacitance registered
on the front passenger seat is more than that
ll>
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196 Intellig ent technolog y
distance detected to the veh icle a head is too
smal l.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the d rive power to the other wheels.
This f unct ion is not availab le at h igher speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automat ically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on aga in au
tomatically when conditions have returned to norma l.
St eering recommendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by
cha nging the steering to rque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the steering in critical s itua
tions .
Select ive w heel to rque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed.
This a llows more prec ise driving in curves. The
applicable system may not activate when d riv
ing i n wet or snowy conditions.
.&_ WARNING
- T he ESC and its integrated systems can
not overcome the limits posed by natural physical laws
. This is especially impor
tant on slippery or wet roads. If the sys tems beg in acting to stabilize your vehi
cle, you should immediately change your
speed to match the road and traffic con
d itions . Do not let the increased safety
p rovided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Do ing so will increase the ri sk
of a loss of veh icle cont ro l, collision and
serio us personal inj uries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions . The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast , especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . The ESC and its integrated sys
tems cannot a lways prevent collisions -
there is still a risk of acc idents!
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems that c annot al
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correctly when
all four wheels are equipped wi th iden ti
cal tires. D ifferen t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are workin g.
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ea (USA
mode ls)/ lCO j
page 19,
<=>page 19.
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Winter t ire s
When driving in the w inter, your vehicle w ith
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll fo ur
wheels .
See also c:> page 267, Winter tires.
Tire chain s
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally a lso applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive
c> page 268, Snow
chains.
Re placing wh eels/ tire s
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c:> page 260, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road dri ving ?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
c:>page204.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf
fic condit ions . Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel dr ive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef
fec tive, a lways remember that braking
capacity is limited by t ire traction. Yo u
should therefore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels cou ld begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this sho uld occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in
crease in engine speed as with a front
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con
ditions -risk of c rash.
Int ellig ent technolog y 201
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not d riven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat
tery is discharged by idling current consumers (e .g. immobilize r). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in the re be ing insuffic ient energy
available to start the engine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi
cl e ha ndles the distribution of e lectr ica l ene r
gy. Start ing ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
ba tter y dia gno sis, id lin g curr ent manage
ment
and dynamic ener gy manag ement.
Battery di agnos is
Battery diagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the batte ry . Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
tempe rature. This de termines the curren t
state of cha rge and the power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing .
With the ign ition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo
nents. Da ta fr om ba ttery d iagnos is is cons id
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
individ ual cons ume rs a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge o f the battery
and th us maintain star ting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being dr iven, dynamic e n
ergy ma nagement distr ibutes the energy gen
erated a ccord ing to the needs of the individ u-
al components . It regulates consumpt ion, so
that more e lectrical energy is not being used .,.
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Bead
means the part of the tire that
is made of steel wires, wrapped
or reinforced by ply cords and
that is shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the
bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom
mended by the vehicle manu
facturer for a tire of a designat
ed size that has not been driven
for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before
the tire pressure is measured or
adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor
vehicle with standard equip
ment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool
ant, air conditioning and addi
tional weight of optional equip
ment.
Tires and wheels 243
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire .
Extra load tires may be identi
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capaci
ty of a single axle system,
measured at the tire-ground in
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total
loaded weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two
adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that
a tire is rated to carry for a giv
en inflation pressure. You may
not find this information on all
tires because it is not required by law.
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Recommended inflation
pressure
see¢ page 243J Cold tire infla
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher
inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Reinforced tires may be identi
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a
tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur chase new tires to match the
new rim diameter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance be
~ tween rim flanges.
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Tires and wheels 245
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire
is designed to be driven for ex
tended periods of time. The rat ings range from 93 mph (150
km/h) to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ page 263. You may not find
this information on all tires be cause it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates
the maximum permissible road speeds ¢
A in Winter tires on
page
267.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and illu
minates a low tire pressure
warning telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.
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If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at normal load (up to 2/3* occu
pants), you can adjust tire
pressures to those specified
for normal vehicle load. Before
operating the vehicle at maxi mum load, you must increase
the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
c> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres
sure monitoring system can on
ly monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recognize the load
condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system
will be impaired if you store normal load pressures but then
operate the vehicle at its maxi
mum load
c> .&. .
Tires and wheels 249
See the illustration c> fig. 200
for the location of the label on
driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual label and exact loca
tion on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate at the time of going to
press and is subject to change.
In the event of discrepancies,
the tire pressure label is locat ed on the driver's side B-pillar
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the rec ommended cold tire inflation pressures for the Audi model
covered by your Owner's Litera
ture at the vehicle's capacity
weight and the tire sizes instal
led on the respective models as
original equipment , or as a fac-
tory option. ..,.
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•
'
250 Tires and wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition
full load condition
fronta> reara>
front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A7: 235/55 Rl 7 99Y
32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260 3.0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder
255/45 R18 99H
All Season
32 220 29 200 35 240 38 260
255/45 Rl8 99Y 32 220 29 200
35 240
38 260
High Performance
255/40 R19 lOOH XL
35 240 32 220 38 260 280 All Season 41
255/40 Rl9 lOOY
XL
36 250 32 220 38 260 41 280 High Performance
265/35 R20 99H XL
35 240
32 220 38 260 41
280 All Season
265/35 R20 99Y XL
36 250 32 220 38 260 41
280 High Performance
57: 255/40 R19 lOOY XL
39 270
33 230
42 290 42 290 4.0 liter High Performance
a-cylinder 265/35 R20 99Y XL
High Performance
41 280 35 240 44 300 44 300
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
a) normal load
condition¢ page 247.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la
bel on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always
compare the tire size designa
tion on the tire pressure label
on your vehicle with the tires on
your vehicle. Make sure that the
tire size information on the ve
hicle label is the same as the
size of the tires on the vehicle. This is especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone
else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ
ously owned vehicle.
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
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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.
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