2015 AUDI A8 flat tire

252 Tire s and wheel s
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See
c> page 2 53 , Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more importan t information.
A lways use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres­
sures . Check all of the t ires and be sure not to
f orget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the t ire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is cor rect for the
l oad (passenge rs and luggage) a nd kind of
d riving you plan to do.
If the p ress ure in any tire is too low, note the
d iffe rence between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure yo u need and add the a ir
that yo u need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
you r veh icle and in this manua l and the k ind
of dr iving you plan to do.
Never exceed the ma ximum infl ation pre s­
sure li sted on the tire sidewall for any rea­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacture r, determines the correct
tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressu re when
the tires are cold .
- Read the requ ired t ire pressu re from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressu re labe l is lo­
cated on the drive r's side 8-p illar.
- T urn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressu re ga uge on the valve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires a re cold. The
s li ghtly raised pressu res of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re install the valve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The co rrect tire pressu re is especially impor­
tant a t high speeds. The pressu re should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before sta rting a jo urney . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
whee l
c> page 268 .
When should I adju st the tire pres sure s?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
ca rrying . After cha ng ing a whee l
or replacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tire press ure s
on all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then
store the new tire pressures in t he tire pres­
sure monitoring system*
c> page 263.
A WARNING
=
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underi nfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilu re, loss of
control, collision , serio us pe rsonal injury
or even dea th.
- When the wa rn ing symbol
[IJ appears i n
the ins trument clus ter, stop and inspec t
the t ires.
- I nco rrect tire pressure a nd/or underinfla­
tion c an cause increase d tire wea r and
can a ffect the hand ling of the vehicle and
stopping abi lity.
- I nco rrec t tire pressures an d/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail ­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The driver is responsible for the co rrect
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
The applicable pressure values are locat ­
ed on a sticke r on the dr iver's s ide B-pil­
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres­
sure mon itor ing* system can work cor­
rectly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage .
Therefore it is essential that the drive r
observe the spec ified t ire pressu re val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
II),

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N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
th e f unct ion of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a w heel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest serv ice sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as requi red.
{Q) Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves . To preve nt this,
always ma ke s ure t hat facto ry installed
va lve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mounte d on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflat ed tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are l imits to the amo un t of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not handle
w ell and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an a lso damage import ant parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are n ot exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . Th ese
Tire s an d wheel s 253
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a f ull
tan k of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
max imum load. The max imum load incl udes
the n umber of passengers t hat the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs (68 kg) fo r each
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and the tota l weight of a ny luggage i n the ve­
hicle. If you tow a tra ile r, the we igh t of the
tra iler hi tch and the tongue we igh t of t he
loaded tra iler mus t be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR ") is
the max imum load th at can be appl ied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fe ty comp lian ce sti cke r la bel lo cate d on the
driver's side B-pillar. Yo ur Audi has
5 seat ing
pos itions , 2 in the front and 3 in the rea r for
total seating capacity of 5. Vehicles with pow­ er indiv idual rear seats* have 4 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total
seat ing capac ity of 4. Each seating position
has a safety belt
c::> page 143, Safety belts.
T he fact that there is an upper limit to you r
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the to tal weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle ( includ ing t he weight of a
tra ile r hitch a nd the tongue we ight of t he
loaded tra ile r) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passe ngers who are
heavier th an the sta ndard we ights assumed
mean tha t less we igh t can be carried as lug­
gage.
T he tire pressure label o n your Aud i also lis ts
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and l uggage or other cargo that
the ve hicle can carry. For the location of the
l abel
c::> page 249, fig . 208. IJ>-
•
•

254 Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle 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
vehicle from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
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 249,
fig. 208.
2.
Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers 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
c> page 249, fig. 208.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go 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 SO
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
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 .,.

256 Tires and wheels
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive 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 always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see Qpage 202 .
.&_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 212 Tir e specificat ion codes on the s idewall of a
t ire
No. Description
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S . DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&. .
We recommend that all work on t ires and
wheels be performed by an authorized A udi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as we ll as the proper fa ­
cilities for dispos ing of the old tires .
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and wheel s
Tires shou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be s ure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 263.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the t ires approved
for your ve hicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci ­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 249.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving character istics, and safety of the
veh icle. The table(¢
page 249) lists spec ifica­
tions of the t ires approved for the Audi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on dr iver 's side
B-pillar
( ¢ page 249, fig. 209) lists the speci­
fications of the orig inal equipment tires in­
stalled on your veh icle at the time it was man­
ufactured .
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires ¢
fig. 212 . This information
i dent ifies and desc ribes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire ide ntificat io n number
Tire s an d wheel s 257
for sa fety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the co rrec t tires . Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
255 /45 R 19 104 H
This co nta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
255 Nom inal tire width i n mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
45 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra -
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
1 9 Rim diameter code (i n inches)
104 Load ra ting code
H Speed ra ting letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") Indicates
t h at the t ire is a "Reinfo rced" or an " Ext ra
Load " tir e
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the ti re has
some mud and snow capab ility
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotat ion ¢
page 245 .
Tire manufacturing d ate
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2214 .. . " means, for example, the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2014.
Speed rating (letter code )
The speed rating le tter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 261.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
•
•

258 Tires and wheels
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
1l
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)l)
Your veh icle is normally factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
c:> page 30 will normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
c:> & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
r epresent the week and year of manufacture.
F or example, the numbers 2214 mean the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2014. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may
or may not be used by the tire manufacturer .
T his information is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Audi original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specially matched with your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characteristics when used
correctly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac -
ll F t· "t h .
o r ires w 1 a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity ove r 149
mph (2 40 km/ h), ti re manufact urers sometimes use
the lett ers " ZR."
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
Th is number ind icates the max imum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction , and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and tempera ture grades
c:>page 259.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
un der normal driv ing conditions .
_& WARNING
= -
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control
collision and serious personal injury.
'
- Always use tires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original factory-installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four whee ls must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­ cumference) and the same tread pattern . ..,_

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care. Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
deri nflated.
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing a collision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on
vehicles that were equipped with them at the factory . The vehicle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires. Incor­
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi­
cle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire specialist
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit­
ted.
(D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth-
Tires and wheels 259
er 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 ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
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 accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Tract ion AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
c;, page 256,
fig. 212.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded ISO would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
ll-
•
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
c:> .&. .
Te mp eratu re
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the t ire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under con trolled cond i­
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
c:> ,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No . 1 09 . Grades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of pe rformance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.&_ WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop laning o r peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es ­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not ove rloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible ti re fa ilu re.
-
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, local governments
may require true w inter o r "snow" t ires , those
with very deeply cut tread . Th ese tires should
o n ly be used in pairs and be installed on a ll
f o ur wheels . Make sure you p urch ase snow
t ir es that are the same size and cons truction
type as the othe r tires on yo ur vehicle.
If your vehicle i s equ ipped w ith all-whee l
drive, this will improve tra ction during w inte r
driv ing, even with the standard tires . Howev ­
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four wheels on your vehicle w ith cor­
rect ly fitted winter tires or all-season t ires,
when winter road condit ions are expected.
This also improves the veh icle 's brak ing per­
formance and reduces stopping d istances .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all fo ur whee ls .
As k your au thori zed A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
winter tire size s. Use
only radial winter tires .
Winter tires lose their effec tivenes s whe n the
tread is wo rn down to a depth o f 0 .1 57 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w ith w inter t ires under w inte r co n­
di tions. S umme r tir es handle be tte r whe n
the re is no snow o r ice on the roa ds an d the
temperatu re is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
If you have a flat ti re, see notes on spare
whee l
c:> page 256.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed rating than the tires o rigi­
nally i nstalled on your vehi cle at the time it
was manuf actu red. P lease see
c:> page 257,
Speed ra ting (Letter code) fo r a lis ting o f the
speed rating lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven . ..,.