2015 AUDI A8 flat tire

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The speed rating letter code (c::> page 248) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 256.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
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 tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
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.
@l 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.
-
Tires and wheels
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,S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> (]) . 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.
(D 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 ..,.
261
•
•

26 2 T ire s and wheel s
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 severe ly dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(D} Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with All Wheel Drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims
are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
¢page 292.
_& WARNING
Imprope rly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can be come loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bol ts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop­
er ly tightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts to reduce the risk of a whee
l loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tighte ning torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
([) Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. Afte r changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible wi th a
torque wrench -pre ferably by an au thor­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a var iety of d riv ing condi ­
t ions . As k your author ized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral rep resents the ratio
of the t ire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
t read width ex pressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he igh t/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low -a sp ec t-ratio tires i s
pa rticularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure . It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and th at the inflation pressure i s
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
s u res should be checked at least once a
month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 251, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gull ies .,..

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or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is underinflated .
I n o rder to m inim ize the occu rrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your veh icle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflat ion
pressures. Chec k your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000
km) and add air if neces­
sary.
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer. Replace 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 tire failure. If you be lieve that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
t ire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r mo re qui ck ly than ot h­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, whi le these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
l ess comfortably and make mo re noise than
othe r choices.
Reduced performance in winter /cold
season condition s
All tires are des igned for certa in pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally 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 condit ions.
If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your veh icle with all-season or
winter t ires, which offer better traction under
those cond itions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
for your ve hicl e, or their equ iva lent.
Tire s an d wheel s 263
Refer to q page 260 for more detailed infor­
mation regard ing winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, incl uding the spare ( if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inf lation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat io n pressure labe l, you shou ld determ ine
t h e p rope r tir e inflation p ressu re fo r those
ti res).
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon itoring
system ( TPMS) that illum inates a low t ire
pressure te lltale whe n one or more o f you r
tires is significant ly under-inflated . According­
ly, when the low tire pressure te lltale illumi­
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un­
der- inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure. Under-inflation al ­
so reduces fuel eff ic iency 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 ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er's respons ibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the leve l to tr igger illuminat ion of the
T PMS low tire pressu re tellta le .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lfu nction ind icator to ind icate when
the sys tem is not operating properly. The
T PMS ma lfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure te lltale. When the sys ­
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximate ly one minute and then ..,.
•
•

264 Tires and wheels
remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons , including the installation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 213 Display : underi nflatio n warning
Fig. 214 Display: System mal functio n
Using the ABS sensors , the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, th is is indicated in the i nstru- ment
cluster with a warning symbol
[I] and a
message
r=> fig. 213 .
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad­
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
plac ing a tire on your vehicle
r=> page 265. The
TPMS indicator only monitors the tire pres­
sure that you have previously stored. You can
find the recommended tire pressures for your
vehicle on the Label on dr iver's side B-pillar
r=> page 249.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat -
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 265,
-the spare tire* is mounted.
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢&,. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary . The indicator light
[I] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 11.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
Ill (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction.
Iflll appears
after switching the ignition on or while driving
¢fig . 214 and the indicator light [I] in the in­
strument cluster blinks for approximately one minute and then stays on, there is a system
malfunction . Attempt to store the correct tire
pressure ¢
page 265. If the indicator light
does not turn off or if it turns on shortly
thereafter , immediately drive your vehicle to
an a utho rized Aud i dealer or authorized repair
facility to have the malfunction corrected.
llll-

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A WARNING ,~
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label¢
page 249. Driving on a
signif icantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability .
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the correct tire pressures. You must check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­ paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
-Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
.
(0 Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system may
stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction .
- The tire pressure monitoring system on your Audi was developed using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall
¢page 256. We recom­
mend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
.,. Before storing the new tire pressures, check
that the current pressures on all four tires
correspond to the specified values and
Tires and wheels 265
adapt the pressures to the current load
¢page 249 .
.,. Switch on the ignition.
.,. Select in the MMI:
ICARI function button >
Car systems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures > Yes, store now.
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire. Otherwise, a sys ­
tem malfunction may occur .
•
•

268 What do I do n ow ?
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)
Applies to vehicles: with space-saving spare tire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
Fig. 219 Spare tire
Tak ing out th e spare tir e
• Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
¢fig. 219.
• Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
• Turn the large screw¢
fig. 219 counter­
clockwise.
• Takeout the spare tire .
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the repla ced ti re in the l uggage com­
partment¢
page 139.
• Unhook the cargo f loor before closing the
rear lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as poss ible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare t ire
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 .
Snow chains
Fo r technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compa ct spare tire is
not p ermi tte d .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare whee l w ith tire instead of a
rear tire. Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defect ive front tire.
A WARNING
=
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
d icators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as poss ible with the
normal wheel and tire.
-After mounting the compact spare tire, the t ire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
e rwise, you risk having an acc iden t.
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u ris k having an accident.
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
b rak ing, and fast corne ring. You risk hav­
i n g an accident.
- Neve r drive using more than one spa re
wheel and ti re. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or win ter t ires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permit ted .
If it is necessary to drive with t ire 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
must then be installed in place of the
rear whee l with the flat tire. Installing
the t ire chain before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­ ment can cause se rious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident. Never store the inflatable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
ment.

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Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 220 Luggag e co mpartm ent : spar e wh eel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:::>fig . 220.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:::> fig. 220 counter­
clockwise.
• Takeout the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit , the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c:::> page 139 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
-
Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat ion p ressu re of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
What do I d o now ? 269
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 moving traffic and try to
reach
leve l ground before you stop c:::> ,&.
• All passengers should le av e t he ca r and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:::> ,& .
• Engage the parki ng br ake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:::> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion P c:::> ,&. .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your ve hicle.
• Take the
jac k and the sp are tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:::> page 267,
c:::> page 268 .
& WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safety precaut ions:
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always f ully set the parking brake
and b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Par k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jac k.
-

2 70 What do I do now ?
-Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced t ire in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 139.
@ Tips
Before changing the wheel, yo u m ust acti­
vate t he jac king mode, so t hat the auto­
mat ic cont rols fo r the Adaptive Air S us­
pens io n do not make it mo re diff ic u lt to
lift the vehicle with the jack
c.';> page 2 72.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode
¢page 272.
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more deta ils see also
¢ page 270, Deco­
rative wh eel covers
o r ¢ page 2 71 ,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3 . Loosen the wheel bolts ¢ page 2 71.
4. Locate the proper mo unt ing po in t for the
j ack and align t he jack be low tha t poi nt
¢ page 272 or r::!>page 273.
5. Raise the car with the jack¢ page 272 or
¢page 273.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then i nstall
the spare ¢page 274.
7. Tighten all wheel bolts ligh tly.
8 .
Lower th e ve hicle w it h the jack .
9 . Use the whee l bolt wren ch and
firmly
tig hte n al l whee l bolts ¢p age 271.
10. Rep lace the decorative wheel cover* .
11. D eactivate t he ve hicle jack mode in the
M MI :
!CARI function button > Car systems
control button > Se rvicing & checks > Air
susp.: jack mode
> Off .
The vehicle jac k mode sw itches off automati ­
cally at speeds above 10 km/h.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
informati on
¢ .&. in AB: Raising the vehicle
on page 272
and ¢page 275 .
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack"
and the rep laced tire in the luggage com­
pa rtment
¢ page 139.
.,. Check the tire pressure on the spare whee l
immed iate ly afte r mounting i t.
.,. As soon as poss ible, h ave the
tightening
torques
on all whee l bolts che cked with a
torque wre nch. The correc t tig hten ing tor ­
que is 90 ft l b (120 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as s oon as possi­
ble.
@ Tips
- If you not ice that the w heel bo lts a re
co rroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, t hey shou ld be rep laced
before you check the tig htening to rque.
- Dr ive at reduced speed until you have the
t ightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the t ire p ress ure
in all four tires must be chec ked/co rrect ­
ed and the tire p ress ure monito ring in di­
cator must b e sto red in th e MMI
¢ page 265.
' Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: w ith decorative whee l covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fig. 2 21 Cha ngin g a w hee l: Remov ing th e w heel cove r
Removing
.,. Insert the hook (prov ided w ith th e vehicle
t oo l ki t) in the hole in the whee l hub cover . ..,.