
196 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u 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 t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
(D Note
- Please note that summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
a re typ ica l in those seasons. Aud i recom-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items wh ich may be rep lace d)
of automa tic transmission, power s teering ,
power brakes, power wi ndows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that thes e
items are availab le as factory-installed equip
ment (whether ins talled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio o f the height to the width of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall for improved steer ing re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means t he pa rt of the tire that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separat ion
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire. mends using winter tires during the w
in
ter months. Low temperatures signifi
cantly decrease the elastic ity o f summe r
tires, which affects traction and braking ability . If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks ca n form o n
the tread bars, resu lting in permanent
tire damage that can cause lo ud driving
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is no t
responsib le for this type of d amage .
- Burn ished , polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter road condi
tions. The s urface of the rims does not
have s uff ic ient corrosion protection for
this and could be permanently damaged
by road sa lt o r similar substances .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire p ress ure recommended by the
vehicle m anufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ign ated
s ize that has not been d riven for more than a
coup le of miles (ki lometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire p ress ure
is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the maximum
capac ity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi
tion ing and additional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standa rd tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "E X TRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capa city of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
terfaces.
liJJ>

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
was manufactured. Please see ¢ page 207,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 198) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 206.
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
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an ac cident and serious
pe rsonal inj ury to you and yo ur passen
gers .
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can ca use tire fai lure in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflat ion,
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immed iate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
w hich the winter or other tires installed
on your veh icle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your d rivi ng to the road and
traffic conditions. Neve r let the good ac
c eleration of the w inte r ti res and all whee l
drive temp t you in to taking extra r is k s . A l
ways remember:
- When bra king, an a ll whee l dr ive vehicle
hand les in the s ame way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under blac k ice conditions.
Tire s an d wheel s 211
'
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and o nly to certain tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i deale r on which tire sizes
snow cha ins can be used .
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm) , includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow cha ins on your vehicle
c::> Q) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are ava il
able from autho rized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your vehi
cle o r insta lling them incorrect ly can in
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. A lways make sure to follow the in
structions p rov ided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con
tact with the whee l rim , can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after
•
•

246 Index
Checking the engine coolant leve l .... . 186
Radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
E ng ine coolant temperature
Temperature gauge ..... .. .. .. .. .. .. 10
Eng ine hood
Closing .... .......... ...... ... .. . 179
H ow to release the hood . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
E ngine oi l ..... ........... .... .... . 181
Adding .. .. ............. .. .. .. ... 184
Addi tives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Changing .. ................ ... .. . 185
Check oil level ............ ... .. .. . 184
Consumpt ion . ........... .. .. .... . 184
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 18
O il consumption .......... .... .... . 183
Oil dipstick ............... ... .... . 184
Oil grades . ................. ..... . 181
Pressure malfunction ....... .... ... .. 15
Sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Specification and viscosity .. .. .. .. .. . 181
Engine speed limitation ......... .... . . 17
Environment Break-in period ... ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 161
Cata lytic converter ............ ..... 161
Disposing of your vehicle battery .. .. . 193
Driving at high speeds ......... .. .. . 163
Driving to minimize pollution and noise 162
Fuel ... .... ................ ..... . 177
Fue l economy .............. .. .... . 162
Leaks under your vehicle ... .. .. .... . 179
Le tting the vehicle stand and warm up . 163
Proper disposal of dra ined brake fluid . 189
Proper disposal of dra ined engine cool-
ant . .. .... ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 187
Proper disposal of dra ined engine
oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184, 185
Recycling used engine oil ......... .. . 184
Roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Unleaded fuel ..................... 175
What should I do with an old battery? 193
EPC
refer to Electronic power control . . . . . . 17
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . ........ .. . 152
Exhaust tail pipes Cleaning . ............... ........ . 171
Expansion tank ............ .. .. .. .. . 186
Exterior lighting ............ ... .. ... . 40 Exterior
mirrors
Adjusting ..... .. .. .............. .. 44
Dimm ing . ... .. .. .. .............. .. 45
Heating ... .... .. ............. .... . 44
F
Fan
Radiator
Fastening Booster seats .... ................ .
Convertib le child safety seats ..... .. .
Infant seats ..... ............. ... .
Flat tire 188
141
140
139
Changing . .... .. ............. .... 218
Floor .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .... ..... . 62
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Fog lights/rear fog lights ...... ... .. .. . 40
Folding chocks .. .. ... .......... .... 217
Folding the rear seat forward ... .. .. .. . 60
Foot pedals ..... .. .......... ...... .. 99
For the sake of the environment Gasoline fumes and the environment .. 177
Le tting the engine warm up . . . . . .
66, 68
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Sav ing fuel by early upshifting ........ 11
Front airbags Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
How they work . .. ............. .... 121
Frontal collis ions and the laws of physics 105
Front passenger's door emergency lock ing 33
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Adjusting . .... .. ............. .... . 96
Child restraints in the front seat .. .. .. 114
Fuel Additives . ..... .. ................ . 175
B lended gasoline ................. . 175
Consumption .. ... ................ . 22
Filler neck . .... .. ............. .... 176
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Gasoline .. ... ... ................ . 175
Gasoline additives ................ . 176
Low fuel level symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Octane rating .. .. ............. .... 175
Recommendation ... ........... .. .. 175
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Reserve ........................... 11
Tank capacity .. .. ... .......... .... 235