Wheels
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear.
- Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per
pendicular to the running direc
tion ¢
fig. 205. The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall indicate the location of the tread
wear indicators.
The t ires have reached the mini
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢Ai..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate wheels, in
stall the wheels from the rear
1> Obey any applicable regulatio ns in you r
country .
244
axle on the front axle and vice ver
sa. This will allow the tires to
have approximately the same
length of service life .
For unidirectional tires, make sure
the tires are installed according to
the running direction indicated on
the tire sidewall ¢
page 264.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of
ten occur in locations that are hid
den. Unusual vibrations in the ve
hicle or pulling to one side may
indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal
er or authorized repair facility to
have the vehicle inspected.
8_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega
tive effect on handling, on the
risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving
M N
co ~ co
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
Emergency assistance
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit and collapsible spare
tire
Onboard tool kit and vehicle jack
The vehicle tools ond vehicle jack* are stored in
the luggage compartment under the floor cover.
Fig. 209 Luggage compartme nt: on board tool kit and vehi·
cle jack
The vehicle jack* is stored under the on board tool
ki t¢ fig.
209.
Hybrid drive*: the storage location of the on
board too l kit varies ¢
page 105.
The on board tool kit includes:
- Hook for removing wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Alignment p in for cha nging wheels
- Wheel bolt wrench
- Folding chocks
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- Socket (removable Torx socket)*
- 10 x 13 open ended wrench (for disconnecting
the battery cables)
- Towing eye
Befo re storing the jack*, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack* can cause
ser ious personal injuries.
- Never use the jack* supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heav ier
-
Emergen cy assistance
one. The jack * is only suitable for use on the
veh icle it came with.
- Using a bumper jack to raise the vehicle will
damage the bumper system. The jack may
slip, causing injury.
- Never support your vehicle on c inder b locks,
bricks or other objects. These may not be
able to support the load and could cause in·
jury when they fa il.
- Never start or run the engine while the vehi
cle is supported by the jack*.
- If you must work under the vehicle, always
use safety stands specifically designed for
this purpose.
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bolts.
- Always make sure the inflatable spare tire*
and even a flat tire are secured in place and
not loose, otherwise they could fly forward,
causing personal injury to passengers in the
veh icle in an acc ident or sudden maneuver.
(D Tips
Some of the on board items listed above are
provided on certain models only or are option
al extras.
Folding chocks
The folding chocks are part of the on board tool
kit.
--.. ,..
Fig. 210 Open ing foldi ng chock s
To use the chocks, you first have to rais e the sup ·
port plate r::!,>
fig. 210 (!) and then i nsert the lock
ing plate with the two "tabs" into the e longated
holes in the base pl ate@¢
A. .,.
255
M N
co ~ co
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
-Position the jack * only at the designated
lift ing po ints and align the jack* . Other
wise, the jack* could slip and cause an in
jury if it does not have suffic ient hold on
the vehicle .
- A soft or unstab le surface under the jack*
may cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack*.
Always provide a firm base for the jack * on
the ground. If necessa ry, us e a sturdy
board under t he ja ck*.
- On ha rd, slippery surface (such as til es)
use a rubbe r mat or similar to prevent the
jack* from slipp ing.
- T o help prevent injury to yourself and your
passenge rs:
- Do not raise the vehicle until yo u are sure
the jack* is secure ly engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the vehicle
when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wa it in a safe
p lace away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, adjust
as necessary and then continue to raise
the jack *.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the si ll. Pos ition the
jack * only at the designated lifting points on
the si ll. Otherwise, your ve hicle wi ll be dam
aged.
Em erg en cy ass is tan ce
Taking the wheel off /installing the
inflatable spare tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for chang
ing the wheel
F ig . 22 1 Chang in g a whee l: usin g t he screwdr iver hand le
(w ith the blade re moved) to turn the bolts
Fig . 222 Cha ng ing a w hee l: alig nment pin inside the top
h ole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and re
place the wheel as follows:
Removing th e wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwd river
h andle
to comp letely remove the topmost
wheel bo lt and set it aside on a
clean surface
¢fig. 221 .
.,. Screw the threaded end of the alignment pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt
hole
¢ fig . 222 .
.,. Then remove the othe r whee l bolts as described
above .
.,. Ta ke
off the whee l leaving the a lignment pin in
t he bolt hole
c;, (D _
Putting on th e inflatable spare tire*
.,. Inflate the inflatable spare tire* ¢ page 257
and push the wheel over the alignmen t pin.
263
Emergency assistance
"' Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel bolts
slightly.
"'Remove the alignment pin and insert and tight
en the remaining wheel bolt slightly like the
rest.
"'T urn the jack handle* counter-clockwise to low
er the vehicle until the jack* is fully released .
"'U se the whee l bolt wrench to tighten all wheel
bolts firmly¢
page 261. Tighten them cross
wise,
from one bolt to the (approximately) op
posite one, to keep the wheel centered.
@ Note
When removing or installing the wheel, the
r im could hit the brake rotor and damage the
rotor. Work carefu lly and have a second per
son help you.
(D Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle
of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten the
wheel bolts.
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screwdriv
er before you use the hexagonal socket in
the handle to turn the wheel bolts.
- When mounting tires with
unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pattern is
pointed the right way
¢page 264.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to
turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on the
mating surfaces of bot h the wheel and the
hub. Remove all dirt from these surfaces be
fore remounting the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the
right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When us ing a spare tire w ith a tread pattern in
tended for use in a specific direct ion, please note
the following:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an arrow
on the side of the tire .
264
-If the spare tire has to be installed in the incor
rect direction, use the spare tire only tempora
r il y since the tire w ill not be ab le to achieve its
optimum performance character istics with re
gard to aquaplaning, noise and wear.
- We recommend that you pay part icu lar atten
tion to th is fact during wet weather and that
you adjust your speed to match road condi
tions.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it
installed on your veh icle as soon as possible to
resto re the handling advantages of a unidirec
tional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information ¢ page 242, New
tires ar wheels
if you are going to use a spare tire
which is different from the tires on your vehicle .
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare immedi
ately after installation.
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as pos
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
105 ft lb (140 Nm).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded
and difficult to turn while changing a tire,
they should be replaced before you check the
tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and have
it installed on your vehicle as soon as possi
ble. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, drive with extra care and at reduced
speeds.
&_ WARNING
- If you are going to equ ip your vehi cle w ith
tires or rims which differ from those which
were factory installed, then be sure to read
the information ¢
page 242, New tires or
wheels .
-