
288 Tires and whee ls
- The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi
cle within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash.
-Always make sure that the total load being transported
- including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing.
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 WEIGH T OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
~ page 2 78,
fig . 250 .
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
~ page 278, fig. 250.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of cargo 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 -750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo .,..

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,&_ WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, 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 haz
ard, 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 damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
Tires and wheels 291
failure and loss of vehicle
control.
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels hove to
be broken in.
Fig. 254 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
0 Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
® Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code

296 Tires and wheels
sure of their "previous histo-
and sudden deflation and
ry." Old used tires may have loss of control.
been damaged even though -Temperature grades apply
the damage cannot be seen to tires that are properly in-
that can lead to sudden tire flated and not over or un-
failure and loss of vehicle
derinflated.
control. -For technical reasons it is
-All four wheels must be fit-
not always possible to use
ted with radial tires of the wheels from other vehicles -
same type, size (rolling cir- in some cases not even
cumference) and the same wheels from the same vehi-
tread pattern. Driving with cle model.
different tires reduces vehi- -If you install wheel trim
cle handling and can lead to
discs on the vehicle wheels,
a loss of control. make sure that the air flow
-If the spare tire is not the to the brakes is not blocked.
same as the tires that are Reduced airflow to the
mounted on the vehicle -for
brakes can them to over-
example with winter tires -
heat, increasing stopping
only use the spare tire for a distances and causing a col-
short period of time and lision.
drive with extra care. Refit -Run flat tires may only be
the normal road wheel as used on vehicles that were
soon as safely possible. equipped with them at the
-Never drive faster than the
factory. The vehicle must
maximum speed for which have a chassis designed for
the tires on your vehicle are run flat tires. Incorrect use rated because tires that are of run flat tires can lead to
driven faster than their rat-
vehicle damage or acci-
ed speed can fail suddenly. dents. Check with an au-
-Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire build-up, sudden tire fail- specialist to see if your vehi-
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with
..

300 Tires and wheels
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
I n certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
¢ page 328.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose causing loss of
control, a collision and serious personal in
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop
erly tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle .
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss.
If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loos en and come out when the vehi
cle is moving .
If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
{[) Note
The specified torq ue for the wheel bolts is
120 ft lb (160 Nm) with a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a whee l, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road feel
and handling under a variety of driving condi
t ions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pres
sures should be checked at least once a
month and always before a long trip
¢ page 282, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following precau
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary .
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from dr iving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires .
- After any impact, immed iately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
II>

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,...., ..,., ,....,
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 tire fa ilure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level gro und before you stop¢.&_ .
.. All passengers should
leav e the car and
move to a safe location (fo r instan ce, be hind
the guardra il)¢ .&_.
.,. Engage the
parkin g brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally¢ .&_.
.. Move
selecto r le ver to p osition P ¢ .&_ .
1> Ifyou are towing a trai ler: unhitch the trail
er from your veh icle.
.,. Block the diagonally opposite wheel with
the folding chocks or other objects.
.. Take the
jack and the inflatab le spare tire
out of the luggage compartment
¢page 304.
& WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if yo u do not fol
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat t ire, move a safe dis
tance off the road . Turn off the eng ine,
t ur n the emergency flashers o n and use
other warning devices to alert 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 he lp prevent the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking b rake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the wheel being cha nged with the fo ld
ing chocks or othe r objects. When one
front whee l is lifted off the g ro und, plac
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Park) wi ll
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
-
What do I do now? 307
-Before you change a whee l, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment
<=:>page 169 .
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 (only
vehicles with Adaptive Air S uspension)
¢ page 161 .
2. Remove the decorati ve wheel co ver* . For
more details see also <=:>
page 308, Deco
rative wheel covers
or <=:> page 308,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wh eel bolt s¢ page 308 .
4. Loca te the p roper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 309.
5. Lift the car with the jack Q page 309 .
6. Remove the wheel with the flat ti re and
then install the
inflatable spare tire
¢ page 310.
7. Tig hte n all wheel bolts lightly.
8.
L owe r the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten all wheel bolts¢ page 308.
10. Replace the decora tive whe el co ver* .
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode (on ly
vehicles with Adaptive Air S uspension)
¢ page 161 .
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
informat ion<=:>
& in Raising the vehicle on
page 310
and <=:> page 311.
•
•

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Loosening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
whee l bolt and push it down as far as it wi ll
go.
• Take tight hold of th e
end of the wrench
handle and turn the whee l bolts
counter
clockwise
abou t one single turn in the di rec·
tion of arrow
c::> fig. 263 .
Tightening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
& WARNING
-Do not use force or hurry when changi ng
a whee l· you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jac k and cause serious personal
injuries .
-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
(j) Tips
If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find it
easie r to loosen by carefully pushing down
on the end of the wheel bolt wrench with
one foot only. As you do so, hold on to the
car to keep yo ur balance and take care not
to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with th e jack first
before the wheel can be removed .
"' rl "' Fig. 264 Sill pane ls: m arkin gs rl
What do I do now? 309
Fig. 265 Sill: p ositioning the jack
• Activate the vehicle jack mode* (only
veh icles with Adaptive Air Suspension)
c::> page 161 .
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
• Move the
selector lever to position P .
• Find the marking (imprint) on the sill that is
nea rest the whee l that will be changed
c::> fig. 264. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the jack.
• Turn the
jack located under the lifting point
on the sill to raise the jack until its arm@
c::> fig. 265 is located under the designated
plastic mount
c::> .&. c::> Q) .
• Align the jack so that its arm@ c::> fig. 265
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door s ill and the movable base® lies
flat on the ground. The base@ must be
ver
tical
under the lifting point@.
• Wind the jack up further until the flat tire
comes off the ground
c::> .,& .
Position the jack only under the designated
lifting points on the sill
c::> fig. 264. There is
exactly
one locat ion for each whe el. The jack
must not be positioned at any other location
c::> .&. c::> Q).
An unstable surface under the jack ca n cause
the vehicle to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the jack on the ground . If nec
essary place a sturdy board or similar support
under the jack . On
hard, slippery surfaces
(such as tiles) use a rubber mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
c::> ,&.. .,,.

318 Emergency situations
@ Tips
- The discharged battery must be properly
connected to the vehicle's electrical sys
tem. When jump starting or charging the
battery, never connect the negative
ground cable to the battery negative
post because the battery manager sys
tem must be able to detect the battery's
state of charge . Always connect the neg
ative ground cable to the negative
ground post of the battery manager con
trol unit.
Use of jumper cables
Make sure to connect the jumper coble
clomps in exactly the order described below!
Fig . 272 Engine co mpartment: Conne cto rs fo r jum per
c ables a nd charger
®
Fig. 273 Ju m p sta rt in g w it h the bat te ry of anot her ve
h icle : A - b ooster battery, B - discharge d ve hicl e batte ry
The procedure described below for connecting
jumper cables is intended to provide a jump
start for your veh icle .
Vehicle with discharged battery:
.. Turn
off lights and accessories, move lever
of automatic transmission to N (Neutral) or
P (Park) and set parking brake. Connect
POSITIVE(+) to POSITIVE(+)
(red)
.. Open the red cover on the pos itive pole
¢ fig. 272 .
1. Connect one end of the red positive cable
on the jump start bolt
c::;, fig. 2 73@
(Bolts under red cover = "positive") of the
vehicle to be started @.
2. Connect the other end to the positive ter-
mina l@ of the booster battery@.
Connect NEGATIVE (-) to NEGATIVE (-)
(black)
3. Connect one end of the black negative ca
ble to the negat ive terminal @ of the
booster battery @.
4. Connect the other end of the black nega
tive cable to the jump start bolt@ (Bolts
with hex head= "negative") of the vehicle
to be started @.
Starting the engine
.. Start the engine of the vehicle w ith the
booster battery@. Run the engine at a
moderate speed .
.. Start engine with discharged vehicle battery
@ in the usual manner.
.. If the engine fails to start: do not keep the
starter crank ing for longer than 10 seconds .
Wait for about 30 seconds and then try
again .
""W ith engine running, remove jumper cables
from both vehicles in the exact
reverse or·
de r .
.. Close the red cover on the positive pole.
T he battery is vented to the outside to prevent
gases from entering the veh icle interior. Make
sure that the jumper clamps are well connect
ed with their
metal ports in full contact with
the battery terminals.
A WARNING
-
To avoid serious persona l injury and dam-
age to the vehicle, heed all warnings and i nstructions of the jumper cable manufac-
turer . If in doubt, call for road service . ,..

328 Con sumer Inf ormation
-Always make su re the transmission se
lector l ever (automat ic transmiss ion) is
in P (Park position) an d th e park brake is
firmly applied .
@) For the sake of the environment
-Changing the en gine settin gs wi ll ad
versely affect em iss ion levels . This is det
rimental to the enviro nment and incr eas
es fuel consumption .
- Always observe env ironmental regula
tions when dispos ing of old engine oil,
used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant,
spent batteries or worn o ut tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classified as Perchlo
rate Mate rial -spec ial handling may ap
ply, see www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardous
was te/perch lorate . When the veh icle or
parts of the res traint system in cl uding
airbag modules safety belts wit h preten
sioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your
authori zed Aud i dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Additional accessories,
modifications and
parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer be
fore purchasing accessories.
Your veh icle incorporates the latest safety de
sig n featu res ensu ring a high standard of a c
tive and passive safety .
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap
proved changes to the ve hicle. For this reason ,
if pa rts have to be replaced , please obse rve
the following points when install ing addition
a l accessories: Approved Audi accesso
ries and genuine Aud i
parts are available from authorized A udi deal
ers.
T hese dea le rs a lso have the necessary facili
ties, tools and tra ined specialists to install the
parts and acc essories proper ly .
A WARNING
-Using the wrong spare pa rts or using non-
approved accessories ca n cause damage to
the veh icle and ser ious persona l injury.
- Use on ly accessories express ly approved
by Audi and ge nuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessories have been
specia lly designed to be used on yo ur ve
h icle .
- Never install accessor ies such as tele
phone crad les or beverage ho lders on a ir
bag covers or within the airbag deploy
ment zones . Do ing so will increase the
risk of injury if a irbags are triggered in an
accide nt!
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always read and heed a ll
WARNI NGS
9 page 256 .
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
par ts, add-on equipmen t and accessory
items are used o r if repair wo rk is not
performed ac co rd ing to specified meth
ods, this c an resu lt in seve re damage to
yo ur vehicle's eng ine and body (such as
co rrosion) and adversely affect yo ur vehi
cle's warranty .
- If emergency repairs must be performe d
elsew here, have the vehicle examined by
an authorized A udi dealer as soon as
possible .
- The manufacturer cannot be held liable
for damage wh ic h occ urs due to failure
to comply with these stipu lations.