
24 6 Vehicle care and cleaning
- Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive materia ls.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately .
-Sen sors /cam era l ense s
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
lens. This could cause the lens to crack.
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials
or alcohol to clean the camera lens.
Th is could cause scratches and cracks .
-Windows
- Remove snow and ice on w indows and
exte rior mirrors with a plastic scraper .
To avoid scratches, move the sc raper
only in one direction and not back and
forth.
- Never remove snow or ice from win
dows and m irrors using wa rm or hot
water because this cou ld cause cracks
to form.
- To avoid damage to the rear window
defogger, do not apply any sticke rs on
the heating wires on the ins ide of the
w indow.
- Decorati ve parts /trim
- Never use chrome care o r cleaning
products.
- Paint
- To reduce the risk of scratches, the ve-
hicle must be free of dirt and d ust be
fore polishing or waxing.
- To prevent paint damage, do not polish
or wax the veh icle in direct sun light .
- To reduce the risk of paint dama ge, do
not polish away rust film.
- Remove cosmet ics and sunblock imme
diately. Otherwise, the paint could be
damaged .
-Di splays
- To avoid scratches, do not use dry
cleaning methods on displays.
- Controls
- Ma ke s ure that no f lu ids ente r the con-
t rols, because th is co uld cause dam
age .
-Safety belts
- Do not remove the safety belts to clean
them.
- Never clean safety belts or their com
ponents chemically or with co rrosive
f lu ids or solvents and never allow
sha rp objects to come into contact
with the safety belts. This could cause
d amage to the bel t webbing.
- If there is damage to the webbing, the
connection s, the re tracto rs or the buck
les, have them repla ced by an author
ized A udi dealer or a qualified work
shop.
- Textile s/Viny l/Alcantara
- Never treat V inyl/Alcantara w ith leath-
er care products, solvents, floor polish,
shoe polish, stain remover or similar
p roducts.
- To avo id damage, have stubborn stains
removed by an autho rized Aud i dea le r
or a qualified workshop .
- Never use steam cleaners, brushes,
hard sponges, etc . w hen cleaning .
-Do not turn on t he seat heating* to dry
the seat.
- Objects w ith sharp edges s uch as zip
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the surface.
- Open hook and loop fasteners, for ex
ample on cloth ing, can damage seat
covers . Make sure hook and loop fas
tene rs are closed .
-Natural leather
- N eve r trea t le at her wit h solven ts, floo r
polish, shoe polish, stain remover or
similar products.
- Objects with sharp edges s uch as zip
pers, rivets on clothing or be lts can
cause damage to the su rface.
- Neve r use s team cleaners, br ushes,
hard sponges, etc . when cleaning .
- D o not turn on the seat heating * to dry
the seat.
- To help preve nt the leat her from f ad
ing, do no t leave the vehicle in d irect
sunlight for long per iods of t ime. If

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreci
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreci
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle. Tires are, how
ever, one of the most important
parts of a vehicle, particularly
considering the comparatively
small patch of rubber on each
tire that assures that all-impor
tant contact between you, your
vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire
pressure, making sure that your
vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more weight than they can safely handle, avoiding
damage from road hazards and
regularly inspecting tires for
damage including cuts, slashes
irregular wear and overall con
dition are the most important
things that you can do to help avoid sudden tire failure includ
ing tread separation and blow-
~ outs.
0 ...J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,....,
"' ,....,
Tires and wheels 2 71
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb
or similar obstacle , drive very
slowly and as close as possible
at a right angle to the curb.
Always keep chemicals includ ing grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the t ires regularly for
damage (cuts, cracks or blis
ters, etc.). Remove any foreign bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove
them to indicate the direction
of rotation. This ensures you to be able to mount them correct
ly when you reinstall them.
When removed, the wheels or
tires should be stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounted on
rims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢ _&. .
The tread depth of new tires
may vary , according to the type .,.
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272 Tires a nd whee ls
and make of tire and the tread
pattern.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is of
ten not readily visible. If you notice unusua l vibration or the
vehicle pulls to one side, this may indicate that one of the
t ires has been damaged . The
tires must be checked immedi
ately by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop .
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be
identified by arrows on the
sidewall, that point in the direc
tion the tire is designed to ro
tate. You must follow the speci
fied direction of rotation . This is
necessary so that these tires
can develop their optimum
characteristics regarding grip,
road noise, wear and hydro
planing resistance. For more in
format ion
c:> page 311 .
&_ WAR NIN G
New tires or tires that are
old, worn or damaged cannot
provide maximum control
and braking ability. -
New tires tend to be slip
pery and must be broken in .
To reduce the risk of losing
control, a collision and seri
ous personal injuries, drive
with special care for the
first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driv ing with worn or dam
aged tires can lead to loss of
control, sudden tire fa ilure,
including a blowout and
sudden deflation, crashes
and serious personal inju
ries. Have worn or damaged
tires replaced immediately.
-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 low speed .
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not
sure of their "previous history." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
failure and loss of vehic le
control.

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-If you notice unusual vibra
tion 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 de
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea
sons. Audi recommends using winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem peratures significantly de
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 273
If summer tires are used in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread
bars, resulting in perma
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
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Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indi
cate a low sidewall for im
proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.

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Tires and wheels 281
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI
kPA
255/55 R18 109H XL
All Season
35 240
35 240 44
300 49 340
265/50 Rl9 llOH XL
All Season
35 240
35 240 44
300 49 340
Q7:
3.0 liter 275/45 R20 110H XL
All Season
35 240
35 240
44 300 49 340
6-cylinder
275/4S R20 llOY XL
High Performance
35 240 35 240 44 300 49 340
295/35 R21 107V XL 36 250 35 240
44
300 49 340
High Performance
XL~ reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wa .
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la
bel on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always
compare the tire size designa
tion on the tire pressure label on your vehicle with the tires on
your vehicle. Make sure that the tire size information on the ve
hicle label is the same as the
size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone
else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you
bought the vehicle as a previ
ously owned vehicle. Remember, your safety and
that of your passengers also de pends on making sure that load
limits are not exceeded. Vehicle
load includes everybody and ev
erything in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical- ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle
Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can be ap
plied at each of the vehicle's
two axles. The Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety compliance stick-
er label located on the driver's
side B-pillar. The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
maximum combined weight of ""
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292 Tires and whee ls
No . Description
® Load index and speed rat-
ing
(J) U .S. DOT tire identifica-
tion number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and
materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and
temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible in-
flation pressure
The tires and rims are essential
parts of the vehicle's design .
The tires and rims approved by
Audi are specially matched to
the characteristics of the vehi
cle and can make a major con
tribution to good road holding and safe handling when in good
condition and properly inflated
¢ ,&..
We recommend that all work
on tires and wheels be per
formed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with
recommended p rocedures and
have the necessary special too ls
and spare parts as well as the proper facilities for disposing of
the old ti res.
Autho rized Audi dealers have
the necessary information
about technical requirements
for installing or changing tires
and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires sho uld be replaced at
least in pairs and not individu
ally (for example both front
tires or both rear tires togeth
er).
B e sure to read and heed the in
formation to the tire pressure
monitoring system
c::> page 301.
Always buy replacement radial
tires that have the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Re
placeme nt tires m ust always
have the same load rating spec
ification as the orig inal equip
ment or approved optional tires
listed in the table c::>page
278.
Audi-approved spec ificat io n
tires are specially matched to
your vehicle and its load limits ,
and can contribute to the im- portant roadholding, driving .,.

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recommend using only these
tires because they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characteris
tics 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 gen
eral, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire
can support. Tire manufactur
ers also must indicate the ma
terials in the tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester, and oth
ers .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates 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 tem
perature grades ¢
page 297.
Tires and wheels 295
Maximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that
should ever be put in the tire under normal driving condi
tions.
A WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatch
ed 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 wheel bolts that meet the specifications of original
factory-installed tires or
other combinations that have been specifically ap
proved by the vehicle manu
facturer.
-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
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run flat tires. If run flat tires
are u sed , they must be in
stalled on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not per
mitted.
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to
use the wheel rims from
other 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 vehicle
(for example winter tires or
wide profile tires), then use
the spare tire for a short pe riod of time only and drive
with extra care. Replace the
flat t ire with the tire match
ing the others on your vehi
cle 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 accord
ance with the local require ments.
Tires and wheels
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality g rades ca n be foun d where applicab le
on the t ire s ide wall between t read sho ulder
and maximum section width
c> page 291,
fig. 254 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperat ure A .
All passenge r ca r tir es must con form to Feder
a l Safety Requ irements in add ition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear g rade is a c omp arati ve rati ng
based on the wear ra te of the tire when tes te d
u nder con tro lled conditions o n a specifie d
government test course .
F o r ex ample , a tire gr aded 1S 0 wo uld wear
one a nd one h alf ( 11/ 2) times as well on the
governmen t course as a ti re g raded 100 .
T he re lative perfo rman ce of tires depe nds
up on the actu al c ondition s of the ir u se, how
ever, and m ay depa rt s ignificantly from t he
no rm due to va ria tions i n driving ha bits, se rv
ice p ractices and differences in road character
istics and cl imate.
Traction
T he trac tio n gr ad es, from hig hest to lowes t,
a re AA, A, Ban d
C. Those g rades represe nt the
ti re 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured u nder cont rolled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of aspha lt
and concrete. A t ire mar ked C may have poor
traction performance
c> ,&. .
Temperature
The temperature gr ades are A (the highest),
B, and C, represent in g the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ab ility to d issi
pate heat when tested un der controlled condi
tions on a specif ied indoo r labo rato ry test
whee l.
297
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