2015 AUDI Q7 wheel bolts

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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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loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal inj uries. Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed.
- Never drive faster than the speed for wh ich 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 winte r tires and all-whee l
drive temp t you into taking extra r is k s. Al­
ways remembe r:
- When braking, an a ll-w heel driv e vehicle
hand les in the same way as a front dr ive
vehicle.
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
c annot he lp un der blac k ice cond it ions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summe r tires when weathe r cond i­
tions perm it. They are quieter, do not wea r
as quickly and red uce fue l consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the rear
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask yo ur
authorized Audi dealer on whic h tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low -profile links
a nd must not be thicker than 0 .S3 inch
(13 .5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel cente r covers and tr im discs
before p utting snow chains on you r vehicle
~ 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must the n
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are avail­
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in-
Tire s an d wheel s 2 99
crease the risk of loss of contro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in­
structions prov ided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow cha ins neve r
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
([) Note
-Remove snow c hains be fore 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 whee l rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
t he pos itio n of the snow chains afte r
dr iving a few yards and co rrect if neces­
sary. Fo llow the inst ruct io ns from the
s now chain ma nufa ct urer when do ing so.
- If the Adaptive Ai r Suspens io n* s hou ld
ma lfun ction, do not mount o r use snow
c h ains be cause the ve hicl e w il l be ex­
t reme ly low. If you do d rive with snow
chains on while t he ve hicle is at this lev ­
el, the snow chains m ight seve rely dam ­
age the whee lhouse and other parts of
the vehicle.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer ­
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
T he design of w heel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims a re fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used. Th is ensures that wheels are fitted .,..
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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
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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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308 What do I do now?
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is no t complete without do­
ing the following .
"'Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 169.
"'As soon as possible, have the tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is 120
ft lb (160 Nm) .
"' Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
@ Tips
- 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 tighten ing torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to vehicles: with decorative wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fig . 261 C han ging a w hee l: Removing the whee l cove r
Removing
"'Insert the hook provided with the vehicle
tool kit in the hole in the hub.
"' Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
<=> fig . 261 .
' Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un­
screwed .
Fig. 262 Changing a wh eel: re mo vin g th e wh eel b o lt
caps
Removing
"' Push the plastic clip provided with the vehi­
cle tool kit over the wheel bolt cap until it
engages .
"' Pull on the
plastic clip to remove the cap
<=)fig. 262 .
Refitting
"' Place the caps over the wheel bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wh eel
bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts mus t be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 263 Cha ng ing a w heel : loosening th e w hee l bo lts II--

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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::> ,&.. .,,.

310 What do I do now?
& WARNING
-You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not
follow these safety precautions:
- Position the jack only at the designated
lifting points and align the jack. Other­
wise, the jack could slip and cause an injury if it does not have sufficient hold
on the vehicle.
- A soft or unstable 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 necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping.
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve­
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct, ad­
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the jack only at the designated lifting
points on the sill. Otherwise , your vehicle
will be damaged.
Taking the wheel off /installing the
inflatable spare tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel
Fig. 266 Changing a wheel: alignment pin inside the
top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
.,. Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
and set it aside on a
clean surface.
.,. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole
¢ fig . 266.
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de­
scribed above.
.,._Takeoff the wheel leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole ¢(D.
Putting on the inflatable spare tire
.,. Inflate the inflatable spare tire ¢ page 306
and push the wheel over the alignment pin.
"Screw in and tighten all wheel bolts
slightly.
.,. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest .
.,. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to
lower the vehicle until the jack is fully re­
leased .
" Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly ¢
page 308 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.

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(D Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the bra ke rotor and dam­
age the rotor . Wor k carefully and have a
second person help you.
- W hen mounting tires with
unidirectional
tread design
ma ke s ure the tread pat­
tern is pointed the r ight way
<=> page 311.
-The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn. Check for d irt and corrosio n on
t h e mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
and the hub. Remove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo untin g t he wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tr ead pattern point ed in
the right dire ction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
W hen using a spa re tire w ith a t read patte rn
in te nded fo r use in a specific direction, p lease
n ot e t he followi ng:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an ar­
row on the side of the tire.
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the in­
correct di rection, use the spa re tire only
tem porarily si nce th e tir e will not be able to
a ch ieve i ts op timum pe rfo rm ance chara cter­
is tics with reg ard to aq uaplani ng, noise and
wea r.
- W e recommend that you p ay pa rticular at­
tent io n t o this fact du ring wet weathe r and
t h at you adjus t your spee d to matc h roa d
con dit ions.
- Re place the fla t tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
poss ible to restore the hand ling advantages
of a unid irect iona l tire.
What do I do now?
Notes on wheel changing
P lease read t he i nfo rmat ion c:> page 291, New
t ires and replacing tires and wheels
if y ou a r e
go ing to use a sp are tire w hich is different
from the ti res on yo ur vehicle.
After yo u cha nge a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible 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 120 ft lb (160 Nm) .
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque.
- Repla ce the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as s oon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, drive with extra care and at re­
duced speeds .
&_ WARNING
-
- If yo u are goi ng to e quip yo u r ve hicl e
wit h tires o r rims whi ch di ffer from those
which were fac to ry installed, t hen be
sure to rea d the information
c:> page 2 91,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always make s ure the damaged wheel o r
even a flat tire and the jack and t ool kit
are prope rly secured in the luggage com ­
pa rtme nt and are not loose in the pas ­
senge r compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, inj uri ng a nyo ne in the
veh icle.
- Always sto re damaged wheel , jack a nd
too ls sec urely in the luggage compa rt­
men t. Othe rwise, in a n accide nt o r sud­
de n m aneuver they could fly forwa rd,
c a u sing i nju ry to passenger s in th e ve hi­
cle.
311
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