Tires and wheels
table( ¢ page 176) lists specifica
tions of the tires approved for the
Audi models covered by your
Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located on driver's s ide 8-pillar
(¢page 176,
fig. 148) lists the specifications of
the original equipment tires in
stalled on your vehicle at the time
it was manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufac
turers to place standardized infor
mation on the sidewall of all tires
¢ fig .
150 . This information iden
tifies and describes the funda
mental characteristics, the quality
grade of the tire and also provides
a tire identification number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire spec ifications
makes it easier to choose the cor
rect tires. Radial tires have the
tire specifications marked on the
sidewall, for example:
P235 / 35 R 19 91 Y
This contains the following infor
mation:
P I ndicates the tire is for passen
ger cars
1 88
235 Nominal tire width in mm of
the tire from sidewall edge to
sidewall edge . In general, the
larger the numbe r, the wide r
the tire
35 Height/width ratio in percent
(aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF") indicates that the tire is
a"Reinforced" or an "Ext ra
Load" ti re
M+S (o r "M/S") Indicates that the
tire has some mud and sn ow
capability
The tires could also have the in
formation of direction of rotation
¢page 170.
Tire manufacturing date
The manufactur ing date is a lso in
dicated on the tire sidewa ll (pos
sibly only on the
inner side of the
wheel) :
"DOT .. . 2213 ... "means, for ex
ample, that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2013. .,.
..... N
r-N "': ..... \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 .....
CD Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on roads
not covered with snow to avoid damaging
tires and wearing the snow chains down un necessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct contact
with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage
it. Therefore, make sure that the snow
chains are suitably covered . Check the posi
tion of the snow chains after driving a few
yards and correct if necessary. Follow the in
structions from the snow chain manufactur
er when doing so.
(j) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the fac
tory installed rims. If different rims are fitted,
the correct wheel bolts with the right length and
correctly shaped bolt heads must be used. This
ensures that wheels are fitted securely and that
the brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you may not use wheel
bolts from a different vehicle -even if it is the
same model ¢
page 217.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose causing loss of con
trol, a collision and serious personal injury.
-
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads
in the wheel hubs clean so the wheel bolts
can turn easily and be properly 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.
Tires and wheels
- Never use different wheels bolts on your ve
hicle.
- Always maintain the correct tightening tor
que for the wheel bolts to reduce the risk of
a wheel loss. If the tightening torque of the
wheel bolts is too low, they can loosen and
come out when the vehicle is moving. If the
tightening torque is too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the
wheel can become loose.
CD Note
The specified torque for the wheel bolts is 90
ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7 .4 ft lb
(± 10 Nm) . Torque wheel bolts diagonally. Af
ter changing a wheel, the torque must be
checked as soon as possible with a torque
wrench -preferably by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
tio tires. These tires have been thoroughly tested
and been selected specifically for your model for
their superb performance, road feel and handling under a variety of driving conditions . Ask your au
thorized Audi dealer for more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated by
a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size designa
tion. The numeral represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Conventional tires have
a height/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure. 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 pressures should be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip
c> page 179, Checking tire
pressure.
195
