Tires and wheels
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes. Use on
ly radial winter tires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires under winter condi
tions. Summer tires handle better when there is
no snow or ice on the roads and the temperature
is above 45 °F (7 °().
Please always remember that winter ti res may
have a lower speed rating than the tires originally
installed on your vehicle at the time it was manu
factured . Please see¢ page 189, Speed roting
(letter code) for a listing of the speed rat ing let
ter codes and the maximum speed at which the
t ires can be driven.
The speed rating letter code(¢ page 174) is on
the side wall of the tire ¢page 186.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits that
may be lower than your vehicle's maximum
speed. Always know the maximum speed be
fore driving off . Never drive faster than the
speed permitted for your specific winter tires .
This will cause damage to the tires leading to
an accident and serious personal injury to you
and your passengers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed for
which the winter tires on your vehicle were designed can cause tire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation, loss of contro l,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have
worn or damaged tires replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating that may be lower than your vehicle's maxi
mum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for which
the winter or other tires installed on your
vehicle are rated.
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A WARNING ,_ -
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions . Never let the good accelera
tion of the winter tires and all-wheel drive
tempt you into taking extra risks. Always re
member:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive ve
hicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy
and slippery roads, even winter tires cannot
help under black ice conditions.
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather conditions
permit . They are quieter, do not wear as
quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
, Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the rear
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your au
thorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes snow
chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-profile links and
must not be thicker than 0.53 inch (13 .5 mm) ,
including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers before putting snow
chains on your vehicle ¢Ci) . For safety reasons
cover caps must then be fitted over the wheel
bolts . These are available from authorized Audi
dealers .
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehicle
or installing them incorrectly can increase the
risk of loss of control leading to serious per
sonal injury .
- Snow chains are available in different sizes.
Always make sure to follow the instructions
provided by the snow chain manufacturer .
- When driving with snow chains, never drive
faster than the speed permitted for your
specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
..... 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.
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