Airb ag syst em
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa
miliar with these requirements and we recom
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing t ire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension, including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it wou ld not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy
ing when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's s uspension including
use of unapproved t ire-rim comb inat ions can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in
crease the risk of ser ious persona l injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac
te ristics as the components or iginally insta l
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved by A udi.
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the senso rs
in the b uck le to send the wrong information
t o the electron ic contro l modu le and prevent
t he Advanced Airbag System from working
properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfere
with the safety be lt b uckles and that they
are not obstructed.
116
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 119 D river 's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing whee l
~fig. 119, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees lower thigh
areas as a supplement to the protection by the
safety belts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 110 , More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe
ty belts help keeping the driver or front passen ger in posit ion in a frontal collision so that the
airbags can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restra int system in your vehicle. A lways re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wea ring it p roperly. This is why you sho uld a l
ways wear your safety be lt, not just because the
l aw requires yo u to do so¢
page 95, General
notes .
llll-
.... N ,..: N "': ....
"' "' N
"' .....
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends
on a lot of different things includ
ing proper installation and bal
ancing, correct tire pressure and
driving style.
Fig. 149 Tire tread: tread wear indica
tors (TWI)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehicle
have 1/16 inch (1 .6 mm) high
"wear indicators"c::>
fig. 149 run
ning across the tread. Depending
on the make, there will be s ix to
eight of them evenly placed
around the tire. Marks on the tire
sidewall (for example "TWI" or
other symbols) indicate the posi
tions of the tread wear indicators.
Worn tires must be replaced. Dif
ferent figures may apply in other
countries c::>
.&..
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes pre
mature wear and can cause sud-
Tires and wheels
den tire blow-out. For this reason,
tire pressure must be checked at least once a month c::>
page 179.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy
acceleration and hard braking in
crease tire wear.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are
balanced. However, various situa
tions during everyday driving can
cause them to become unbal
anced, resulting in vibrations you
can usually feel through the
steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be reba
lanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tires . A
wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed .
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, impair
ing the safety of the vehicle. If
tires show excessive wear, have
the whee l alignment checked by
an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop.
185
