222 Tires and wheels
Most tires Lose air naturally If the pressure in any tire is too
over time. They can also Lose Low, note the difference be-
some air if you drive over a pot- tween the pressure in the cold
hole or hit a curb while parking . tire and the pressure you need
It is usually not possible to see and add the air that you need to
whether the radial tires used reach the correct pressure for
today are underinflated just by the vehicle load (passengers
looking at them. and luggage) for the tires on
Therefore , be sure to check tire your vehicle as listed on the on
pressures at least once a month your vehicle and in
this manual
and always before going on a and the kind of driving you plan
long trip. Make sure to take the to do.
number of people and the
Never exceed the maximum in-
amount of luggage into ac-flation pressure listed on the
count when adjusting tire pres-tire sidewall for any reason.
sure for a trip -even one that
Remember that the vehicle
you would not consider to be manufacturer, not the tire man-
"long." See
¢ page 224, Tires ufacturer, determines the car-
and vehicle load limits for more
rect tire pressure for the tires
important information. on your vehicle.
Always use an accurate tire
It is important to check the tire
pressure gauge when checking pressure when the tires are
and adjusting inflation pres- cold.
sures . Check all of the tires. If
the pressure in any tire is too -Read the required tire pres-
sure from the tire pressure la-
high when the tire is "cold ", let
bel. The tire pressure label is
air out of the tire slowly with
located on the driver's side 8-
the edge of the tire gauge and
pillar. The tire pressure label
keep checking the pressure un-
lists the recommended cold
til you reach the pressure that
tire inflation pressures for the
is correct for the load (passen-
vehicle at its maximum capaci-
gers and luggage) and kind of
ty weight and the tires that
...
driving you plan to do.
Tires and wheels 223
were on your vehicle at the changing a wheel or replacing •
time it was manufactured. For wheels you have to adjust the • '
recommended tire pressures tire pressures on all wheels. In
for normal load conditions, addition, you must then initial-
please see chapter ize the new tire pressures in the
9page 217. tire pressure monitoring sys-
-Turn the valve stem cap coun- tern*
9 page 239.
ter-clockwise to remove it
_&. WARNING
from the tire valve.
Incorrect tire pressures and/
-Place the air pressure gauge or underinflation can lead
on the valve. sudden tire failure, loss of
-The tire pressures should only control, collision, serious per-
be checked and adjusted when sonal injury or even death.
the tires are cold. The slightly -When the
[IJ warning sym-
raised pressures of warm tires bol appears in the instru-
must not be reduced. ment cluster, stop and in-
-Adjust the tire pressure to the spect the tires.
load you are carrying. -Incorrect tire pressure and/
-Reinstall the valve stem cap or underinflation can cause
on the valve. increased tire wear and can
When should I check the tire affect the handling of the
pressure? vehicle and stopping ability.
The correct tire pressure is es- -Incorrect tire pressures
pecially important at high and/or underinflation can
speeds . The pressure should also lead to sudden tire fail-
therefore be checked at least ure, including a blowout
once a month and always be -and sudden deflation, caus-
fore starting a journey. ing loss of vehicle control.
When should I adjust the
-The driver is responsible for
the correct tire pressures for
tire pressures?
M all tires on the vehicle. The N
er Adjust the tire pressure to the u..
applicable pressure values ... co ,....,
load you are carrying. After \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
226 Tires and wheels
The tire pressure label on your
Audi also lists the maximum
combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the location of the label
¢page 217, fig. 182.
A WARNING
-
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the ve
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of the
loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi
cle within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash .
-Always make sure that the
total load being transported
- including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth
er things that you plan to trans
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢page 217,
fig. 182.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
...
234 Tires and wheels
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.
.&_ 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 sure of their "previous
histo
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
failure and loss of vehicle
control.
-All four wheels must be fit ted with radial tires of the
same type, size (rolling cir
cumference) and the same
tread pattern. Driving with different tires reduces vehi
cle handling and can lead to
a loss of control.
-If the replacement tire is
not the same as the tires
that are mounted on the ve
hicle -for example with win
ter tires - only use the re
placement tire for a short
period of time and drive
with extra care. Refit the normal road wheel as soon
as safely possible.
-Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which
the tires on your vehicle are
rated because tires that are
driven faster than their rat-
ed speed can fail suddenly. ...
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
and handling under a variety of driving condi
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dea ler for
more deta ils.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size
designation. The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
trea d width expressed in percentage. Conven
ti onal tires have a height/width 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
pressur e 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 221, 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 potho les, curbs, gullies
or ridges on the road, particu larly if the tire is
underinflated .
I n order to minimize the occ urrence of impact
damage to the tir es 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 driving
t hr ough or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
t ir es or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer. Replace a damaged
t ir e as soo n as possible.
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear. Damage is not al
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu-
Tires and wheels 239
ally cause tire failure. If you believe that a
tire may have been damaged, rep lace the
tire as soon as possib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly than oth
ers.
- Please also remembe r that, while these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires or iginally installed on your vehicle are in
tended for maximum dry and wet road per
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy o r icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehi cle w ith all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec
ommended snow or a ll-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or their equivalent.
Refer to¢
page 236 for more de tailed infor
mation regarding winter tires.
Ti re pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
sho uld be checked monthly when cold and in
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a d ifferent size than the
s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in
flat io n pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation pressu re for those
tires).
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon itoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure te llt ale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated. .,.
•
•
24 0 T ire s and wheel s
According ly, when the low tire pressure te ll
tale illuminates, you shou ld stop and check
your tires as soon as possible, and inf late
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a s ig
n ificantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-in
flation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire
tread life, and may affect the vehicle's han
dli ng and stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a subst itute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv
e r's responsib ility to ma inta in correct tire
p ressu re, even if under- inflation has not
reached the leve l to trigger ill umination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indica te when
the system is not opera ting properly. The
TPMS mal function indicator is combined wi th
the low tire press ure telltale . When the sys
tem detects a malfunction, the te lltale will
f lash fo r approximately one minute and then
remain cont inuous ly illuminated. This se
quence will continue upon subsequen t vehicle
start -ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is ill uminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea
sons , includ ing the installat ion of replace
ment or a lternate tires or whee ls on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ioning
p roperly. Always check the TPM S malf unct ion
tellta le after replacing one o r more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function p roperly. Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: wit h tire press ure mo nitor ing system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction .
Fig . 1 87 Displa y: un derin flation w arnin g
U sing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the tire tread circum
ference and vib ration characteristics of the in
dividua l tires.
If the pressure decreases in one
or more t ires, this is indicated in the instru
ment cluster with a
RI] war ning symbol and a
message ¢
fig. 187 . The driver message in the
display goes out afte r 5 seconds . The driver
message can b e displayed again by pressing
t h e
ISE TI button. If o nly one t ire is affec ted,
the d isp lay w ill indicate its posi tion.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be reset via rad io or M MI* each time the pres
su res a re adjusted (e.g. when swit ching be
tween partial and f ull load p ress ure) or after
changing or rep lacing a tire on your ve hicle
¢
page 241 . The TPMS indicator only mon i
tors the ti re pressure that yo u have previous ly
stored. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on driv
er 's side 8-pillar ¢
page 217.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a ti re pressure
warning if:
- the tire press ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the t ire has struc tural damage,
- t he t ire p ress ure was c hanged, wheels rota t-
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 241. ..,_
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Warning symbol s
ti] Loss of p ressure in at least one tire c::> ,&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace o r repair if
necessary . The indicator light
ti] in the instru
ment cluster also illuminates
c::> page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS v ia radio or MMI*.
liif:I ( T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Ti re
p ressu re : Sys tem malfun ction !.
Ifffi:m appears after sw itching the ign ition on
or while driving and the indicator light
ti] in
the instrument cluster blinks for approxi
mate ly one min ute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunction. Attempt to store the
correct t ire pressure
c::> page 241. If the ind i
cator light does not turn off or if it turns on
shortly thereafter, immediately drive your ve h icle to an authorized Audi dealer or author
i zed repair facility to have the malfunction
corrected.
_& WARNING
- If the t ire pressure indicator appea rs in
the instrument cl uster display, one or
more of you r tires is significantly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures . In
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres sure as indicated on the vehicle's t ire
pressure label
c::> page 217. Driving o n a
signific antly under-inflated tire ca uses
the tire to overhea t and can lead to tire
f ailure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures . You must
check the t ire pressures regular ly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor
ty driving style, w inter condit ions or un
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i
cator may be de layed.
-Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
Tire s an d wheel s 241
(D Tips
-The tire pressure monitor ing system may
stop working when there is an ESC ma l
function.
- Using snow c hains may res ult in a system
ma lf u nction.
- The tire pressure mon itoring system on
your Audi was deve loped using tires with
the "ROl" identificat ion on the tire side
wall
c::> page 230. We recommend using
these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles : wit h tire p ress ure mo nitor ing system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels ore ro
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
radio or MM!*.
.,. Before storing the new t ire pressures, check
that the current pressures on all four tires
correspond to the specified va lues and
adapt the pressures to the current load
c::> page 217 .
.,. Switch on the ignition.
.,. Select: the
I CARI fu nct ion button > Tir e pre s
sure monitoring
> Store now . Or
.,. Select: the
I CAR I fu nction button > Car s ys
tem s*
contro l butto n > Servicing & checks >
Tire p ressure monitoring > Sto re tire pres
sures
> Yes , store now .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow cha ins on the tire. Otherwise, a sys
tem malfunction may occur.
•
•
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co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Selector lever position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Symbols
refer to Warning/indicator lights .. .. .. 13
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Tail lights Cleaning ... .. ................ ... .
Technical modifications
T extiles 185
267
Cleaning . .. ................. .. ... 187
The first 1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) and after-
wards ..... .. .. ................ .... 179
Tie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 119
tiptronic S tronic transmission ...... .. .. .. .. .. 87
Tire mobility system ................. 242
Tire pressure .... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 221
T ire pressure monitoring system .. .. .. . 239
Tire repair kit .. ........... .. .. .. ... 242
Tires .. .. .. .. .. ........ ... .. ... ... . 210
Low aspect ratio tires ......... .... .. 238
Service life ........... ...... .... .. 227
Speed rating letter code ..... .. .. .. . 232
Tire manufacturing date ... .. .. .. .. . 232
Tire specifications ........ .. .. .. .. . 231
Tread depth ................ ... ... 227
Uniform tire quality grading . ... .. .. . 236
W inter tires ................ ..... . 236
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. .. . 224
T ires and wheels
Checking tire pressure .......... .... 221
Cold ti re inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . 217
Dimensions ... ........... .. .. .. ... 230
General notes ............ .... .. ... 210
Glossary of t ire and loading termino lo-
gy . ..... .. .................. .... 212
New tires and wheels ......... ... .. . 230
Replacing . ................. ... ... 231
Snow chains .. ........... .. .. .. ... 237
Tires and vehicle load limits .. .. .. .. . 224
Wheel bolts .............. ... ... .. 238
Winter tires ................ ... ... 236
Tire service life ..................... 227
Index 279
Tool kit ..... ..... ................. 242
Torn or frayed safety belts ............ 126
Towing Front eyelet . .. .. ................. 258
Rear eyelet .. .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. 258
Tow truck procedures .......... .... . 257
TPMS Tire pressure monitoring system ... .. 239
Transmission .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 83
Transmission malfunction (indicator light) 88
Transport Canada ................... 120
Travel mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) ....... .... 227
Trip computer
Fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mileage ..... .... .. ................ 24
Single-trip memory ................ . 24
Total-trip memory ................. . 24
Trip odometer ... .. .. ................ 12
Trunk
refer to Luggage compartment . . . 66, 118
Trunk escape handle ............. .. .. . 37
T runk lid
refer to Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Turn signals . .. .. .. .. ... ....... ...... 52
Warning/indicator lights . ....... .. .. . 22
u
Unfastening safety belts 129
Unidirectional tires ... ............... 211
Uniform tire quality grading .......... 236
Unlocking Rear lid ..... .. .... .......... ...... 36
Un locking/locking at the lock cylinder . ................. 35
by remote control ................. . 33
with the central locking switch ... .. .. . 34
with the convenience key .... .... .... . 34
Upper cabin heating . ................. 72
Use of jumper cables .............. .. 256
V
Valet parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Vanity mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
•
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