Driving safet y
-Never leave you r vehicle unattended espe
c ially w ith the rear lid left open. A chi ld
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped a nd u nable to get ou t. Be
ing trapped in a vehicle ca n lead to serious
persona l injury.
- Never let child ren p lay in o r around the vehi
cl e.
- Never let passe ngers r ide in the luggage
compartm ent . Ve hicle occupants must al
ways be proper ly restrained i n one of t he ve
hicle's seat ing positions.
- Air c irculat io n he lps to red uce window fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
th roug h vents in t he tr im pane l. Be su re to
k eep the se s lots free and open.
- T he t ire pressur e must cor respond to the
l oad. The t ire pr ess ure is shown on the tire
p re ssu re la bel. The tire pressure labe l is lo
cated on t he d river 's s ide B -pillar . The t ire
pressure la bel lists the recommende d cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and the t ires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recomme nded tire pressures
for normal load cond itions, please see chap
ter ¢ pag e 206.
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles: with tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo proper ly
¢ page 117, Loading the luggage comportment.
In a col lision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle w ill
become heavy miss iles that can cause serious in
jury. Items i n the vehicle possess energy which
vary w ith veh icle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For examp le, in a frontal coll is io n at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
118
weight o f the item . This means that the weight
of the item would s udden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passe nger compartment co uld cause in a col
li sio n like this.
A WARNING
W eak, damaged or improper straps us ed to
secure i tems to tie-downs can fail d uring ha rd
b rak ing o r in a coll is io n an d cause se rious per
son al injury .
- Always use s uitable mou nting straps and
pr ope rly se cu re items to the tie-down s in
t he l uggage comp artme nt to he lp prevent
items from shift ing o r flying forwa rd as dan
ge rous m issi les.
- Wh en the rea r seat backres t is folded dow n,
always use s uita ble mo unti ng straps and
prope rly secure items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying fo rward as dangerous mis
siles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down.
-
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury o r
death, you should immediately in
form the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notify ing Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com
plaint s, it may open an in ve stiga
tion , and if it finds that a safety
d efe cts exi sts in a group of .,.
Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
.,.Che ck your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap
proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re
placed immediately.
"'Protec t your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.Ma rk tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
.,.Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as
possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical
in those seasons. Audi recom
mends using winter tires dur
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de crease the elasticity of summ
er tires, which affects traction
Wheels
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem
peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi
tions. The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 169 T ir e designations on the sid e-
wall ,..
201
® Mud and snow capability
"M/S" or "M+S" indicates the tire
has characte ris tics that make it
suitable for driving on mud and snow .
& indica tes a winter tire.
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
T he number of plies indicates the
number of rubbe rized fabr ic lay
e rs in the t ire . In general: t he
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry. Tire manufa ctu re rs
must also specify the mater ials
used in the t ire. These include
stee l, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Treadwear, traction and tempera
ture ranges¢
page 212 .
@Running direction
The arrows ind icate the running
direction of un idirect ional tires.
You m ust always follow the speci- fied
running d irection
¢ page 223.
€3) Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
Whe els
T his number ind icates the max i
mum pressure to which a ti re can
be inflated unde r no rmal opera t
ing conditio ns.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having al l work
on t ires or wheels pe rformed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized repair facility. These fa
cilities have the proper know le d ge
and are equippe d with t he re
qu ired t ools and rep lacement
parts.
... New tires do not yet have the
optimum adhesion properties.
Drive caref ully and a t moderate
speeds for the first 3S0 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
... use tires of the same cons truc
tion , size (ro lling circum ference)
and the same tread pattern on
a ll four w hee ls .
... Do not replace t ires individua lly.
At least rep lace b oth tires on the
same ax le at the same time .
.,. A udi recommends t hat yo u use
A udi Or ig inal equipment tires. If ,.
20 3
"' N er .... "!
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair facility
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear.
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel.
If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per
pendicular to the running direc
tion
c:> fig. 170. The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall
indicate the location of the tread
wear indicators.
;;; l) Obey any applicable regulations in your "?
~ country . .....
Wheels
The tires have reached the mini
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
c:> .&. .
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate wheels, in
stall the wheels from the rear
axle on the front axle and vice ver
sa. This will allow the tires to
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make sure
the tires are installed according to
the running direction indicated on
the tire sidewall
c:> page 223.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of
ten occur in locations that are hid
den. Unusual vibrations in the ve
hicle or pulling to one side may
indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi
205
Wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)a l
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
PSI kPA
RS 5 Coupe: 265/35 Rl9 98V XL
4.2 liter High Performance
39 27
0
35 2
40 44
300 41
280
8-cylinder
275/30 R20 97V XL
High Performance
39 270 35 240
44 300 41 280
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 people in the front
_& WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure ¢
page 206 and load
limits ¢
page 208.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your pas sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev-
208
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle , all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load . The maxi
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in
tended to carry ("seating capaci
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen
ger at a designated seating posi
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle . If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ- ed as part of the vehicle load. ..,.
The Gross Axle W eight R ating
("GAWR") is t he maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carr ied in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas
sengers in the vehicle or passen
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety compli
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 206,
fig .171 .
A WARNIN G
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per
sonal injury , and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and in-
Wheels
crease the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail sud
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the to
ta l load being transported -
including the weight of a trail
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu
late the tota l weight of the pas
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transpor t
so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload- ed.
~
209
Wheels
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle 's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 206 , fig. 171 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX " kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 206, fig. 171.
4 . The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex
ample, if the
" XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex-
210
c eed the available ca rgo and
luggage load capa city calculat
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehicle will be towing a
trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your vehic le . Consult thi s manual to de
termine how this reduce s the
available cargo and luggage load capacity of your vehicle .
~check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 201 , fig. 169) to deter
mine the designated load rating
for a spe cific tire.
· Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
W heel bolts must be clean and loosen/ tighten
e asi ly.
Rims
Rims with a bo lted rim ring* or with bo lted whee l
cove rs* cons ist of mult iple p iec es. T hese com po
nen ts wer e bolte d together using specia l bo lts
a nd a s pe ci al procedu re . Yo u m us t n ot rep air or
d is as semb le th em ¢
&.
_&. WARNING
Wh eel bo lts tha t are ti ghtene d or r epa ired i n
cor rectly ca n be come lo o se and res ult in loss
of vehicle control , wh ic h increases the risk of
an accident. For t he cor rect tightenin g specif i
cati on, refer to¢
page 219 , A~er changing a
wheel.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threa ds
in the wh eel hub clean and free of grease.
- On ly us e whee l bolts that f it t he rim .
- Always have damaged rim s repaire d by an
auth orized Audi dealer or auth orized re p air
facility. Neve r repa ir or disassemble r ims
Wheels
with them . Remove the whee l cove rs * firs t.
Use coated snow c hains .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
tio tires. These tires have been thoro ughly tested
a nd been se lected specifically fo r yo ur model for
their superb per formance, road feel a nd handling
un der a va riety of d riving conditions. Ask you r au
thor ized Audi dealer for more deta ils.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated by
a numeral of
55 or less i n the tire's size des igna
tion . Th e nu mera l re p resen ts th e r atio of t he
tire's sidewall he igh t in relation to i ts trea d w idt h
e xpres sed in per centage. Convent io na l ti res h ave
a heig ht/w idth ra tio of 6 0 or mo re.
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 pre ssure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressu res should
be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip<=> page 206.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio t ires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
r idges on the road, part icu larly if the t ire is un
de rinflated .
In order to m inimize the occu rrence o f impact
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that y ou obse rve the following precau
tions:
- Always maintain recommende d inflation pres
s u res. Check your tire press ure eve ry 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary.
- Drive carefully on roads w ith po tholes, deep
gull ies or r idg es. The impact from d rivin g
t hr ough or over such obstacles can damage
yo ur tires. Impact w ith a curb may also cause
damage to you r ti res .
- After any impact, im mediately inspect your
t ir es or have th em inspected by the neares t au-
212
thori zed A udi d ealer. Re place a damaged t ire as
soo n as possible .
- Inspe ct your tires every 2, 000 m iles (3,0 00 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of air and
unde rinflation, wh ic h co uld event ua lly cause
tire failure. If you believe t hat a t ire may have
been damaged, rep lace the t ire as soon as p os
sible .
- These tires may wea r more quickly than others.
- Please also remember t hat, while these t ires
delive r responsive handling, they may r ide less
comfortably a nd make mo re noise than othe r
choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
A ll tires are designed for certain purposes. The
l ow aspect ratio, ultra hig h pe rformance t ires
o rigina lly ins talled on your veh icle are intende d
fo r max imum dry an d wet road p erformanc e and
h and ling . They are n ot suitab le for co ld , sn owy or
i cy we ather condi tio ns . If you dr ive und er those
c ircu mstances, you sho uld equi p your vehi cle
with a ll-season o r winter tires, which offe r bette r
traction under those co ndit ions. We suggest you
u se the recommended snow or all-season tires
spec ified for your vehicle, or t he ir equiva le nt.
Refe r to
<=> page 211 fo r more detai led informa
tion rega rding w inte r ti res .
Uniform tire quality grading
-T read wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature A BC
Quality g rades c an be fou nd where applicab le on
th e tire side w all b etwee n tre ad shoulder and
ma ximum sec tion wid th
<=>p age 201, fig . 16 9.
For example: Tr ead w ea r 200 , Traction AA , Tem
pera ture
A .
All passenger ca r tir es must conform to Federa l
Safety Requirem ents in addi tion to these grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wea r rate of the t ire when tested