2015 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK ESP

228 Tires and wheels
-If you notice unusual vibra­
tion or if the vehicle pulls to
one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is
safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam­
age.
0 Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­
ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability. If summer tires are used
in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread
bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and
unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats , radio,
and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­
proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
...

Bead
means the part of the tire that
is made of steel wires, wrapped
or reinforced by ply cords and
that is shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the
bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manu­
facturer for a tire of a designat­
ed size that has not been driven
for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before
the tire pressure is measured or
adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor
vehicle with standard equip­
ment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool­
ant, air conditioning and addi­
tional weight of optional equip­
ment.
Tires and wheels 229
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires may be identi­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capaci­
ty of a single axle system,
measured at the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total
loaded weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two
adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that
a tire is rated to carry for a giv­
en inflation pressure. You may
not find this information on all
tires because it is not required by law.
•
•
'

Recommended inflation
pressure
see¢ page 229J Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher
inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard tire. Reinforced tires may be identi­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a
tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­ chase new tires to match the
new rim diameter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance be­
~ tween rim flanges.
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Tires and wheels 231
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire
is designed to be driven for ex­
tended periods of time. The rat­ ings range from 93 mph (150
km/h) to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢
page 248. You may not find
this information on all tires be­ cause it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates
the maximum permissible road speeds ¢
A in Winter tires on
page 252.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and illu­
minates a low tire pressure
warning telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.
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'

234 Tir es a nd whee ls
Ti re pressure generally refers to tant things you can do to help
the amount of a ir in a tire that avoid sudden tire failure . Un-
it needs it to do its job and derinflated tires are a major
safely carry the combined load cause of sudden ti re fa ilu re .
of the en tire vehicle and its con-
Keeping t ires at the right pres-
tents . Tire press ure is measured sure is also important for safe
i n ki lopascals (kPa), the inter- and responsive vehic le han-
national measuring unit and in dling , traction, braking and
pounds pe r square inch (PSI). load carryi ng .
Tire pressures
Ti re pressure is based in part on are particularly important
the vehicle's design and load when the vehicle is being driv-
lim it - the greatest amount of en at higher speeds, and then
weight that the vehicle can car -especially when heavily loaded
ry safely and the tire size. The even within the permissible
p rope r tire pressure is frequent -load-carrying capacities ap-
ly referred to as the " recom-proved for your vehicle.
mended cold tire inflation pres-
The recommended tire pres-
sure." Air in the tires expands
sures for your Audi depend on
when the tire heats up because the kind of tires on your vehicle
of internal friction when it flex-
and the number of passengers
es in use . The ti re pressure is
and/or amount of luggage you
h igher when the tire has
will be transpor ting.
warmed up than when it is The tire pressure labe l is locat-
"cold." It is the inflation p res-
ed on the driver's side 8 -pi llar .
sure in a "cold " tire that counts .
Therefore, you should never let The tire pressure label lists the
recommended cold t ire in fla-
air o ut of a warm tire to match
"cold tire inflation pressure" tion pressures for the vehicle at
its max imum capacity weight
recommendations . The tires
would t hen be underinflated and tires that were on your ve
-
a nd cou ld fai l suddenly . hicle at t
he time it was man u-
f actured .
...
Maintaining proper tire p res-
sure is one of the most impor-

Tires and wheels 235
If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 2 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire
pressures to those specified
for normal vehicle load. Before
operating the vehicle at maxi­ mum load, you must increase
the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle
load
c> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can on­
ly monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recognize the load
condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire p ressure monitoring system
will be impaired if you store normal load pressures but then
operate the vehicle at its maxi­
mum load
c> .&. .
Model/ Tire designation
See the illustration c> fig. 195
for the location of the label on
driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual label and exact loca­
tion on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate at the time of going to
press and is subject to change.
In the event of discrepancies,
the tire pressure label is locat­ ed on the driver's side B-pillar
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the rec­ ommended cold tire inflation pressures for the Audi model
covered by your Owner's Litera­
ture at the vehicle's capacity
weight and the tire sizes instal­
led on the respective models as
original equipment , or as a fac­
tory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS 7 275/35 R20 102V XL
3 6 250 30 210 39 270 39 270 Sportback: High Performance
4.0 liter 275/30 R21 98V XL
a -cylinder
High Performance
41 280 38 26
0 4 5 310 45 310
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
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'

236 Tires and wheels
Because technical changes may
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always
compare the tire size designa­
tion on the tire pressure label
on your vehicle with the tires on
your vehicle . Make sure that the
tire size information on the ve­ hicle label is the same as the
size of the tires on the vehicle .
This is especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ ­
ously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and
that of your passengers also de­ pends on making sure that load
limits are not exceeded . Vehicle
load includes everybody and ev­
erything in and on the vehicle .
These load limits are technical­ ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR"). The Gross Axle
Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the
maximum load that can be ap­
plied at each of the vehicle's
two axles . The Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety compliance stick- er label located on the driver's
side B-pillar. The tire pressure
label on your Audi lists the
maximum combined weight of
all of the occupants and lug­
gage or other cargo that the ve­
hicle can carry. For the location
of the tire pressure label
¢ fig. 195.
&_ 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 a
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 causing loss of
control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the total load being transported
does not make the vehicle .,.

Tires and wheels 239
-The tire pressures should only sudden tire failure, loss of •
be checked and adjusted when control, collision, serious per-• '
the tires are cold. The slightly
sonal injury or even death.
raised pressures of warm tires -When the warning symbol
must not be reduced.
[I] appears in the instru-
-Adjust the tire pressure to the ment cluster, stop and in-
load you are carrying. spect the tires.
-Reinstall the valve stem cap -Incorrect tire pressure and/
on the valve. or underinflation can cause
When should I check the tire increased tire wear and can
pressure? affect the handling of the
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 start ing a journey.
ing loss of vehicle control.
When should I adjust the -The driver is responsible for
ti re pressures?
the correct tire pressures for
Adjust the tire pressure to the all tires on the vehicle. The
load you are carrying. After applicable pressure values
changing a wheel
or replacing are located on a sticker on
wheels you have to adjust the the driver's side B-pillar.
tire pressures on all wheels. In -Only when all tires on the
addition, you must then store vehicle are filled to the cor-
the new tire pressures in the rect pressure, the tire pres-
tire pressure monitoring sys- sure monitoring system can
tern¢
page 255. work correctly.
A WARNING -The use of incorrect tire
pressure values can lead to
M
Incorrect tire pressures and/ N
0::
accidents or other damage. <.J
or underinflation can lead 'SI: ....
Therefore it is essential that ~ \!) 1.1'1
.... 1.1'1 ....

"' N
a:: I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
_&. WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
-
-Worn tires are a safety haz­ ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
-Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such
as grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
-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 histo­ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
Tires and wheels 245
failure and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels hove to
be broken in.
Fig. 199 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
0 Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
® Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code