"' N
a:: I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individu
al tire that is determined by
distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded
vehicle weight and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individu
al tire that is determined by
Tires and wheels 233
distributing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, acces
sory weight, and normal occu
pant weight (distributed in ac
cordance with table below
¢ page 233) and dividing by
two.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for
various designated seating capacities
Designated seating Vehicle normal load, Occupant distribu-
capacity, number of number of occupants tion in a normally
occupants loaded vehicle
4 2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall
handlingJ performance and safety
of a vehicle.
Fig. 195 Tire pressure label: located
on driver's side B -pillar
-"' ---------------.... ,;,
& =-=====c=-=============== ::l
Ve=~= • = • =-1)§ -n,,......,..__.................................... • .... _ .. .................................... ___...,._ .. . -
- KPA, . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
- KPA. . PSI
Fig. 196 Tire pressure label
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.
•
•
'
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 .,.
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing.
& WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead to a serious or fatal ac
cident.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the
vehicle.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus ing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on
your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pillar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the tire pressure
label and in the table
¢ page 233, Cold tire inflation
pressure .
This means that the
pressure must be checked and
Tires and wheels 237
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds during the previous
three hours. Air in the tires ex pands when the tire heats up as
a result of internal friction as it
flexes in use. The tire pressure
is higher when the tire has
warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a
"cold" tire that counts. There
fore, you should never let air out of a warm tire to match
"Cold tire inflation pressure"
recommendations ¢
page 233.
The tires would then be under
inflated and could fail sudden
ly.
The tire pressure label on your
Audi lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures at maximum capacity for the new,
original equipment tires that
were on your vehicle at the time
it was manufactured . For the
location of the label
¢ page 233, fig . 195.
Most tires lose air naturally
over time. They can also lose
some air if you drive over a
•
•
'
238 Tires and wheels
pothole or hit a curb while park
ing. It is usually not possible to
see whether the radial tires
used today are underinflated
just by looking at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire
pressures at least once a month
and always before going on a
long trip. Make sure to take the
number of people and the
amount of luggage into ac
count when adjusting tire pres
sure for a trip -even one that
you would not consider to be "long ." See ¢
page 240, Tires
and vehicle load limits
for more
important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge when checking
and adjusting inflation pres
sures . Check all of the tires. If
the pressure in any tire is too high when the tire is "cold," let
air out of the t ire slowly with
the edge of the tire gauge and keep checking the pressure un
til you reach the pressure that is correct for the load (passen
gers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too
low, note the difference be- tween the pressure
in the cold
tire and the pressure you need
and add the air that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers
and luggage) for the tires on
your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this manual and the kind of driving you plan
to do.
Never exceed the maximum in
flation pressure listed on the
tire sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the vehicle
manufacturer , not the tire man
ufacturer, determines the cor
rect tire pressure for the tires
on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire
pressure when the tires are
cold .
-Read the required tire pres sure from the tire pressure la
bel. The tire pressure label is
located on the driver's side 8-
pillar.
-Turn the valve stem cap coun ter -clockwise to remove it
from the tire valve.
-Place the air pressure gauge on the valve .
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 ....
240 Tires and wheels
the driver observe the speci
fied tire pressure values for
the tires and the correct pressures for the function of
the tire pressure monitoring
system.
-Always inflate tires to the
recommended and correct
tire pressure before driving
off.
-Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting
them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden
tire failure and loss of con
trol.
-Excessive speed and/over
loading can cause heat
build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
-If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires
will wear prematurely and
the vehicle will not handle
well.
-If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a
wheel immediately, drive at reduced speed to the near
est service station to check
the tire pressure and add air
as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem
caps can cause damage to
the tire valves. To prevent
this, always make sure that
factory installed valve stem
caps on all wheels are securely mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also
increase the fuel consump
tion.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount
of load or weight that any vehi
cle and any tire can carry. Ave hicle that is overloaded will not
handle well and is more diffi
cult to stop. Overloading can
not only lead to loss of vehicle
control, but can also damage
important parts of the vehicle
and can lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and
sudden deflation that can cause
the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on
making sure that load limits are~