"' N
a:: I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
your speed exceeds the stored value by ap
proximately 3 mph (3 km/h). An indicator
light . (USA models) . (Canada models) in
the instrument cluster display also turns on at
the same time. The indicator light. /.
turns off when the speed decreases below the
stored maximum speed.
Setting a thresho ld is recommended if you
would like to be reminded when you reach a
certain maximum speed . Situations where you
may want to do so include driving in a cou ntry
with a general speed Limit or if there is a
specified maximum speed for winter tires.
(D Tips
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
a speed warning system, you should still
watch the speedometer to make sure you
are not driving faster than the speed limit.
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold
in the MMI.
~ Select : I CARI function button > (Car )* sys
tems
control button > Driver assist > Speed
warning .
You can set any threshold between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h) . Settings
can each be adjusted in incr ements of 6 mph
(10 km/h).
On the road 79
Cruise control
Switching on
Applies to vehicles: with cruise control
The cruise control system make s it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30km/h) .
0
f
®t
0
Fig. 86 Contro l lever w ith set butto n
Fig. 87 Display: Se lected speed
~ Pull the lever to position@¢ fig. 86 to
sw itch the system on .
~ Drive at the speed you wish to set.
~ Press button @ to set that speed.
T he stored speed and the indicator light
II (US models) a (Canadian models) ap
pear in the instrument cluster display
¢
fig. 87. The disp lay may vary, depending on
the type of display in your vehicle .
This information is also shown briefly in the
Head -up Display*.
T he speed is kept constant via an engine out
put adjustment or active brake intervent ion.
A WARNING
-
- Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on. You are
always responsib le for your speed and .,.
226 Tires a nd whee ls
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreci
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle.
Ti res may be the least appreci
ated and most abused parts of
a motor vehicle. Tires are, how
ever, one of the most important
parts of a vehicle, partic ularly
considering the comparatively
small patch of r ubber on each
tire that assures that all-impor
tant contact between you, your
vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the co rrect tire
p ressure, making sure that your
vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry more we ight than they
can safe ly handle, avoiding
damage from road hazards and
regular ly inspecting tires for
damage including cuts, s lashes
irregular wear and overall con
d ition are the most important
things that you can do to help avoid sudden tire fai lure inc lud
ing tread separation and blow
outs.
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb
or similar obstacle, drive very
slowly and as close as possible
at a right angle to the curb.
Always keep chemicals includ
ing grease, o il, gasoline and
brake fluid off the tires.
Inspect the tires regularly for
damage (cuts, c racks or blis
ters, etc.). Remove any foreign
bodies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove
them to indicate the direction
of rotation . This ensures you to
be able to mount them correct
ly when you reinstall them .
When removed , the wheels or
tires should be stored in a cool,
dry and preferably dark p lace.
Store tires in a vertical position if they are not mounte d on
r ims, in a horizontal position if
they are mounted on rims.
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢ &.
The tread depth of new tires
may vary , according to the type .,.
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.
...
244 Tires and whee ls
Driving style -Extra care must be taken when
Driving fast around curves, rotating direction-specific
heavy acceleration and hard tires
¢
page 268.
braking increase tire wear. Wheel balancing
Rotating tires for more even
The wheels on new vehicles are
wear ba lanced. However, various sit-
For all four tires on your vehicle uations during everyday driving
to have the same service life, can cause them to become un-
we recommend that the front balanced, resulting in vibra-
and rear tires are rotated ac -tions you can usually feel
cording to the tire manufactur- through the steering wheel.
er's suggested tire rotation in- Unbalanced wheels must be re-
tervals . Please remember the
balanced to avoid excessive
following: wear on steering, suspension
-T ire rotation intervals may dif -and tires. A wheel must also be
fer from the vehicle service in· rebalanced when a new tire is
tervals outlined in your War- insta
lled .
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . Incorrect wheel alignment
-The longer one tire is used in
Incorrect wheel alignment can
one location on the vehic le,
cause excessive ti re wear, im-
the more it wears at certain
pairing the safety of the vehi-
points; t herefore, we recom-
cle . If tires show excessive
mend that you fo llow the tire
wear, have the wheel alignment
manufacturer's suggested tire
checked by an authorized Audi
rotation intervals.
dealer or qualified wo rkshop.
-Vehicles with front-wheel
dr ive experience more t read
All-wheel drive
wear on the front wheels com-
Vehicles with quattro must al -
pared to all-wheel drive (quat- ways have tires of the same
tro) .
size, construction and tread
-Please rotate tires as shown type. For details see
¢
fig . 198. ¢page 193. ...
250 Tires and wheels
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.
-Overloading tires cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and
loss of control. -Temperature
grades apply
to tires that are properly in
flated and not over or un derinflated .
-For technical reasons it is not always possible to use
wheels from other vehicles -
in some cases not even
wheels from the same vehi
cle model.
-If you install wheel trim
discs on the vehicle wheels,
make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked .
Reduced airflow to the
brakes can them to over
heat, increasing stopping
distances and causing a col
lision.
-Run flat tires may only be used on vehicles that were
equipped with them at the
factory. The vehicle must
have a chassis designed for
run flat tires . Incorrect use
of run flat tires can lead to
vehicle damage or acci
dents. Check with an au
thorized Audi dealer or tire
specialist to see if your vehi
cle can be equipped with
run flat tires. If run flat tires .,.
M N
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
are used , they must be in
stalled on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not per
mitted.
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to
use the wheel rims from
other vehicles. This can hold
true for wheels of the same
vehicle type.
- If a replacement tire is dif
ferent from the tires that
you have mounted on your
vehicle (for example winter
tires or wide profile tires),
then use the replacement
tire for a short period of
time only and drive with ex
tra care. Replace the flat
tire with the tire matching
the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the
valve stem cap. The valves
could get damaged .
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accord
ance with the local require ments.
Tires and wheels 251
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality g rades ca n be foun d where applicab le
on the t ire s ide wall between t read sho ulder
and maximum section width
c> page 245,
fig. 199 .
For example : Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperat ure A.
All passenge r ca r tir es must con form to Feder
a l Safety Requ irements in add ition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread we ar g rade is a c omp arati ve r ati ng
based on the wea r rat e of the tire when tes te d
u nder con tro lled conditions o n a specifie d
government test course .
F o r ex ample, a tire gr aded 1S 0 wo uld wear
one a nd one h alf ( 11 /2 ) times as well on the
governmen t course as a ti re g raded 100 .
T he re la tive perfo rman ce of tires depe nds
up on the actu al c ondition s of the ir u se, how
ever, and m ay dep art s ignificantly from t he
no rm due to va ria tions i n driving ha bits, se rv
ice p ractices and differences in road c haracter
istics and cl imate.
Traction
T he trac tio n gr ad es, from hig hest to lowes t,
a re AA, A, Ban d
C. Those g rades represe nt the
ti re 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured u nder cont rolled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of aspha lt
and concrete. A t ire mar ked C may have poor
traction performance
c> ,&. .
Temperature
The temperature gr ades are A (the highest),
B, and C, represent in g the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ab ility to d issi
pate heat when tested un der controlled condi
tions on a specif ied indoo r labo rato ry test
whee l.
•
•
252 Tire s and wheel s
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure<=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand
ard No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
corne ring, hydrop lan ing o r peak traction
character istics .
A WARNING ,.,._____
The temperature grade for this tire is es
tablished for a tire that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires .
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These t ires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure yo u purchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
Your veh icle is equipped wit h all -wheel drive,
this will improve tract ion during w inter driv
i ng, even with the standa rd tires. Howeve r, we
strongly recommend that you a lways equ ip a ll
four whee ls o n your ve hicle w ith correctly fit
ted winte r ti res or all -season tires, when win
ter road conditions are expected. This a lso im- proves the vehicle's b
raking performance and
reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires p rovide less gr ip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all four wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for perm itted
winter tire si zes. Use
o n ly rad ial winter t ires .
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under winter con
ditions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on replace
ment wheel <=>
page 245.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. Please see<=>
page 248,
Speed rating (letter code)
fo r a listing of the
speed rating lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d riven .
The speed rating letter code (<=>
page 231) is
on the side wall of the t ire
c> page 245.
A WARNING ,.___
W inter t ires have maximum speed lim its
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max
i mum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur specific
winter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen
gers.
A WARNING
'----
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle were designed can cause t ire failure in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,