
M N
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M 1.1'1 ,....,
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire
at the maximum permissible in
flation pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla
tion pressure to which a tire
may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the
total seating capacity of your
vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occu pants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of
an inflated new tire.
Tires and wheels 237
Overall width
means the linear distance be
tween the exteriors of the side
walls of an inflated tire, includ ing elevations due to labeling,
decorations, or protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular produc
tion options weighing over 5 lbs. (2 . 3 kg) in excess of those
standard items which they re place, not previously consid
ered in curb weight or accessory
weight, including heavy duty
brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and special
trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in
which the ply cords that extend
to the beads are laid at sub stantially 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread.
' •
•
' •

244 Tires and wheels
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la
bel on the driver's side 8-pillar .
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 8-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. 168.
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 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.

250 Tires and wheels
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer) is limited.
The more passengers in the ve hicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that
less weight can be carried as
luggage .
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
q page 240, fig. 168 .
_& 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 vehicle 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 vehicles
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 .,..

-The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle,
the more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recom
mend that you follow the tire
manufacturer's suggested tire
rotation intervals.
-Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread
wear on the front wheels com pared to all-wheel drive (quat
tro).
-Please rotate tires as shown
¢ fig. 171.
-Extra care must be taken when
rotating direction-specific
tires
Q page 2 74.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various sit
uations during everyday driving
can cause them to become un
balanced, resulting in vibra
tions you can usually feel
through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be re
balanced to avoid excessive
wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be
rebalanced when a new tire is
M N
~ installed. co ,...., \!) 1.1"1
M 1.1"1 ,....,
Tires and wheels 253
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle. If tires show excessive
wear, have the wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must al
ways have tires of the same size, construction and tread
type. For details see
¢ page 193 .
.8, 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 and wheels 259
sure of their "previous histo-and sudden deflation and
ry." Old used tires may have loss of control.
been damaged even though -Temperature grades apply
the damage cannot be seen to tires that are properly in-
that can lead to sudden tire flated and not over or un-
' •
•
failure and loss of vehicle derinflated.
control. -For technical reasons it is
-All four wheels must be fit- not always possible to use
ted with radial tires of the wheels from other vehicles -
same type , size (rolling cir-
in some cases not even
cumference) and the same wheels from the same vehi-
tread pattern. Driving with cle model.
different tires reduces vehi- -If you install wheel trim
cle handling and can lead to discs on the vehicle wheels,
a loss of control. make sure that the air flow
-If the spare tire is not the to the brakes is not blocked.
same as the tires that are Reduced airflow to the
mounted on the vehicle - for brakes can them to over-
example with winter tires - heat, increasing stopping
only use the spare tire for a distances and causing a col-
short period of time and lision.
drive with extra ca re. Refit -Run flat tires may only be
the normal road wheel as used on vehicles that were
soon as safely possible. equipped with them at the
-Never drive faster than the factory. The vehicle must
maximum speed for which have a chassis designed for
the tires on your vehicle are run flat tires. Incorrect use
rated because tires that are of run flat tires can lead to
driven faster than their rat- vehicle damage or acci-
ed speed can fail suddenly. dents. Check with an au-
-Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire
' M • N
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......
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with ... \!) 1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ......

26 2 T ire s and wheel s
loss of control, crashes and serious per
sona l injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
wh ich the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic conditions. Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. A l
ways remember:
- When brak ing, an a ll-wheel d rive vehicle
hand les in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
canno t he lp under blac k ice condit ions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summe r tires when weathe r cond i
tions perm it. They are quieter, do not wea r
as quickly and red uce f ue l cons umption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask you r
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
I f you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must h ave low-profi le links
and must not be thicker than 0 .53 inch
(13 .5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel ce nte r covers a nd tr im dis cs
be fore putting snow chains on yo ur vehicle
q0 . For sa fety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are avai l
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your veh i
cle o r instal ling them incorrect ly can in
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
se rious pe rsonal injury .
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in
structions p rov ided by t he snow cha in
manufac turer.
- When driving with snow cha ins never
d rive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
- Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains dow n un necessa rily .
- Snow chains, which come into direc t con
tact with the whee l rim, can scrat ch or
damage it. Therefo re, make sure that the
s now chains are s uitably covered. Check
t he pos ition of t he snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces
sary. Follow the inst ructions from the
snow chain man ufacturer when do ing so.
@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to
vehicles with a ll-wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of w heel bol ts is matched to the
f ac tory installed rims. If different rims are fit
ted, the co rrect wheel bo lts with the right
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. Th is ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correct ly . .,..

....,
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"' ....,
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-Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You r isk having an accident.
- Avoid full-throttle acceleratio n, heavy
braking, and fast cornering . You risk hav
ing an acc ident.
- Never drive us ing more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acci
dent.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare whee l
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to dr ive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front axle in the event of a flat in a rear
t ir e. The newly ava ilable front wheel
must then be i nstalled in pla ce of the
re ar wheel with the f lat tir e. Ins tall ing
the tire chai n befo re mo unting the wheel
and tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compart
ment can cause serio us personal inj ury
dur ing hard braking or in an accident.
Never store the inf latable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart ment.
- Norma l summer or winter tires m ust not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim .
Removing the subwoofer
App lies to vehicles : with subwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed .
Fig. 178 Spa re whee l w ell : subwoo fer
What do I do now ? 269
Removing the subwoofer
.,. Lift the cargo floor¢ page 268, fig . 176.
.,. Pull the latch (D ¢ fig. 178 toward the ca -
ble.
.,. Press the locking tab @down .
.,. Remove the connector ® and set the re-
moved cable as ide .
.,. Remove the bolt @ .
.,. Carefully remove the subwoofer .
Installing the subwoofer
.,. Carefully place the subwoof er n the rim
wel l. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
must face forward.
.,. Insert the connector that was removed.
.,. Secure the subwoofer with the bolt .
.,. Fold the cargo floo r cover back into place.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger 's safety when chang
ing a wheel .
.,. Aft er you experience a tire failure, pull the
car we ll away from mov ing traffic and try to
reac h
level ground before you stop ¢ &_ .
.,. All passenge rs should
leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ &_ .
.,. Engage the
parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢&_ .
.,. Move
sel ector lever to po sition P ¢ ,&. .
.,. If you are towing a t ra iler, unhi tch the trailer
from your ve hicle .
.,. Take t he
jack ¢ page 268 and the sp a re tire
¢ page 268 out of the luggage com part
ment .
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be inj ured
while changing a w heel if you do not fo l
l ow these safety p recaut io ns:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe d is
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use

2 70 What do I do now ?
other warning devices to alert other
motorists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help prevent the ve hicle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake and block the whee l diago na lly opposite
the whee l being changed . When one
front whee l is lifted off the gro und, plac
ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
( P ark) will
no t prevent t he ve hicl e from
movin g.
- B efore yo u change a w heel, be su re the
gr ound is leve l and fir m.
If necess ary,
use a s turdy board under the j ack.
- Alw ay s store the vehicle tool ki t, the j ack
and the repl aced t ire i n the l ugg age com
partment
¢ page 131.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow these
quence described below step-by -step and in
exactly that order.
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . Fo r
mo re details see also¢
page 2 70, Deco
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 71 ,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps .
2. Loosen the wheel bolts r::!> page 271.
3 . Locate the proper mo unting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢ page 272.
4 .
Raise the car w ith the jack ¢ page 2 72.
5. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare ¢ page 2 73.
6. Tighten all wheel bo lt s li ghtly.
7 .
Lower the ve hicle w ith the jack.
8. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
t ig hten all whee l bolts <:!> page 271.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cove r* .
A WARNING
A lways read and follow all WARNINGS and
informati on
r::!> &. in Raising the vehicle on
page
2 72 a nd r:!> page 274 .
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
"'Always store the vehicle toot kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
pa rtment
¢ page 131.
"' Check the tire pr essure on the spare whee l
immed iate ly afte r mounting i t.
"' As soon as poss ib le, have the
tight ening
torques
on all whee l bolts chec ked with a
torque wre nch . The correc t tig hten ing tor
que is 90 ft l b (120 Nm).
"' Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi
ble.
@ Tips
- If you not ice that the wheel bo lts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
chang ing a tire, t hey should be rep laced
before you check the tig htening to rque.
- Dr ive at reduced speed until you have the
t ightening torques checked.
- After changing a whee l, the t ire p ress ure
in all four tires must be chec ked/co rrect
ed and the tire p ress ure monito ring ind i
cator must be s to red in the MMI
r::!> page 266.
' Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: w ith decorative whee l covers
The decorative wheel covers mus t be removed
first to access the wheel bolts.
Fig. 1 79 Cha ngin g a w hee l: Re mov ing th e w heel cove r
Removing
"' Insert the hook (p rov ided with th e vehicle
t oo l ki t) in the ho le in the whee l hub cover . .,._