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 . .,..
M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ,....,
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -
even if it
i s the same mode l
Q page 291.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
control, a collision and ser ious personal in
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled,
even if tightened to the spec ified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bo lts that belong to the
rim being ins talled.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque fo r the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tigh teni ng tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cle is moving . If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel ca n be
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi
b le with a torque wrench -prefe rably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
Tire s an d wheel s 263
and handling under a variety o f driving condi
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspec t ratio of these tires is ind icate d
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage.
Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularl y sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tir es are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and ma intain ed . Tire pr es
s ure s should be checked at lea st on ce a
month and alway s bef ore a long trip
~ page 245 , Checking tire pressure .
A Word about Low Aspect Ratio and High
Performance Ti res
Hig h pe rformance tires are des igned for bet
ter performance and handling in warm cli
mates. When driving in cold, snowy or icy
weather, you sho uld equ ip your vehicle w it h
four all-season or winter tires, which
offer
better traction under those condit ions. We
suggest you use the Audi recommended win
te r or a ll-season tires specified for you r Audi.
High performance tires a lso have a lower as
pect ratio that aids performance and han
dling . Driving over rough or damaged road
surfaces, as well as debr is, cu rbs and other
obstacles can cause serious damage to
whee ls, tires, vehicle body, and suspens ion
parts . B e carefu l to avo id road hazards and re
du ce your speed , espec ia lly if your vehicle is
equipped wi th low prof ile tires .
Please a lso remember when making your se
lection that, wh ile these tires deliver respon
s ive handling, t hey m ay ride less comfo rtably
and make more noise than o thers . Finally,
these tires may wear more quickly than other
c h oices.
IJJ>
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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 . .,._
274 What do I do no w?
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts.
- Pull the reversible b lade from the screw
driver before yo u use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to turn the whee l
bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat
tern is pointed the r ight way
¢page 274.
- The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing su rfaces of both the whee l
and the h ub. Remove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo unti ng the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern p ointed in
the right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a sp are tire w ith a tread pa tte rn
i nten ded for use in a specific direc tion, p lease
note t he following:
- T he direction of rotation is marked by an a r
row on the side of the tire.
- If the spare t ire has to be installed in the in
c orrec t direction, use the spa re tire only
tempor arily si nce the t ire will no t be able to
achieve its op timum performance character
istics with regard to aquaplaning, noise and
wear .
- We recommend tha t you pay particular a t
tention to this fact during wet weather and
that you adjust your speed to matc h road
condit ions. -
Replace the flat ti re with a new one and
have it insta lled on your vehicle as soo n as
possible to resto re the hand ling advantages
of a unidirectional tire.
Notes on wheel changing
Please read t he information ¢ page 254, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if you a re
going to use a spa re tire which is different
from the t ires on you r vehicle.
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pre ssure on the spare imme
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
c hecked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your author ized Audi dealer or
a qualified service stat ion.
- With steel and alloy wheel r ims, the wheel
bolts a re co rrectly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tire , they should be replaced before you
check the t ightening torque .
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
po ssible . Remount the wh eel cover.
Until then , dr ive with e xtra care and at re
duced speeds.
A WARNING
= -
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
with tires o r rims which differ from those
which were facto ry installed, then be
s ure to read the information¢
page 25 4,
New tires and repla cing tires and
wheels.
- Always m ake s ure the dam age d wheel o r
even a flat tire a nd the jack and tool ki t
are properly secu red in the luggage com
pa rtment and are not loose in the pas
senger compartment.
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
M N
0 > co ,...., \!) er,
M er, ,....,
Trunk
refer to Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . 64
Turn signa ls .. ................. .. .... 48
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
u
ULSD No . 2 (Diesel fuel) .......... ... . 2 11
Unfasten ing safety be lts .... .. .. .. .. . 140
Unid irect iona l tires ......... .. .. .. .. . 234
Uniform t ire quality grading ...... ... . 260
Unlocking/ locking
by remote contro l ........ .. .. .. .. ..
37
with the central locking switch .. .. .. .. 39
with the convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
with the door lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
V
Vanity mirror . ............. .... .. .... 50
Vehicle
Care/cleaning ... .. .... ... .. .. .. ...
205
Dimensions ... .... .... ... .. .. .. .. .
Out of serv ice ............ .... .. .. .
Vehicle con trol mod ules ..... .. .. .. .. .
Vehicle ident ificat io n labe l ... .. .. .. .. .
Vehicle Identification N umber (VIN) ... . 287
199
195
286
286
Vehicle jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268, 272
Vehicle key .. ............. .... .. .... 35
Vehicle literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vehicle tool kit . .............. .... ..
268
w
War ning/ indicator lights
System indicator light (MIL) . . . . . . . . . .
23
War ning/Indicator lights
A irbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
156, 157
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF .. .. .. .. .. . 157
War ning ligh ts
refer to Indicator lights . ... .. .. .. .... 1 4
War ranty coverages .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 289
Washer f luid level (indicator light) .. .. .. 25
Washer reservoir .......... .. .. .. .. . 23 2
Washing matte finish pa int .. .. .. .. .. . 205
Wear indicator ..... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 252
Weights . .. .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 286
Inde x 305
What happens if yo u wear your safety belt
too loose? . ... .. .... . ... ...... ... ..
139
Wha t happe ns to unbe lted occupants? .. 136
What impairs driving safety? ...... .... 126
Wha t shou ld I do after changing a
whee l? ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... ..
247
What shou ld I do after replac ing whee ls? 247
Whee l bolts
Torque .... .. .. .. .... .............
262
Whee ls . ... .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 233
All wheel d rive ...... .. .. ..... ... .. 193
Checking t ire press ure ... .... ... .. .. 245
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 206
Co ld tire inflation pressure .......... 240
General notes .. ... ...... ......... . 233
Glossary of tire and loading term inolo-
gy .......... ... .. ...............
235
New t ires a nd wheels ............... 2 54
T ires and veh icle load limits ..... .. .. 249
Wheel wre nch . .. .. .. ... ....... .... . 268
When must a safety be lt be replaced? . . 138
When must the a irbag system b e inspect-
ed? ........ .. .. .. .................
156
When should I adjust the t ire pressures? 247
When should I ch ec k the ti re p ress ures? . 247
Where are lower ancho rages located? ... 185
Where can I find the t ire pressures fo r my
car? ..... .. .. .. .. .. .... ...........
245
Why sa fety be lts? .... . .. .. ..... ... .. 136
Windows
Cleaning/removing ice . ...... ... ....
207
Windshie ld
cleaning .. .. .. .. .. . .............. .
50
defrosting (automatic climate control
system) ... .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. .
71
defrosting (manua l climate control sys-
tem) ..... .. .. .. .... ............. .
69
also refer to Windshie ld ........ .... . 50
Windshie ld washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Rese rvoir capacity .. ... ....... .... . 288
Washe r reservo ir .. ............... . 232
Windshield wipers
Cleaning w iper blades .......... .... .
51
Fold ing up .. .. .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. . 51
Ind icator lig ht . ......... ......... .. 25
Replacing windsh ield wiper b lades ..... 51
Swi tching on a nd off ........... .. .. . 5 0
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