150 Airbag sys te m
U.S. Federal Standard if a chi ld with elec
trical capac itance greater than the com
bined capacitance of a typical one-year
old infant restra ined in one of the for
ward fac ing or rearward-fac ing ch ild
seats with which your vehicle was certi
fied is on the front passenger seat and
the other conditions for airbag deploy ment are met.
- Acc ident statist ics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating posit ion .
- For their own safety, all chi ldren, espe
ci ally 12 years and younger, sho uld a l
ways ride in the back properly rest rained
for their age and size .
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supple ments the safety belts to provide addit ional
protection for the driver's and front passeng
er's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes .
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle dece le rat io n is high enoug h.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the
fro nt seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety belts . Rather, it is part of the over
a ll occupa nt restraint system in your veh icle.
A lways remember that the airbag system ca n
on ly help to pro tect you, if you are s itting up
right, wearing yo ur safety belt and wearing it
properly. This is why you and yo ur passengers
must always be properly restrained, not just
beca use the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
has been certified to meet the " low risk" re
qu irements for 3 and 6 year-o ld children on
the passenger side and very small adu lts on
the dr iver side. The low risk deployment crite
ria are intended to he lp reduce the risk of in
jury through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for example, by being too
close to the steering wheel and instr ument
panel when the airbag inflates .
In add ition, the system has been cer tified to
comply with the "s uppression" requirements
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants up to 12 months who are re
stra ined on the front passenger seat in child
restraints that are listed in the Standard.
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to abo ut one year o f age is re
st rained on the front passenger seat in one
of the rear -facing or fo rward -facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
cert ified . Fo r a listing of the chi ld restraints
that were used to certify you r vehicle's com
plia nce w ith the US Saf ety Standard
r::) page 172,
- When a person is detected on the front pas
senger seat that has an electrical capaci
tance that is more than the tota l elect rical
capacitance o f a child tha t is about 1 year
old rest rained in one of the rear- facing or
forward-facing infant restraints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
w ith which the Advanced A irbag System in
your veh icle was certified), the front airbag
on the passenger side may or may not de ploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electro nic control unit detects a to
ta l electrical capac itance on the front passen
ger seat that requ ires the front airbag to be
tu rned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the fro nt airbag o n
t h e passenger side has not been turned off by
the con trol un it and can deploy if the cont ro l
u nit senses an impact that meets the condi
tions stored in its memo ry .
If the total e lectr ic al c apaci tance regis tered
o n t he fron t passenge r se at is more than that
of a typical 1 year -o ld, but less than the
weight of a small adu lt, the front airbag on
ll-
190 Smart Technology
Steering r ecommendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehi cle by
changing the steering torque.
Select ive wh eel torqu e co ntrol
Select ive wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
Th is a llows more precise driv ing in c urves.
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "Automatic post-collision braking system"
can he lp to reduce the risk of sliding and of
other coll is ions after an acc ident. If the airbag
control mod ule detects a collision above acer
tain vehicle speed, the vehicle is braked by the
ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal , or
- the braking fo rce genera ted by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle
electrical system are not functioning .
A WARNING ,.
- The ESC and its integrated systems can
not overcome the lim its posed by natural
physical laws. This is especia lly impor
tant on s lippery or wet roads. If the sys-
Switching on /off
terns begin acting to stabilize your vehi
cle, you should immediately a lter your
speed to match the road and traffic con
ditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided tempt you into taking r isks .
This could increase your risk of a co lli
sion .
- Please note the r isk of a coll is ion increas
es when driving fast, especially through
curves and o n slippe ry or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to objects ahead.
The ESC and i ts integrated systems can
not a lways p revent collisions -there is
still a risk of accidents!
- Press the acce lerator pedal caref ully
when acce lerating on even, slippery sur
faces such as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin even when these control
systems are installed and this can affect
driving stability and increase the risk of a
coll is io n.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels are equ ipped w ith
identical t ires . Different t ire sizes can
lead to a reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working .
- If the
DJ or [IJ indicator light appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 22.
E SC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 1 50 Upper c ente r conso le : ESC but to n
The ESC is designed to funct ion in levels . De
pending on the level that is selected, the sta
bilization funct io n of the ESC is lim ited or
swit ched off . The amoun t of stabilization con
tro l will differ depending on t he level.
In the follow ing unusual situations it may
make sense to switch the ESC sport mode on
to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
ll>
238 Tires a nd whee ls
Recommended inflation
pressure
see c:::> page 236, 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 t ire .
Reinforced tires may be identi
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a meta l 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 yo u change your
wheel size, you will have to pur
chase new t ires to ma tch the
new rim d iameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance be
tween rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that por tion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire
is designed to be driven for ex
tended periods of time . The rat
ings range from 93 mph
( 1 50 km/h) to 186 mph
( 2 98 km/h)
c:::> page 257 . You
may not find th is informat ion
on all tires because it is not re
quired by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the ti re sidewall and ind icates
the maximum permissible road
speeds
c:::> & in Winter tires on
page 261.
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehic le's
tires a re underinflated an d ill u
m inates a low tire press ure
warn ing telltale.
Tread
means that por tion of a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.
Tires and wheels 241
Tire pressure generally refers to tant things you can do to help
the amount of air 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 tire failure. of the entire vehicle and its con- Keeping tires at the right pres-
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•
tents. Tire pressure is measured sure is also important for safe
in kilopascals (kPa), the inter- and responsive vehicle han-
national measuring unit and in dling, traction, braking and
pounds per square inch (PSI) . load carrying.
Tire pressures
Tire pressure is based in part on are particularly important
the vehicles design and load when the vehicle is being driv-
limit - 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
proper 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 tire pressure is and/or amount of luggage you
higher when the tire has will be transporting.
warmed up than when it is The tire pressure label is locat-
"cold." It is the inflation pres-
ed on the driver's side B-pillar.
sure in a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let The tire pressure label lists the
recommended cold tire infla-
air out of a warm tire to match
"cold tire inflation pressure" tion pressures for the vehicle at
its maximum capacity weight
recommendations. The tires
would then be underinflated and tires that were on your ve
-
and could fail suddenly. hicle at the time it was manu-
' M factured
. • N
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...... \!)
sure is one of the most impor-1.1'1
M 1.1'1 ......
242 Tires and wheel s
If you wish to improve comfort See the illustration c::;, fig. 168
when operating the vehicle at for the locati on of the labe l on
normal load (up to 3 occu -driver's side B-pillar (color of
pants), you can adjust tire the actual label and exact loca-
pressures to those specified tion on the vehic le will vary
for normal vehicle load. Before slight ly) .
operat ing the vehicle at maxi -Note that the following table is
mum load , you must increase accurate at the time of going to
the ti re pressu res to those press and is subject to change .
specified for maximum vehicle In the event of discrepancies,
load c::;, &. the tire pressure labe l is locat-
Bear in mind that the tire pres- ed on the driver's side 8-pi llar
sure monitoring system can on -always takes precedence .
ly monitor the tire pressures The table below lists the rec-
you have stored . The system
ommended cold tire inflation
does not recogn ize the load
pressures for the Audi model
condition of your vehic le.
covered by your Owner's Litera-
T he effectiveness of the tire ture at the vehicle's capacity
pressure monitoring system weight and the tire sizes instal -
will be impaired if you store led on the respective mode ls as
normal load pressures but then original equipment, or as a fac-
operate the vehicle at its maxi- tory option.
...
mum load c::;, & .
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.
-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
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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.
~
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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 ......