2015 AUDI S4 winter tires

90 On the road
speed. It goes out when t he speed fa lls below
the stored maximum speed .
The speed warning symbo l w ill also go out if
the speed
exceeds the s to red m ax imum speed
by more than about 25 mph ( 40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The stored maximum speed
is deleted.
Sett ing speed wa rning 1
~ page 90.
Speed warning 2*
Storing warning 2 is recommended if you al­
ways
want to be reminded of a certa in speed,
for examp le when you a re traveling in a coun­
try that has a general maximum speed limit,
or if you do not want to ex ceed a spec ified
speed for winter tires.
The . (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning 2 symbo l appears in the dis­
p lay when you exceed the stored speed limit .
Unlike warning 1, it will not go out until t he
vehicle speed drops below the stored speed
limit.
Sett ing speed wa rning 2
~ page 90.
@ Tips
Even tho ugh your vehicle is equipped wi th
a speed wa rni ng sys tem, you s hou ld s till
watch the speedometer to make sure you
are not drivi ng faster than the speed limit.
Speed warning 1 : setting a speed limit
Warning threshold 1 is set by the I SET ! but­
ton .
Fig. 102 SET button in the inst rum en t cluste r
Storing the ma ximum speed
.,. Dr ive at the desired maximum speed .
.,. Press the
ISETI button in the instrument
panel display ~
fig. 102 for 1 second.
Resett ing the maximum speed
.,. Dr ive the veh icle at a speed of at least
3 mph (5 km/h)
.,. Press the
I SET I but ton for more than 2 sec-
onds.
T he . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
speed w arning symbo l w ill appe ar briefly in
the d isplay when you release the
ISETI button
to indicate t hat the maximum speed has been
stored successfully .
T he maxim um speed remai ns stored un til it is
changed by pressing the
! SE T! button again
briefly or until it is deleted by a lengthy push
on the button .
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
Applies to veh icles: w it h trip co mputer
The radio or MMI* control unit is used to set,
change or delete warning threshold 2.
.,. Sele ct: !CAR I func tion button > Instrument
cl uster > Speed warnin g.
Or
.,. Select:
!CARI function button > Car system s*
contro l button > Dri ver a ssist > Speed warn­
ing .
Warning threshold 2 can be set in the speed
range starting from 20 mph to 150 mph (30
km/h to 240 km/h) . Settings can each be ad­
justed in intervals of 6 mph (10 km/h).

"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
The all-wheel drive concept is designed fo r
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception ­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac­
ter istics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precautions
c> & .
Winte r tir es
When driving in the winter, your ve hicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular t ires. In winter road conditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son t ires) for imp roved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
w heel s.
See also c> page 254, Winter tires.
Tire chain s
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, th is normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive
c> page 255, Snow
chains.
R eplacing wheel s/tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with d ifferent tread depths . For details see
page ~
page 248, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Ro ad dri ving ?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road veh icle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
c> page 193.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions . Do not let the ext ra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-whee l dr ive is very ef­
fective, a lways remember that b raking
capacity is limited by tire traction. Yo u
sho uld therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
Int ellig ent technolog y 191
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If th is should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­ crease in engine speed as w ith a front­
wheel drive veh icle . Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions - risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers (e .g. immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in there being insuffic ient energy
available to start the eng ine .
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectr ica l ener­
gy. Start ing ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic ene rgy management .
Batte ry diagnos is
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery . Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ign ition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­
nents. Data from battery diagnos is is cons id­
ered .
Depend ing on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned
off .,_ •
•

-If you notice unusual vibra­tion 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.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 229
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.

232 Tires a nd whee ls
Recommended inflation
pressure
see c:::> page 230, 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 nom inal 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 2 50. You
may not find th is informat ion
on all tires because it is not re­
quired by law.
The speed rati ng 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 255.
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflate d an d ill u­
minates a low tire press ure
warn ing telltale.
Tread
means that por tion o f a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.

250 Tires and wheels
p Indicates the tire is for pas-
senger cars (where applica- ble)
255 Nominal tire width in mm
of the tire from sidewall
edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the num-
ber, the wider the tire
35 Height/width ratio in per-
cent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in in-
ches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or , 1
"RF" Indicates that the tire is
a"Reinforced" or an "Extra
Load" tire
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that
the tire has some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the in-
formation of direction of rota-
tion
c:::> page 228.
Tire manufacturing date
The manufacturing date is also
indicated on the tire sidewall
l ) For t ires with a maximum speed ca­
pability ov er 149 mph (240 km/h) ,
tire manufacturers sometimes use
the letters "ZR."
(possibly only on the inner side
of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2214 ... " means, for
example, that the tire was pro-
duced in the 22nd week of
2014.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on
the wheels indicates the maxi -
mum permissible road speeds
c:::> A in Winter tires on
page 255.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1)
Your vehicle is normally factory
equipped with tires, which pos-
sess excellent driving character- istics and give your Audi
....

252 Tires and wheels
Maximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that
should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving condi­
tions.
.&_ WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatch­ ed tires and/ or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control, collision and
serious personal injury.
-Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the
specifications of original
factory-installed tires or
other combinations that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manu­
facturer.
-Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be used in an emergency and
then with special care and
at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous
histo­
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
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 spare tire is not the
same as the tires that are
mounted on the vehicle -for
example with winter tires -
only use the spare 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_ 1n some cases not even
wheels from the same vehi­
cle model.
-If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels
I
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 and a factory­
installed tire pressure moni­
toring system* that indi­ cates a loss of tire pressure.
Incorrect use of run flat
tires can lead to vehicle damage or accidents. Check
Tires and wheels 253
with an authorized Audi dealer or tire specialist to
see if your vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires.
If run flat tires are used
I
they must be installed on all
four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted.
(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 the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted on your vehicle
(for example winter tires or
wide profile tires), then use
the spare tire for a short pe­ riod of time only and drive
with extra care. Replace the
flat tire with the tire match­ ing the others on your vehi­
cle as soon as possible.
-Never drive without the valve stem cap. The valves could get damaged.
I),
•
•
'

254 Tires and wheels
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispo se of old tires in accord­
ance with the local require­
ments.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- T raction AA A B C
- T empera ture ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wa ll between tread shou lder
and max imum sect ion width
¢ page 248,
fig. 193.
For example: Tread wear 200, Tract ion AA ,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a spec ified
government test course .
For example, a t ire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) t imes as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relat ive performance of t ires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the norm due to var iations in dr iving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and climate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's abil ity to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled cond it ions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
trac tion performance ¢&,. .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and red uce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
¢ &,..
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction
characteristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es ­
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive load ing, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire failure.
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, local governments
may require true winter or "snow" tir es, those
with very deeply cut tread . These tires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle. .,.