2015 AUDI S6 brake

248 Tires and wheels
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 B-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. 195.
.&_ WARNING
-
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and
even death. -Carry
ing 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.
-Always make sure that the total load being transported
- inclu ding the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing.
A WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can lead to a serious or fatal ac­
cident.
-Inco rrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation cause
increased tire wear and can .,.

254 Tires and wheels
to carry will prevent the ve­
hicle 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 vehicle's
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 KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
~ page 244,
fig. 195.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
~ page 244, fig. 195.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150 lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo .,..

M N
0 I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
_&. 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 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 histo­ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
Tires and wheels 257
failure and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels hove to
be broken in.
Fig. 199 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
0 Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
® Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code

262 Tires and wheels
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 care. 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 build-up, sudden tire fail -specialist to see if your vehi -
ure, including a blowout cle can be equipped with
..

26 6 T ire s and whee ls
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
~page 294.
_& WARNING
Improperly tig htened o r maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l 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 bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different wheels bolts on your
vehicle.
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The spec ified torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a toleran ce of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diago- nally
. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped w ith low aspect
r atio tires . These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving cond i­
tions . As k your au thor ized A udi dealer for
more de tails .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The nume ra l represen ts the ra tio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low- aspect-r atio tires is
p ar ticu la rly s ens iti ve to improper infl ation
p re ss ure. I t is th erefore im portant th at low
as pect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and that the inflation pressu re is
r e gularl y che cked and mainta ined. Tir e pre s­
su res should be ch ecked at least onc e a
month and alwa ys bef ore a long trip
~ page 249, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to a void tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gull ies
o r r idges on the road, pa rticularly if the tire is
u nderinfla ted .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of you r vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the follow ing p recau ­
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary .
- Dr ive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from dr iv ing ..,.

272 What do I do no w?
• Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 132.
• Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
Using th e spare tir e (compac t spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergencies until yo u can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare tire has been des igned specifically for your type of
vehicle. It must not be swapped with a com­ pact spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Sn ow chain s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not permitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel with
tire instead of a rear tire . Install the snow
chains on the rear tire and use it to replace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicators .
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
t reme caution and careful driving .
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possible w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c ompact spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident .
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). You risk having an acc iden t.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . You risk hav­
ing an a cc ident. -
Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
m ust then be installed in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain before mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart ­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident. Never store the inflatable spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­ ment.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a t ire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and t ry to
reach
l e vel ground before you stop ¢ ,&.
• All passengers should leave th e car and
move to a safe location ( for instance, behind
the guardrail) ¢,& .
• Engage the
par king brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally c> _& .
• Move
selector le ver to pos it ion P c> _& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tir e out of the
luggage compa rtment c>
page 271,
i=> page 271 . ..,_

M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
A WARNING 1=
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 132.
{!) Tips
Before changing the wheel, you must acti­
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto­ matic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus­
pension* do not make it more difficult to
lift the vehicle with the jack¢
page 2 75.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se ­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
1. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
c::;. page 275.
-
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover* . For
more details see also
¢page 274, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or ¢ page 2 7 4,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 274.
What do I do now? 273
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢page 275.
Raise the car with the jack ¢page 275.
Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spare <=> page 2 76.
Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts¢ page 274 .
10. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode* in the
MMI:
ICARI function button > (Car)* sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks
> Air susp.: jack mode > Off .
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automati­
cally at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h).
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and information<=>
A in Raising the vehicle on
page 275
and <=> page 277.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
c::;. page 132.
.,. Check the tire pressure on the spare wheel
immediately after mounting it.
.,. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
ll>
•
•

M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
Putting on the spare wheel
"'Lift the spare wheel and ca refully slide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place
¢ (D .
"' Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly.
"' Remove the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt s lightly
like the rest .
"'T urn the jack handle counte r-clockw ise to
lower the vehicle unt il the jac k is f ully re­
l eased .
"' Use the whee l bolt wrench to tighten a ll
whee l bolts firmly
¢ page 274. Tighten
them
crosswis e, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximate ly) opposite one, to keep the
wheel cen tered.
When removing or install ing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you .
{D) Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw­
driver before you use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to turn the whee l
bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
un id ire ctional
tread design
make s ure the tread pat­
tern is poi nted the right way
¢ page 277.
- The wheel bolts should be clean 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 dir t from these
su rfaces before remo unting the wheel.
What do I do now? 277
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Usi ng a spa re ti re with a tre ad patte rn
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare t ire with a tread patter n
intended for use in a spec ific d irection, please
note the following :
- The d irect ion of rotation is marked by an ar­
row on t he side of the ti re .
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the in­
correct direct ion, use the spare tire only
temporarily s ince the t ire will not be able to
achieve its optimum performance cha racte r­
istics w it h regard to aquap la ni ng, no ise and
wear .
- We recommend that you pay part icu lar at­
ten tion to th is fact during we t wea ther and
t ha t you adjust your speed to match road
conditions .
- Replace the fl at t ire wi th a new one and
have i t installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the hand ling advantages
of a un idirectional tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information¢ page 257, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if you a re
go ing to use a spare tire wh ich is different
from the tires 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 torqu e
checked with a torque wrench as soon a s
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualified service station.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims , the wheel
bolts are cor re ctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and diff icult to turn while changing
a tire , they should be replaced before you
check the t ightening torque. .,,.
•
•