2015 AUDI S7 tires

246 Tires and whee ls
Tread sep aration
means pulling away of the
t read from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI )
means the projections within
the principal grooves designed
to give a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread.
See
¢ page 2 58, Tread Wear
Indicator (TWI)
for more infor­
mation on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information sys tem de­
veloped by the United States
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) that is
designed to help buyers make
relative comparisons among
tires . The UTQG is not a safety
rat ing and not a guarantee that
a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles (kilometers) or
perform in a certain way. It
simply gives tire buyers addi­
tiona l information to comb ine
with other considerations, such as price, brand loyalty and deal­
er recommenda tions. Under
U TQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three
areas: treadwear, traction , and
temperature resistance . The UTQG information on the t
ires
molded into the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
,
This is the tire's "serial num­
ber" . It begins with the letters
"DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal stand­
ards . The next two numbers or
letters indicate the p lant where
it was manufactured, and the
last four numbers represent the
week and year of manufac ture.
F or example ,
DOT ... 2214 ...
means that the ti re was pro­
duced in the 22nd week of
201 4. T he other n umbers are
marketing codes that may or
may not be used by the tire
manufacturer. This information
is used to contact consumers if
a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus 150 lbs.
(68 kilograms) times the vehi­
cle's total seating capacity as
listed on the label located on
the dr iver's side B-pillar . .,..

M N <( I.J "".
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individu­
al tire that is determined by
distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded
vehicle weight and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
mean s that load on an individu­
al tire that is determined by
Tires and wheels 247
distributing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, acces­
sory weight, and normal occu­
pant weight (distributed in ac­
cordance with table below
¢ page 247) and dividing by
two.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for
various designated seating capacities
Designated seating Vehicle normal load, Occupant distribu-
capacity, number of number of occupants tion in a normally
occupants loaded vehicle
4 2 2 in front
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back
seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety
of a vehicle.
- Kl'A. . PSI
- KPA. .
PSI
- KPA. . PSI
; Fig. 200 Tire pressure label: located Fig. 201 Tire pressure label
.... l/1 .... on driver's side B-pillar

248 Tires and whee ls
Tire pressure generally refers to tant things you can do to help
the amount of a ir 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-
tents . Tire pressure is measured sure is also important for safe
in kilopascals (kPa), the inter- and responsive vehic le han-
national measuring unit and in dling, traction, braking and
pounds pe r square inch (PSI). load carrying.
Tire pressu res
Ti re pressure is based in part on are particularly important
the vehicle's design and load when the vehicle is being driv-
limit -the greatest amount of en at h igher speeds, and then
weight that the vehicle can car-especially when hea vily 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 ti re pressure is
and/or amount of luggage you
h igher when the tire has
will be transporting.
warmed up than when it is
The tire pressure labe l is locat-
"cold." It is the inflation p res-
ed on the driver's side 8-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 cou ld fai l suddenly . hicle at the time it was manu-
f actured.
...
Maintaining proper tire pres-
sure is one of the most impor-

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'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at normal load (up to 2/3* occu­
pants), you can adjust tire
pressures to those specified
for normal vehicle load. Before
operating the vehicle at maxi­ mum load, you must increase
the tire pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
c> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can on­
ly monitor the tire pressures
you have stored. The system does not recognize the load
condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system
will be impaired if you store normal load pressures but then
operate the vehicle at its maxi­
mum load
c> .&. .
Tires and wheels 249
See the illustration c> fig. 200
for the location of the label on
driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual label and exact loca­
tion on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate at the time of going to
press and is subject to change.
In the event of discrepancies,
the tire pressure label is locat­ ed on the driver's side B-pillar
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the rec­ ommended cold tire inflation pressures for the Audi model
covered by your Owner's Litera­
ture at the vehicle's capacity
weight and the tire sizes instal­
led on the respective models as
original equipment , or as a fac-
tory option. ..,.
•
•
'

250 Tires and wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition
full load condition
fronta> reara>
front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A7: 235/55 Rl 7 99Y
32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260 3.0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder
255/45 R18 99H
All Season
32 220 29 200 35 240 38 260
255/45 Rl8 99Y 32 220 29 200
35 240
38 260
High Performance
255/40 R19 lOOH XL
35 240 32 220 38 260 280 All Season 41
255/40 Rl9 lOOY
XL
36 250 32 220 38 260 41 280 High Performance
265/35 R20 99H XL
35 240
32 220 38 260 41
280 All Season
265/35 R20 99Y XL
36 250 32 220 38 260 41
280 High Performance
57: 255/40 R19 lOOY XL
39 270
33 230
42 290 42 290 4.0 liter High Performance
a-cylinder 265/35 R20 99Y XL
High Performance
41 280 35 240 44 300 44 300
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
a) normal load
condition¢ page 247.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la­
bel on the driver's side B-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

technically referred to as the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross
Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied 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
c> fig . 200.
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 ve­hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of a
~ loss of vehicle control. <(
~ -The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may
Tires and wheels 251
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
- 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.
A WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
lead to a serious or fatal ac­
cident.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause
increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the
vehicle.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus­
ing loss of vehicle control.
•
•
'

252 Tires and wheels
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on
your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure label located on driv­
er's side 8-pillar.
The recommended tire pres­
sures are on the tire pressure
label and in the table
c::> page 247, Cold tire inflation
pressure. This means that the
pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not
been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous
three hours. Air in the tires ex­
pands when the tire heats up as
a result of internal friction as it
flexes in use . The tire pressure
is higher when the tire has
warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a
"cold" tire that counts. There­
fore, you should never let air
out of a warm tire to match
"Cold tire inflation pressure"
recommendations
c:::> page 247 .
The tires would then be under­
inflated and could fail sudden ­
ly. The tire
pressure label on your
Audi lists the recommended
cold tire inflation pressures at maximum capacity for the new,
original equipment tires that
were on your vehicle at the time
it was manufactured. For the
location of the label
c::> page 247, fig. 200.
Most tires lose air naturally
over time. They can also lose
some air if you drive over a pot­ hole or hit a curb while parking.
It is usually not possible to see
whether the radial tires used
today are underinflated just by
looking at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire
pressures at least once a month
and always before going on a long trip . Make sure to take the
number of people and the
amount of luggage into ac­ count when adjusting tire pres­
sure for a trip -even one that
you would not consider to be
"long." See
c:::> page 255, Tires
and vehicle load limits for more
important information .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge when checking
and adjusting inflation .,.

Tires and wheels 253
pressures. Check all of the tires It is important to check the tire •
and be sure not to forget the pressure when the tires are • '
spare tire. If the pressure in any cold.
tire is too high when the tire is -Read the required tire pres-
"cold," let air out of the tire sure from the tire pressure la-
slowly with the edge of the tire bel. The tire pressure label is
gauge and keep checking the located on the driver's side B-
pressure until you reach the pillar.
pressure that is correct for the -Turn the valve stem cap coun-
load (passengers and luggage) ter-clockwise to remove it
and kind of driving you plan to from the tire valve.
do. -Place the air pressure gauge
If the pressure in any tire is too on the valve.
low, note the difference be- -The tire pressures should only
tween the pressure in the cold be checked and adjusted when
tire and the pressure you need the tires are cold. The slightly
and add the air that you need to
raised pressures of warm tires
reach the correct pressure for must not be reduced.
the vehicle load (passengers -Adjust the tire pressure to the
and luggage) for the tires on load you are carrying.
your vehicle as listed on the on -Reinstall the valve stem cap
your vehicle and in this manual on the valve.
and the kind of driving you plan
When should I check the tire
to do.
pressure?
Never exceed the maximum in-
The correct tire pressure is es-
flation pressure listed on the
pecially important at high
tire sidewall for any reason.
speeds. The pressure should
Remember that the vehicle therefore be checked at least
manufacturer, not the tire man- once a month and always be-
ufacturer, determines the cor- fore starting a journey. Do not
....
M N
rect tire pressure for the tires <( (.J
'SI:
on your vehicle . .... \!) 1.1'1
.... 1.1'1 ....