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Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If differen t rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -eve n if it
i s the same model
~ page 296.
_&. WARNING
Improperly tig htened or 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
whee l 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 wh ile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque .
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts 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 vehi
cl e 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.
Q;) Note
The spec ified torque 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-
Tire s an d wheel s 269
nally . After changing a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author
i zed Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been selected specifically for your model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a variety of driving condi
tions . Ask your au thorized Aud i dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's si ze
designation. The n umera l represents the ra tio
of the ti re's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven
tiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The perform ance o f low-a spe ct-r atio tire s is
p ar ticul arl y s ens it iv e to imp ro per infl ation
pressur e. It is t herefo re im porta nt t hat low
a spect ratio t ires are inflat ed to the specified
pr essure and that the inflation pressure is
r e gularly checked and ma int ained. Tire pr es
s ure s should be check ed at lea st on ce a
month and alwa ys befor e a long trip
~ page 252 , Checking tire pressure.
What you c an do to avoid 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 rtic ularly if the tire is
u nder infla ted .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following p re ca u
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
p ressures . Check your tire pressu re eve ry
2 ,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces
sary .
- Dr ive caref ully on roads wi th potholes , deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from driv ing ..,. •
•
276 What do I do n ow ?
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is no t complete without the
doing the following .
.. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com
partment ¢
page 134.
.. Check the tire pre ssur e on the spare wheel
immediately after mount ing it .
.,. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bol ts checked with a
torq ue wrench. The correct tightening tor
que is 90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
.. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi
ble.
@ Tips
- If you notice t hat the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to t urn while
changing a t ire, they should be replaced
before you check the tighten ing torque.
- Drive at reduced speed unt il you have the
tightening torques checked .
- After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
i n a ll four tires must be checked/correct
ed and the tire pressure mon itor ing indi
cator must be stored in the MMI
¢ page 272 .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicles: with decorative wheel covers
T he decora tive wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 210 Cha nging a w hee l: Remov ing t he w heel cove r
Removing
.,. Inse rt the hook (prov ided with the veh icle
tool kit) in t he hole in the wheel hub cove r. ..
Pull off the
de cora tive wheel co ver
¢ fig . 210.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to veh icles: w it h w heel bolts with caps
The caps must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts can be un
screwed.
Fi g. 211 Cha ng ing a whee l: re m oving t he w hee l b o lt
caps
Removing
.. Push the plastic clip (provided with t he veh i
cle tool k it) over the wheel bo lt cap until the
inner retainers on the clip align w ith the
edge of the cover.
.,. Remove the cap with the
plastic clip (vehicle
tool kit)
i=> fig . 211 .
Refitting
.. Place the caps over the whee l bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean .
28 0 What do I do no w?
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Using a sp are t ire wi th a tread pattern
int ended fo r use in a specific dir ect ion
When us ing a spare tire w ith a tread patte rn
intended for use in a specific direction, please
note the following:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an ar
row on the side of the tire.
- If the spare t ire has to be installed in the in
correct direction, use the spare tire only
temporarily since the t ire will not be able to
achieve its optimum performance character
ist ics with rega rd to aquaplaning, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend that you pay particular at
tent ion to this fact du ring wet weather and
that you adjust your speed to matc h road
conditions.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the handling advantages
of a unidirectiona l tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information c> page 260 , New
t ires and replacing tires and wheels
if you are
going to use a spare tire which is different
from the tires on your vehicle .
After you change a tire :
-Che ck the tire p re ssure on the sp are imme
di ately afte r in st a llat ion.
- Ha ve th e wh eel b olt tightenin g torque
che ck e d w ith a torque wrench as soon a s
possible b y you r autho rized Aud i de aler o r
a qu alified ser vice station .
- With ste el and alloy wheel rims , the wheel
bolts are cor rectl y tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (1 20 Nm ).
- If yo u notice that the wheel bolt s are cor
r oded a nd d iffi cult to tu rn while changi ng
a t ire, the y should be replaced before you
check the t ightening torq ue. -
Re pl ac e the flat ti re with a new one and
h av e it in st a lled on you r vehicle as soon as
po ssible. Remount th e wheel cov er.
Un til then , driv e with ex tra c are a nd at re
duc ed sp ee ds.
A WARNING
-
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be
sure to read the information
9 page 260,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels .
-Always make sure the damaged wheel or
even a flat tire and the jack and tool kit
are properly secured in the luggage com
pa rtment and are not loose in the pas
senger compartment.
- I n an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
- Always sto re damaged wheel, jack and
too ls securely in the luggage compart
ment. Otherwise, in an accident or su d
den maneuve r they could f ly forward,
causing injury to passengers in the ve hi
cle.