2015 AUDI S7 wheel bolts

264 Tires and whee ls
tires because they meet the
h ighest standards regarding
safety and driving characteris ­
tics when used correctly. Your
authorized Audi dealer w ill
g ladly provide you with more
information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
T he number of plies indicates
the number of layers of rubber­
coated fabric in the tire. In gen­
eral, the greater the number of
plies , the more weight a tire
can support . Tire manufactur­
ers also must indicate the ma­
ter ia ls in the tire, wh ich include
steel, nylon, polyester, and oth­
ers .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max­
imum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for
treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, trac tion and tem­
perature grades
¢ page 266.
Ma ximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
T his number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driv ing condi­
tions.
A WA RNING
-Using incorrect or unmatch­
ed tires and/ or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control , collision and
ser ious 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
sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that a re more
than 6 years old can on ly be
used in an eme rgency and
then with special care and
at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on
your vehicle if you are no t

268 Tires and wheels
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used .
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.4 inch (10,5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
q 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do drive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severely dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the vehicle.
(j) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive .

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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 ..,. •
•

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What do I do now? Emergency warning
triangle
App lies to vehicles: with emerge ncy warning triangle
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid .
D -
!I l
Fig. 207 Trunk lid: Warn ing triang le
.,. To open the cover, turn the locking mecha­
nism and pull the cover downward .
"' M ~
~ .. m
.,. Remove the warning triangle from its hold ­
er .
The rear lid is only designed to hold the warn­
ing triangle offered by the original accessories
program. If you would like to retrofit your ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your authori zed Audi dealer.
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover.
Fig. 208 Luggag e compa rtm en t: ca rgo floo r cov er
fol ded upwa rd /spa re tir e
What do I do now? 273
Fig . 209 Tru nk l id: Ve hicle too l kit
.,. Fold the floor to the seatback with the help
of the handle .
.,. Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise
q fig. 208 and remove the spare tire to
reach the vehicle tool kit.
T he onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the whee l covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
-Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Tow ing eye
-Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten w heel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; yo u risk in­
juring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
pria te stands if wor k is to be performed
underneath the vehicle ; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury. ..,.

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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 tire fa ilure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level gro und before you stop¢.&_ .
.. All passengers should
leav e the car and
move to a safe location (fo r instan ce, be hind
the guardra il) ¢.&_ .
.. Engage the
parkin g brake to prevent your
vehicle from ro lling unintentionally ¢.&_ .
.. Move
selecto r le ver to p osition P ¢ .&_ .
1> Ifyou are towing a trai ler, unh itch the tra iler
from your vehicle .
.,. Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
¢ page 273,
¢ page 274 .
.8, WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if yo u do not fol­
low t hese safety precautions:
- If you have a flat t ire, move a safe dis ­
tance off the road. Tur n off the eng ine,
turn the emergency f lashers on and use
other warning dev ices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the ve hicle and well
away from the road and traff ic.
- To help p revent the vehicle from moving
s u dden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. Whe n one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the A utomat ic Transm iss ion in P
(Pa rk) will
not p revent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be su re the
ground is level and fi rm. If ne cessa ry,
use a st urdy board under the jack.
-
What do I do now? 275
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­ partment
c::>page 134.
(D Tips
Before changing the whee l, you must acti­
vate the jacking mode, so that the auto­ matic controls for the Adaptive Air Sus­
pension* do not make it more d iff icult to
lift the vehicle with the jack
c::> page 2 77 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow these­
quence described below s tep-by-s tep and in
exactly that order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode*
¢page 277 .
2. Remove the decorativ e wheel co ver* . For
more details see also
c::> page 2 76, Deco­
rative wheel covers
or c::> page 2 76,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps .
3. Loosen the wh eel bolt s ¢page 277.
4 . Loca te the p roper moun ting poin t for the
jack and align the jack be low that point
¢ page 277 .
5.
R ais e the car with the jack¢ page 2 77.
6. Remove the
wheel with the flat tire and
then install
the spar e c::>page 279.
7. Tighten all whee l bolts lightly .
8.
Lo wer the vehicle with the jack .
9 . Use the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten al l wheel bolts ¢ page 2 77.
10 . Replace the decorative
wh eel c ov er* .
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode* in the
MM I:
ICARI f u nction button > (Car )* sy s­
tems
contro l button > S erv ici ng & che cks
> A ir s usp .: jac k mode > Off .
The vehicle jack mode * switches off automati­
ca lly at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h) .
.8, WARNING
-Always read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
i nformat ion
c::> A in Raising the vehicle on
page 278
and c::> poge 280.
•
•

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 .

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Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolt s
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle.
Fig . 212 Changing a wheel: loosening the whee l bo lts
Loosening
.. Slide the wheel wrench onto the wheel bolt
as far as it wi ll go .
.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
hand le and turn the whee l bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow c:>
fig. 212.
Tightening
.. Slid e the wheel wrench onto the whee l bolt
as far as it will go.
.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated.
A WARNING
- Do not use force or hurry when changing
a whee l -you can cause the vehicle to s lip
off the jack and cause serious personal
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
(D Tips
-Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
-If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loos en by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only . As you do so,
What do I do now? 27 7
hold on to the car to keep your balance
and take care not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jack first
before the wheel can be removed.
Fig . 213 Sill panels : marking s
Fig. 214 Sill: position ing the vehicle jack
.. Activate the vehicle jack mode* in the MMI:
!CARI function button> (Car)* systems con­
trol button>
Servicing & checks > Air susp .:
jack mode > On .
.,. Engage the parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally.
.,. Move the
selector lever to position P .
.. Find the marking (imprint) on the sill tha t is
nearest the whee l that will be changed
r=>fig. 213. Behind the marking, there is a
lifting point on the sill for the veh icle jack .
.. Veh icles with a sill: remove the cover from
the sill before lift ing the veh icle with a vehi­
cle jack
c:>page 278 .
.,. Turn the vehicle jack located under the lift­
ing point on the sill to raise the jack unti l its
arm @c:>
fig. 214 is located under the des­
ignated plastic mount c:> &, c:>(D .
.. Align the jack so that its arm@c:>
fig. 214
engages in the designated lifting point in
the door sill and the movable base@ lies
~

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Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fig. 216 Changing a wheel: using the screwdriver han­
dle (with the blade removed} to turn the bo lts
F ig . 2 17 Changing a wheel: alignment pin ins ide the
top hole
After you have loosened a ll wheel bolts and
ra ised the veh icle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
R emoving the wheel
.. Use the hex agon al so ck et in th e screw driv­
e r handle
to comp letely remove the top­
most wheel bo lt and set it aside on a
clean
s u rface ¢fig. 216.
.. Screw the threaded end of the alignm ent
pin from the tool k it hand -tight into the
empty bolt hole
¢fig. 217.
.. Then remove the other wheel bo lts as de­
scribed above .
.. Take off the wheel leav ing the alignment pin
in the bolt hole
¢ (D.
Putting on the spar e wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and carefully slide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place
¢(D.
What do I d o now ? 2 79
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly.
.. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly like the rest.
.. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to
lower the veh icle until the jack is fully re­
leased .
.. Use the wheel bo lt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts f irm ly
¢page 277. Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.
(D Note
When removing or installing the whee l,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work carefu lly and have a
second person help you.
@ Tips
Neve r use the hexagonal socket in the han ­
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten
the w heel bo lts.
- Pull the reversible blade from the screw­
dr iver before you use the hexagonal
socket in the hand le to turn the wheel
bolts.
- When mount ing tires w ith
unidi rectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat­
tern is po inted the right way
~page 280.
-The wheel bo lts shou ld be clean and easy
to turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on
the mating surfaces of both the wheel
and the hub. Remove all d irt from these
surfaces before remounting the whee l.