2015 AUDI TT ROADSTER Owners Manual

Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire is des igned to
be driven for extended periods of t ime . The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢page 192. You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­ b le, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 196.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or
more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warn ing te ll­
tale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the princ ipal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 190, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (NHTSA) that is designed to
h elp buyers make relative comparisons among
tires . Th e U TQG is not a safety rating and not a
g uar antee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of mi les or per form in a certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers additional informa­
tion to combine with other considerations,
Tires and wheels 183
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recom­
mendations . Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufact urers in three areas: tread­
wear, traction and temperature resistance .
The UTQG informat ion on the tires, molded in­
to the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2213 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2013. The other numbers are market­
ing 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 luggage load plus
150 lbs . (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to­
tal seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated on the driver's side B -pillar .
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual 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
means that load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distr ibuted in
accordance with table below¢
page 184)
and dividing by two.
•
•

184 Tires and wheels
Occupant loading for vehicle normal load (no luggage)
Designated seating capacity, number of occu- Vehicle normal load (no luggage), number of
pants occupants
2 2
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 136 Tire pressure label: located on driver's side B­
pillar
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents. Tire pressure is
measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit -
the greatest amount of we ight that the vehi­
cle can carry safe ly and the tire size. The prop­
e r tire pressure is freq uent ly referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of interna l frict ion when it flexes in
use. The t ire 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.
Therefore, you shou ld never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflation pres­
sure " recommendations. The tires would then
be underi nflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure . K eep­
ing tires at the rig ht pressure is also impor­
tant for sa fe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying.
Tire pres-
-ID
-
-----------------~ ,.
•===~=~~=~~=-= :g
c
==. ~: I = I ::,,. I)@ TI- ........ ....,..,____, ..... _.,....,.._,...... .... _ ... "-.................. ~ ... --................ ..
1N SIZE COlD lWIE MlS5UM. ,..-u .,...,,..... PlillSSION OU flH£US A fllOD ,_,.
AVNff -KPA, a PSI
---KPA, a PSI
-.. _ -KPA, a PSI
Fig. 137 Tire pre ssure label
SEE OW9'Ell"'S MA.HUAlFOI' ADDITIOII IAL lo~FOAMATlON VOIIIU MAMJ(L OU PROf'Wl£TAJRE '°'-'AP\USDf R£NSEIOHEMUITS
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle.
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires on your vehicle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting.
Th e tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold tire inflation pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufactured .
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (no luggage)
up to 2 occupants, you can adjust tire pres­
sures to those specified for normal vehicle
load. Before operating the vehicle at maxi­
mum load, you must increase the tire pres­
sures to those specified for maximum vehicle
load ~&. -
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system can only monitor the tire pressures ..,.

Tires an d wheel s 185
you have stored. The system does not
recognize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor­
ing sys tem w ill be impaired if you store no r­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,&.
See the illustration¢
fig. 136 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate at
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to change. In the
event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label (on driver's side B-pi llar) always
takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
led on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pre ssure rear
Engine full load full load
normal load condition normal load
condition
condition
(2 occupants condition
(2 occu-
( upto 2 oc-
plus lug- (
up to 2 oc-
pants plus
cupants) gage ) cupants)
luggage)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
TT /TI S: 225 /50 Rl 7 94H All Sea -
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 2.0 liter son
4-cyl in-
225/50 Rl 7 94W XL Hi gh
d er
Perf or man ce
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
24 5/ 45 Rl 7 95 H All S ea-
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 son
245 /45 R1 7 95YX L High
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 Performance
245 /40 R18 93H All S ea-
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200 son
2 45 /40 R18 93Y XL High
32 220 33 230 29 200 30 210 Perf or mance
255 /35 R19 96 Y XL High
32 220 32 220 29 200 29 200
Perfo rmance
X L= r einf orced or extra lo ad tire. It ma y al so app ear a s xl, EX TR A LO AD, or RF on the tir e side-
wa ll.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment during the model year, al­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle. Ma ke sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the same
as the size of the tires on the veh icle.
Th is is espec ially important if the veh icle be­
longs to someone else o r you boug ht the vehi­
cle w ith diffe rent rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a prev iously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas-
sengers also depends on making sure that
IJll,
•
•

186 Tire s and wheel s
load limits a re not exceede d. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on t he
ve hicle . These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the veh icle 's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weigh t Rat ing a re listed on the
safety compliance st ic k er labe l located on the
driver's side B-pill ar. T he tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or
othe r cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
locat ion of the tire pressure label¢
fig. 136.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other acc ident, se­
r ious personal in jury, and even death.
- Carry ing more weight than your vehicle
was desig ned to carry will prevent the
vehicle from hand ling p roperly and in­
cr ease the risk of a loss of veh icle con­
t ro l.
- T he brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be ab le to stop t he
vehicle within a sa fe distance.
- Ti res on a vehicle that has been ove rload ­
ed can fail suddenly causi ng lo ss of con­
tro l and a crash .
A WARNING
-Incorre ct tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious o r fatal acci ­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increase d tire wear and can
affect the handling of t he vehicle .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/o r underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, incl uding a blowo ut and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
t ir e p ressu re label a nd in the table
¢
page 184, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means tha t the pressu re m ust be che cked and
adjus ted whe n the t ire has not been dr iven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
l ow speeds d uring the previous t hree ho urs.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up as a result of interna l frict ion as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than whe n it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a "co ld" t ire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let a ir o ut
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat io ns ¢
page 184 . The
t ires wou ld then be unde rinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire inflation pressures fo r
the new, orig inal equ ipment tires that were
o n your veh icle at the time it was manufac­
tu red. Fo r the lo cat ion of t he labe l
¢page 184, fig . 136.
Most t ires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you d rive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while par king. It is usually
not poss ible to see whethe r the rad ial tires
u sed today are underinfla ted just by loo king
at them .
T he refore, be sure to check t ire p ressu res at
l east on ce a mo nth and a lways befo re going
o n a long trip. M ake s ure to ta ke the n umbe r
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac ­
count when a djusting tire pressure for a trip -
even on e that yo u wo uld not conside r to be
" long." See ¢
page 188, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an accurate tire press ure ga uge
when checking and ad justing inflat ion pres­
s u res. Check all of the tires and be sure not to ..,.

forget the spare tire. If the press ure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the t ire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the veh icle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your veh icle as listed on the on
your ve hicle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do .
Never exce ed the ma ximum inflation pres ­
s ur e listed on t he tire s idewall for any re a­
s on.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer , not
the t ire manufacturer , determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the tires on your veh icle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the t ires a re cold .
- Read the req uired tire press ure from the tire
pressure label located on driver's s ide B-pil­
l ar .
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressure ga uge on the valve.
- The tire pressures sho uld on ly be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
s light ly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is espec ially impo r­
tant at high speeds . The pressure sho uld
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways befo re starting a journey.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adj ust the tire pressu re to the load you are
carry ing . After changi ng a wheel
or replacing
Tire s an d wheel s 187
whee ls yo u have to adjust the ti re p ressu res
o n all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then initi­
a lize the new tire pressu res in the t ire pres­
s u re monitoring system
Q page 198.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serio us pe rsonal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
It] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or unde rin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and su dden de­
flation, caus ing loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- Th e drive r is responsib le for the co rrec t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values a re locat ­
ed on a sticke r on the driver's side B-pil­
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil ­
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres­
sure mon itor ing system can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressu re va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re p ress ure monito r­
ing system.
- Always inf late t ires to the recommended
and correct t ire p ress ure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with unde rinflated tir es bend
mo re, lett ing t hem get too hot resulting
in tre ad separ ation, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause he at bu ild- up, sudden tire failure
an d loss of cont rol. •
•

188 Tire s and wheel s
-If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well.
- If the t ire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immed iately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this ,
always make sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re securely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase t he
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can c arry.
A vehicle that is overloaded w ill not h andle
well and is more difficult to s top. Over load ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the veh icle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and eve ryth ing in and on the vehicle . These
l oad limits a re tech nica lly refe rred to as the
ve hicl e's
Gross V ehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle , all factory insta lled accesso ries , a fu ll
tank of f uel, oi l, coo lant and othe r fluids pl us
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number o f passenge rs that t he vehi cle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weig ht of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position and the total weight of any luggage
in the ve ­
hicle .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR") is
the max imum load th at ca n be applied at e ach
of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weight Ra ting are listed on the
sa fety comp liance s ticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar. Yo ur Audi has 2 seat ing
positions . Each seating position has a safety
belt
~ page 100, Safety belts.
T he fac t th at there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
t h at the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle is lim ited . T he more passen ­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be carried as lug ­
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Aud i also lists
the maximum combined weig ht of a ll of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo t hat
the vehicle can ca rry . For t he loca tion of the
label
~ page 184, fig . 136 .
.&, WARNING
Overloadi ng a veh icle can cause loss of ve­
hicl e co ntr ol, a crash or o the r ac cident, se­
rious personal injury, and even dea th .
- Ca rrying more we igh t tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry wi ll preve nt the
veh icle from handling proper ly an d in­
crease the risk of the loss of ve hicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a ve hicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle t hat has been over load­
ed can fail s udden ly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .

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 vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 184,
fig . 136 .
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 184 , fig. 136.
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.
Tires and wheels
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. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5 . Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
,...Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 191 , fig. 140) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
189
•
•
'

190 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 138 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
f ~----~
~ ..__ ____ __,
Fig. 139 Rotating t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 138 running across the tread. Depend­
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 186.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 139.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 211 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
all-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 146 . ..,.