
146 Intellig ent technolog y
-If the power steering system should fail,
or if the eng ine is not running (for exam
ple, while being towed), yo u wi ll st ill be
able to steer the veh icle. However, more
effort will be requ ired to do so .
- If the power steering system is not func
tioning properly, contact your authorized
Audi dealer immediately .
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive , power is distributed to
a ll four wheels . This happens automa tica lly
depending on your dr iv ing sty le and the road
conditions at the time. See also ~
page 141.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
high engine powe r. You r vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has ex ce ll ent dr iving charac
teristics bot h under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and fo llow
safety precautions ¢
.&..
Winter ti re s
When dr iving in the w inte r, your ve hicle w ith
a ll-wheel d rive has an advantage, even with
regular tires . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea
son tir es) for improv ed driveability and brak
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll fo ur
wheels . See also ¢ page 195, Win ter tires.
Snow cha in s
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive¢
page 196, Snow
chains.
Replacing whe els /t ires
Vehicles wit h all-wheel drive mus t always
have tires of the same size . Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see page
q page 191, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving ?
Your Aud i does no t have enough g round clear
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore bes t to avoid rough tracks and un
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 150 .
A WARNING
-Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf-
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire t raction . You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
d rive too fast because the front whee ls
could begin to slide o n top of the water
(aquaplan ing). If th is should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in
crease in eng ine speed as wit h a front
wheel drive vehicle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con
d itions. -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat
te ry is discharged by idling cur rent consume rs
(e .g. immobili zer) . In cert ain circumstances it
can resu lt in the re being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in you r vehi
cle h andles the dis trib ution of e lectr ica l ene r
gy. Start ing ability is ma rkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended . .,._

-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age .
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
are typ ic al in those seasons. Aud i recom
mends using w inter t ires du ring the win-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be replaced)
of automatic tra nsmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to the width of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the pa rt of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 181
ter months . Low temperatu res signifi
cantly decrease the elastic ity of summer
t ires, which affects traction and braking
ability. If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, res ulting in permanent
ti re damage that can cause loud drivi ng
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is not
responsib le for this type of damage.
- Burn ished, polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter weather. Th e
surfa ce of the rims does not have suffi
c ien t cor rosion pro te cti on for this and
c o ul d be pe rmanen tly damaged by road
salt or similar substances. This damage
is not covered by warranty.
Cold tir e inflation pressure
me ans the t ire press ure re commended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire o f a des igna ted
size that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilomete rs) at low speeds in
the three hour pe riod before the tire press ure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight o f a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, air cond i
tion ing and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher
l oads and at higher inflation press ures than
the corresponding standard tire. Extra load
tires my be ident ified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
ter~ces.
~
•
•

182 Tires and wheels
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded weight o f
the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflat ion pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not requ ired by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the maxi
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) Production opt ions weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated . Also called
"maximum inflation press ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilog rams) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the tota l seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a veh icle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ
ing elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubbe r-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production opt ions we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standa rd items
wh ich they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty
battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substa n
tially 90 deg rees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation pressure
see <=;> page 181, Cold tire inflation pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation pressures than
the corresponding standard tire. Re inforced
t ir es my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a t ire between the
tread and bead .

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,
•
•

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 . ..,.

V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)
1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1 )
Your veh icle is norma lly factory equipped with
t ires, which posses s excellen t driving charac
ter istics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An electronic speed limiter
¢ page 30 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r th an the tire speed rating
¢ &_ .
U.S. DOT T ire Identification Number (TIN )
and tire manufactur e date
This is the t ire's "serial numbe r" . It begins
with the le tters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards . 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 manufactu re.
Fo r example, the numbers 2213 mean that
t he t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
2013 . T he other numbers are marketing co
des that may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con
tact consume rs if a tire defect requires a re
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving charac ter istics whe n used
correctly. Yo ur authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more informat ion.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The numbe r of p lies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber -coa ted fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
mo re weight a tire can support . Tire manufac
turers also must indicate the materials in the
1) F o r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e le tters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 193
tire, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max imum load in
kil ograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion , and temperature resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempe ra tur e grades
¢page 194 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_&. WARNING
-Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control
,
collision and serio us personal inj ury .
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- insta lled tires or other combina
tions that have been specifically ap proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen tha t can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted wit h ra dial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir
cumference) and the same tread pattern . ..,
•
•

The relative perform a nee of ti res depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to var iat ions in dr iving habits, serv
ice practices and differences in road character
istics and climate .
Trac tion
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled cond itions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢,&. .
Temp erature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the t ire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under controlled condi
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden ti re fa ilu re ¢ ,&. .
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
u nder the Federa l Moto r Veh icle Safety Stand
a rd No.
1 09. G rades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of perfo rmance on the laboratory tes t
wheel than the m inimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this ti re is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop lan ing or peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es
tablished for a t ire that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
-
Tire s an d wheel s 195
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possible tire failure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true winter o r "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires should
o nly be used in pairs and be installed o n all
four wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
t ires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on you r vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive*, th is w ill improve traction during winter
driv ing, even with the standa rd tires. Howev
er, we stro ngly recommend that you always
equip all fou r whee ls o n your veh icle w ith co r
rect ly fi tted winter tires o r all-season tires,
when w inter road condit ions are expe cted .
T his also improves the veh icle's b raking per
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires provide less grip on i ce and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire size s. Use
o nly rad ial w inter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con
dit ions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
whee l
¢page 191.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed rating than the tires o rigi -
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it .,.
•
•