<( a:, ... N .... N ... 0
s: a:,
Occupant loading and distri
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres
sure label
c::> page 214, fig. 171
for the number of seating posi
tions. Refer to the table
c::> table
on page 216
for the number of
people that correspond to the ve
hicle normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or whee ls perfo rmed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility .
These facilities have the proper
knowledge and are equ ipped with
the required tools and replace
ment parts .
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
opt imum adhesion properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
.,,. On ly use tires w ith the same de
sign, size (rolling c ircumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as possible on all four
wheels.
Tire s and wheel s
.,,.Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the same axle at the same time .
.,,. Audi recommends that you use
A udi Original equipment tires. If
you would like to use different
tires, please note that the tires may perform differently even if
they are the same si ze
c::> ,&. .
.,,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle w ith a tire/r im comb ina
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con
sult w ith an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur
chase ¢
..1,..
The spare t ire* is diffe rent from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle - for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire* tem
porarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use . It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
On
all wheel d rive vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand
and have the same construction
and tread pa ttern so that the
drive system is not damaged by
2 11
Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
,&. WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif
ferent construction can differ
greatly
even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of an accident.
212
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle. Using them when not permitted can Lead to ve
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profile: tread wear indica
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear. ..
Tires and wheels
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed.
Model/ Tire designation
Engine Tire pressure
Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)
3>
front rear front rear
PSI
A3 Cabrio- 225/45 Rl7 91Y let: High Performance
30
l.8L
225/40 Rl8 92Y
4 cylinders High Performance
35
225/45 Rl 7 91H
All Season
33
225/40 Rl8 92H
All Season
36
235/35 Rl9 91 Y
High Performance
33
A3 Cabrio- 225/45 Rl 7 91 Y
let: High Performance
30
2.0L 225/40 Rl8 92Y
4 cylinders High Performance
35
225/45 Rl 7 91H
All Season
33
225/40 Rl8 92H
All Season
38
235/35 Rl9 91 Y
High Performance
35
a) 2 people in the front , 1 perso n in the rear
.&, WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
¢ page 214 and load
limits
¢page 216.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
216
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
210 28 190 36 250 36 250
240 3 2 220 36 2 50 36 250
2 30 30 210 38 260 38 260
250 33 230 41 280 41 280
2 30 29 200
36 25
0
36 25
0
210 28 190 38 260 38 260
240 32 220 38 260 38 260
230 30 2 10 39 270
39 270
260 35 240 41 280 41 280
240 29 200 38 260
38 260
that is
overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Tires and wheels
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss of control and a crash .
-Always make sure that the to tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu
late the total weight of the pas
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport
so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢page 214, fig.170.
218
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢page 214, fig. 170.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex
ample, if the "XXX" amount
equals
1400 lbs . and there will
be five
150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex ceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculat
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve
hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces ...
Tires and wheels
"' Check and cor rect the seating of the snow
c h ains if necessa ry after dr iving a few feet. Fo l
l ow the instructions from the manufacturer .
"' Note the maximum permitted speed when d riv
i ng with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mp h
(SO km/h) .
Snow chains not only improve the
driving in win
ter road conditions, but also the
broking .
Use of snow cha ins is o nly pe rmitted with certain
rim/t ire combinations due to tec hnical reasons .
C hec k with an authorized A udi dealer o r autho r
i z ed Audi Service Fac ility to see if yo u may use
snow cha ins.
Use
fine-mesh snow chains . They must not add
mo re t han 0.53 inch (13.5 mm) in height, includ
i n g the chain loc k.
You must remove the c hains when d riving on
roads that are
free of snow . W hen roads a re free
of snow, snow c hains ca n impair handling and
damage the ti res, and the chai ns w ill quickly be
destroyed.
A WARNINC
Us ing inco rrect snow c hains or insta lling snow
c hai ns inco rre ctl y can resul t in loss o f vehicle
c o ntro l, w hich incr ease s th e ris k of an a cci
d ent .
(D Note
Snow chains can damage th e rims/wheel cov
ers* i f the cha ins come in to d irect contact
w it h t hem. R emove the w heel c overs* first .
U se coat ed sn ow cha ins.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Au di is fac to ry-equipped wi th low aspec t ra
tio tires . These ti res have been tho roughly tested
a nd been se lected specifically fo r yo ur model fo r
their supe rb per fo rmance, road feel and handling
un der a variety of driving conditions . As k yo ur au
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is i ndicated by
a numeral of
55 or less in t he tire's size designa
tion. The nume ra l rep resents the rat io of the
tire's sidewall he ight i n relat io n to its tread width
220
exp ressed in perce nta ge . Conventiona l tir es h ave
a height/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is par
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should
be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip
r=> pog e 214.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i
l y by impact with potho les, curbs, gullies or
r idges on the road, particularly if the tire is un
der inflated .
In orde r to min imize the occur rence of impact
damage to the tires of you r vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended inflation pres
sures. Check you r tir e pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if necessa
ry.
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w it h potholes, deep
gu llies o r ridges . Th e impac t from dr iv ing
t hroug h or over such o bstacl es ca n da mage
your tire s. I mpac t w ith a curb may also cau se
d am age to yo ur ti re s.
- After any impac t, imme diate ly inspect you r
t ire s or h ave them inspe cted by t he nea rest a u
t hori ze d Audi d ealer. Repl ace a dama ged t ire as
soon as possible.
- Ins pect your tir es eve ry 2,00 0 m iles (3,0 00 k m)
for dama ge and wear. Dam age is no t always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
unde rinflation, w hich coul d event ua lly cause
tire fa ilure. If yo u be lieve that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sible .
- These tires may wear mo re quick ly than others.
- Please also remember that, while t hese tires
delive r responsive hand ling, they may ride less
comfortably and make mo re noise than other
choices. ""
<( co .... N r--N .... 0 ,.__
> co
Reduced performance in winter /cold season
conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes. The
low aspect ratio, ultra high performance t ires
originally installed on your vehicle are intended
for maximum dry and wet road performance and handling . They are not suitable for cold, snowy or
i cy weather cond it ions. If you dr ive under those
circumstances, you shou ld equ ip your vehicle
with all-season or winter tires, whic h offe r better
traction under those conditions. We suggest you
use the recommended snow or all-season tires
specified for you r vehicle, or their equivalent.
Refer to¢
page 219 for more detailed informa
tion regarding winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and
maximum section w idth ¢
page 204, fig . 168 .
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Tem
perature
A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread wea r
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under contro lled conditions on a specified gov
ernment test course.
F or example, a tire graded
150 would wear one
and one ha lf
( 1 1/2) times as well on the govern
ment course as a tire graded
100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual conditions of their use, howeve r, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B and
C. Those grades represent the tire's
Tires and wheels
ability to stop on wet pavement as measured un
der controlled conditions on specified govern
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
¢ &.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and
C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the mate
rial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure¢ &.
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
&, WARNING
The traction gra de assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor
nering, hydroplaning or peak traction charac
teristics.
.&_ WARNING
= -
The temperature grade for this tire is estab lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in comb inat ion, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure .
.&_ WARNING
--
Temperature grades apply to tires that are
properly inflated and not over or underinflat
ed.
221
Tires and wheels
Tire pressure monitoring
indicator
CD General notes
Applies to: ve hicles w ith tire p ressu re monitoring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la
bel, you should determine the proper tire infla
tion pressure for those tires) .
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped w ith a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell
tale when one or more of your t ires is significant
ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible , and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a signifi
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re
sponsib ility to ma intain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to tr igger illum inat ion of the TPMS low tire pres
sure telltale.
Your veh icle has also been equipped w ith a TPMS
malfunct ion indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operat ing properly. The TPMS mal
function indicator is combined w ith the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi
mately one minute and then remain continuous ly
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal
function exists .
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS malfunctions
222
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the veh icle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
whee ls allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Appl ies to: vehicles wit h Tire Pressure Mo nito rin g System in
dica tor
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor
i ng system compares the tire tread c ircumfer
ence and vibration characteristics of the individu
al tires. If the pressure changes in one or more
tires , this is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an
Ii] indicator light and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
tire will be indicated. The message turns
off after
a few minutes. You can display the message
again
,=;, page 25.
The tire pressures must be stored in the menu
display again each time the pressures change
(switching between partial and full load pres
sure) or after changing or replacing a tire on your
vehicle
c;, page 223. The tire pressure mon itor
ing system on ly monitors the tire pressure you
have stored . You can find the recommended tire
pressures for your vehicle on the label on the
driver's door pillar
q page 214 .
Tire tread circumference and vibrat ion character
i stics can change and cause a tire pressure warn
i ng if:
-If the tire pressure in one or more t ires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- The tire was replaced or the tire pressure
changed and it was not stored again
,=;, page 223.
- the spare tire is installed.
<( co .... N r--N .... 0 r--> co
Indicat or lights
IE -Loss of pressure in at least one ti re c::> ,& .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires. Then
store the tire pressures in the MMI
<=:>page 223.
mm (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
press ure: System malfuncti on!.
Ifm appears
after switching the ignition on or whi le driving
and the
IE indicator light in the instrument clus
ter blinks for approximately one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction . Try to
store the correct tire pressures
c::> page 223 . If
the indicator light does not turn off or turns on
again after a short period of time, drive to an au
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Faci lity immediately to have the malfunction cor
rected.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure warning light IE in the
instrument cluster turns on, the pressure in
one or more tires is too low . Reduce the ve
hicle speed immediately and avo id any hard
steering or braking maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible, check the tire and inflate the
t ire to the correct pressure, which is speci
fied on the tire pressure label on the veh icle
<=:> page 214. Driving w ith a t ire with low
pressure c auses the t ire to overheat and can
result in failure of the tire . Low pressure can
also have a negative effect on the driving
and braking behavior of the vehicle .
- T he driver is responsib le for maintaining the
correct tire pressures . You must check the
tire pressures regularly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driv ing style, winter conditions or unpaved
roads), the pressure monitor indicator may
be delayed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle . Us
ing them when not permitted can lead to
vehicle damage or accidents .
(D Tips
-The tire pressure monitoring system can al
so stop working when there is an ESC mal
function.
Tir es and wheel s
- Us ing snow chains may result in a system
ma lfunction.
- The tires with the identification "AO" or
"RO"
c::> page 211 have been matched with
your Audi tire pressure monitoring system .
We recommend that you use these tires.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can on
ly monitor the tire pressure of the driving
tires. Check the tire pressure of the spare
wheel in the luggage compartment so that if necessary it is ready for use.
Storing tire pressures
App lies to : vehicles wi th Tir e Pressure Mo nito rin g Sys te m in
dic ator
A change in tire pressur e or a change in tires
must be stored in the syst em .
The tire press ure is stored in the MM I.
.,. Make sure before storing that the t ire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adap ted to the load. O therwise the system
could malfunction
c::> page 214.
.. Switch on the ignition.
.,. Select: the I MENU I button> Ca r> Sys tem s*
con trol button > S er vice & control > Tire pre s
s u re m on itor > Stor e tire pressu re > Yes , sto re
no w.
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow chains
are installed. Otherw ise the system could
malfunction.
223