Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
Wheels
General information
~check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob
jects from the tire tread.
~ If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap
proach the curb at an angle.
~ Have faulty tires or rims re
placed immediately.
~ Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
~ Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
~ Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as possible.
(i}) Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical i n those seasons. Audi recom
mends using winter tires dur
i ng the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de crease the elasticity of summ
er tires, which affects traction
204
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter driving condi
tions. The surface of the r ims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protection for th is and
could be permanently dam
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 168 Tire specifi cation codes on the
sidewall of a tire .,._
Tires and wheels
be happy to provide more infor
mation .
® Mud and snow capability
"M/S" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is suitable for driving on mud and
snow.
& indicates a winter tire.
@ Compos ition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay
ers in the tire . In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry. Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materia ls
used in the tire. These include
steel , nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Ma ximum permitted load
T his number indicates the maxi
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Tread wear, t raction and temper
ature ranges
¢page 221 .
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires.
You must always follow the speci -
206
fied running direction
¢page 238 .
(8) Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to which a t ire can
be inflated under normal operat
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory we ight
means the combined weigh t (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto matic transmission, power steer
ing, power brakes, power win
dows, power seats , radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory -in
stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to
the width of the tire in pe rcent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low s idewall for imp roved steer
ing response and better overa ll
handling on dry pavement.
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. ..
<( 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
Emerg ency assis ta nce
Emergency assistance
Trunk escape latch
Applies to: vehicles with trunk escape latch (A3 sedan)
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk escape
latch.
Fig. 172 luggage compartment: t runk escape latch
.,. Push the latch in the direction of the arrow un
til the lock releases .
The trunk escape latch inside the rear lid is made of fluo rescent mater ial to glow in the dark.
_& WARNING
The trunk escape latch is to be used only in an
emergency .
General information
.,. Park the vehicle as far as poss ible from moving
traff ic in the event of a flat tire. In the event of
a flat t ire, park the vehicle on a level surface. It
you are on a steep incline, be especia lly careful.
.,. Set the park ing brake.
.,. Place the selector lever in the P position.
.,. Switch the emergency flashers on.
.,. Put on a reflective vest, if available .
.,. Set up the warning triangle, if available .
.,. Have the passengers exit the vehicle . They
should move to a safe place, for example be
hind a guard rail.
_& WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above. They are for
your protection and the for the safety of other
drivers.
2 30
Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to: vehicles with vehicle tool kit
Fig. 173 lu gg age compartmen t: cargo floor cove r fo lded
upward (example)
The vehicle tool kit, t ire repa ir set* and compres
sor* are stored in the luggage compartment un
der the floor cover~
fig. 173 .
.,. Hook the p lastic hook@ into the luggage com
partment seal.
.,. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the lug
gage compartment lid.
_& WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se
rious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if you
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your veh icle model. Under no circum
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; you risk injuring
yourself .
- Never start the engine when the veh icle is
raised, which co uld cause an accident .
- Support the vehicle securely with a ppropri
ate stands if work is to be pe rformed under
neath the vehicle; otherwise, there is a po
tential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack is only su itable for use on the
vehicle it came with. ..,.