
Wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres
sure label ¢
page 215, fig. 170
for the number of seating posi
tions . Refer to the table
¢page216forthe number of
people that correspond to the ve
hicle normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper knowledge and are equipped with
the required tools and replace
ment parts.
.,.New tires do not yet have the
optimum adhesion properties. Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 miles (500 km) with new tires .
.,.Use tires of the same construc
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread
pattern as possible on all four
wheels .
212
.,.Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,.Audi recommends that you use
Audi 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 size ¢
,&.
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con
sult with an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur
chase ¢&, .
The spare tire* is different 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 drive vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the
drive system is not damaged by .,.

different tire speeds. For this reason, 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.
Wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-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. 168 Tire profile : treadwear 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 .
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear. ..
213

.... N
0 Ico ....
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)a)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
AS Coupe: 225/50 Rl
7 94H
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/45 Rl
7 95H
All Season
32 220 29 200 33 230 33 230
245/40 Rl8 93H 33 230 29 200 35 240 35 240
All Season
255/35 Rl9 96Y
3 2 22 0 32 22 0 33 230 33 230 High Performance
55 Coupe: 245/40 Rl8 93H
36
250 30 210 39 270 36 250 3.0 liter All Season
6-cylinder
245/40 Rl8 93Y
High Performance
38 2
60 3 2 22 0 41 280
38 2
60
255/35 Rl9 96Y
38 260 32 220 41
280 38 260 High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 people in the front
_& WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure
¢page 215 and load
limits¢
page 217.
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
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.
Your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids ..,
217

Wheels
plus maximum load . The maxi
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in
tended to carry ("seat ing capaci
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen
ger at a designated seating posi
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer , the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ
ed as part of the vehicle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
( " GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle 's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited . The more pas
sengers in the vehicle or passen
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
218
are listed on the safety compli
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
~ page 215,
fig . 169 .
& WARNING ~ -
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to
carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance .
-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.

.... N
0 I-co ....
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 ma ke 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 pla card
(tire inflation pre ssure l abel)
¢ page 215 , fig. 169.
2 . Determine the combined
weight of the drive r and pas
s engers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtra ct the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
" XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 215 , fig. 169 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex
ample, if the
" XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will
Wheels
be five 1 SO lbs. pa ssengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity i s 650 lb s.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determin e 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 capa city cal culat
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehi cle will be towing a
trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve
hicle. Con sult thi s manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug gage load capacity of your vehi
cle.
..,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 205 , fig. 167) to deter
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mus t be clean and loosen/tig hte n
easily.
Rims
Rims with a bo lted r im ring * or with bo lted w heel
cove rs* cons ist of mult iple p ieces. These compo-
nents were bolted togethe r using s pec ial bolts ..,.
219

.... N
0 Ico ....
damage the t ires, and t he chains will quickly b e
destroyed.
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains or installing snow
chains incorrect ly can result in loss of vehicle
co ntrol, which increases the risk of an acc i
dent .
Snow chains can damage the r ims/wheel cov
ers* if the chains come into d irect contact
w ith them . Remove the wheel covers* first.
Use coated snow chains .
@ Tips
When driving with snow cha ins, it may help to
switch on sport mode¢
page 171.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
t io ti res. These t ires have been tho rough ly tested
a n d been se lected specifically fo r yo ur model for
t he ir superb performance, road feel and handling
under a variety o f driving conditions. Ask your au
thor ized Audi dealer for more details .
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is indicated by
a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire 's size designa
tion . The numera l represents the rat io o f the
tire's sidewall height in relat ion to its tread width
expressed in pe rc e ntage. Conventional t ir e s hav e
a height/w idth rat io of 60 or more.
The performan ce of low- aspect- ratio tire s is par
ticularl y sensiti ve to imp roper inflat ion pres
sure . It is therefore import ant that low a spect
ratio tires are infl ated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pre ssure is regularl y
checked and mainta ined . Tire pre ssure s shoul d
be checked at least once a month and alwa ys
befor e a long t rip
¢ page 215.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damag e
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gull ies or
Wh eel s
ridges on the road, particular ly if the tire is un
deri nflated.
In orde r to min imi ze the occurrence of imp act
damage to the tires of yo ur vehicle , we recom
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended inflat io n pres
sures. Check yo ur ti re pressure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w ith po tholes, deep
gullies or ridges . The impac t from dr iving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso cause
damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediate ly inspect your
tires or have th em inspected by th e nearest au
thorized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect you r tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not a lways
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ic h could eventually cause
tire fa ilure. If you believe that a tire may have
been damaged , replace the tire as soon as pos
sib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly than others .
- Please also remember that, while these tires
delive r responsive ha ndling, they may ride less
comfortably a nd make more noise than other
choi ces.
Reduced perfo rmance in winter /cold se ason
conditions
All tires are des igned for certai n purposes. The
low aspect ratio, ultra high performance tires
o rigi na lly installed o n your veh icle are intended
f or maximum dry and wet road per formance and
handling . They are not suitable for co ld, snowy or
icy weather conditions . If you drive under those
c ircumstances, you should equip your vehicle
with all-season or winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under those condi tions. We suggest you
use the recommended snow or all-season tires
spec ified for your veh icle, or their equiva lent .
Refer to¢
page 220 for more detailed informa
t ion regarding winter tires .
221

Wheels
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 width
c::> page 205, fig. 167.
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 wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one half (11/2) 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, however, 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, Band
C. Those grades represent the tire's
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
c::> .&. .
222
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.
A WARNING -
The traction grade 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.
A 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 combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
Temperature grades apply to tires that are
properly inflated and not over or underinflat
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
(l) General notes
App lies to vehicles : wit h tire pressure mo nitori ng syste m
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 with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell
tale when one or more of your tires is significant- ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and ""

.... N
0 Ico ....
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a signifi
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over
heat and can lead to t ire failure. Under-inflation
a lso reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's handling and stop
p ing 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 p res
sure telltale.
Your veh icle has also bee n eq uipped w ith a TPMS
malfunct ion indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operat ing properly . The TPMS ma l
function ind icator is combined w ith the low tire
p ressure tellta le. Whe n the system detects a
malfunct ion, the te lltale will flash fo r approx i
mately one mi nute and then remain continuo usly
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subseq uent veh icle start-ups as long as the ma l
function ex ists .
When t he malfunction indicator is ill uminated,
the system may not be ab le to detect or signal
l ow tire press ure as intended. TPMS ma lf u nctions
may occur for a var iety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate t ires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly . Always c heck the
TPMS malfunction telltale afte r rep lacing one o r
mo re t ires o r whee ls on your ve hicl e to e nsur e
th at t he replacement or al tern ate tir es and
wheels a llow the TPMS to con tinue to function
p roperly .
Wheel s
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitor ing system
The tire pressure indicator in th e instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a sys tem malfunction.
Fi g. 17 1 Instrumen t cl uster: indicator lig ht w ith mess age
U sing the ABS sensors, the t ire pressure monito r
ing system compares the tire tread c ircumfer
ence and v ibration characterist ics of the ind iv idu
al tires. If the press ure changes in one or more
t ir es, th is is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an indica to r li ght
HE and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the loc ation of tha t
t ir e will be indicated.
T he t ire press ures mus t be stored in the Infota in
me nt system again each time t he pr essures
c h ange (switching between parti al and full load
pressure) or afte r changing or replac ing a tire on
yo ur vehicle ¢
page 224 . The tire p ressure moni
toring system on ly monitors the tire pressure you
have stored. Re fer to the t ire pressure label for
the recommended t ire pressure for yo ur vehicle
r=> page 215, fig . 170.
T ire tread c irc umference and vibration character
istics can change and ca use a tire press ure warn
ing if :
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low.
- t he t ire h as str uctural damage.
- t he t ire w as re pla ce d or the t ire pressu re was
ch anged and it was no t stored ¢
page 224 .
- the spare tire* is i nstalled .
Indicator lights
HE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.& .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary .
IJJ,,
223