2016 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nat ion­
al Highway Traffic Safety Adminis ­
tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relative com­
parisons among tires . The UTQG is
not a safety rating and not a guar­
antee tha t a tire will last for a
prescribed number of miles (ki lo­
meters) or perform in a certain
way. It simply gives tire buyers
additional information to com­
bine with othe r considerations,
s u ch as price , brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations . Under
UT QG,
tir es a re grade d by the tire
manu factu rers in three areas :
treadwear, traction, and tempera­
ture resistance. The UTQG infor­ mation on the tires, mo lded into
the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" .
It beg ins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standa rds. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac ­
tured, and the last four numbers
represent the wee k and year o f
manufacture . For example ,
Wheels
DOT ... 2214 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 201 4. The
other numbers are ma rketing co­
des that may or may not be used
by the tire manufact urer. Th is in­
formation is used to contact con­
sumers if a tire defect requ ires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug ­
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo­
grams) times the vehicle's des ig ­
na ted seating capacity.
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that l oad on an ind iv idual
tire that is determined by distrib­
ut ing to eac h ax le its share of t he
maximum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by d istrib­
uting to each ax le its share of the
curb weight , accessory weight,
and norma l occupant weigh t (dis­
tributed in acco rdance with¢
ta­
ble on page 245) and dividing by
two .
239
..

Wheels
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for veh icle normal load
for various designated seat ing
capacit ies
Refer to the tire inflation pressure
label
c:> page 243, fig . 198 for
the number of seating positions .
Refer to the table
c:> table on
page 245
for the number of peo­
ple that correspond to the vehicle
normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all wo rk
on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dea ler or au­
thorized repair fac ility. These fa­
cilities have the proper knowledge
and are equipped with the re­
quired tools and replacement
parts.
.,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum adhesion properties. Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds fo r the first 350 miles
(500 km) with new tires .
.,. Use tires of t he same constr uc­
tion, size (rolling c ircumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as possible on all four
wheels.
2 4 0
.,.Do not replace tires individ ually .
At least re place both t ires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,. A udi recommends that you use
Aud i O riginal equipment tires . If
you wo uld li ke to use different
tires, please note that the tires may perform d ifferently even if
they are the same s ize
c:> &. -
.,. If you would like to equip you r
vehic le with a tire/rim combina­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the facto ry, con ­
sult w ith an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized repair facili­
ty be fore making a purchase
¢ .&_ .
The spare tire* is d ifferent from
the regular t ires installed on the
vehicle -for example, if winter
tires or wi de tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire* tem­
porar ily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use . It
s h o u ld be replaced w ith a regular
tire as soon as poss ib le.
On
all wheel drive ve hic les, all
four wheels must be equipped
w ith 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 rea­
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular tires.
A 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.
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso-
Wheels
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. 196 T ir e profi le : 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 repair facility
241
...

Wheels
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear.
- Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
The original tires on your vehicle have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high
"wear indicators" ~fig.
196 run­
ning across the tread . Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) indicate
the positions of the tread wear in­
dicators.
The t ires have reached the mini­
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢&..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in­
stall the wheels from the rear
axle on the front axle and vice ver­
sa. This will allow the tires to
1> Obey any applicable regulatio ns in you r
country .
242
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make sure
the tires are installed according to
the running direction indicated on
the tire sidewall¢
page 259.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hid­
den . Unusual vibrations in the ve ­
hicle or pulling to one side may
indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized repair facility to have the vehicle inspected.
&_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving

"'
through curves and when brak­ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 197 Driver's side B-pillar : tire pres­
sure label
"' -
-~-------------------,£
leooodl__._.,_,.d:.,~w._;.,.-~ •• ._
tM£. IIZl COLO tlllf fllllESSt.lW. PNfU Nl:4fN$IOM$ "IIISaoN OE$ PMEU$ A FROID
-AYIJff -KPA, a PSI
Fig. 198 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la­
bel. The label is locate d on the B­
pillar
¢ fig. 197, ¢fig. 198.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded¢
table
on page
245. If driving the vehi-
3 cle when fully loaded, you must
~ ..... \D V
N \D .....
Wheels
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure¢&,.
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,,.Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
... Check the label ¢
fig. 198 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,,.Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary.
... vehicles with Tire Pressure Moni­
toring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­
ment system
¢page 252.
.,,.Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire* /spare tire*. Always maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire .
_& WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle
load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase .,,.
243

Wheels
the risk of an accident. Read and follow the important
safety precautions in
¢ page 245, Tires and vehicle
load limits .
-The tire must flex more if the
tire pressure is too low or if
the vehicle speed or load are
too high . This heats the tire up
too much. This increases the
risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and
result in loss of vehicle con­
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure increas­ es tire wear and has a negative
effect on driving and braking
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print­ ing, and the information is sub­
ject to change. If there are differ­
ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side B­pillar, always follow the specifica­
tion on the B-pillar label
¢ page 243, fig. 197.
244
behavior, which increases the
risk of an accident.
(D Note
Replace lost valve caps to re­
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
@ For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in­
creases fuel consumption.
(D Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a nor­
mal load
¢ table on page 245
or for a full load when the vehi­
cle is partially loaded .
Make sure that the tire designa­
tion on your tire matches the des ­
ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom­ mended tire pressures in cold
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed. ...

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
Wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to 2/3* people)a>
front
rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A7: 235/55 Rl 7 99Y 3.0L High Performance
32 22 0 29 20 0 35 240
38 260
6 cylinders
255/45 Rl8 99H
All Season
3 2 220 2 9 200 3 5 2
40
38 260
255/45 Rl8 99Y
High Performance 32 220 29 2 00 35 240
38 260
255/40 Rl9 l00H XL
All Season
35 240
32 220 38 260 41
280
255/40 Rl9 l00YXL
36 High Performance 25 0 3 2 220 3 8 260 41 280
265/35 R20 99H XL
All Season
3 5 240
32 220
38 260
41 280
265/35 R20 99Y XL
High Performance
36 250 32 220 38 260 41 280
275/30 R21 98Y XL
High Performance
38 2 60 33 230 3 9 270 41 280
S7: 265/35 R20 99Y XL
4 .0L High Performance 4 1
280 35 240
44
300 44
300
8 cylinders
255/40 Rl9 l00YXL
High Performance
39 270 33 230 42
29 0 42
290
275/30 R21 98Y XL
High Performance 41 28 0
35 2
4 0 44 300 44 300
a) Vehicles with 4 seating positions: 2 p eop le in th e fron t, Vehicles with 5 seating posi­
tions:
2 pe ople in the fron t, 1 p erson i n the r ear
A WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire pressure
¢ page 243 and load
limits
¢ page 245 .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehi cle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
O verloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important part s of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure , including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
c ause the vehicle to crash.
245

Wheels
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 Rating
("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
plus maximum load . The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating 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 trai ler, 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 -
246
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
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
c::> page 243,
fig. 197.
&_ 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 in­
crease 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.