2016 AUDI A7 snow chains

Parkin g sys tems
Parking systems
General information
A ppl ies to veh icles: w ith pa rk in g system plus/rear v iew ca m­
era/per ipheral came ras
Depending on your vehicle 's equipment, various
pa rking aids will help you when parking and ma­
neuvering.
The
p ark ing syste m plu s assists you when park­
ing by audibly and visua lly indicating objects de­
tected
in front of and behind the vehicle
¢ page
115.
The rear v iew ca mera shows the area beh ind the
ve hicle in the Infotainment display. This display
assists you when you are c ross or parallel parking
¢ page
116. In add ition, you are ass isted by the
functions from the parking system plus
¢ page
115.
The pe riph era l cam era s assist you with parking
and maneuvering. You are aided by var ious cam ­
eras depending on the vehicle equipment level
¢ page
119. In addition, you are assisted by the
functions from th e parking syst em p lus
¢ page 115.
A WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot rep lace
the driver's attent ion. The dr iver is a lways
responsible for safety during parking and
f or all other maneuvers.
- Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich peop le and objects cannot be detect­
ed . Be especia lly caut ious of ch ild ren and
animals.
- T he sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radia tor grille, bumper ,
wheel housing and the underbody . The park­
ing systems may become impai red as a re ­
s u lt . Have yo ur autho rized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop check their function .
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions
114
-
as it may impair the sensor function. For in­
formation on cleaning, refer to¢ page
205 .
(D Note
- Some ob jects are not detec ted by the sys­
tem under certain circumstances :
- Objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall ex­
tensions
- Objects w ith specific surfaces or struc­
tures such as chain link fences or powder
snow .
- If you continue driving closer to a low-lying
object, it may disappear from the sensor
range . Note that you w ill no longe r be
wa rned about th is obstacle.
(D Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
tho ugh there are no obstacles in the cover­
age area in some situat ions, such as :
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- externa l ultrason ic sources e.g. from
cleaning vehicles.
- h eavy ra in, snow or thick vehicle exhaus t.
- We recommend that you practi ce parking in
a traff ic-free location or par king lo t to be­
come fam iliar with the sys tem. When doing
this, there should be good light and weather conditions.
- Yo u can change the vo lume and pi tch of the
signals as well as the display¢ page
124.
-Please refer to the instr uctions for towing a
trailer ¢ page
124.
-What appea rs in the infot ainmen t display is
somewha t time-delayed.

M N <( I.J ""'. rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
will switch on again automatically when
conditions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC also
he lps to stabilize the steering in critical situa­
tions.
Selective wheel to rque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when driv­
ing on curves . The front wheel on the inside of
the curve or both wheels on the i nside of the
curv e are braked selectively as needed . This al­
lows more precise dr iving in curves.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-collision braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of other
collis ions after an accident. If the airbag control
module detects a coll is ion above a ce rtain veh icle
speed, the vehicle is braked by the ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the acce lerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri­
ca l system are not functioning.
Switching on/off
Intelligent Technology
A WARNING ,-
-The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural phys i­
cal laws. This is especially important on slip­
pe ry or wet roads. If the systems begin act­
ing to stabilize your vehicle, you should im­
mediately alter your speed to match the
road and traffic conditions. Do not let the in­
creased safety provided tempt you into tak­
ing risks. This could increase your risk of a
collis ion.
- Please note the r isk of a collision increases
when driving fast, especially thro ugh curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions· there is still a risk of acc i­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
i n crease the r isk of a coll ision .
(j) Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc­
tion in engine power .
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 178 Center console: !J, OFF butto n
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in orde r to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow chains
189

Intelligent Technology
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements .
Powe r stee ring adapts electroni cally based o n
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr ive v ehicle: steering d efecti ve
If th is ind icator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may have fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locatio n as soon as pos ­
sib le. Do
not continue driving. See an author iz ed
Aud i dealer or authori zed Aud i Service Facility for
assistance.
,Ton Steering: Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, t he steering may be more diffic ult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The steering
wheel may a lso be at an ang le when dr iv ing
straight.
D rive s low ly to your authorized A udi dealer or
qualified wor kshop to have the malfunction cor­
rected.
,Ton Dynamic steering: Initializing
If the indi cator lig ht ls b linki ng and th is message
appears, dynam ic s teeri ng* is being ini tialized.
Once you st art the eng ine a fter this is finished,
the steering wheel will be easy to move . Re -initi ­
alization might be necessary if the steering whee l
was moved hard to the left and right wh ile the
veh icle was not moving . The display turns off if
the initiali zation was successfu l.
(D Tips
-If th e . or ,Ton indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering sta bility systems
r=> page 188 are not ava ila ble in the event of
a system ma lf u nction.
192
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steerin g, refer to
r=> page 101.
All wheel drive (quattro)
App lies to vehicles : with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In all whee l dr ive, the dr iv ing power is divide d be­
tween all four whee ls. Th is happens automat ic al­
l y depending on yo ur driv ing behavior as well as
the cur rent roa d conditions . Refer to r=>
page 188,
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC).
A cente r d iff eren tial distribu tes the d riving power
variably to the fron t and rear ax le . I t works to ­
gether w it h select ive whee l torq ue control, which
activates when driving throug h curves
<=> page 189. With the sport differential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is variable a nd can
be adjusted with drive select<=>
page 101 .
The all whee l drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Yo ur vehicle is exceptionally pow ­
erfu l and has excellent driving characterist ics
bot h under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice . Always read a nd follow safety pre­
ca utions
<=> ,& .
Winter tires
By using all whee l dr ive, your ve hicle has good
forward motion with sta ndard t ires in winter con­
dit ions . However, in winter we recommend usi ng
winter or all seaso n tires on a ll fou r wheels, be­
cause this will improve the braking eff ect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chai ns m ust
also be used o n ve hicles with all wheel drive
r=> page 248 , Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with a ll wheel drive, o nly wheels with
the same rolling circum ference should be used.
Avoid w heels with d ifferent tread dept hs
<=> page 240, New tires or wheels. ..,.

Wheels
av ailabl e cargo and luggag e
l oa d cap aci ty of your v ehi cle.
.,.Che ck th e tire sidew all
(¢ p ag e 233, fig. 1 9 5) to deter ­
mine the d esigna ted load ra ting
for a specifi c tire .
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bol ts m ust be clea n and loosen/t ighten
easi ly .
R ims
Rims with a bolted rim r ing* or w ith bolted wheel
covers * consist of mu ltiple piec es. These compo­
nents we re bo lted toget he r us ing special bolts
a nd a special pro cedure. You must no t repair or
d isassemble th em ¢.&. .
A WARNING
Whee l bolts t hat are tightened or repaired in­
co rrectly can become loose and resu lt in loss
o f vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an acc ident. For the correct tightening specifi­
cat ion, refer to
¢ page 2 56, After changing a
wheel .
-Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads
in the wheel hub clean and free of grease .
- Only use wheel bo lts that fit the r im .
- Always have damaged rims repa ired by an
autho rized Aud i dealer or authorized repair
facility. Never repair or disassemble rims
you rself, because this increases the risk of
an acciden t.
Winter tires
Winte r tires sign ificantly improve the ve hicle's
handling when d riving i n w inte r condit io ns. Be­
cause of the ir constr uction (wid th, compo und,
trea d patter n), s umme r tires p rov ide less tract ion
on ice and snow .
.,. Use w inte r tir es on all fou r wheels.
248
.,. On ly use winter tires that are approved fo r yo ur
vehicle.
.,. Please note that t he maxim um permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires ¢
_A .
Your authorized Audi dealer or authorized re­
pair faci lity can inform you about the maximum
perm itted speed for your ti res .
.,. Check the tire pressure afte r instal ling whee ls
¢ page 243.
The effect iveness of w inter t ires is red uced great ­
ly when the tread is worn down to a dep th of
0.1 57 i nch ( 4 mm). The cha racterist ics of winter
ti res a lso de crease grea tly as the t ire ages, re­
gardless of the remaining tre ad.
A WARNING
-
- Never drive faster than the max imum pe r­
m itted speed for your tires. This co uld cause
the t ires to heat up too much . This increases
the risk of an accident because it can cause
the t ire to burst.
- Always adapt your dr iving to the road and
traffic cond itions. D rive carefully and reduce
your speed on icy or slippe ry roads. Even
win ter t ires ca n lose traction on black ice.
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, beca use they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice . Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consum ptio n.
(D Tips
You can a lso use all season tires instead of
winter tires. Please note that in some coun ­
tries where w inter t ires a re requir ed, only win ­
ter tires w ith the£ symbol may b e permit­
ted.
' Snow chains
Snow chains improve traction in the snow .
.,. On ly install snow chai ns on the front w heels.
T his app lies also to vehicles with all wheel
dr ive*.

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
~ Check and correct the seating of the snow
chains if necessary after driving a few feet. Fol­
low the instructions from the manufacturer.
~ Note the maximum permitted speed when driv­
ing with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h) .
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win­
ter road conditions, but also the braking.
Use of snow chains is only permitted with certain
rim/tire combinations due to technical reasons.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author­
i z ed repair facility to see if you may use snow
chains .
You must remove the chains when driving on roads that are free of snow. When roads are free
of snow, snow chains can impair handling and
damage the tires, and the chains will quickly be
destroyed.
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains or installing snow
chains incorrectly can result in loss of vehicle
control, which increases the risk of an acci­
dent.
- Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into direct con­
tact with them. Remove the wheel covers*
first. Use coated snow chains.
- Using snow chains that add more than 0 .4
inch (10.5 mm) of height can severely dam­
age the wheel housings and other vehicle
components.
- Do not install and use snow chains if there is
a malfunction in the adaptive air suspen­
sion*, because the vehicle height will be
very low. If you drive with snow chains any­
way, the wheel housings and other vehicle
components can be severely damaged.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ra­
tio tires . These tires have been thoroughly tested
and been selected specifically for your model for
Wheels
their superb performance, road feel and handling
under a variety of driving conditions. Ask your au­
thorized Audi dealer for more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated by
a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size designa­
tion. The numeral represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Conventional tires have
a heigh t/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
~ page 2 43.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more easi­
ly by impact with potholes, curbs , gullies or
ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is un­
deri nflated.
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres­
sures. Check your tire pressure every 2,000
miles (3 ,000 km) and add air if necessary.
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes , deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause
damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au­
thorized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, which could eventu ally cause
tire failure . If you believe that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos -
sible . .,.
249

Wheels
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
¢ page 243, fig. 198.
Tire tread ci rcumfe rence and v ibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
ing 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 was
changed and it was not stored
¢ page 252.
-the spare tire* is installed .
Indicator lights
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.&. .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires and
store the pressure again in the Infotainment sys­
tem
¢page 252 .
mm (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire pres­
sure: System malfunction!. Ifffim
appears after
switching the ignition on or while driving and the
IE indicator light in the instrument cluster
blinks for approximately one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction . Try to
store the correct tire pressures¢ page 252. If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on again
after a short period of time, drive to your author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty immediately to have the malfunction correct­
ed .
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in the
display, reduce your speed immediately and
avoid any hard steering or braking maneu­
vers . Stop as soon as possible and check the
t ir es and their pressure .
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the correct tire pressure. You must check the
tire pressure regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
dr iving style, winter cond itions or unpaved
roads), the tire pressure monitoring system
indicator may be delayed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on your veh icle. Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
vehicle damage or accidents.
252
(D Tips
-The tire pressure monitoring system can al­
so stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tires with the identification "AO" or
"RO" ¢
page 240 have been matched with
your Audi tire pressure monitoring system.
We recommend that you use these tires.
Storing tire pressures
If the tire pressure changes or a tire is replaced,
it must be confirmed in the Infotainment sys­ tem.
... Make sure before storing that the tire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adapted to the load¢
page 243 .
... Switch the ignition on .
... Select: the
I CARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems
control button > Servicing & checks > Tire
pressure monitoring
> Store tire pressures >
Yes, store now.
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow chains
are instal led.

Emerg enc y ass is tance
- Never use the jack supplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier
one. The jack is only suitable for use on the
vehicle it came w ith.
(D Tips
- Some of the on board items listed above are
provided on certain models only or are op­
tiona l extras .
- Before you can raise your vehicle using the
jack, you must act ivate the jacking mode
c:> page257.
Space-saving spare tire {compact spare
tire)
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It is
intended for short-term use only.
Taking out the sp are ti re
.,. Fo ld the floor to the seatback with the help of
the handle .
.,. Turn the large sc rew
c:> page 253, fig. 201 coun ­
te r-clockwise .
.,. Take out the spare tire .
.,. Always store the vehicle too l kit, the jack* and
the replaced tire in the luggage compartment
c:> page 132.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is only intended for emer­
gen cies until you can reach a repair shop. Rep lace
it as qu ickly as possible with a standard wheel
and tire .
There are some rest rictions on the use of the
compact spare t ire. The compact spare t ire has
been designed specifically for yo ur type of vehi­
cle.
It must not be swapped w ith a compact
spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Snow chains
F or technical reasons, the use of snow chains on
the compact spa re tire is
not permitted .
If you do have to drive w ith snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare whee l w ith tire
instead of a rear t ire. Install the snow chains on
254
the rear t ire and use it to replace the defect ive
front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare t ire if it is damaged or if
it is worn down to the tread wear indicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tempora­
ry and short-term use.
It should be replaced
as soon as poss ible with the normal wheel
and tire .
- After mount ing the compact spare t ire, the
tire pressure must be checked as soon as
possible . The tire pressure of the compact
spare tire must be 4 .2 bar; otherwise, you
r is k havi ng an accident.
- Do not dr ive faster than SO mph (80 km/h) .
You risk hav ing an accident .
-Avoid full -thrott le acceleration, heavy brak ­
ing, and fast cornering . You risk hav ing an
accident .
- Never d rive us ing more than one spare
w heel and ti re . You r isk having an accident .
- Normal summer or w inter t ires must not be
mou nted on the compact spare wheel rim.
- For technical reasons , the use of tire chains
on the spa re tire is not permitted .
If it is
necessary to dr ive with tire chains, the spa re
w heel must be mounted on the front a xle in
t he event of a fla t in a re ar tire. The newly
avail able front whee l m ust th en be insta lled
in place of the rear wheel with the flat tire.
Insta lling the tire c hain before mounting
the whee l and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compartment can cause se rious personal injury d uring
hard b raking o r in an accident. Never store
the inflatable spare t ire or jack and tools in
the passenge r compartment.

Index
Winter driving
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Tires ... ... .. .. ................ .... 248
W inter operation
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Defrosting windows (four-zone automatic
climate control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Defrosting windows (three-zone climate
control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Seat heating (four-zone automatic climate
control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Seat heating (three-zone climate control) . 70
Steer ing whee l heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Winter tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Winter use
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Removing ice from windows . . . . . . . . . . . 207
290