
Wheels
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read and follow the important safe
ty precautions inc:::> page 203,
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 in
creases tire wear and has a
negative effect on driving and
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 8- pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the 8-pillar label
c:::>
page 201, fig. 158.
202
braking behavior, which in
creases 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
normal load c:::>
table on
page 203
or for a full load
when the vehicle 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.

of snow, snow chain s can imp air handling and
damage the t ires, and t he chains will quickly be
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 .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is facto ry-equipped with low aspect ra
tio ti res. These t ires have been tho rough ly tested
and been se lected specifically for yo ur model fo r
thei r superb per formance, 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 t ires is indica ted by
a numera l of
55 or les s in the tire's size designa
tion. The numeral represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height i n relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Conventional tires have
a height/w idth ratio of 60 or more.
Th e performance of low-aspect- ratio tire s is par
ticularly sensit ive to improper inflation pre s·
sure . It is therefore important that low aspect
ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pre ssure is regul arly
ch ecked and ma intained . Tire pre ssure s should
be checked at least once a month and a lways
before a long tr ip
c> page 201.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact wi th pot holes, c urbs, gull ies or
r idges on the ro ad, p articul arly if the tire is un
de rinflated.
I n o rder to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your ve hicl e, we recom-
Wh eel s
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma in tain recommended inflat io n pres
sures. Check yo ur tire pressure every 2,0 00
m iles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive c arefully on roads w it h potholes, 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 them inspected by the nearest au
thorized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ich could even tually cause
tire fa ilure. If yo u believe that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly tha n others .
- Please also remember that, while these tires
delive r responsive ha nd ling, they may ride less
comfortably a nd make mo re noise than other
choi ces.
Reduced performance in winter /cold se ason
conditions
All t ires are des igned for certai n purposes. The
low aspect ratio, ultra high performance tires
o rigi na lly installed on your veh icle are intended
f or maximum dry and wet road performance and
handling . They are not suitable for co ld, snowy or
icy weather conditions . If you drive under those
c ircumstances, you should equip yo ur vehicle
with all-season or winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under those conditions. We suggest you
u se the recommended snow or all-season tires
spec ified for your veh icle, or their equiva lent .
Refer to
c> page 206 for more detailed informa
t ion regarding winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA ABC
- Temperature ABC
207

Wheels
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and maximum section width
¢ page 191, fig. 156.
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 (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, 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 ¢&. .
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
208
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
Appl ies to vehicles: with tire pressure mon itoring 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 with a tire pressure monitor ing 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
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 ..,.