
....
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
N child sitting on your lap. er:
~ -Never let more people ride in the vehicle
~ than there are safety belts available. Lil
N v:, ......
Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
, ff. Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only)
to remind you about the importance of buckling
up .
Fig. 143 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus
te r -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
.,, N
"' 0 ..:, ., m
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
~ Protect children w ith a ch ild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition, you wil l hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
127

In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over
heating. The vehicle is still working correctly. EDL
will switch on again automatically when condi
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the steering in critical situa
tions.
Selective wheel torque 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 inside of the
curve are braked selectively as needed. This al
lows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-collision brak ing system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of other
coll isions after an accident.
If the airbag control
module detects a collision above a certain vehicle
speed, the vehicle is braked by the ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the brak ing force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri
cal system are not function ing .
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
A WARNING
-- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural physi
cal laws. This is especia lly important on slip
pery 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
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking r isks. This cou ld increase your risk of
a collision .
- Please note the risk of a collision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when dr iv
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre
vent collisions -there is still a risk of acci
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The dr ive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal
led and this can affect driving stability and
i n crease the risk of a collision .
(j) Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de
scribed are working.
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 175 Center console: OFF~ button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend
ing on the level that is se lected, the stabilization
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The amount of stabilization control will differ de
pending on the level.
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck ..,.
181

Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tir e pressure recom
mended by the vehic le manufac
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilo
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle with standard equipment in
c luding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oi l, and coolant, a ir condi
tioning and add itional weight of
optional equipment.
E xtra load ti re
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in -
Wheels
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
" xl", "EXTRA LOAD", o r "RF" on
the sidewal l.
Gross Axle Weight Rating
( " GAWR")
means the load -carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire-ground interfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR ")
means the max imum total loaded
weight of the vehic le.
Groove
means the space between two ad
jacent tr ead ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the max im um load tha t a
tire is rated to carry fo r a g iven in
flat ion pressure . You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not requ ired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum pe rmissible infla
tion pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum o f:
22 1
..

...
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" ' ' '
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur
chase new tires to match the new
rim d iameter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
r im flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at wh ich a tire is
designed to be driven for exten d
ed periods of t ime . The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 219.
Yo u may not find
;;/ this information on all tires be-
,.,
; cause it is not required by law. V, N
"' ...
Wheels
T he speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum pe rmissible road
speeds
¢ & in Winter tires on
page 233 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underin flated and illum i
na tes a low tire pressure wa rning
telltale.
Tread
means that port ion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of t he degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 226, Treadwear indicator
for mo re info rma tion on measu r-
ing tire wear. .,.
223

Occupant loading and distri
but ion for vehicle normal load
for various design ated se ating
c a pa cit ies
Refer to the tire inflation pres
sure label ¢
page 228, fig. 193
for the number of seating posi
tions. Refer to the table ¢
table
on page 230
for the 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 equ ipped with
the required tools and replace
ment parts .
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
opt imum adhesion properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 500 km w ith
new tires.
... use tires of the same construc
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and the same tread pattern on
all four wheels.
;;:: .,,.Do not replace tires individually .
oi
~ At least replace both tires on the ....
~ same axle at the same time. N
"' ....
Wheels
.,,.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 ¢
A-
.,,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle w ith a tire/r im combina
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Aud i Service
Facility before making a pur
chase¢
A -
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 rea
son, in case of emergency, only use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
,& WA RNING -
-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 .
225

Wheels
-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
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.
226
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 191 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.
-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.
191 ...

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
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.
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 B pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the B-pillar label
¢ page 228, fig. 192.
Wheels
'® For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in
creases fuel consumption .
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a normal load
¢ table on
page 230
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 . .,.
229

Wheels
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it may be useful to
sw itch on sport mode
¢ page 181.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
tio tires. These tires have been thoroughly tested
and been selected specifically for your model fo r
thei r supe rb perfo rmance, road feel and handling
unde r a va riety of d riving conditions . As k yo ur au
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re de tails.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is indicated by
a nume ra l of
55 or less in the tire's size desig na
tion . The nume ra l rep resents the rat io of t he
tire 's sidewall he igh t in relat io n t o it s tread w idth
e xpresse d in percen tage. Convention al ti res have
a height/w idth ratio o f 60 o r more .
The performance of low -aspect-ratio tires is par
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure. It is therefore important that low a spect
ratio tires are inflated to the specified pre ssure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should
be checked at le ast once a month and alwa ys
before a long trip¢
page 228.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on the road, pa rt icu la rly if the t ire is un
de rinflated.
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your ve hicle, we recom
mend that you observe the fo llow ing precau
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres
su res . Check your tire pressure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Drive caref ully on roads with potho les, deep
gul lies or r idges . The impact from drivi ng
through or over s uch obstacles can damage
you r tires. Im pact with a cu rb may also cause
damage to you r tires .
234
-After any impact, immed iate ly inspect you r
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au
thorized Aud i dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Ins pect your tires every 2,000 mi les (3,000 km)
for damage and wear . Damage is not always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
underinfla tion, w hich could even tua lly cause
tire fa ilure . If yo u be lieve that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sible.
- These tires may wear mo re quickly than others .
- Please also remember that, while t hese tires
delive r responsive hand ling, they may ride less
comforta bly and make mo re noise than o ther
choi ces.
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
A ll ti res are des igned for certain purposes. The
l ow aspect ratio, ultra h igh performance tires
o rigina lly ins talled on your veh icle are inten ded
f o r m ax imu m dr y and wet ro ad perfo rma nce and
handling . They a re not sui table for co ld, snowy or
i cy weather conditions . If yo u drive under those
c ir cu mstances, you should equip yo ur vehicle
with all-season o r winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under t hose conditions. We suggest you
use the recommended snow or a ll-season tires
spec ified for your vehicle, o r th e ir equiva le nt.
Re fer to
c:> page 233 for more detailed in forma
tion regard ing winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Tract io n AA AB C
- Tempe rature ABC
Quali ty g rades can be fo und whe re appli cab le on
t h e tire side wall between tread shou lder and
max imum section width
¢ page 218, fig. 190 .
For example : Tread wear 200 , Traction AA , Tem
per atu re
A .
All passenge r ca r tir es mus t conform to Fede ral
Safety Req uiremen ts in add it io n to these grades . ..,.