Wheels
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win
ter road conditions, but also the broking.
Use of snow cha ins is o nly pe rm itted with certain
r im/t ire combinations due to tec hni cal reasons.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author
ized repair faci lity to see if yo u may use snow
cha ins .
The snow c ha ins must have
low-profile lin ks and
m ust not be thicker than 0 .4 inch (10.S mm), in
cluding the lock.
You mus t remove the c hains whe n driving on
roads that are
free of snow. When roads are free
of snow, snow c hains can impair handling and
damage the tires, and the chains wi ll quickly be
destroyed .
_& WARNING
Using inco rrect snow chains or insta lling snow
chains incorrectly can result in loss of vehicle
cont rol, which inc reases the risk of an acc i
dent .
{CT) Note
-Snow cha ins can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into d irect con
tact with them . Remove the wheel cove rs*
first. Use coated snow chai ns.
- Using snow chains that add more than 0.4
inch (10.5 mm) of he ight can severely dam
age the wheel hous ings and other vehicle
components.
- Do not i nstall and use snow chai ns if there is
a malfunct ion in the adaptive air suspen
s io n, because the vehicle he igh t will be very
l ow. If you drive wi th snow ch ains anyw ay,
the wheel ho usings and other vehi cle com
ponen ts can be severely damaged .
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it m ay be useful t o
sw itch on sport mo de
¢page 192.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
tio tires . These ti res have been tho roughly tested
252
and been sele cted specifica lly for your mode l for
their superb performance, road fee l and hand ling
u nder a var iety of dr iv ing cond it ions. Ask your au
thori zed Audi dea ler fo r more details.
The low aspect rat io o f these tires is indica ted by
a n umera l of
55 or less in the tire's size designa
t ion . The n umera l represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Convent iona l tires have
a height/width ratio of 60 or more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par
t ic ularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure.
It is the refore important that low aspect
ratio tire s are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressur e is regularly
checked and maintained . T ir e pressures should
b e c hec ked at l east on ce a month and alway s
befor e a long trip
¢ page 246.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i
l y by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is un
derinflated.
In orde r to mi nimi ze the occur rence of impact
dam age to the tires of yo ur vehicle, we recom
mend tha t you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended i nflation pres
sures. Check yo ur tir e pressure eve ry 2,0 00
m iles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w ith potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impac t from dr iv ing
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso ca use
damage to your ti res.
-After any impact, immediate ly inspect you r
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au
thorized A udi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect 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 air and
underinflation, wh ich could eventually cause
tire fa ilure . If you be lieve that a tire may have .,.
Wheels
_& WARNING
Temperature grades apply to tires that are
properly inflated and not over or underinf lat
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
U) General notes
Applies to: vehicles with tire pressure monito ring 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 inflat ion 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 fo r those tir es) .
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a t ire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell
tale when one or more of your tires is significant
ly under-inflated . Accord ingly, when the low tire
p ressure 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
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re
sponsib ility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunct ion indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal
function indicator is comb ined w ith the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi
mately one minute and then remain cont inuous ly
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
254
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal
function exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illum inated,
the system may not be able to detect or s ignal
low tire pressure as intended . TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
i nstallation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
whee ls allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to: vehicles with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig . 209 Instrument cl uste r: indicator light with me ssage
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor
ing system compares the tire tread c ircumfer
ence and v ibration characteristics of the individu
al tires.
If the pressure changes in one or more
ti res, this is ind icated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicator light
[I] and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the locat ion of that
tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle ¢
page 255. The tire pressure moni
tor ing system only monitors the tire pressure you
have stored . Refer to the t ire pressure label for ..,.