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:
239
..
-
"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 237.
Yo u may not find
ci this information on all tires be-:c
; cause it is not required by law. V,
-"' -
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 251 .
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 245, Treadwear indicator
for mo re info rma tion on measu r-
ing tire wear. .,.
241
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 246, fig. 208
for the number of seating posi
tions. Refer to the table ¢
table
on page 248
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 repair facility. These fa
cilities have the proper knowl
edge and are equipped with the
required tools and replacement
parts .
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
opt imum adhesion properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
... use tires of the same construc
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as possible on all four
;:::; wheels.
ci :c ": ....
'° V, ....
'° ....
Wheels
.,,.Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the same axle at the same time.
.,,. 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¢,&..
.,,. 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 w ith an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized repair facili
ty before making a purchase
~ .&. -
The spare tire* is diffe rent from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle - for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire* tem
porarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use . It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
All four whee ls 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 .,.
24 3
Wheels
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-
244
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. 206 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 repair facility
i.
the risk of an accident. Read
and follow the important safe
ty precautions inc:::>
page 248 ,
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 B
pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the B-pillar label
~ page 246, fig. 207.
Wheels
braking behavior, which in
creases the risk of an accident.
Replace lost valve caps to re
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
Tire pressure that is too low in creases fuel consumption.
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a
normal load c:::>
table on
page 248
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 .
247
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 ..,.