Wheels
-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
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 8-pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the 8-pillar label
¢ page 327, fig. 255.
328
(i} For the sake of the environment
-Tire pressure that is too low
increases fuel consumption.
-Fuel consumption may also in
crease when driving with the
comfort tire pressure is se
lected .
(D Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a
normal load
¢ table on
page 329
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.
<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
A WARNING ,~
Using incorrect snow chains or insta lling snow
chains incorrectly can result in loss of vehicle
control, which increases the risk of an acc i
dent.
(D Note
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* before
hand . Use coated snow chains.
{1) Tips
When using snow cha ins, it may be useful to
sw itch on sport mode
¢page 135.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i 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 for
their 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 in r elation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Conventional tires have
a height/w idth rat io of 60 or more.
The performan ce of low-aspect- ratio tire s is par
ticularl y sensiti ve to improper inf lat ion pres
sure . It is therefore impo rtant that low aspect
ratio tir e s are infl ated to the specified pressu re
and tha t the inflation pr essure is regularly
checked and maint ained . Tire pre ssure s should
be check ed at lea st once a month and alwa ys
b efore a long trip<=:>
page 32 7.
What you can do to a void tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
l y by impact with potho les, cu rbs, gull ies or
r idges on the road, pa rtic ularly if the tire is un
derinflated.
Wh eel s
In order to min imize the occurrence o f impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following precau
t ions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres
sures . Check your tire pressure every 2,000
m iles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gu llies or ridges . The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso cause
damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immed iate 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 a ir and
underinflation, wh ich could eventually cause
tire fa ilu re . If yo u bel ieve that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sible.
= These tires may wear mo re quickly tha n others.
- Please also remember that , while these tires
de live r responsive ha nd ling, they may ride less
comfort ably and make more noise t han other
choices .
Reduced performance in w inter /cold season
conditions
All tires are des igned for certai n pu rposes. The
low aspect ratio, ultra high performance tires
origina lly installed on your vehicle are intended
for 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 your vehicle
with all -season or winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under those conditions . We suggest you
use the recommended s now or a ll-season tires
spe cified for your vehicle, o r their equiva lent.
Refer
to <=:> page 332 for more detailed informa
t ion regard ing winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grad ing
- Tread wear
333
Wheels
-Traction AA A BC
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and maximum section width
~ page 317, fig. 253.
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 failur e~ ,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un-
334
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd
No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels
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 indicator
(l) General notes
-
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 veh icle 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 monitoring 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
II>-