CX)
CX)
-N ,.... N
-0
0 l,L
CX)
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 six years old when absolutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-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.
Wheels
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 179 Tire profi le: 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
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread pattern, which are bars that are
215
...
Wheels
and follow the important safe
ty precautions in
q page 219,
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
Q page217, fig.180.
218
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
q page 218 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:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
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 .
@ Tips
When using snow chains, it may be useful to
switch on sport mode
¢ page 168.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
t io ti res. These t ires have been tho rough ly tested
a n d been se lected specifically fo r yo ur model for
t he ir superb performance, road feel and handling
under a variety o f driving conditions. Ask your au
thor ized Audi dealer for more details .
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is indicated by
a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire 's size designa
tion. The numera l represents the rat io o f the
tire's sidewall height in relat ion to its tread width
expressed in pe rcentage. Conventional t ires 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 imp roper inflat ion pres
sure . It is therefore import ant that low a spect
ratio tires are infl ated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pre ssure is regularl y
checked and mainta ined . Tire pre ssure s shoul d
be checked at least once a month and alwa ys
befor e a long t rip
¢ page 217.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gull ies or
Wh eel s
ridges on the road, particular ly if the tire is un
deri nflated.
In orde r to min imi ze the occurrence of imp act
damage to the tires of yo ur vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended inflat io n pres
sures. Check yo ur ti re pressure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w ith po tholes, 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 a lways
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ic h could eventually cause
tire fa ilure. If you believe that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sib le.
- These tires may wear more quickly than others .
- Please also remember that, while these tires
delive r responsive ha ndling, they may ride less
comfortably a nd make more noise than other
choi ces.
Reduced perfo rmance in winter /cold se ason
conditions
All tires are des igned for certai n purposes. The
low aspect ratio, ultra high performance tires
o rigi na lly installed o n your veh icle are intended
f or maximum dry and wet road per formance 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 snow or all-season tires
spec ified for your veh icle, or their equiva lent .
Refer to¢
page 222 for more detailed informa
t ion regarding winter tires.
223
Wheels
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and maximum section width
c::> page 207, fig. 178.
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 (11/2) 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
c::> .&. .
224
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
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
App lies to : vehicles wit h tire pressure mo nitori ng syste m
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 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 ""