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.
Wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants)a)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
AS Cabriolet: 225/50 Rl 7 94H
33 230 30 210 36 250 39 270 2.0 liter All Season
4-cylinder 245/40 Rl8 93H
All Season
35 240 32 220 38 260 41 280
245/45 Rl7 95H 32 220 29 200 35 240 38 260
All Season
255/35 Rl9 96Y
32 220 32 220 35 240
38 260 High Performance
SS Cabriolet: 245/40 Rl8 97Y
39 270 35 240 42 290 44 300 3.0 liter High Performance
6-cylinder
255/35 Rl9 96Y
High Performance
39 270
35 240 42 290 44 300
XL= reinforced or extra
load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 people in the front
A WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure
¢ page 217 and load
limits
¢ page 219.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
gi vehicle and can lead to sudden ...... N
~ tire failure, including a blowout
0
0
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and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum load. The maxi
mum load includes the number of..,.
219
Wheels
passengers that the vehicle is in
tended to carry ("seating capaci
ty") with an assumed weight of 1 SO lbs. (68 kg) for each passen
ger at a designated seating posi
tion and the total weight of any
luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas
sengers in the vehicle or passen
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli
ance sticker label located on the
220
driver's side B-pillar ¢ page 217,
fig. 180.
~ WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and
increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to tal load being transported -including the weight of a trail
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu
late the total weight of the pas
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport
so that you can ma ke sure that
your vehicle will not be overload ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle 's pla card
(tire inflation pre ssure l abel)
¢ page 217, fig. 180.
2 . Determine the combined
weight of the drive r and pas
s engers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtra ct the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
" XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 217 , fig. 180 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex-
gi ample, if the "XXX" amount ......
~ equals 1400 lbs. and there will ...... 0
0
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Wheels
be five 1 SO lbs. pa ssengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity i s 650 lb s.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determin e the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex
ceed the available cargo and luggage load capa city cal culat
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehi cle will be towing a
trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve
hicle. Con sult thi s manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug gage load capacity of your vehi
cle.
..,.Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 207 , fig. 178) to deter
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts mus t be clean and loosen/tig hte n
easily .
Rims
Rims with a bo lted r im ring * or with bo lted w heel
cove rs* cons ist of mult iple p ieces. These compo-
nents were bolted togethe r using s pec ial bolts ..,.
221
Wheels
and a special procedure. You must not repair or
disassemble them¢&. .
A WARNING
Wheel bolts that are tightened or repaired in
correctly can become loose and result in loss
of vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an accident. For the correct t ightening specifi
cation, see ¢
page 229, After changing a
wheel .
-Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hub clean and free of
grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim .
- Always have damaged rims repaired by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Aud i
Service Facility . Never repair or disassemble
rims yourself, because this inc reases the risk
of an accident.
Winter tires
Winter tires s ignificantly improve the vehicle's
handling when driving in winter conditions . Be
cause of their construction (width, compound,
tread pattern), summer tires provide l ess trac
tion on ice and snow.
.,. Use winter tires on all four wheels.
.,. Only use winter tires that are approved for your
vehicle.
.,. Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires
q .&,. . An
authori zed Audi dealer or authori zed Audi Serv
ice Facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires .
.,. Check the tire pressure after install ing wheels
q page 217.
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch (4 mm). The character istics of winter
tires also decrease greatly as the tire ages, re
gardless of the remaining tread.
A WARNING
- Never drive faster than the maximum per
mitted speed for your tires. This could cause
the tires to heat up too much. This increases
222
-
the risk of an accident because it can cause
the tire to burst.
- Always adapt your driving to the road and
traffic conditions . Drive carefully and reduce
your speed on icy or slippery roads . Even
winter tires can lose traction on black ice .
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, because they prov ide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumpt ion .
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
winter tires. Please note that in some coun
tries where winter tires are required, only
winter tires w ith the ~ symbol may be per
mitted.
Snow chains
Snow chains improve traction in the snow .
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels.
This applies also to vehicles with all wheel
drive* .
.,. Check and correct the seating of the snow
chains if necessary after driving a few feet. Fol
low the instructions from the manufacturer.
.,. Note the maximum permitted speed when dr iv
ing with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mph (SO km/h).
Snow cha ins not only improve the
driving in win
ter road conditions, but also the
braking .
Use of snow chains is only permitted with certain
rim/tire combinat ions due to technical reasons .
Check with an author ized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility to see if you may use
snow chains.
Use
fine-mesh snow chains. They must not add
more than 0.53 inch (13.5 mm) in height, includ
ing the chain lock.
You must remove the chains when driving on
roads that are
free of snow . When roads are free ..,.
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
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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 ""
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
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 t ire failure. Under-inflation
a lso reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's handling and stop
p ing ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re
sponsib ility to ma intain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to tr igger illum inat ion of the TPMS low tire p res
sure telltale.
Your veh icle has also bee n eq uipped w ith a TPMS
malfunct ion indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operat ing properly . The TPMS ma l
function ind icator is combined w ith the low tire
p ressure tellta le. Whe n the system detects a
malfunct ion, the te lltale will flash fo r approx i
mately one mi nute and then remain continuo usly
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subseq uent veh icle start-ups as long as the ma l
function ex ists .
When t he malfunction indicator is ill uminated,
the system may not be ab le to detect or signal
l ow tire press ure as intended. TPMS ma lf u nctions
may occur for a var iety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate t ires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly . Always c heck the
TPMS malfunction telltale afte r rep lacing one o r
mo re t ires o r whee ls on your ve hicl e to e nsur e
th at t he replacement or al tern ate tir es and
wheels a llow the TPMS to con tinue to function
p roperly .
Wheel s
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to : vehicles wi th Tir e Pressure Monito ring Syste m
Th e tire pressure indicator in th e instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Fi g. 182 Instrument cl uster: indic ator lig ht w ith message
U sing the ABS sensors, the t ire pressure monito r
i ng system compares the tire tread c ircumfer
ence and v ibration characterist ics of the ind ividu
al tires. If the press ure changes in one or more
t ir es, th is is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an indica to r li gh t
IE and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the loc ation of tha t
t ir e will be indicated.
T he t ire press ures mus t be stored in the Infota in
me nt system again each time t he pr essures
c h ange (switching between parti al and full load
pressure) or afte r changing or replac ing a tire on
yo ur vehicle ¢
page 226 . The tire p ressure moni
toring system on ly monitors the tire pressure you
have stored. Re fer to the t ire pressure label for
the recommended t ire pressure for yo ur vehicle
r=> page217, fig.181.
T ire tread c irc umference and vibration character
istics can change and ca use a tire press ure warn
ing if :
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low.
- t he t ire h as str uctural damage.
- t he t ire w as re pla ce d or the t ire pressu re was
ch anged and it was no t store d ¢
page 226 .
- the spare tire* is i nstalled .
Indicator lights
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.& .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary .
IJJ,,
225