co
co
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cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions.
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
c:> page 221.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
c:> page 134, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
Driving safety
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col
lision like this.
A WARNING
= -
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com
plaints, it may open an investiga
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and ""'
135
Wheel s
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is sui table for driving on mud and
snow.
& indicates a winter tire.
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay
ers in the t ire. In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, po lyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry .
@Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resist ance
Tread wear, traction and temper
ature ranges¢
page 227.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires .
You must always follow the speci
fied running direction
¢page 241 .
212
@ Ma ximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Acces sory we ight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto matic transmission, power steer
ing, power brakes, power win
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in
stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall for improved steer
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
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 r im . ...
Bead separa tion
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 tire pressure recom
mended by the vehicle 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
cluding the maximum capac ity of
fuel, oi l, and coolant, a ir condi
tioning and add itional weight of
optional equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in
flation pressures than the corre sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
~ "xl", "E XTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on .....
~ the sidewal l. ..... 0
s ..
Wheels
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 vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two ad
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maxim um load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in
flat ion pressure . You may not f ind
this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla
tion pressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight , and
(d) Production options we ight
2 13
Wheel s
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the max imum cold infla
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated . Also called "maxi
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the to
tal seating capacity of your vehi
cle .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer d iameter
means the overall diamete r of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be
tween the exteriors of the side
walls of an inflated tire , including
elevations due to labeling, deco rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
para llel cords.
2 14
Production options we ight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular product ion
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre
viously considered in curb weight or accessory weight , including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim.
Radial ply ti re
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are la id at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 213 , Cold tire infla
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire . Rein
forced tires may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF"
on the sidewall. ...
Wheels
&,. 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 six years old when abso
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
218
not permitted can lead to ve
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on the vehicle, make sure they allow enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 189 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.
-Dr iving quickly through curves,
rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili
ty chec k the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear.
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an imbalance is causing noticeable
i.
Wheels
A WARNING
Overloading a ve hicl e 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
i ncrease 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 -
i ncluding 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 -
224
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload
ed.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate t he statement "THE
COMBINED WE IGH T OF OCC U
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEV ER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 220, fig . 190 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that will be r iding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 220, fig. 190.
4. The resu lting fig ure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex
ample, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs . and there will
be five 150 lbs . passengers in
your vehic le, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs . .,.
Wheels
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall su mmer tires at the appropriate
time, because they pro vide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumption.
@ Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
w inter t ires. Please note that in some coun
tries where w inter tires are required, only
w inter t ires with the
& symbol may be per
m itted .
Snow chains
Snow chains not only imp rove the dr iving in w in
ter ro ad conditions, b ut also the brak ing .
.,. Only install snow chains o n the front wheels .
T his applies also to ve hicles w ith all wheel
drive* .
.,. Check and correct the sea ting of the snow
chains a fter dr iv ing a few fee t, if necessa ry. Fo l
l ow the instructions from the manufacturer .
.,. Note th e maximum speed of 30 mph (SO km/
h). Note the loca l regulat ions.
Use of snow chains is on ly permitted with certain
rim/t ire combinations due to technical reasons .
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author
i z ed Aud i Service Fac ility to see if you may use
snow chains.
You must remove the snow c hains on roads w it h
out snow. Otherw ise, you could impa ir dr iv ing
ab ility and damage the tires.
A WARNING
Us ing incorrect 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 .
(D Note
-Snow cha ins can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into d irec t con
tac t wi th them . Remove the wheel cove rs*
first. Use coa ted snow chai ns.
226
- Us ing snow c hains that add more than 0. 4
inch (10.S mm) of height can severely dam
age the whee l housings and other vehicle
components .
- Do not insta ll and use snow chains if there is
a malfunction in the adapt ive a ir suspen
sion*, because the vehicle he ight will be
very low. If you drive wit h snow chains any
way, the whee l housings and other vehicle
components can be seve rely damaged .
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it may be useful to
switc h on sport mode
<=> page 121.
Low aspect ratio tires
You r A udi is factory-equ ipped with low aspect ra
tio t ires . T hese tires have bee n thoroug hly tested
a n d been sele cted specifi ca lly for your mode l for
thei r sup erb pe rformance, road fee l and han dling
u nder a var iety of driving conditions. Ask your au
thori zed Audi dea ler for more detai ls .
The low as pec t rat io o f these tires is indica ted by
a n umera l of
55 or le ss in t he t ire's si ze designa
tion . The numeral represents the ratio of the
tire's si dewa ll height in relation to its trea d width
expressed in percentage. Conventiona l tires have
a height/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is par
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure. It is the refore important that low aspect
rat io tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tir e pressur es should
be checked at lea st once a month and always
before a long trip
¢ page 220.
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
r idges on the road , particula rly if the tire is un -
der i nfla ted. .,..
co
co
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In o rder to minimize the oc currence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom mend that you observe the fo llow ing
precautions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres
sures. Check your tire pressure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if necessary .
- Drive carefully on roads with potho les, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires . Impact w ith a curb may also cause
damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au
thorized Aud i dealer . Replace a damaged tire as
soon as poss ible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2 ,000 miles (3,000 km)
for damage and wear . Damage is not always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
underinflation , which cou ld eventually cause
t ir e failure. If you be lieve tha t a tire may have
been damaged, replace the t ire as soon as pos
s ible.
= T hese tires may wear more q uick ly than othe rs.
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver responsive hand ling, they may r ide less
comfortab ly and ma ke more no ise th an other
cho ices .
Reduced performance in winter /cold season
condit ions
All t ires are desig ned fo r ce rtain pur poses. The
l ow aspect ratio, ul tra high performance t ires
originally insta lled on you r vehicle a re intended
for maximum dry and wet road performance and handling. They are not s uitable for cold, snowy or
icy weather cond it ions. If you dr ive under those
circumstances, you shou ld equ ip your ve hicle
with a ll-season or winter tires, wh ic h offer better
traction under those condit ions . We suggest you
use the recommended snow or all-season tires
specified fo r you r vehicle , or the ir equivalent.
Refer to¢
page 225 for more detailed informa
tion rega rding winter tires .
Uniform tire quality grading
8 -Tread wea r '
-Traction AA ABC
- Tempe ra tu re ABC
Quali ty g rades can be found where applicable o n
the tire side wall be tween tread shoulder and
max imum sec tion width
¢ page 210, fig . 188.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem
perature
A .
All passenger car ti res must conform to Federal
Safety Requiremen ts in addit io n to these grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wea r rate of the tire when tested
u nder controlled cond it ions on a specif ied gov
ernment test course.
F or example , a tire graded 1 50 wou ld wear one
and one half (1 1/2) times as we ll on the govern
ment course as a t ire graded 100 .
T he re lative performance of tires depends upon
t h e actual conditions of thei r use, however, and
may depa rt sig nificantly from the norm due to
variations in driv ing habits , service practices and
differences in road character istics and cli mate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, a re
AA , A, Band
C. Those grades represent t he tire 's
ability to stop o n we t pavement as measured un
der controlled cond itions 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
generat ion of heat and its abi lity to dissipate
heat when tested u nder cont rolled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained h igh temperatu re can cause the mate
rial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive tempe rature can lead to s udden
t ire failure ¢,&. . .,.
227