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 199, 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 Audi
Service Facility . Never repair or disassemble
rims yourself, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
Winter tires
Winter tires significantly 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 181.
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 in (4 mm). The characteristics 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
186
-
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 provide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumption .
(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 with the~ symbol may be per
mitted.
Snow chains
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win
ter road conditions, but also the braking.
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels .
This applies also to vehicles with a ll wheel
drive* .
.,. Check and correct the seating of the snow
chains after driving a few feet, if necessary. Fol
low the instructions from the manufacturer.
.,. Note the maximum permitted speed when driv
ing with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h) .
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 snow chains on roads with
out snow. Otherwise , you could impair driving
ability and damage the tires .
Use of snow chains is only permitted with certain
rim/tire combinations due to technical reasons.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author i z ed Audi Service Facility to see if you may use
snow chains.
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N .... 0 0 ::, a:,
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the sequence
described below step-by-step and in exactly that
order.
1. Remove the deco rative wheel co ve r* or the
whee l bolt cap s*. For more deta ils see also
c:> page 199.
2. Loosen the whee l bolt s c:> page 200.
3. Lo cate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below tha t point
<::> page 200.
4. Lift the car with the jack c:> page 200 .
5. Remove the wheel with the fl at tire and then
install the
s pare t ire c:> page 201 .
6. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
7 .
Low er the veh icle w ith the jack.
8 . Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly tighten
all wheel bolts in a crisscross pattern
c:> page 200.
9 . Replace the decorative wheel cover* o r the
whe el bolt cap s*.
_& WARNING
Always read and fo llow all WARNINGS and in
formation
c:> .&. in Raising the vehicle on
page
201 and c:> page 202.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the do
ing the following .
.. Always store the vehicle tool k it, the jack* and
the replaced t ire in the luggage compartmen t
c:>page 105.
.. Ch eck the tire pre ss ure of the spare tir e as soon
as possib le.
.. As soon as possible , have the
tighten ing tor
qu es
on all wheel bolts checked with a torque
wrench . The correct tightening torque is
105 ft lbs (140 Nm) .
.. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possible.
@ Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor
roded and diffic ult to turn wh ile changing a
Em ergen cy a ssis tanc e
tire, they shou ld be replaced before you
check the tightening torque .
- Drive at reduced speed until yo u have the
tightening torques checked.
Removing the wheel covers/bolt caps
Fig . 153 Cha ng in g a w hee l: r emov ing t he w hee l cover
Fi g. 1 54 Cha ng in g a whee l: remov ing the w hee l bol t cap s
Wheel cover*
.. Insert the hoo k provided w ith the vehicle tool
ki t in the hole in the hub
<::> fig . 153.
.. Pull off the decorati ve wheel cover .
Wheel bolt caps*
.. Push the plast ic clip provided with the vehicle
too l kit over the wheel bolt cap until it engages
c:> fig. 154 .
.. Pull on the pla sti c clip to remove the cap .
199
Emergency assistance
After you have loosened a ll wheel bo lts and
raised the vehicle off the ground, remove and re
p lace the whee l as fo llows:
Removing the wheel
.,. Remove the topmost wheel bol t comp letely
with the
he xagonal socket in t he screwd river
hand le (vehicle tool kit)
¢ fig. 158 and set it
aside on a
clean s ur face.
.,. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment pin
from the tool k it hand-tight into the empty bolt
hole¢
fig. 159 .
.,. The n remove the other wheel bolts as described
above.
.,. Take off the wheel leav ing the a lignment pin in
the bo lt hole ¢ 0.
Putting on the spare tire
.,. Push the spare tire over the alig nment pin
¢ (D .
.,. Screw on the wheel bo lts and tighten them
slightly using the hex agonal socke t.
.,. Remove the a lignment pi n an d in se rt an d tight
en t he rem aining wheel bol t slightly like the
res t.
.,. Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to lower
the ve hicle until the jack is fully re leased .
.,. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all wheel
bolts firmly. Tighten them
in a crisscross pat
tern,
from one bol t to the (app roximately) op
pos ite one, to keep the whee l cente red .
.,. Perfo rm the steps req uire d afte r changing the
whee l ¢
page 199, After changing a wheel.
&, WARNING
Do not us e the he xagon al so cke t in t he screw
dr iver han dle to tig hten the wheel bol ts . I t is
not poss ib le to tighten t he bo lts to the re
quired torque usin g t he he xagonal socket -
r is k of accident!
(D Note
W hen removi ng or inst alling the whee l, the
r im cou ld hit the brake roto r and dama ge t he
rotor . Work ca ref ull y and have a seco nd per
son to help you.
202
(D Tips
- When mo unting tires with unidirectional
tread design
make sure the trea d pattern is
pointed the right way¢
page 202.
-The wheel bolts s hould be clean an d easy to
t u rn. Check fo r dirt and corrosion on the
matin g surfaces of both the wheel and the
hub. Remove all dirt from these s urfaces be
fore remounting the whee l.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design mus t be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the
right direction .
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a s pare tire w ith a t read patter n in
te nded for use in a specif ic direct ion, please note
t h e followi ng :
- The d irection of rotation is marked by an
arrow
on the side of the tire .
-If the spare tire has to be installed in the incor
rect direction, use the spare tire on ly tempora
r il y since the tire will not be able to ac hieve its
op timum performa nce characterist ics w ith re
gard to aquap la ni ng, no ise a nd wear.
- W e recommend that you pay part icu lar atten
t ion to th is fact d urin g we t wea ther an d that
you a djust your spee d to matc h road cond i
tion s.
- Rep lace the flat tire w it h a new one an d have it
inst alled o n your ve hicle as soon as possib le to
res tore the h andlin g advan tage s of a unidir ec
tional tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read t he informat ion ¢ pa ge 17 8, New
tires or wheels
if yo u ar e go ing to use a spare tire
which is d ifferent from the t ires o n your ve hicle.
A ft er yo u ch an ge a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare immedi-
ately after installation. .,.