Driving safety
-Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 100.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage area be
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
106
A WARNING
,--
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof* and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re
duce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
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.
(D Tips
- 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
¢ page 181.
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
¢page 105, Loading the luggage compartment . ..,_
"' "' -N
" N
-0
0
::, a)
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
has properties making it suitable
to drive in mud or snow.~ indi
cates a winter tire .
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubber ized 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 incl ude
stee l, nylon, polyester 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 resistance
T read wear, trac tion and temper
ature ranges
¢ page 187.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of un idirectional t ires.
You must always follow the speci- fied running direction
¢
page 202.
€3) Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
Wheels
T his number ind icates the max i
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat
ing conditions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we igh t (in
excess of those standard items
wh ich 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 w idth of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low s idewall for improved steer
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement .
173
Wheels
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 rim .
Bead separation
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 vehic le manufac
turer for a tire of a des ignated
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 adj usted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle w ith standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additiona l weight of
op tional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire des igned to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in -
17 4
flation pressures than t he corre
spond ing standa rd tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl" , "EXTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the ti re-gro und 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 maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all ti res be
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla
tion p ressure for that ti re .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
"' "' -N
" N
-0
0
::, a)
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight
Ma ximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum 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 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the veh icle up to the to
tal seating capacity of your vehi c le.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter 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 .
Wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs.
(2.3 kg) in excess of those stand
ard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb
weight or accessory weight, in
cluding heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.
Recommended inflation
p ressure
see ~ page 174, 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 .,.
175
a)
a)
.... N r-N .... 0
0
::, a)
For this reason, in case of emer
gency, only use a spare tire that
has the same circumference as
the regular tires.
& 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-
Wheels
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle . Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve
hicle damage or accidents.
-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.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 148 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.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
179
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00
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00
& 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 rims/wheel cov
ers * if the chains come into direct contact
wit h them . Remove the wheel covers * first .
Use coated snow chains.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra
tio tires . These t ires have been thoroughly tested
and been se lected specifica lly for you r model for
the ir supe rb performance, road feel and handling
u nder a va riety of d riving conditions. As k yo ur au
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re de tails.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is indicated by
a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's size desig na
tion . The numera l rep resents t he rat io of the
tire's sidewall he ight in rela tion t o its tread w idth
expressed in percen tage. Conventional t ires have
a height/w idth ratio of 60 or more .
The performan ce of low -aspect-r atio tire s is par
ticularly sen sitiv e to impr oper infla tion pre s
s ure . It is therefore important that low a spect
ratio tires are infl ated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pre ssure is regularl y
checked and ma inta ined . Tire pre ssure s should
be checked at least once a month and alwa ys
before a long trip
c> page 181.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact with potholes, curbs, gul lies or
ridges on the road, pa rticularly if the tire is un
de rinflated .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your ve hicle, we recom
mend that you observe the follow ing precau
tions:
Wh eel s
-Always maintain recommended inflat ion pres
sures . Check your tire pressure every 2,000
m iles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Drive carefully on roads wit h potholes, deep
gu llies or ridges . T he impact 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, 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 a lways
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
unde rinflat ion, wh ic h could eventually cause
t ire fa ilu re . If yo u be lieve th at a t ire may have
been damaged, repla ce the tire as soon as pos
sible.
- These tires may we ar 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 winter/cold season
conditions
All t ires are des igned for certai n pu rposes. The
l ow aspect ratio, ultra h igh 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
t ract ion under those conditions . We suggest you
u se the recommended s now or a ll-season tires
spe cified for your veh icle, o r the ir equiva lent.
Refer to
c> page 186 for more detailed informa
t ion regard ing winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grad ing
- Tread wear
- Traction AA ABC
- Temperature ABC
187
Wheels
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and maximum section width
¢ page 171, fig. 147.
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 failure ¢&. .
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
188
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
Appl ies to: vehicles with tire pressure mon itoring system
-
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 monitor ing 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 signifi
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over
heat and can lead to tire failure . Under-inflation ..,.
00
00
......
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"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
also reduces fuel e fficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop p ing ability .
Pl ease no te that the TPMS is not a substi tute for
p roper tire maintenance, and it is the drive r's re
sponsib ility to maintain cor rect tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the leve l
to tr igger illum inat ion of the TPMS low tire pres
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been eq uipped with a TPMS
mal funct ion indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal
function indicator is combined w ith the low tire
pressure tellta le. Whe n the system detects a
malfunct ion, the telltale will flash for approx i
mately one min ute and then remai n cont inuo usly
i llum inated. This sequence will continue upon
s ubseq uen t ve hicl e start- ups as long as the m al
f u nction ex ists.
When the malfunct io n in dicator is ill uminated,
the system may not be ab le to detect or signa l
l ow tire press ure as intended . TPM S malfu nctions
may oc cur for a var iety of reasons, incl uding the
installation of replacement or alternate ti res o r
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly . Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after rep lacing one or
more t ires or whee ls on your ve hicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to cont inue to funct ion
p roperly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
ind icator appears
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with Tir e Pressure Moni toring System in
di cato r
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if th ere is a system malfunction .
Using the ABS sensors, the tire p ressure mo nitor
i ng system compa res the tire tread circumfer
e n ce and vib ra tion characteristics of the individ u
a l tir es .
If the pressure c hanges in o ne or more
wheels , th is is indica ted in the instrument clus ter
d is p la y with a n
[I] indica to r li ght and a message.
Wh eel s
If only one tire is affected, the location of tha t
t ir e will be indicated.
T he tire press ures mus t be store d in the Infot ain
ment system again each t ime the pressures
c h ange (switching between partia l and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
yo ur vehicle
r::!;> page 190 . The tire pressure mon i
toring system on ly monitors the tire pressure you
have stored . Refer to the t ire pressure label for
the recommended t ire press ure fo r yo ur vehicle
r::!;>page 181, fig . 150 .
Tire tread c ircumfe rence and vibration cha racter
istics can change and cause a tire pressu re warn
i ng if :
- the t ire pressure in one or more tires is too low.
- the t ire has str uctural damage .
- t he t ire w as rep lace d or the t ire pressu re was
changed and it was no t store d
r::!;> page 190.
- t he spare tire* is i nstalled.
Indicator lights
[I] -Loss of pressu re in at leas t one tire r::!;> & .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary .
Check/correct the pressures of all fou r tires and
store the pressu re again in the menu disp lay
r::!;>page 190.
ffim (T ire Pressure Moni tor ing Sys tem) Tire
pre ssure: Syst em malfunction!. Ifm appears
after sw itching the ignition on or while d riv in g
and the
[I] i ndic ator ligh t in the i nstru men t clus
te r blinks for approx imately one minute and then
stays on, the re is system ma lf u nction . Try to
store the co rrect tire pressures
r::!;> page 190 . If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on again
after a short period of time, drive to an author
ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Se rvice Facili
ty immediate ly to have the ma lfunction correct
ed.
_&. WARNING
- I f the tire p ressure in dicator appears in the
d isp lay, redu ce you r speed immedi ately and
a void any h ard stee ring or bra king m aneu
vers . S to p as soon as poss ible and check the
tires an d their pressure .
~
189