
Wheels
comparisons among tires. The
UTQG is not a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will
last for a prescribed number of
miles (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way. It simply gives tire
buyers additional information to
combine with other considera
tions, such as price, brand loyalty
and dealer recommendations. Un
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera
ture resistance. The UTQG i nfor
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number".
It begins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards. The nex t
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac
tured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of
manufacture. For example,
DOT ... 2216 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd wee k of 2016. The
other numbers are marketing co
des that may or may not be used
23 6
by the t ire manufacturer . This in
formation is used to contact con
sumers if a tire defect requ ires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug
gage load pl us 150 lbs. (68 k ilo
grams) times the vehicle's desig na ted seating capacity .
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its sha re of the
maximum loaded vehic le we ight
and dividing
by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by d istrib
ut ing to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupan t weight (dis
tr ibuted in accordance with ¢
ta
ble on page 242) and dividing by
two.
Occupant loading and distri bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating capacities
Refer to the tire inflation p res -
sure label¢
page 2 40, fig. 205 .,.

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
238
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. 203 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
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load
Maximum load
(up to
3 people)a)
front rear front rear
PSI
235/60 Rl8 103H
29 Q5:
All Season
2.0L 235/55 Rl9 101H
4 cylinders
All Season
30
and
Q5: 235/55 Rl9
101 W 29 High Performance
3.0L
6 cylinders 255/45 R20 101W
29 High Performance
255/45R20101W
39 SQ5:
High Performance
3.0L
6 cylinders 255/40
R21102Y
41 High Performance
a) 2 people in the front, 1 perso n in the r ear
A WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire pressure ¢
page 240 and load
limits ¢
page 242.
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
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
242
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI
200 29 2 00 32 220 32
210 30 210 33 230 33
200 29 200 33 230 33
2 00 29 2 00 3 3 230 33
270 39 270 41 280 41
2 80
36 2
50 41
28 0 42
and sudden deflation
that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
kPA
220
230
230
230
280
2 9 0
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
11-

a,
a,
-N r-N
-0 0 0: a:,
passengers that the vehicle is in
tended to carry ("seating capaci
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 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
Wheels
driver's side B-pillar q page 240,
fig. 204.
&,_ 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.
243

Wheels
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 make 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 placard
(tire inflation pre ssure label)
c:::> page 240, fig. 204.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers 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
c:::> page 240 , fig. 204 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will
244
be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lb s.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lb s.)
5. Determine 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 capacity calculat
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve
hicle. Con sult this manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug gage load capacity of your vehi
cle .
~check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 230, fig. 202) to deter
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
· Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
W heel bolts mus t be clean and loose n/tighten
eas ily .
Rims
Rims with a bo lted r im ring * or with bo lted wheel
covers" co nsist of mult ip le p ieces . T h ese compo-
n ents were bolted togethe r usin g s pec ial bolts ..,.

Wheels
damage the ti res, and the chains w ill quickly be
destroyed .
A 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 d irect contact
w ith them. Remove the wheel covers* first .
Use coated snow chains.
(D Tips
When using snow cha ins, it may be useful to
sw itch the off road mode on ¢
page 187.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -equipped with low aspect ra
tio tires. These t ires have been tho roughly tested
a nd been se lected specifically fo r yo ur model fo r
thei r supe rb per fo rman ce , road feel and handling
un der a va riety of d riving conditions . As k yo ur au
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is in dicated by
a nume ral of
55 or less in the tire's size desig na
tion . The numera l rep resents the rat io o f th e
tire's sidewall he ight in relat ion to its tread width
expressed in pe rcentage. Conventional tires have
a height/w idt h rat io o f 60 o r more .
The performance of low-aspect -ra tio tires i s par
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure . It is therefore important that low aspect
ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained . Tire pressures should
be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip ¢
page 240.
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, cu rbs, gullies or
246
ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is un
derinflated.
I n orde r to mi nimize the occur rence o f imp act
dam age to the tires o f yo ur vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following preca u
tions:
- Always m aintain reco mmende d in fla tion pres
sures. Check yo ur tir e pressure eve ry 2,0 00
m iles (3,00 0 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive c arefully on ro ads w ith potholes, deep
gu llies o r ridges . The impact from dr iving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso ca use
damage to your t ires.
- After any impact, immediate ly inspect you r
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au
thorized Aud i 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 always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
unde rinflation, w hich could event ua lly cause
tire fa ilure . If you believe that a tire may have
be en damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sible .
- These tires may wear mo re quickly than o thers .
- Please also remember that, while these tires delive r responsive hand ling, they may ride less
comfortab ly and make mo re noise than o ther
choi ces.
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
A ll tires are des igned for certain purposes. The
l ow aspect ratio, ultra h igh performance tires
o rigin ally ins talle d on your veh icle are inten ded
for m aximum dry and wet road per forma nce and
handling . They a re not suitable for co ld, snowy or
i cy weather conditions . If you drive under those
c ir cumstances, you should equip yo ur vehicle
with all-season o r winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under t hose conditions. We suggest you
u se the recommended s now or all-season tires
spec ified for your vehicle, o r the ir equiva lent .
Refer to¢
page 245 for more detailed informa
tion regard ing winter tires.

CD
CD
.... N ,-... N ..... 0 0 C<'. 00
Uniform tire quality grading
- T read wear
- Tractio n AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Q ua lity grades ca n be found where ap plicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and
maximum sect ion w idth
c:> page 230, fig. 202.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem
perature
A .
All passenge r ca r tires m ust conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in add ition to these grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparat ive rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
under cont ro lled conditions o n a specified gov
e rnment test course.
For example, a t ire graded
1 50 would wear one
and one ha lf
( 1 1/2) times as well on the gove rn
men t course as a tire g raded
100.
The relative performance of t ires depends upo n
the actual conditions of their use, howeve r, and
may depart significant ly from the norm due to
va ria tions in driving ha bits, serv ice practices and
d ifferences in road cha racteristics and climate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B and
C. T hose grades represent the t ire's
ab il ity to stop on wet pavement as meas ured un
de r contro lled condi tions on specified gove rn
ment tes t sur faces of asphalt and conc re te. A tire
mar ked C may have poor traction performance
c:> &. .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (t he hi ghest), B ,
a nd C, represent ing the tire's resis tan ce to t he
generation o f heat and its ability to diss ipate
h eat when tested unde r contro lled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test whee l.
Sus ta ined hig h temper ature c an cause t he mate
r ial of the ti re to degenerate and red uce tire life,
and excessive temperatu re can lea d to sud den
tire fai lure
c:> &..
Wh eel s
The grade C cor responds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd
No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher levels
of pe rformance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum req uired by law .
A WARNING ,-
The tractio n grade assigned to this tire is
based on s traight-a head braking traction
t e st s, and does no t include acceler ation, co r
n eri ng, hy dropla ning or pe ak tra ction charac
terist ics.
A WARNING ,.,___
The tempera ture grade for t his tire is estab
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded . Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, or excessive loading, either separate ly or
i n comb inat ion, can cause heat bu ildup and
possib le tire fai lure.
A WARNING
-
Temperature g rades apply to tires that are
p roperly inflated a nd not over o r under inflat
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
ill General notes
App lies to : vehicles wi th tire pressure mo nito rin g syste m
-
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly whe n cold and inflat
ed to the inflat io n pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the veh icle placard or
t ir e infla tion p ressure la be l. (If your ve hicle has
t ir es of a different size than t he si ze ind ic a ted on
the vehi cle placar d or tire in flat ion press ure la
bel, you sho uld dete rmine the proper tire infla
t ion pr ess ure for those tires) .
As an ad ded s afety feat ure, yo ur vehicle has been
equipped with a tire press ure mon itor ing system
( T PMS) t hat illuminates a low tire pressure tell
ta le wh en one or mo re of your tires is signif icant -
ly under-inf lated. According ly, when the low t ire
pressure telltale i llum inates, you shou ld stop and.,.
247

Wheels
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 overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal
function indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal
function exists .
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from functioning properly . Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
248
· If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to: vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitoring System
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 206 Instrument cl uster: i ndic ator ligh t with message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor
ing system compares the tire tread circumfer
ence and vibration characteristics of the individu
al tires . If the pressure changes in one or more
tires , this is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicator light
IE and a message
c>fig. 206. If only one tire is affected, the loca
tion of that tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle
c> page 249. The tire pressure moni
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you have stored. Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
c> page 240, fig . 205.
Tire tread circumference and vibration character
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn
ing if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low.
- the tire has structural damage.
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored
c> page 249 .
-the collapsible spare* tire is installed.
Indicator lights
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire c> &.
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary . .,.