Page 233 of 296

CD
CD
.... N ,-... N ..... 0 0 C<'. 00
(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
P indicat es a tir e for a p asse ng er
vehi cle. T indi cates a tire de sig
nated for tempor ary us e.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be
tween the sidew alls in millime
ters. In general: the larger the number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height /width ratio expressed as a
percentage.
@ Tire construction
R indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Siz e of the rim diameter in inches.
@ Load index and speed rating
The load ind ex indi cates the tire' s
lo ad-ca rry in g ca pacity.
The speed rating indicates the maximum permitted speed¢.&
in
W inter tires o n page 245 .
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi
cate s that the tire i s reinfor ced or
is an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
p
up t o 93 mph ( 150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (160 km/ h)
Wheels
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
s u p to 11 0 mph ( 180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
u u p to 124 mph ( 200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 14 9 mph (2 40 km/h) al
z above 149 mph (240 km/h)al
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)al
y up to 1 86 mph (300 km/h)al
a) For tir es ab ove 149 mph (2 40 km/h),
t ir e man ufact ure rs sometimes use the
co de "Z R".
(j) US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
The m anufac ture date i s listed on
the tire sidewall (it ma y only ap
pear on the inner side of the tire):
DOT ... 2216 ...
means, for example , that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2016.
@ Audi Original Tires
Audi Original Tires with the de sig
nation "AO" or "RO" have been
s pecificall y matched to your Audi.
Wh en u sed correctl y, these tires
meet th e highest st andard s fo r
s afety and h andling. An author
ized Audi de ale r o r authori zed
Audi Ser vic e Facility will b e able
to pro vid e y ou with more infor
mation.
231
Page 234 of 296

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
Treadwear, traction and tempera
ture ranges ¢
page 247.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires .
You must always follow the speci
fied running direction
¢page 259.
232
@ 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 . ...
Page 235 of 296

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",
g; "xl", "E XTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
-~ the sidewal l.
-0 0 0: a:,
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
233
Page 236 of 296

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.
234
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 233 , 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. ...
Page 237 of 296

a,
a,
-N r-N
-0 0 0: a:,
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim di amet er
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur
chase new tires to match the new
rim diameter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at wh ich a tire is
designed to be driven for extend
ed periods of time . The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 231.
You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
Wheels
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ A in Winter tires on
page 245.
T ire pressure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale.
T read
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI )
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 239, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur
ing tire wear .
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel
oped by the United States Nation
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relative
235
..
Page 238 of 296

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 .,.
Page 239 of 296

a,
a,
-N r-N
-0 0 0: a:,
for the number of seating posi
tions. Refer to the table ¢
table
on page 242
for the number of
people that correspond to the ve
hicle normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work on tires or wheels performed by
an author ized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper
knowledge and are equipped with
the required tools and replace
ment parts.
.,.New tires do not yet have the
optimum gripping properties. Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 miles
(500 km) with new tires.
.,.Use tires of the same construc
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread
pattern as possible on all four
wheels.
.,.Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,.Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would
like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
Wheels
differently even if they are the
same size¢.&,. .
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con
sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur
chase¢ .&,..
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle -for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
so only use the spare tire* tempo
rarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use . It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
On
all wheel drive vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand
and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the
drive system is not damaged by different tire speeds. For this rea
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires. .,.
237
Page 240 of 296

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.