2017 AUDI Q7 warning

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different tire speeds. For this rea­son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire that has the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&,_ WARNING
-Do not use steel rims that are 17 inches or larger. Other­
wise, 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.
-Run-flat tires* may only be used on vehicles that were
equipped with them at the
factory
¢ page 3 52.
-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. 274 T ire 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.
341

Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread
pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 in (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per­ pendicular to the running direc­
tion¢
fig . 2 74 . The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall indicate the location of the tread­
wear indicators .
The tires have reached the mini­ mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢
..&..
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec­
ommended to ensure the tires
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
342
wear evenly. To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa .
This will allow the tires to have
approximately the same length of
service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 365.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden . Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
.&_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety. ,..

This can increase the risk of an accident because it has a nega­
tive effect on handling, driving
through curves, and braking, and because it increases the risk of hydroplaning when driv­
ing through deep puddles.
Tire pressure
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Fig. 275 Driver's side B-pillar: tire pres­
sure label
Fig. 276 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
installed at the factory is listed on
a label¢
fig. 2 75. The label is the
front side of the door pillar (driv­ er's side) ¢
fig. 2 76.
~ Use the tire pressure specified for
N
:::; a normal vehicle load when the .... 0 0 ~ Wheels
vehicle is partially loaded¢ table
on page 345.
If driving the vehi­
cle when fully loaded, you must
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure¢&, .
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive.
.,.Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas ­
es when the tires are warm .
.,.Check the label ¢
fig. 2 76 for
the correct tire pressure based
on vehicle load.
.,.Corre ct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
.,.Store the new tire pressure in
the Infotainment system
¢ page 352.
A WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle
load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read and follow the important safe­
ty precautions in¢
page 346,
Tires and vehicle load limits .
343

Wheels
&_ WARNING
Please note the important safe ­
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure¢
page 343 and load
limits¢
page 346.
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
and sudden deflat ion that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
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 a re
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 tan k of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
3 4 6
plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the veh icle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight o f
150 lbs (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seat ing pos i­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the veh icle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue we ight 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 (inc luding
the weight of a trailer h itch 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 Rat ing .,.

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are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side 8-pillar.
.&_ 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 - incl uding 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.
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 pressure label)
¢ page 343, fig. 2 76.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the stick­
er ¢
page 343, fig. 2 76.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will.,,.
347

Wheels
be five 1 SO lb s. pa ssengers in
y our vehicle, th e amou nt of
av ail abl e c arg o and lu gga ge
lo ad ca pac ity is 650 lb s.
(1400- 750 (5 X 150) = 650
lb s.)
5 . De termin e the combined
w eight of lu gg ag e and cargo
bein g loade d on the vehi cle .
Th at w eight may not sa fel y ex ­
c e ed t he a vail able car go and
lugg age l oa d ca paci ty ca lc ulat­
ed in St ep 4 .
6 . If yo ur ve hicle will b e towing a
tr aile r, lo ad from your tr aile r
will b e tran sfe rr ed to your v e­
hi cle. C onsul t t his manual t o
dete rmin e how this re du ces
th e av ail ab le c argo and lug­
g age load capa cit y of y our vehi­
cl e.
~ c hec k th e tire sidewall
(¢ pa ge 333, fig. 2 73) to de ter­
min e the de sign ated load rating
for a specific tire.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be clean and loosen/t ighten
easi ly .
Rims
Rims with a bolted rim ring* or w ith bolted whee l
covers* consist of mu ltiple pieces . These compo­
nents we re bolted together using special bolts
348
and a spec ia l proced ure. Yo u must no t repair or
disassemb le them
c:::> .&. .
A WARNING
Wheel bo lts that are tightened or repaired in­
correct ly can become loose and resu lt in loss
of vehicle contro l, wh ich increases the risk of
an accident. For the correct tighten ing spec ifi ­
cation, see
c:::> page 365, Finishing.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel h ub clean and free of
grease .
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
- Always have damaged rims repaired by an
author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility . Never repa ir or disassemb le
rims yourself, because this increases the risk
of an accident.
Winter tires
Winter tires significant ly improve the vehicle's
hand ling when dr iv ing in winter conditions. Be­
cause of their construct ion (w idth, compound,
tread pattern), summer tires provide less t rac ­
tion on ice and snow .
.,. Use win ter tires on all four wheels.
.,. On ly use winter tires that a re approved for your
veh icle.
.,. Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires
c::> &_ . An
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires .
.,. Check the tire p ressure after installing wheels
c::> page 343 .
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great­
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .16 in (4 mm). The cha racteristics of winte r
t ir es a lso decrease g reatly as the t ire ages , re­
gard less of the rema ining t read.
.&_ WARNING
-
- Never d rive fas ter than the max imum pe r­
mitted speed for your tires . This could cause
the tires to heat up too much . This increases
~

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:E: ' th e risk of an accident because it can cause
the tire t o burst.
- Always adapt yo ur drivi ng to the road and
traff ic conditions. Drive carefully and red uce
your speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter tires can lose traction on black ice.
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer ti res at the appropriate
time, because they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, t ire wear and fuel
consumption.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
w inter tires . Please note that in some coun­
tries where w inter t ires are required, only
w inter t ires with the
die. symbol may be per­
m itted.
Snow chains
Snow chains no t only imp rove the driving in wi n·
t er roa d cond itions, but a lso the brak ing.
" Only insta ll snow chains o n the
front wheels .
" Check and cor rect the sea ting of the snow
chains after dr iv ing a few feet, if necess ary. Fo l­
low the ins truc tions from the ma nufa cturer .
" Note the maximum pe rmit ted speed w hen driv ­
ing with snow chains . Do not exce ed 30 mph
(SO km/h).
Use of snow chains is only pe rm itted with certain
rim/ti re combinations due to tec hnical reasons .
Chec k with an authorized A udi d ealer or author­
ized A udi Service F acili ty to see if yo u may use
snow chains.
Use
fine-mesh snow chain s. They must not add
mo re t han 0.53 in (13 .5 mm) in height , including
the chain lock .
You mus t remove the snow c hains on roads with ­
out snow . Otherw ise, you could impair dr iving
abi lity and damage the tir es .
Wh eel s
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains or install ing snow
cha ins incorrectly can resu lt in loss of veh icle
control, which increases the risk of a n acci­
dent.
(D Note
- Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
cove rs* if the chains come into direct con ­
t act with them . Remove the wheel covers*
first . Use coa ted snow cha ins .
- Do not install and use snow c hains if the re is
a malfu nction in the a ir suspension*, be­
cause the ve hicle height w ill be very low . If
yo u dr ive w ith snow chains anyway, the
w hee l ho usings and other ve hicle compo­
nents can be seve rely damaged.
(0 Tips
When us ing snow chains, it m ay be usefu l to
swi tch the offroad mode o n
q page 149.
Low-profile tires
Applies to: vehicles with low-profile tires
Your vehicle is equipped with low -profi le tires* at
the factory . Compared to other tire/rim combina­
tions, low-prof ile tires offer a w ider tread surface
and a larger rim diameter with shorter tire side­
walls. This results in an agile dr iv ing style. How­
ever, it may reduce the level of comfort and in ­
c rease road noise when driving on roads in poo r
cond it ion.
Low-profile t ires can become damaged more
quickly than standard tires when dr iving over
la rge bumps, potholes , manhole covers, speed
bumps and curbs. Therefo re, it is particularly im­
po rtant to mainta in the co rrect ti re pressure
q poge 343.
To reduce the risk of damage to the tires and
r ims, drive very caref ully on poor roads.
Check your wheels regu larly every 2,000 mi
(3,000 km) for damage . For example, chec k for
bulges/cracks on the tires or deformations/
c racks on the rims . .,..
349

Wheels
After a heavy impact or damage, have the tires
and rims inspected or replaced immediately by
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility.
Low-profile tires can wear out faster than stand­
ard tires.
Summer tires are not suitable for cold weather ,
snow or black ice. If you are driving in these con­
ditions, use winter or all season tires
¢ page 348.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
-Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and maximum section width
¢ page 333, fig. 273.
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
350
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 ti re 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
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.
.
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