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load. The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended 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 manufactured. For recommend
ed tire pressures for normal load condi
tions, please see chapter
c:> page 344 .
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
c:> page 261, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 -lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item . This means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying free ly through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col
lision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan
gerous missiles .
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment .
-
Driving safety
-Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in
form the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com
plaints, it may open an investiga
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or Audi of America,
Inc.
To contact the N HTSA, you may
either call:
Tel.:
1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-9153) or
1 -800- 424-9393
or you may write to:
263
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® 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 ti re . 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 readwear , traction and tempera
ture ranges¢
page 350.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of un idirectional t ires .
You must always follow the speci- fied running direction
¢
page 365.
€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 availab le 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 .
335
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 -
336
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:
u
(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
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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 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 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
pressure
see ~ page 336, 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 .,.
337
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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
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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
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UJ General notes
Each tire, including t he spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat
e d to the inflation pressure recommended by the
veh icle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflat ion pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the veh icle placard or t ire inflation pressure la
be l, you shou ld determine the prope r ti re infla
tion pressure fo r those t ires) .
As an added safety feature , your veh icle has been
equ ipped w ith a t ire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire p ress ure te ll
tale whe n one or more of yo ur t ires is significant
l y under- infla ted . Accordingly, when the low tire
p ressure tellta le ill uminates, yo u should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper press ure. Driving on a s ignifi
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over
heat and can lead to t ire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the veh icle's handling and stop
p ing ability.
P lease note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re
sponsib ility to ma inta in correct tire p ressure,
even if u nder-inflation has not reached t he leve l
to tr igger illum inat io n of the TPMS low tire p res
sure telltale.
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped w ith a TPMS
malfunct ion ind icator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operat ing properly. The TPMS ma l
f u nction indicator is combined w ith the low tire
p ressure tellta le. Whe n the system de tects a
mal function, the te lltale will flash fo r approxi
mate ly one min ute and then remain continuo usly
illum inated. This sequence will continue upon
subseq uent veh icle start-ups as long as the ma l
function ex ists .
When the malfunction indicator is ill uminated,
the system may not be ab le to detect or signa l
low tire press ure as intended. TPMS ma lfunctions
may occur for a var iety of reasons, including the
Wh eel s
insta llation o f replacement or alternate tires or
whee ls on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning p roper ly . Always check the
TPMS ma lfunction te lltale after replac ing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the rep lacement or a lternate tires a nd
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to fu nction
prope rly .
If the tire pressure monitoring indicator
appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system mo/function .
Using the ABS se nsors, the t ire pressu re moni to r
i ng system compares the tire tread circumfer
en ce and vibr ation character ist ics of the ind ividu
al tires . If the press ure changes in one o r more
t ires , th is is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicato r light
[I] and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
t ire will be indicated.
T he tire press ures must be stored in the Infotain
ment system again each time the p ressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replac ing a tire on
your vehicle
c:> page 352. The tire pressure mon i
tor ing system on ly mon itors the tire pressure you
have stored . Refer to the t ire pressu re label fo r
the re commended t ire pressu re fo r yo ur vehicle
c:> page 343, fig . 2 76.
T ire tread c irc umference and vibra tion characte r
ist ics can change and ca use a tire press ure wa rn
i ng if :
- the t ire pressure in one or more tires is too low
- the t ires have structural damage
- the t ire was rep laced or the t ire pressu re was
changed and it was not stored
c:> page 352
- tires that a re on ly pa rtially used are replaced
w ith new tires
Indicator lights
[I]-L oss of pressu re in at leas t one tire c:> ,&. .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary .
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires and .,.
351