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When using snow chains, it may be useful to
switch on sport mode¢
page 89.
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 selected specifically for your model for
their supe rb performance, road feel and handling
u nder a va riety of d riving conditions. As k your au
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is indicated by
a numeral of
55 or l ess in the tire's size designa
tion. The numera l rep resents the rat io of the
tire's sidewall he igh t in relat io n to its tread w idth
expressed in pe rcen tage. Conventional t ires have
a height/w idth rat io of 60 or more .
The performan ce of low -a spe ct-ratio tire s is par
ticular ly sen sit iv e to improper inflation pre s
s ur e. It i s therefore import ant that low a spect
ratio tire s are infl ate d to the specified pre ssure
and that the inflation pre ssure i s regularl y
c hecked and mai nta ined . Tir e pre ssure s should
b e che cked at least once a month and alw ay s
before a long tri p ¢
page 265.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on the road, particularly if the t ire is un
derinflated .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the follow ing precau
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres
sures. Check your tire pressure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if necessary .
- Drive carefully on roads with potho les, deep
gul lies or ridges. The impact from driving
t h rough or ove r such obstacles can damage
you r tires. Impact w ith a curb may also cause
damage to your tires.
Wh eel s
- After any impac t, immed iate ly inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au thorized A udi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 mi les (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not a lways
easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ic h could eventually cause
tire fa ilure . If you believe that a t ire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos
sible.
- These tires may wear more quickly than others.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
delive r responsive handling, they may ride less
comfortably and make mo re noise than other
choices.
Reduced pe rfo rmance in winter /cold season
conditions
All t ires are des igned for certai n purposes. The
low aspect ratio, ultra h igh performance tires
o rigi na lly installed o n your vehicle are intended
fo r m aximum d ry and wet road per formance and
handling . They are not sui table for co ld, snowy or
icy weather conditions . If you drive under those
circumstances, you should equip yo ur vehicle
with all-season or winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under those conditions. We suggest you
use the recommended snow or all-season tires
specified for your veh icle, or their equivalent.
Refer to¢
page 2 70 for more detailed informa
t ion regarding winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
-T read wear
- Traction AA A 8 C
- Temperature ABC
Quali ty g rades can be fo und whe re applicable o n
the tire side wall between tread sho ulder and
maximum section width
¢page 255, fig. 196 .
For exampl e: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Tem
peratu re
A .
All passenger car t ires must conform to Fede ral
Safety Req uirements i n addit io n to these grades . .,,_
271
Wheels
Tread wear
The
tread wear grade is a compara tive ra ting
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tes ted
under contro lled conditions on a specified gov
ernment test course.
F or examp le, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one half (11/2) t imes as well on the govern
ment course as a tire graded 100 .
The rela tive perfo rman ce of t ires depe nds upon
t he act ua l condi tions of their use, howeve r, and
may depart signif icant ly from the norm due to
variations in d riving hab its, service practices and
d ifferences in road characteristics and climate .
T raction
The
tra ction g rades, from highes t to lowes t, are
AA, A, Band
C. T hose gr ades represen t the t ire's
ab ility to stop on wet pavement as meas ured un
der controlled conditions on specified govern m ent test sur faces of asphalt and conc ret e. 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 d iss ipate
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 red uce tire life,
and excess ive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure ¢&, .
The gra de C corresponds to a leve l of perform
ance which a ll passenger ca r tires must meet un
der the Federa l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher leve ls
of performance on the laborato ry test wheel than
the m in imum required by law .
A WARNING
-
The traction grade ass igned to this tire is
based on straight -ahe ad braking t ract ion
t e sts, and does not include a ccele rat ion, cor
nering, hydrop laning o r peak tract ion charac
teristics .
272
A WARNING
--
The temperat ure grade for th is tire is estab
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
n ot overloaded . Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, o r excessive load ing, either separately or
in comb ina tion, can ca use hea t bu ildu p and
possib le tire f ailure.
A WARNING
Tempe rature g rades apply to tire s th at are
p rope rly inflated and not over o r underinfla t
e d.
-
Tire pressure monitoring
system
ill General notes
E ach tire, including the spare (if p rov ided),
shou ld be checked monthly when cold and in flat
ed to the inflat ion press ure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your veh icle has
tires of a different size than the size ind icated on
the ve hicle placard or tire inflat ion press ure la
bel, you sho uld dete rm ine the proper t ire infla
tion press ure for those tires).
As a n added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure mon itor ing system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire p ressure tell
ta le when o ne or mo re of your tires is s ignificant
l y unde r-inflated. According ly, w hen the low t ire
pressure tell tale illum ina tes, you sho uld stop and
c h ec k yo ur t ires as soon as possib le, and inf late
t h em to the proper p ressure . Dr iving on a sign ifi
cant ly under-inflated tire ca uses the tire to over
heat and can lead to tire fa ilure. Und er- inflation
also red uces fue l eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability .
P lease note that the TPMS is not a s ubstitute fo r
proper tire maintenance, and it is the dr iver 's re
spons ibility to main tain correct t ire pressure,
even if under -in flat io n has not reached the level
to trigge r illumination of the TPM S low t ire pres-
su re te lltale . .,.