
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 167 Driver's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel¢
fig. 167, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 205, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function, safe
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can prov ide supplemental protection.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do so ¢
page 189, Gener
al notes.
212
Remember too, airbags will deploy on ly once and
on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the sup
plemental knee airbag system is designed to re
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abras ions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the decelerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end co llisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
ind icator light is on) ¢
page 14 .
&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 205.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 14
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0
" "' c:o
(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 261 .
"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 u p 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 equipment
tires
Audi Original equipment tire s
with th e designation "AO " hav e
b een specially mat ch ed to your
Audi. When u sed correctly, thes e
tires meet the high est stand ards
for safety and handling. An au
thorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility will be
247

Wheels
able to provide you with more in
formation.
® Mud and snow capability
"M/S" or "M+S" indicates the tire
has properties making it suitable
to drive in mud or snow.
& indi
cates a w inter t ire.
@ Compos ition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay
ers in the tire . In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry. Tire manufacturers must also specify the materia ls
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials .
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi
mum load in k ilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature
resistance
Tread wear, t raction and temper
ature ranges ¢
page 262.
248
@ Running direction
~ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to wh ich a t ire can
be inflated unde r normal operat
ing condit ions .
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
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 a re available as fac tory-in
stalled equipment (whet her in
stalled or no t).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to
the width of the tire in pe rcent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall fo r imp roved steer
ing response and better overa ll
handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or ...

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0
" "' c:o
tread pattern), summer tires provide less trac
tion on ice and snow.
.,. Use w inter tires on a ll fo ur wheels.
.,. Only use win ter tires that are approved for your
vehicle.
... Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires ¢,& .An
authori zed Aud i dealer or authori zed Aud i Serv
ice F acility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires .
... Check the tire pressure after installing wheels
¢ page 256 .
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .1 57 in (4 mm) . The character istics of winter
tires a lso decrease great ly as t he tire ages, re
ga rdless of the remaining tread .
_& WARNING
-Never dr ive faste r than the maxim um per
mitted speed for your t ires. This cou ld cause
the tires to heat up too much . Th is increases
the risk of an acc ident because it can cause
the tire to burst.
- Always adapt yo ur dr iv ing 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 approp riate
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 .
You can also use all season tires instead of
w inter t ires . Please note that in some coun
tries where w inter t ires are required, only
w inter t ires with the
& symbol may be per
m itted.
Snow chains
-
Snow chains no t only imp rove the d riving in w in
ter road conditions, but also the braking.
Wh eel s
... On ly install snow chains on the front wheels.
This applies a lso to vehicles with a ll wheel
drive* .
... Check and correct the seating of the snow
chains after driving a few feet, if necessary. Fol
low the instructions from the manufacturer .
... Note the maximum speed of 30 mph (SO km/
h) . Note the local regulations .
Use of snow cha ins is only permitted with certa in
rim/tire comb inat ions due to technical reasons .
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author
i zed Audi Se rvice Facility to see if you may use
snow c hains.
You must remove the snow chains on roads with out snow . O therwise, you co uld impair driving
ability a nd damage the t ires .
_& WARNING
Using incor rect snow chains or install ing snow
ch ains incor rec tly c an resu lt in loss of veh icle
control, which increases the risk of an acci
dent .
(D Note
-Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
cove rs* if the chains come into direct con
tact with them . Remove the wheel covers*
first. Use coated snow chains.
- Us ing snow chains that add more tha n O.S3
in (13,S mm) of height can severe ly damage
the whee l housings and other vehicle com
ponents.
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it may be usefu l to
switch on sport mode ¢
page 89.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped with low aspect ra
tio t ires . These tires have been thoroughly tested
and been selected spec ifically for your model for
the ir superb performance, road feel and handl ing
under a var iety of dr iv ing condit ions. Ask your au-
thorized Audi dea le r fo r more details . .,.
261

Wheels
The low aspect ratio of these tires is i ndicated by
a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's si ze designa
tion. The numera l rep resents the rat io o f the
tire's sidewall he ight in relat ion to its tread width
expressed in percentage . Conventional tires have
a height/w idt h rat io of 60 o r more.
The performance of low -aspect-ratio tire s is par ·
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres
sure.
It i s therefore important that low aspect
ratio tires ar e inflat ed to the specifi ed pr essure
and that the inflation pre ssure is regularly
checked and maintained . Tire pre ssure s should
be checked at le ast once a month and always
before a long trip¢
page 256.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged more easi
ly by impact wi th potholes, cu rbs, g ullies or
ridges on the road, pa rt ic ul arly if the tire is un
derinflated .
I n order to minim ize t he oc currence of impac t
d a mage to the t ires of your ve hicle, we recom
mend that you ob5erve the following precau
tions:
- Always mai nta in recommended inf lation pres
s ur es . Che ck your tire p ress ure every 2,000
miles (3, 000 km) and ad d air if necessary .
- Drive caref ully on roads with potho les, deep
gull ies or r idges . The im pact from d riving
th rough or ove r su ch obs tacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause
damage to your tires.
-A fter any impact, immediately inspect your
ti res or have them inspected by the nearest au
thori zed Audi dea ler. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possib le.
- Inspect yo ur tires every 2,000 miles (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, which cou ld eventually cause
ti re failure . If you believe that a tire may have
been damaged, re place the t ire as soon as pos
s ible.
- T hese tires may wear more qu ick ly than othe rs .
- Please a lso remember t hat, w hile these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may r ide less
262
comforta bly and make more noise than o ther
choices .
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
condition s
All tires are des igned for certain purposes . The
l ow aspect ratio , ultra h igh performance tires
o rigina lly installed on your vehicle are intended
for maximum d ry and wet road perfo rmance and
handling. They a re not suitable for co ld, snowy or
i cy weather conditions . If you drive under those
c ircumstances, you should equip you r vehicle
with all-season o r winter tires, which offer better
t ra ct ion unde r th ose condi tio ns. We suggest yo u
u se the recommen ded snow or a ll-season tires
spe cified for your vehicle, o r th e ir equiv alent.
Refer to¢
pag e 260 for more detailed informa
t ion regard ing winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tr ea d wea r
- Tr actio n AA ABC
- T empe ratu re ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and
max imum section width
¢ page 246, fig . 188.
For example : Tread wear 200 , Traction AA , Tem
perature
A .
All passenge r ca r tir es must conform to Federal
Safety Req uirements in a ddition to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compa rative rating
based on the wea r ra te o f the tire w hen tested
u nder con trolled cond itions on a specified gov
ernment test course .
Fo r example, a tire g raded 150 wou ld wea r one
a n d one half (1 1/2) times as well o n the govern
ment cou rse as a t ire graded 100.
The re lative pe rformance of tires depends upon
t h e ac tual cond itions of the ir use, however, and
m ay dep art significan tly from the no rm due to
variations in driv ing habi ts, service pract ices and
diffe rences in road characteristics and climate. ..,.