Page 345 of 409

Wheel s
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the t ire.
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 capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of optional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as
"XL",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewal l.
344
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 maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in
flation pressure. You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not required by law.
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla tion pressure for that tire.
Ma ximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of :
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight
Page 346 of 409

Maximum (permissible )
inflat ion pressure
means the maximum cold infla
tion pressure to wh ich a t ire may
be inflated . Also called "maxi
mum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
times the numbe r 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 dis ta n ce be
tween the exteriors of the side
walls of an inflated tire, inc luding
e levations due to labeling, deco
rations, or protect ive bands or
ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Wheels
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 d uty ba tte ry , and
special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at substantia lly 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread .
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 34 4, Cold tire infla
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
fl at ion pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire. Rein
forced tires may be identified as
"X L", "x l", "EXTRA LOA D", or "RF"
on the s idewa ll.
..,
3 45
Page 347 of 409

Wheels
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the t ire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wh eel size, you will have to p ur
chase new tires to match the new
rim d iameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and w idth.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
r im flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a t ire be
twee n the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a t ire is
designed to be driven for extend
ed periods of ti me. The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 342 .
You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code,
wh ere applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and ind icates the
3 46
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ A in Winter tires on
page 357 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle 's
tires a re underinflated and illumi
nates a low tire pressure war ning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire tha t
comes into contact wi th the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections wi thin the
pr inc ipal grooves designed to g ive
a visua l indication of the degrees
of wear of the t read . See
¢ page 350, Treadwear indicator
for mo re information on meas ur
ing tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire informa tion system devel
oped by the Unite d States Nation
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin
is tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make re lat ive
..
Page 348 of 409

Wheels
comparisons among tires. The by the tire manufacturer. This in-
UTQG is not a safety rating and formation is used to contact con-
not a guarantee that a tire will sumers if a tire defect requires a
last for a prescribed number of recall.
miles (kilometers) or perform in a
Vehicle capacity weight
certain way . It simply gives tire
means the rated cargo and lug-
buyers additional information to
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 ki lo -
combine with other considera -
tions, such as price, brand loyalty grams) times the vehicle's desig-
na ted seating capacity.
and dealer recommendations. Un-
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire manu facturers in three areas: tire
treadwear, traction, and tempera -
means that load on an individual
ture resistance. The UTQG infor- tire that is determined by dist rib-
mation on the tires, molded into
uting to each ax le its share of the
the sidewalls. maximum loaded vehicle weight
U.S. DOT Tire Identification an d div id in g by two.
Number (TIN)
Vehicle normal load on the tire
This is the tire's "seria l number" .
means that load on an individual
It beg ins with the letters "DO T"
tire that is determined by distrib-
and indicates that the tire meets uting to each axle its share of the
all federal s tandards. The next
curb weight, accessory weight,
two numbers o r letters indicate
and normal occupant weight (dis-
the plant where it was manufac- tributed in accordance with
¢ ta-
tu red , and the last four numbers ble on page 353) and divid ing by
represent the week and year of two.
manufactu re . For example,
Occupant loading and distri -
DOT ... 2216 ... bution for vehicle normal load
means that the tire was produced for various designated seating
in the 22nd week of 2016 . The capacities
~
"' other numbers are marketing co- Refer to the tire
inflation pres -..-< N ..... N des that may or may not be used sure label¢ page 351, fig. 285 ..-< ... 0
"' 3'; a:,
3
4 7
Page 349 of 409

Wheels
for the number of seating positions. Refer to the table ¢
table
on page 353
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 authorized 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.
11>D0 not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
11>Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
348
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¢ &,.
If the spare tire is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle - for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire tem porarily 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 has the same
circumference as the regular
tires .
""
Page 350 of 409

&_ 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
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve
hicle damage or accidents.
Wheels
-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. 283 T ire profile: treadwear indica
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflat ion pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves,
rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
-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
..
349
Page 351 of 409

Wheels
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. 283. 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
c;, .&..
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec
ommended to ensure the tires
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-
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
350
ing to the running direction indi
cated on the tire sidewall
c;, page 374.
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 indica te 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.
Page 352 of 409

~ .... N ,-.. N .... 0 I!)
5 (X)
Tire pressure
Fig. 284 Driver 's side B -pillar : tire pres
sure label
-KPA. . PSI
Fig. 285 Tir e pressur e label
"' -
The correct tire pressure for tires
installed at the factory is listed on
a
label ¢ fig. 284. The sticker is
located on the door pillar (driver's
side)¢ fig. 285. The location may
vary depending on the model.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
¢ table
on page 353.
If driving the vehi
cle when fully loaded, you must increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified
pressure ¢,&. .
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
Wheels
.. 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. 285 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load .
.. correct the tire pressure if nec
essary .
.. store the new tire pressure in
the Infotainment system
¢ page 361 .
.. Check the pressure in the spare
tire (compact spare tire)*. Al
ways maintain the maximum
temperature that is specified for
the tire.
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 355,
Tires and vehicle load limits.
351