Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
.,.Check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap
proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re
placed immediately.
"'Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running
direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled.
"'Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as
possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons. Audi recom
mends using winter tires dur
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de crease the elasticity of summ
er tires, which affects traction
Wheels
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form
on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi
tions. The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 282 T ir e designations on the side -
wall Ill>
341
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is suitable for driving on mud and
snow. £ indicates a winter tire.
@Composition 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 materials
used in the ti re . These inc lude
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.
@ Un iform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Treadwear, traction and tempera
ture
ranges¢ page 359.
@ Running direction
T he arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional tires.
You must always follow the speci
fied running direction
¢page 374.
~ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
Wheels
T his number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under 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 t ransmission, power steer
ing, power brakes, power win
dows , powe r seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent tha t these
items are avai lab le as factory- in
stalled equipment (whether in
s t alled 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 sidewall for improved steer
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinfo rced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim.
...
3 4 3
&_ 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
Emergency assistance
CJ) Note
When removing or installing the whee l, the
r im could hit the brake rotor and damage the
rotor. Work ca ref ull y and have a second pe r
son help you.
@ Tips
- When mounting tires w ith unidirectional
tread design
ma ke s ure the t read pattern is
po inted the r ight way
¢ page 374 .
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to
turn. Check for d irt and cor ros ion on the
mating s urfaces of both the wheel and the
h ub. Remove all dirt from t hese surfaces be
fo re re mount ing th e wheel.
Unidirectional tires
A unid irec tional tire p rofile is ident ified by a rrows
th at poin t in the run nin g dir e cti on o n the tire
sidewall. You mus t always a dhere to the speci
fied running d irec tion. This is necessary ens ure
the t ire's optim um perfo rmance in regar d to a d
hes ion, r unning noise, fr iction and hydrop la ning.
T o be nefi t fu lly fro m the adv ant ages of the uni
d irect ional tire des ign, you sho uld replace faulty
tires as soon as possi ble an d restore the correct
r u nning di rect io n on all of the tires.
Finishing
.,. Reinstall the caps on the whee l bolts if neces
sary .
.,. Store the vehicle tool kit in its designated
place .
.,. If the re m oved whee l does not fi t in the spa re
whee l we ll, store it se cur ely in t he luggage
com partmen t¢ page 2 63.
.,. Check the tire press ure on the ins talled whee l
as soon as possible.
.,. Co rrect the tire p ressure and store it in the I n
fota inment system
¢ page 361.
.,. The wheel bo lt tightening specification must be
90 ft lbs (120 Nm) . Check it as soon as poss ible
with a torq ue wrenc h. Dr ive ca refully unt il t hen .
.,. Have th e faulty wheel rep laced as quic kly as
poss ible.
374
(D Tips
-If you not ice that t he w heel bo lts a re cor
rode d and difficult to tur n while changing a
t ir e, t hey s hou ld be replaced befo re yo u
check the t ightening torque.
- Drive at red uce d speed unti l yo u have the
t ightening to rques checked.
· Notes on wheel changing
Please read t he informat ion¢ page 348 if yo u
are going to use a replacemen t tire which is d if
ferent from the tires on yo ur vehicle .
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the replacement
tire immediately after installation.
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as pos
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or quali
fied workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are cor rectly tightened at a torque of
90
ft lbs (120 Nm) .
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded
and difficult to turn while changing a tire,
they should be replaced before you check the
tightening torque .
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and have
it installed on your vehicle as soon as possi
ble. Remount the wheel cover .
Until then, dr ive with e xtra care and at reduced
speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equip yo ur vehicle wi th
t ires or r ims which diffe r from those which
we re fac to ry insta lled , th en be su re to read
t he
informa tion ¢ page 348.
- Always make sure the damage d w heel or
ev en a fla t tire and the jack* an d tool kit are
p ro p erl y se cured in t he lug gage co mpart
me nt an d ar e no t lo o se in the pas senge r
c o mp artme nt.
- I n an ac cident or su dde n man euver they
co uld fl y forw ard , injur ing an yone i n t he ve
hicle.