2018 AUDI A7 flat tire

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maximum permissible road
speeds. See
also ¢.& in General
information on page 205.
Tire pre ssure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass.
Treadwea r indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 214, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear .
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
al Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relat ive com-
Wheels
parisons among tires . The U TQG
is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of miles
(kilometers) or perform in acer­
tain way . It simply gives tire buy ­
ers additional information to
combine with other considera­
tions, such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendatio ns. Un­
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas :
treadwear, traction, and tempera­
ture resistance. The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
T his is the tire's "se ria l number" .
It begins with the letters "DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant whe re it was manufac­
tured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of
manufactu re . For example,
DOT .. . 2217 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 2017 . The
other numbers are marketing co­ des that may or may not be used
.,.
2 11

Wheels
by the tire manufacturer. This in­
formation is used to contact con­ sumers if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo ­
grams) times the vehicle's desig­ nated seating capacity .
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the
maximum loaded veh ic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (dis ­
tr ibuted in accordance
with¢ ta ­
ble on page
2 17) and d ividing by
two .
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating capacities
Re fer to the tire inflation pres ­
sure
label¢ page 215, fig. 190
2 12
for the n umbe r of seating posi­
tions. Refer to the
table ¢ table
on page
217 for the number of
people tha t correspond to the ve­
hicle normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on t ires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper
know ledge and are eq uipped with
the required too ls and rep lace­
ment parts.
1>- New tires do not yet have the
optim um gripping properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 35 0 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
1>-Qnly use tires with the same de­
sign, size ( rolling circumfer ­
ence) , and as close to t he same
tread pattern as possible on a ll
four wheels .
.,.Applies to: RS models: only use
tires with the same design, size (ro lling circumfere nce), and the
same tread pattern on all four
whee ls.
1>- Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace bo th tires on the
same axle at the same time .
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Wheels
-Only use tires that are more than six years old when abso­lutely 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.
-If you install wheel covers on the vehicle, make sure they al­low enough a ir circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 188 Tire profile: trea dwear indica ­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
l) Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
214
-Driving qu ickly 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
vehicle components could wear more quick ly.
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
c> fig . 188. The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall indicate the location of the tread­
wear indicators.
The t ires have reached the mini­
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
c> A . "'

Wheels
A WARNING
Please note the important safe ­
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
¢ page 215 and load
limits¢ page 218.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can al ­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflat ion that can
cause the vehicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded . Vehicle load inc ludes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR") .
T he "GVWR" inc ludes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
2 18
plus maximum load . The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the veh icle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­ ed as part of the vehic le load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi ­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehic le (inc luding
the weight of a trailer h itch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited . The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as luggage .
The Gross Veh icle We igh t Ra ting
and the Gross Axle Weight Rat ing
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are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side 8 -pillar .
A WAR NING
-
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle contro l, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury , and even death .
-Carrying more weight than your vehic le was designed to
carry will p revent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been over loaded may not
be able to stop the veh icle
within a safe dis tance .
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud­
d en ly , including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash .
-Always make su re that the to­
tal load being transported -
includ ing the weight of a trail ­
er hitch and the tongue
we ight of a loaded trailer -
d oes not make t he vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle We ight 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 . L ocate the statement " THE
COMB INED W EIGH T OF OCCU­
PANTS AND CARGO S HOU LD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
L BS" on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 215, fig. 189 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that w ill be riding in
your vehicle .
3 . Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
" XXX " kilog rams or " XXX "
pounds shown on the sticker
¢page 215, fig. 189 .
4. T he resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample , if the
"XXX " amount
equa ls 1400 lbs . and there
will .,.
219

Wheels
- Traction AA A B C
- T emperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where appl icable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width
~ page 206, fig. 187.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Tem ­
perature
A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
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 (1 1/2) times as well on the govern­
ment course as a tire graded
100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
the actua l conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices and
d ifferences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the tire's
abi lity to stop on wet pavement as measured un ­
der controlled conditions on specified govern­ ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. 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 reduce tire life,
and excess ive temperature can lead to sudden
tire
fa ilure ~.&. .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform ­
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet un-
222
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
A WARNING -
The tract ion grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor­
nering, hydroplaning or peak traction charac­
teristics .
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab­
lished for a tire tha t is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
-
-
Temperature grades apply to tires that are
proper ly inflated and not over or underinflat­
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if prov ided),
shou ld be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflation pressure label. (If your veh icle has
t ir es of a diffe rent size t han the size ind icated on
the vehicl e placard or tire infl ation press ure la ­
bel, you sho uld determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety featu re, you r vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell ­
ta le when one or more of your tires is significant­
l y under-inflated. According ly, w hen the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your t ires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Dr iving on a
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a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 00 <.,;) ' significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inf la­
tion also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread
life, and may affect the vehicle's handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres ­
sure telltale .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly . The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale . When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal­
function exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly . Always che ck the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
Wheels
If the tire pressure monitoring system
indicator appears
Applies to: vehicles with Tire Pressure Monito ring System in­
dicator
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 191 Ins trumen t cluster : indicator light w it h message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread circumfer­
ence and vibration characteristics of the individu­
al tires.
If the pressure changes in one or more
tires, th is is ind icated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicato r light
[I] and a message .
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain­
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your
vehicle ~ page 224. The tire pressure moni­
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you
have stored. Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
~ page 215, fig . 190.
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
ing if :
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low
- the tire has structural damage
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored
~ page 224
- the spare tire* is installed
223

Wheels
Indicator lights
It]-loss of pressure in at least one tire¢,&. .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires and
store the pressure again in the Infotainment sys­
tem
¢ page 224.
[m]) (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure: System malfunction!.
If[m]J appears
after switching the ignition on or while driving
and the
RI] indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks for approximately one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
store the correct tire
pressures¢ page 224 . If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on again
after a short period of time, drive to an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty immediately to have the malfunction correct­
ed.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in the
display, reduce your speed immediately and
avoid any hard steering or braking maneu­
vers. Stop as soon as possible and check the
tires and their pressure .
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the
correct tire pressure. You must check the
tire pressure regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driving style, winter conditions or unpaved
roads), the tire pressure monitoring system
indicator may be delayed.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system can al­
so stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system in your
Audi was calibrated with "Audi Original
Tires"
¢ page 212. Using these tires is rec­
ommended .
224
Storing tire pressures
Applies to: vehicles with Tire P ressure Monitoring System in­
dicator
If the tire pressure changes or a tire is replaced,
it must be confirmed in the Infotainment sys­
tem.
.,. Make sure before storing that the tire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adapted to the load
¢page 215.
.,. Switch the ignition on .
.,. Select: the I CARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems
control button > Service & control > Tire
pressure monitor> Store tire pressure > Yes,
store now.
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow chains
are installed.
Tire pressure monitoring
system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
bel, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant­
ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a signifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over­
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop-
ping ability.
.,.