2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

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(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible }
inflation pres sure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated . Also called "maxi ­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 l bs. (68 kilograms)
times the number 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 distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, including
elevations due to labeling, deco­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
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 duty battery, and
special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread .
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 286, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flat ion pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire. Rein ­
forced tires may be iden tified as
.,.
28 7

Wheels
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" I I I
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur ­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend­
ed periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298
km/h)¢ table
on page 284 .
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
288
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on the tire sidewall and indicates the maximum permissible vehicle
speeds
¢ .1,. in Winter tires on
page 298 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or mo re 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 .
Treadwear 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 292, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur- ing tire wear.
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Uniform Tire Quality Gr ading
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
parisons among tires. The UTQG
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 recommendations . Un­
der UTQG, tires are graded
by the
tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera­
ture res istance. The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN )
This is the tire's "serial number".
It begins with the letters
"DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards . The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac­
tured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of
manufacture. For example,
Wheels
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
by the tire manufacturer. This in­
formation is used to contact con­
sumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle c apacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug ­
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo­ grams) times the vehicle's desig­
nated seating capacity.
Vehicle ma ximum 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 vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by dist rib­
uting to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (dis­
tributed in accordance
with¢ ta ­
ble on page 295) and dividing by
two.
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289

Wheel s
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure
label ¢ page 293, fig . 267
for the number of seating posi­
tions . Refer to the
table¢ table
on page 295
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 pe rformed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility .
T hese 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 fo r 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 poss ible on all four
wheels .
290
.,.Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,. Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
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
F acility before making a pur­
chase ~ &-
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle - for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
so only use the spare tire* tempo ­
rarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use. It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
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
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use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ WARNING
-Only use tire/rim combina­ tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, 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-
Wheels
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.
-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. 265 T ir e profile: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
291

Wheels
-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 noticeab le
vibration in the steering wheel.
If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more qu ickly .
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment t ires 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 ti re per­
pendicular to the running direc­
tion. The letters
"TWI" or trian ­
gles on the tire sidewall indicate
the location of the treadwear in­
dicators .
T he 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:::> ,.1. .
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec ­
ommended to ensure the tires
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
2 92
wear evenly . To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear ax le
on the front axle and vice versa .
This will allow the tires to have app roximately the same lengt h of
service life .
F or unidirectional tires , make
sure the ti res are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
c:::>page 319 .
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 indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage . If no
damage is visible from the out ­
side , drive slow ly and caref ully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­ er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
& WARNIN G ~
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
11>

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.
Tire pressure
Fig. 266 Driver's side B -pillar : tire pres­
sur e label
- KPA. a PSI
Fig. 267 Tire pressure label
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The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la­
bel. The label is located on the B­
pillar
¢ fig. 266, ¢ fig. 267.
~ When the vehicle is partially load-
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~ ed (up to 3 peop le), use the tire
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I Wheels
pressure specified for normal
Loads¢ table on page 295. If
driving the vehicle when fully loaded, you must increase the tire
pressure to the maximum speci­
fied
pressure ¢.&, .
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,.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. 267 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,..Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
.,..Vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain ­
ment system
c::> page 302.
.,.Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire* /spare t ire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire.
.,.
293

Wheels
&,. 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
inc:::> page 295,
Tires and vehicle load limits.
-The tire must flex more if the
tire pressure is too low or if
the vehicle speed or load are
too high . This heats the tire up
too much. This increases the
risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and
result in loss of vehicle con­
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure in­ creases tire wear and has a
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print­
ing, and the information is sub­
ject to change. If there are differ­ ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side B­ pillar, always follow the specifica-
294
negative effect on driving and
braking behavior, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
@ Note
Replace lost valve caps to re­
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
@ For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in­
creases fuel consumption.
(D Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a normal load
c:::> table on
page 295
or for a full load
when the vehicle is partially loaded.
tion on the B-pillar label
c:::> page 293, fig. 266.
Make sure that the tire designa­
tion on your tire matches the des­ ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom- mended tire pressures in cold
.,..