Wheels
with them. Remove the wheel covers" first.
Use coated snow chains.
Low-profile tires
App lies to: veh icles with low-profile tires
Your vehicle is equipped with low-profile tires* at
t he factory . Compared to other tire/rim combina
ti ons, low-profile tires offer a wider tread sur face
and a larger rim diameter with shorter tire side
walls . This results in an agile driving style . How
ever, it may reduce the level of comfort and in
crease road noise when dr iv ing on roads in poor
condition .
Low-profile tires can become damaged more
qu ickly than standard t ires when driving over
large b umps, potholes, manhole covers, speed
bumps and curbs. Therefore, it is part icu lar ly im
portant to maintain the cor rect tire pressure
¢page 176.
To reduce the r isk of damage to the tires and
rims, drive very carefully on poor roads.
Check your wheels regularly every 2,000 mi (3 ,000 km) for damage. For example , check for
bu lges/cracks on the tir es or deformations/
cracks on the r ims.
After a heavy impact or damage, have the tires
and rims inspected or replaced immediate ly by
an author ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi
Serv ice Facility .
Low-profile tires can wear out faster than stand
ard tires.
Summer tires are not suitable for cold weather,
snow or black ice . If you are driving in these con
d itions, use winter or all season t ires
¢ page 181.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- T raction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Qua lity grades can be found where applicab le on
the tire side wall between tre ad shoulder and
maximum section width
¢ page 16 7, fig . 144 .
182
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem
perature
A .
All passenger car tir es must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addit ion to these grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the govern
ment course as a tir e graded 100 .
T he relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual cond itions of their use, however, and
may depart sign ificantly from the norm due to
variations in driv ing habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades , from highest to lowest, are
AA , A, Band
C. Those grades represent the tire's
ability 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
generat ion of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a spec ified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the mate
rial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life ,
and excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure ¢.& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un
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 .
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