Driving safety
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles . To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
-Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on th e driv
er's side B-pillar. Exceeding permissible
weight standards can cause the vehicle to
slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
<=) page 252.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof*,
-Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the sunroof* and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used .
-After closing the rear lid , always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
258
-Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the
ve
hicle 's seating positions.
@ Note
If you are transporting large items with the
backrest folded down*, you should remove
the Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE)* and its
holder* to avoid damage.
© Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fog
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open .
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended cold tire inflation pressures for the
vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and
the tires that were on your vehicle at the
time it was manufactured. For recommend ed tire pressures for normal load condi
tions, please see chapter
Q page 336 .
Tie-downs
The luggage compartmen t is equipped with four
t ie-downs to secure luggage and o ther i tems.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
Qpage 25 7, L oading the luggage compartment.
In a collision , the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury. Items in the vehicle possess ene rgy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the mos t significant fac tor .
..,.
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(J) US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
T he manufacture date is listed on
the tire sidewall (it may only ap
pear on the inner s ide of the tire):
DOT .. . 2217 .. .
means , for example, that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2017 .
@ Audi Original Tires
Audi Original equipment tires
with the designation
"AO" have
been specially matched to your
Audi . When used correct ly , these
tires meet the highest standards
for safety and handling . An au
thorized Audi dealer or author
ized Audi Service Facility will be
able to provide you with more in
formation .
® 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
Wh eel s
must also specify the materials
used in the tire . These include
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Ma ximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry .
@ Uniform tire qual ity grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Treadwear , tract ion and tempera
ture ranges
r=:>page 341 .
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the runn ing
direction of unidirectional tires .
You must always follow the speci
fied running direction
Q page 355.
@ Ma ximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat
ing cond itions .
327
Wheel s
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 transmission, power steer
ing , power brakes , power win
dows , power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in
stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width 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
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
328
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire 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 w ith standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, ai r condi
tioning and additional weight of
optional equipment.
E x tra load ti re
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 "X L",
"
l" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" on X I I
the sidewall. .,.
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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 vehic le.
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 .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla
tion pressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible )
inflation pressure
Wh eel s
means the maximum cold infla
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated . Also called "maxi
mum inflation pressure ."
Normal occup ant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the to
ta l seating capacity of your vehi
cle .
Occupant distribut ion
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.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords.
329
Wheels
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. 267 Tire 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.
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili-
l) Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
334
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 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. 267. The letters "TWI"
or tr iangles 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
¢ .&. -
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
.,.
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including the weight of a trail
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating .
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 vehic le w ill not be over load
ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1. L ocate the statement "TH E
COMBINED WEIGH T OF OCCU
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
L BS" on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 335, fig . 269 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas
sengers that w ill be riding in
your vehic le .
3. Subt ract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from "XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
Wheels
pounds shown on the stick
er ¢ page 335, fig. 269 .
4. The 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
be five
150 l bs . passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is
650 lbs .
(1 400- 750 (5 X 1 50) = 650
lbs .)
5. Determine the comb ined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
T hat weight may not safely ex
ceed the availab le cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat
ed in Step 4 .
6 . If your vehicle will be towing a
tra iler, load from your tra iler
w ill be transferred to your ve
hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces
the availab le cargo and lug
gage load capacity of your veh i
c le .
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 326, fig . 266) to deter
mine the designated load rat ing
for a specific t ire .
339
Wheels
The grade C corresponds to a leve l of perform
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un
der the Federa l 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 traction grade ass igned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acce le rat ion, cor
ne ring, hydroplaning or peak traction charac
teristics.
A WARNING
Th e temperatu re grade for this tire is estab
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, or excessive loading, either separate ly or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
-
-
Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflat
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
(l) General notes
Each t ire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
ve hicl e manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire in flatio n press ure label. ( If yo ur vehicle has
t ires of a different siz e than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la
be l, you should determine the proper tire infla
tion pressure for those t ires) .
As an added safety feature, your veh icle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure te ll
tale when one or more of your t ires is significant
ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure tellta le illuminates, you should stop and
342
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a signifi
cant ly under-inflated t ire causes the t ire to over
heat and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation
also reduces fue l eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop
ping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the dr iver's re
spons ibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres
su re te lltale .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operating prope rly . The TPMS mal
function indicat or 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 wi ll continue upon
s ub sequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal
funct ion exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
l ow tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
i nstallation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the veh icle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS ma lfunction telltale after replac ing one or
more tires or wheels on you r vehicle to ens ure
that the rep lacement or alternate tires and
whee ls allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
If the tire pressure monitoring indicator
appears
App lies to : vehicles wit h Tire Pressure Mo nitor ing 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 .
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor
in g system compares the tire tread circumfer
en ce and vibration characteristics of the