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Intelligent Technology
-Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal
led and this can affect dr iv in g stab ility and
increase the risk of a collision. condition. Different tire
sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de
scribed are working .
(D Tips
-The ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels have a s imilar wear
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
F ig. 153 Upper center console: ESC button
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The
amount of stabilization contro l wi ll differ de
pending on the level.
The following examp les are unusua l situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow o r on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chains
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend
ing on the level that is selected , the stabilization
Sport mode on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stab iliza-
tion functions are limited
~ &..
Operating Press the 11> .. , I button brief-
ly .
Indicator II turns on.
lights
Messages* Stabilization control (ESC):
sport. Warning! Restricted
stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on or switch ESC/ ASR
off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permit.
ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASRon
The stabilization function is The full stabilization func-
not
avai lab le~ A . ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
ASR are switched off . availab le again.
Press and hold the
! 1> °',1 but- Press the 11> .. , I button again .
ton longer than three sec-
onds.
II and lfil•)~~* turn on. II turns off or II and
lfil•)~~ * turn off.
Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control
off. Warning! Limited sta- (ESC): on
bility
-
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The driving
wheels could spin and the vehicle could swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces .
149
Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
"'Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother
-throughout
the entire pregnancy .
Number of seats
Applies to: vehicles without power top: Your Audi
has a total of five seating positions: two in the
front and three in the rear . Each seating position
has a safety belt .
Applies to: vehicles with power top: Your Audi
has a total of four seating positions: two in the
front and two in the rear. Each seating position
has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
260
-Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt. It is espe
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap .
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint .
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Fig. 224 Safety belt warning ligh t in the instrument clus
ter
-enlarged
Before driving off, always:
"' Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
U) N Ill 0 ..:.
and properly wear their safety belts .
"' Protect children with a child restraint system
appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition , you will hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING -
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
~
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Tire designations
Fig. 275 Tire designations on the side
wall
(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
"P" indicates a tire for a passenger
vehicle. "T" indicates a tire desig
nated for temporary use.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be
tween the sidewalls in millime
ters. In general: the larger the
number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height/width ratio expressed as a
percentage .
Wheels
@Tire construction
"R" indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Size of the rim diameter in inches.
® Load index and speed rating
The load index indicates the tire's
load-carrying capacity.
The speed rating indicates the
maximum permitted speed. Also
see
¢ &. in General information
on page 330.
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi
cates that the tire is reinforced or
i s an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat-
Maximum permitted speed
ing
p up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (160 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)a)
z above 149 mph (240 km/h)a)
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)a)
y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)a)
a) For tires above 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacturers sometimes use the
code "ZR".
331
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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 a re available as factory- in
stalled equipment (whether i n
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 s idewall 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 .
Wheel s
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire 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 with standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil , and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of
optional eq uipm ent .
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at highe r in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "X L",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
.,.
333
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Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs.
(2.3 kg) in excess of those stand
ard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb
weight or accessory we ight, in
c luding 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 333, Cold tire infla
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in
flat ion pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire. Rein
forced t ires may be identified as
"XL " "xl" "EXT RA LOA D" or "RF" , , ,
on the sidewall.
Wheels
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
whee l 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 ti re 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 rat ings
range from
93 mph (150 km/h)
to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢ table
on page 331.
You may no t find
this info rmat ion on all tires be
cause it is not required by law.
T he speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates t he
11>
335
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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 ma ximum load on the
tire
means that load on an indiv idual
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 indiv idual
tire that is determined by distrib 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 342)
and dividing by
two .
Occupant loading and distr i
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres
s u re
label¢ page 341, fig . 2 78
Wheels
for the n umber of seating posi
tions . Refer to the table
¢ table
on page 34 2
for the number of
people tha t correspond to the ve
hicle normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires o r wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper
knowle dge and are eq uipped with
the requ ired too ls and replace
ment parts.
.,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum g ripping properties .
Drive carefully and at mode rate
speeds for the first 350 miles
(500 km) with new tires.
.,. Only use tires with the same de
s ign , size (rolling circumfer
ence), and as close to the same
tread pattern as possible on all
four whee ls .
.,. Applies to: RS models : only use
tires with the same design and
the same tread pattern on all
four whee ls.
.,. Do not replace tires indiv idually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time .
...
337
Wheels
.,.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
¢ 11:,. .
.,. 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
Facility before making a pur
chase¢ ,&.
Because the spare tire* is differ
ent from the regular tires instal
led on the vehicle (such as winter
tires or wide tires), only use the
spare tire* temporarily in case of
emergency and drive carefully
while it is in use. It should be re
placed with a regular tire as soon
as possible.
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel
drive: 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 dam
aged by different wheel speeds. For this reason, in case of emer
gency, only use a spare tire* that
338
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
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
...
Wheels
front and rear axles are the same
size¢&.
Rotating the tires regularly is rec
ommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa.
This will allow the tires to have
approximately the same length of
service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord
ing to the running direction indi
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 368.
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 slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal
er or authorized Audi Service Fa
cility to have the vehicle inspect
ed .
340
.&_ WARNING
-Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can increase the risk of an
accident because it has a neg
ative effect on handling, driv
ing through curves, and brak
ing, and because it increases
the risk of hydroplaning when
driving through deep puddles.
- Applies to: RS models: de
pending on the equipment,
the widths of the standard
summer tires may be different
on the front and rear axles.
The wider tires are mounted
on the front axle. The tires
must not be rotated .