Wheels
Wheels
Whee ls and Ti res
General information
.,. Check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re
placed immediately.
.,.Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running
direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
.,. Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as
possible.
(D N ote
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons . Audi recom
mends using winter tires dur
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de crease the elasticity of summ
er tires, which affects traction
33 4
and b raking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form
on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter driving condi
tions. The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
F ig. 27 4 Tire des ignat ions on the side-
wall II>
Wheel s
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is sui table 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 t ire. In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, po lyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry .
@Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resist ance
Treadwear, traction and tempera
ture
ranges ¢ page 351.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires .
You must always follow the speci
fied running direction
¢page 366 .
336
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Acces sory we ight
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 r im .
...
Wheels
&,. WARNING
-Do not use steel rims that are 17 inches or larger . Other
wise, 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 .
-Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve
hicle damage or accidents.
342
-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. 275 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
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
..
Emergency assistance
CJ) Note
When removing or installing the whee l, the
r im could hit the brake rotor and damage the
rotor. Work ca ref ull y and have a second pe r
son help you.
@ Tips
- When mounting tires w ith unidirectional
tread design
ma ke s ure the t read pattern is
po inted the r ight
way ¢ page 366.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to
turn. Check for d irt and cor ros ion on the
mating s urfaces of both the wheel and the
h ub. Remove all dirt from t hese surfaces be
fo re re mo unt ing th e wheel.
Unidirectional tires
A unid irec tional tire p rofile is ident ified by a rrows
th at poin t in the run nin g dir e cti on o n the tire
sidewall. You mus t always a dhere to the speci
fied running d irec tion. This is necessary ens ure
the t ire's optim um perfo rmance in regar d to a d
hes ion, r unning noise, fr iction and hydrop la ning.
T o be nefi t fu lly fro m the adv ant ages of the uni
d irect ional tire des ign, you sho uld replace faulty
tires as soon as possi ble an d restore the correct
r u nning di rect io n on all of the tires.
Finishing
.,. Reinstall the caps on the whee l bolts if neces
sary .
.,. Store the vehicle tool kit in its designated
place .
.,. If the re m oved whee l does not fi t in the spa re
whee l we ll, store it se cur ely in t he luggage
com partmen t¢ page 2 59.
.,. Check the tire press ure on the ins talled whee l
as soon as possible.
.,. Co rrect the tire p ressure and store it in the I n
fota inment system
¢ page 353 .
.,. The wheel bo lt tightening specification must be
90 ft lbs (120 Nm) . Check it as soon as poss ible
with a torq ue wrenc h. Dr ive ca refully unt il t hen .
.,. Have th e faulty wheel rep laced as quic kly as
poss ible.
366
(D Tips
-If you not ice that t he w heel bo lts a re cor
rode d and difficult to tur n while changing a
t ir e, t hey s hou ld be replaced befo re yo u
check the t ightening torque.
- Drive at red uce d speed unti l yo u have the
t ightening to rques checked.
· Notes on wheel changing
Please read t he informat ion¢ page 341 if yo u
are going to use a replacemen t tire which is d if
ferent from the tires on yo ur vehicle .
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the replacement
tire immediately after installation.
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as pos
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or quali
fied workshop.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are cor rectly tightened at a torque of
90
ft lbs (120 Nm) .
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded
and difficult to turn while changing a tire,
they should be replaced before you check the
tightening torque .
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and have
it installed on your vehicle as soon as possi
ble. Remount the wheel cover .
Until then, dr ive with e xtra care and at reduced
speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equip yo ur vehicle wi th
t ires or r ims which diffe r from those which
we re fac to ry insta lled , th en be su re to read
t he
informa tion ¢ page 341.
- Always make sure the damage d w heel or
ev en a fla t tire and the jack* an d tool kit are
p ro p erl y se cured in t he lug gage com part
me nt an d ar e no t lo o se in the pas senge r
c o mp artme nt.
- I n an ac cident or su dde n man euver they
co uld fl y forw ard , injur ing an yone i n t he ve
hicle.
a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
-Always store damaged wheel, jack* and
tools securely in the luggage compartment.
Otherwise, in an accident or sudden maneu
ver they could fly forward, causing injury to
passengers in the vehicle.
Space-saving spare tire
App lies to: ve hicles with space-saving spare t ire (co mpact
spare tire)
The spare tire is intended for short -term use on
ly. Have the damaged tire checked and replaced,
if necessary, by an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility as soon as possible.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire . The compact spare tire has
been designed specifically for your type of vehi
cle. Do not replace it with the spare tire from an
other type of vehicle.
The compact spare tire is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo f loor cover
c::>page360.
The tire pressure must be 61 PSI (420 kPA).
Snow chains
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains on
the compact spare tire is not permitted.
If you have to drive with snow chains and a front
tire fails, mount the spare t ire in place of a rear
tire. Install the snow chains on the rear tire that
you removed, and insta ll that in place of the
front tire that failed.
A WARNING
-After installing a spare tire, the tire pres
sure must be checked as soon as possible.
-Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h)
with a compact spare tire. Driving faster
than that increases the risk of an accident.
-T o reduce the risk of an accident, avoid full
thrott le acceleration, heavy braking, and
fast cornering with the compact spare tire.
-To reduce the risk of an accident, never drive
with more than one compact spare tire.
-Normal summer or winte r tires must not be
mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
Emergency assistance
Collapsible spare tire
Applies to: vehicles with collapsible spare tire
The collapsible spare tire is intended for short
term use only . Have the damaged tire checked
and rep laced, if necessary, by an authorized A udi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility as soon
as possible.
There are some restrictions on the use of the co l
l apsible spare tire. The collapsible spare tire has
been designed spec ifically for your type of vehi
cle. Do not replace it with the collaps ible spare
t ir e from another type of vehicle .
The co llapsible spare tire is located in the lug
gage compartment under the cargo floor cover.
Requirement: the vehicle too l kit
c::> page 360 and
the compressor must be laid out .
Removing
"' Remove the cargo floo r cover c::> page 360,
fig. 279.
"' Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise and re-
move it.
"' Remove the co llapsible spare tire.
You must inflate the collapsible spare tire be
fo rehand in order to use it.
Inflating
"' Remove the valve cap from the collapsible
spare tire.
"'Tighten the comp ressor hose on the collapsible
spare tire valve.
"'Connect the comp ressor hose to a vehicle soc k
et and switch it on .
"'Let the compressor run until the specified value
on the tire pressure sticker is reached
c::> page 344, fig. 277 c::>(D.
"'Screw the valve cap back onto the valve.
Returning to storage
"'R emove the valve cap to drain the air .
"'Wait severa l hours before placing the collapsi
ble spare tire in the spare wheel well. Only then
w ill it fold down comp letely so that you can
store it securely .
"' Then screw the valve cap back onto the valve . ..,_
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