Page 249 of 310

windows, 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
reinfo rced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire pressure recom
mended by the vehic le manufac
turer for a tire of a designated
Wheels
three hour period before the tire
pressure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle with standar d equipment in
c luding the maximum capacity of
f u el, oi l, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weight of
optional eq uipment.
Extra load ti re
means a t ire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding s tandard tire. Extra load
ti res may be identified as
"XL",
"xl" "EXT RA LOAD" or "RF" on , ,
the sidewall.
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 maxim um total loaded
weight of the vehic le .
Groove
size that has not been driven for means the space between two ad -
~ more than a co uple of miles (kilo -jacent tread ribs . .,.
"
8 meters) at low speeds in the
" "' a:,
2 47
Page 250 of 310

Wheel s
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is ra ted to carry for a given in
flation pressure. You may not find
this info rmatio n 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
means the maximum cold infla
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated . A lso called "maxi
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs (68 kg) times the
number of occupants seated in
the vehicle up to the total seating
capacity of your vehicle.
248
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, inc lud ing
elevations due to labeling, deco rations, or protective bands or
ribs.
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 stand
ard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb
weight or accessory weight, in cluding heavy duty brakes, ride
levelers, roof rack, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply ti re
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the
...
Page 251 of 310

0 co .... N
" N .... 0
" "' co
beads are laid at substantially
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread .
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 247, Cold tire infla
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire. Rein
forced tires may be identified as
"XL", "xl", "EXT RA L OAD", or "RF"
on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assemb ly upon
which the t ire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
whee l size, you will have to pu r
c h ase new t ires to match the new
rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diamete r and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges .
Wheels
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 ra tings
range from
93 mph (150 km/h)
to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢ table
on page 245 .
You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be
cause it is not required by law .
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates t he
maximum pe rmissible roa d
speeds . See also ¢
A in General
information on page 244.
Tire pressure monitoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
ti res are underinflated and illumi
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a ti re that
comes into contact with the road .
.,.
249
Page 252 of 310

Wheel s
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 253, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur
ing tire wear .
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
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 rat ing and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescr ibed 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, t ires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera
ture resistance . The UTQG infor -
250
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 . Fo r example,
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.
Veh icle capac ity weight
means the rated cargo and lug
gage load plus 150 lbs (68 kg)
times the veh icle's designated
seating capacity.
Page 253 of 310

0
Vehicle maximum 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 vehic le we ight
and dividing by two .
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
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 256)
and dividing by
two .
Occupant loading and distri
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres
sure label for the number of seat
ing positions . Refer to the tab le
¢
table on page 256 for the
number of people that corre
spond to the vehic le normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all wo rk
on t ires or wheels performed by
~ an authorized Audi dealer or au-N
" ~ thorized Audi Service Facility. 0
" "' a:,
Wh eel s
These facilities have the proper
knowledge and are equipped with
the required tools and replace ment parts.
.,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum g ripping properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 miles
(500 km) with new tires .
i,.Qnly use tires w ith the same de
sign, size (rolling circumfer
ence), and as close to the same
tread pattern as possible on all
four whee ls .
.,. Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same t ime.
.,. 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
vehic le w ith a tire/r im combina
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con
sult w ith an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur-
chase¢ ,&.. .,.
25 1
Page 254 of 310

Wheels
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
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.
252
-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.
- 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.
Page 255 of 310

0 a, .... N
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 188 Tire profile: treadwear indica
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regular ly 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 dea ler
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 tire s and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
~ l) Obey any applicable regulations in your 0
[;:; country. 00
Wheels
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
c:> fig. 188. The letters "TWI"
or triangles on the tire sidewall indicate the location of the tread
wear indicators.
The 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
wear evenly. To rotate the tires, install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa.
This w ill allow the tires to have
approximately the same length of
service life.
..,.
253
Page 256 of 310

Wheels
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed a ccord
ing to the running direction indi
cated on the tire sidewall
¢ page 278.
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.
_& WARNING i-==
Tread that has worn too low or different tread depths on the
tires can reduce dr iving safety.
This can increase the risk of an
accident because it has a nega
t ive effect on handling, driving
through curves, and braking,
and because it increases the
risk of hydroplaning when driv
ing through deep puddles.
254
-
Tire pressure
Fig. 189 Driver's side 8-p illar: t ire pres
sure label
"'
8 > ...
"'
"' -
a "
fl ( =::~ m:t I =: I :=... I ) (: ::-) ~ Tbe..,_.....,..._....,_..,...,..~----. ... _ ... ........ wia1-.-. ......... *'~""'-,-......., ..... lb-
llN! IIZli COlD 111111! MCSIUM. NU ON(HA)!Q "'"510NOU,....,. AM)O
"'"'" v - KP aPSI
Fig. 190 Tire pr ess u re lab el
i.tE OWNUrS MANUAL fOR ADDmoNA.l INFORMATION VO" l£ M~U'[L DV ,ROPIQETAIRE POUR PLUS Of IIIEr-lSEIG~MCNTS
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. 189, ¢ fig. 190.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially
loaded ¢ table
on page 256.
If driv ing the vehi-
cle when fully loaded, you must increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified
pressure ¢ A . ..,.