
Wheels
@USDOTnumber(TIN)and
manufacturedate
Themanufacturedateislistedon
thetiresidewall(itmayonlyap-
pearontheinnersideofthetire):
DOT...2218...
means,forexample,thatthetire
wasproducedinthe22ndweekof
theyear2018.
@)AudiOriginalTires
AudiOriginalequipmenttires
withthedesignation“AO”have
beenspeciallymatchedtoyour
Audi.Whenusedcorrectly,these
tiresmeetthehigheststandards
forsafetyandhandling.Anau-
thorizedAudidealerorauthor-
izedAudiServiceFacilitywillbe
abletoprovideyouwithmorein-
formation.
@)Mudandsnowcapability
“M/S”or“M+S”indicatesthetire
issuitablefordrivingonmudand
snow./A\indicatesawintertire.
Compositionofthetirecord
andmaterials
Thenumberofpliesindicatesthe
numberofrubberizedfabriclay-
ersinthetire.Ingeneral:the
morelayers,themoreweighta
tirecancarry.Tiremanufacturers
324
mustalsospecifythematerials
usedinthetire.Theseinclude
steel,nylon,polyesterandother
materials.
@)Maximumpermittedload
Thisnumber indicatesthemaxi-
mumloadinkilogramsand
poundsthatthetirecancarry.
@Uniformtirequalitygrade
standardsfortreadwear,
tractionandtemperature
resistance
Treadwear,tractionand tempera-
tureranges>page339.
@Runningdirection
Thearrowsindicatetherunning
directionofunidirectionaltires.
Youmustalwaysfollowthespeci-
fiedrunningdirection
>page354.
Maximumpermitted
inflationpressure
Thisnumber indicatesthemaxi-
mumpressuretowhichatirecan
beinflatedundernormaloperat-
ingconditions.

8W0012721BG
Wheels
Glossaryoftireandloading
terminology
Accessoryweight
meansthecombinedweight(in
excessofthosestandarditems
whichmaybereplaced)ofauto-
matictransmission,powersteer-
ing,powerbrakes,powerwin-
dows,powerseats,radio,and
heater,totheextentthatthese
itemsareavailableasfactory-in-
stalledequipment(whetherin-
stalledornot).
Aspectratio
meanstheratioofthe heightto
thewidthofthetireinpercent.
Numbersof55orlowerindicatea
lowsidewallforimprovedsteer-
ingresponseandbetteroverall
handlingondrypavement.
Bead
meansthepartofthetirethatis
madeofsteelwires,wrappedor
reinforcedbyplycordsandthatis
shapedtofittherim.
Beadseparation
meansabreakdownofthebond
betweencomponentsinthebead.
Cord
meansthestrandsformingthe
pliesinthetire.
Coldtireinflationpressure
meansthetirepressurerecom-
mendedbythevehiclemanufac-
turerforatireofadesignated
sizethathasnotbeendrivenfor
morethanacoupleofmiles(kilo-
meters)atlowspeedsinthethree
hourperiodbeforethetirepres-
sureismeasuredoradjusted.
Curbweight
meanstheweightofamotorve-
hiclewithstandardequipmentin-
cludingthemaximumcapacityof
fuel,oil,andcoolant,aircondi-
tioningandadditionalweightof
optionalequipment.
Extraloadtire
meansatiredesignedtooperate
athigherloadsandathigherin-
flationpressuresthanthecorre-
spondingstandardtire.Extraload
tiresmaybeidentifiedas“XL”,
“xL’,“EXTRALOAD”,or“RF”on
thesidewall.
325

Wheels
GrossAxleWeightRating
(“GAWR”)
meanstheload-carryingcapacity
ofasingleaxlesystem,measured
atthetire-groundinterfaces.
GrossVehicleWeightRating
(“GVWR”)
meansthemaximumtotalloaded
weightofthevehicle.
Groove
meansthespacebetweentwoad-
jacenttreadribs.
Loadrating(code)
meansthemaximumloadthata
tireisratedtocarryforagivenin-
flationpressure.Youmaynotfind
thisinformationonalltiresbe-
causeitisnotrequiredbylaw.
Maximumloadrating
meanstheloadratingforatireat
themaximumpermissibleinfla-
tionpressureforthattire.
Maximumloadedvehicle
weight
meansthesumof:
(a)Curbweight
(b)Accessoryweight
(c)Vehiclecapacityweight,and
(d)Productionoptionsweight
326
Maximum(permissible)
inflationpressure
meansthemaximumcoldinfla-
tionpressuretowhichatiremay
beinflated.Alsocalled“maxi-
muminflationpressure.”
Normaloccupantweight
means150lbs.(68kilograms)
timesthenumberofoccupants
seatedinthevehicleuptotheto-
talseatingcapacity ofyourvehi-
cle.
Occupantdistribution
meansdistributionofoccupants
inavehicle.
Outerdiameter
meanstheoveralldiameterofan
inflatednewtire.
Overallwidth
meansthelineardistancebe-
tweentheexteriorsoftheside-
wallsofaninflatedtire,including
elevationsduetolabeling,deco-
rations,orprotectivebandsor
ribs.
Ply
meansalayerofrubber-coated
parallelcords.

8W0012721BG
Wheels
Productionoptionsweight
meansthecombinedweightof
thoseinstalledregularproduction
optionsweighingover5lbs.
(2.3kg)inexcessofthosestand-
arditemswhichtheyreplace,not
previouslyconsideredincurb
weightoraccessoryweight,in-
cludingheavy dutybrakes,ride
levelers,roofrack,heavyduty
battery,andspecialtrim.
Radialplytire
meansapneumatictireinwhich
theplycordsthatextendtothe
beadsarelaidatsubstantially
90degreestothecenterlineof
thetread.
Recommendedinflation
pressure
see>page325,Coldtireinfla-
tionpressure.
Reinforcedtire
meansatiredesignedtooperate
athigherloadsandathigherin-
flationpressuresthanthecorre-
spondingstandardtire.Rein-
forcedtiresmaybeidentifiedas
“XL”,“xl”,“EXTRALOAD”,or“RF”
onthesidewall.
Rim
meansametalsupportforatire
oratireandtubeassemblyupon
whichthetirebeadsareseated.
Rimdiameter
meansnominaldiameterofthe
beadseat.Ifyouchangeyour
wheelsize,youwillhavetopur-
chasenewtirestomatchthenew
rimdiameter.
Rimsizedesignation
meansrimdiameterandwidth.
Rimwidth
meansnominaldistancebetween
rimflanges.
Sidewall
meansthatportionofatirebe-
tweenthetreadandbead.
Speedrating(lettercode)
meansthespeedatwhichatireis
designedtobedrivenforextend-
edperiodsoftime.Theratings
rangefrom93mph(150km/h)
to186mph(298km/h)>table
onpage323.Youmaynotfind
thisinformationonalltiresbe-
causeitisnotrequiredbylaw.
Thespeedratinglettercode,
whereapplicable,ismoldedon
thetiresidewallandindicatesthe>
327

Wheels
maximumpermissibleroad
speeds.Seealso>AinGeneral
informationonpage322.
Tirepressuremonitoring
system
meansasystemthat detects
whenoneormoreofavehicle's
tiresareunderinflatedandillumi-
natesalowtirepressurewarning
telltale.
Tread
meansthatportionofatirethat
comesintocontactwiththeroad.
Treadseparation
meanspullingawayofthetread
fromthetirecarcass.
Treadwearindicators(TWI)
meanstheprojectionswithinthe
principalgroovesdesignedtogive
avisualindicationofthedegrees
ofwearofthetread.See
=>page331,Treadwearindicator
formoreinformationonmeasur-
ingtirewear.
UniformTireQualityGrading
isatireinformationsystemdevel-
opedbytheUnitedStates Nation-
alHighwayTrafficSafetyAdminis-
tration(NHTSA)thatisdesigned
tohelpbuyersmakerelativecom-
328
parisonsamongtires.TheUTQGis
notasafetyratingandnotaguar-
anteethatatirewill lastfora
prescribednumberofmiles(kilo-
meters)orperforminacertain
way.Itsimplygivestirebuyers
additionalinformationtocom-
binewithotherconsiderations,
suchasprice,brandloyaltyand
dealerrecommendations.Under
UTQG,tiresaregradedbythetire
manufacturersinthreeareas:
treadwear,traction,andtempera-
tureresistance.TheUTQGinfor-
mationonthetires,moldedinto
thesidewalls.
U.S. DOTTireIdentification
Number(TIN)
Thisisthetire’s“serialnumber”.
Itbegins withtheletters“DOT”
andindicatesthatthetiremeets
allfederalstandards.Thenext
twonumbersorlettersindicate
theplantwhereitwasmanufac-
tured,andthelastfournumbers
representtheweekandyearof
manufacture.Forexample,
DOT...2218...
meansthatthetirewasproduced
inthe22ndweekof2018.The
othernumbersaremarketingco-
desthatmayormaynotbeused>

8W0012721BG
Wheels
bythetiremanufacturer.Thisin-
formationisusedtocontactcon-
sumers
ifatiredefectrequiresa
recall.
Vehiclecapacityweight
meanstheratedcargoandlug-
gageloadplus150lbs.(68kilo-
grams)timesthevehicle'sdesig-
natedseatingcapacity.
Vehiclemaximumloadonthe
tire
meansthatloadonanindividual
tirethatisdeterminedbydistrib-
utingtoeachaxleitsshareofthe
maximumloadedvehicleweight
anddividingbytwo.
Vehiclenormalloadonthetire
meansthatloadonanindividual
tirethatisdeterminedbydistrib-
utingtoeachaxleitsshareofthe
curbweight,accessoryweight,
andnormaloccupantweight(dis-
tributedinaccordancewith>ta-
bleonpage334)anddividingby
two.
Occupantloadinganddistri-
butionforvehiclenormalload
forvariousdesignatedseating
capacities
Refertothetireinflationpressure
label>page332,fig.265forthe
numberofseatingpositions.Re-
fertothetable>tableon
page334forthenumberofpeo-
plethatcorrespondtothevehicle
normalload.
Newtiresorwheels
Audirecommendshavingallwork
ontiresorwheelsperformedby
anauthorizedAudidealerorau-
thorizedAudiServiceFacility.
Thesefacilitieshavethe proper
knowledgeandareequippedwith
therequiredtoolsandreplace-
mentparts.
>Newtiresdonotyethavethe
optimumgrippingproperties.
Drivecarefullyandatmoderate
speedsforthefirst350miles
(500km)withnewtires.
>Onlyusetireswiththesamede-
sign,size(rollingcircumfer-
ence),andas close tothesame
treadpatternas possibleonall
fourwheels.
>Donotreplacetiresindividually.
Atleastreplacebothtiresonthe
sameaxleatthesametime.
>Audirecommendsthatyouuse
AudiOriginalTires.Ifyouwould
liketousedifferenttires,please
notethatthetiresmayperform>
329

Wheels
differentlyeveniftheyarethe
samesize>A.
>Ifyouwouldliketoequipyour
vehiclewithatireandrimcom-
binationthatisdifferentfrom
whatwasinstalledatthefacto-
ry,consultwithanauthorized
AudidealerorauthorizedAudi
ServiceFacilitybeforemakinga
purchase>A.
Becausethesparetire”isdiffer-
entfromtheregulartiresinstal-
ledonthevehicle(suchaswinter
tiresorwidetires),onlyusethe
sparetire*temporarilyincaseof
emergencyanddrivecarefully
whileitisinuse.Itshouldbere-
placedwitha regulartireassoon
aspossible.
Appliesto:vehicleswithallwheel
drive:Allfourwheelsmustbe
equippedwithtiresthatarethe
samebrandandhavethesame
constructionandtreadpatternso
thatthedrivesystemisnotdam-
agedbydifferentwheelspeeds.
Forthisreason,incase ofemer-
gency,onlyuseasparetire*that
isthesamecircumferenceasthe
regulartires.
330
Z\WARNING
—Donotusesteelrims thatare
17inchesorlarger.Otherwise,
damagetothevehicleandan
accidentcouldresult.
—Onlyusetire/rimcombina-
tionsandsuitablewheelbolts
thathavebeenapprovedby
Audi.Otherwise,damageto
thevehicleandanaccident
couldresult.
—Fortechnicalreasons,itisnot
possibletousetiresfromoth-
ervehicles.Insomecases,you
cannotevenusetiresfromthe
samevehiclemodel.
—Makesurethatthetiresyou
selecthaveenoughclearance
tothevehicle.Replacement
tiresshouldnotbechosen
simplybasedonthenominal
size,becausetireswithadif-
ferentconstructioncandiffer
greatlyeveniftheyarethe
samesize.Ifthereisnot
enoughclearance,thetiresor
thevehiclecanbedamaged
andthiscanreducedriving
safetyandincreasetheriskof
anaccident.

8W0012721BG
Wheels
—Onlyusetiresthataremore—Inflationpressurethatistoolow
thansixyearsoldwhenabso-orhighcanincreasetirewear
lutelynecessaryanddriveconsiderably.
carefullywhendoingso.—Drivingquicklythroughcurves,
—Donotuserun-flattiresonrapidacceleration,andheavy
yourvehicle.Usingthemwhenbrakingincreasetirewear.
notpermittedcanleadtove-—HaveanauthorizedAudidealer
hicledamageoraccidents.orauthorizedAudiServiceFacili-
—Ifyouinstallwheelcoversontycheckthewheelalignmentif
thevehicle,makesuretheyal-thereisunusualwear.
lowenoughaircirculationto—Havethewheelsrebalancedifan
coolthebrakesystem.Iftheyimbalanceiscausingnoticeable
donot,thiscouldincreasethevibrationinthesteeringwheel.
riskofanaccident.Ifyoudonot,thetiresandother
vehiclecomponentscouldwear
Tirewearanddamagemorequickly.
Treadwearindicator
Originalequipmenttirescontain
treadwearindicatorsinthetread
pattern,whicharebarsthatare
1/16in(1.6mm)highandare
spacedevenlyaroundthetireper-
Fig.263Tireprofile:creaniweneacependiculartotherunningdirec-
tortion>fig.263.Theletters“TWI”
Tirewearortrianglesonthetiresidewall
indicatethelocationofthetread-
Checkthetiresregularlyforwear.wearindicators.
Thetireshavereachedthemini-
mumtreaddepth!)whenthey>
DObeyanyapplicableregulationsinthe
country
wherethevehicleisbeingoper-
ated.
331