flat tire AUDI A7 2018 Owners Manual

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-Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
-Avoid driving through salt water, because
this can cause corrosion.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fuel consumption, the environ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and tires depends mostly on your driving
style. With an anticipatory and economic driving
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap­
proximately 10-15%. The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at the same time.
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you drive with anticipation, you do not
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less.
When possible, let your vehicle coast with a
gear
engaged, for example, when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumption to zero (fuel shut-off during decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fuel unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly and
avoid "kick-down".
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately
high increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* helps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles without the Start/
8 Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the engine 00 \.J ' Driving
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
red lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the engine.
It takes a very long time in idle to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm-up
phase. Therefore, you should begin driving im­
mediately after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this .
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance performed regularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al ­
so impacts
fuel consumption . A poorly main­
tained engine can lead to fuel consumption that
is 10% higher than normal.
Avoid short trips
The engine and emissions control system must
reach their optimal operating temperature to ef­
fectively reduce consumption and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disproportionately high amount of fuel. The engine reaches operating
temperature and consumption normalizes only
after approximately
2 .5 miles (4 km) .
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the tires are always in­
flated to the correct pressure
Q page 215. The
fuel consumption can increase by S% if the pres­
sure is only 0.5 bar too low . Due to the increased
rolling resistance, low tire pressures will also
lead to greater tire
wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year -round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every pound of extra weight increases fuel
consumption, a quick inspection of the luggage
compartment may be worth it to avoid unneces -
sary weight.
.,.
65

Driving sa fety
,.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
,.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
,.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
sure or whe n you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety inc reases the risk of
ser ious persona l inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver sea ting po sition is impor tan t
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 14 0 Correc t seat ing posit ion
F or your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver 's seat to the following
position :
,.. Adjust the dr iver's seat so tha t you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor whi le
keeping your knee(s) s light ly
bent ¢ ,A.
,.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive.
,.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm ) between the
stee ring wheel and your breast
bone ¢ fig. 140 .
If not possib le, see you r autho rized Aud i dea l­
ersh ip about adaptive equipment .
130
,.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wh eel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face.
,.. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
,.. F or ad justab le head rest raints: Adjust the head
restraint so t he upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head . If that is not pos­
sible, t ry to adjust the head restraint so tha t it
is a s close to this pos it ion as poss ible . M ove the
he ad restraint so tha t it is as close to the back
o f the head as possible.
,.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢ page 141 .
,.. Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at all times .
Fo r detail ed information on how to adjust the
dr iver's seat,
see ¢ page 47.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted , out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it unfo lds . To help re-
duce the risk of serio us pe rsonal i njury:
-Always adjust the driver's seat and the steer ing whee l so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between you r breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always ad just the driver's seat and the
steer ing whee l so that the re are at least
4 inch es (10 cm) between the knees a nd the
lower part of the ins trumen t panel.
-Always hold t he s teering wheel on the out­
side of t he steering wheel r im with yo ur
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the dr iver 's airbag inflates.
-Never hold the stee ring wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with you r hands at
other positions inside the steer ing whee l
rim o r on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
-
if the driver's airbag inflates . .,_

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" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' ~ Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
~ page 54.
~ Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per ­
sonal injury in the event of hard b raking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal in jury:
- Always put objects, fo r example, luggage o r
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always sec ure objects in the luggage com­
partmen t using the tie-down hooks an d
s u itable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads wi ll influence the way yo ur vehi­
cle handles. To he lp reduce the ris k of a loss
of contro l leading to serio us pe rsonal 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 d istribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as poss ible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the driv­
er's side B-p illar. Exceeding permissible
we ight s tanda rds can cause the vehicle to
slide and handle differently .
- Please obse rve information on safe driving
~page 1 2 9.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed wh ile driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitt ing completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid can not be fully closed.
-
Dri ving saf ety
- If you absolutely m ust dr ive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch
off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
=
A lways make su re that the doo rs, all win-
dows, the powe r roof* and the rea r lid are se­
curely closed and locked to reduce the r isk of
i njury when the veh icle is not being used .
- After closing the rear lid , always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your veh icle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl in to the vehicle th rough the lug­
gage compartment and close the rea r lid be­
coming trapped and unab le to get o ut. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle c an le ad to ser ious
pe rsonal injury.
- Never let children play in o r around the vehi­
cle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment. Vehicle occupants mus t al­
ways be p roperly restrained in one of the ve­
h icle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging. Stale air esc apes to the outs ide
t hrough vents in the tr im panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire p ressure m ust co rres pond to the
load. The t ire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The t ire pressure label is lo ­
cated on the dr iver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures fo r the veh icle at its
maximum capac ity weight and the tires that
we re on your vehicle at the time it was man ­
ufac tured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load condi tions, p lease see chap­
t er
~page 217.
135

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Wheels
Wheels and Ti re s
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 locat ion
with as litt le exposure to light as
possible .
&_ WARNING -
-Never drive faster than the
maximum permitted speed
for your tires. This could cause the tires to heat up too much .
This increases the risk of an
acc ident because it can cause
the tire to burst.
-Always adapt your driving to the road and traffic condi-
Wheels
tions. Drive carefully and re ­
duce your speed on icy or slip­
pery roads . Even winter tires
can lose traction on black ice .
@ N ot e
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the condit ions that are typical
in those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter ti res dur ­
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­ crease the e lasticity of summ­
er tires , which affects traction
and braking ab ility . 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 protect ion for this and
could be permanently dam­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
205

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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 wi ll 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 we ight 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=:>page221 .
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the runn ing
direction of unidirectional tires .
You must always follow the speci­
fied running direction
c> page 241.
@ 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 .
207

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.
208
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.
209

Wheels
Production options we igh t
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 pl y tir e
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.
R ecomm ended in flation
pressure
see ¢ page 208 , Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
R einforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" , , ,
on the sidewall.
210
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diam eter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel 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 nomina l distance between
r im
flanges .
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 ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢ table
on page 206 .
You may not find
this information 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 the
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maximum permissible road
speeds. See
also ¢.& in General
information on page 205.
Tire pre ssure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass.
Treadwea r 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 214, 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-
Wheels
parisons among tires . The U TQG
is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed 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 recommendatio ns. Un­
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas :
treadwear, traction, and tempera­
ture resistance. The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
T his is the tire's "se ria l number" .
It begins with the letters "DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant whe re it was manufac­
tured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of
manufactu re . For 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
.,.
2 11

Wheels
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 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 veh ic le weight
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 ­
tr ibuted in accordance
with¢ ta ­
ble on page
2 17) and d ividing by
two .
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating capacities
Re fer to the tire inflation pres ­
sure
label¢ page 215, fig. 190
2 12
for the n umbe r of seating posi­
tions. Refer to the
table ¢ table
on page
217 for the number of
people tha t correspond to the ve­
hicle normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on t ires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper
know ledge and are eq uipped with
the required too ls and rep lace­
ment parts.
1>- New tires do not yet have the
optim um gripping properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 35 0 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
1>-Qnly use tires with the same de­
sign, size ( rolling circumfer ­
ence) , and as close to t he same
tread pattern as possible on a ll
four wheels .
.,.Applies to: RS models: only use
tires with the same design, size (ro lling circumfere nce), and the
same tread pattern on all four
whee ls.
1>- Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace bo th tires on the
same axle at the same time .
.,.