AUDI A6 2016 Owners Manual

different tire speeds. For this rea­son, in case of emergency, 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.
-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.
Wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 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.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 194 Ti re profi le: T readwear 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. .,.
239

Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair facility
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
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
The original tires on your vehicle
have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high
"wear indicators"¢
fig. 194 run­
ning across the tread. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) indicate
the positions of the tread wear in­
dicators.
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 ¢Ai..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate wheels, in­
stall the wheels from the rear
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
240
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 258.
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 repair facility to
have the vehicle inspected.
A WARNING ~
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the
risk aquaplaning when driving .,.

....
through water, when driving
through curves and when brak­ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 195 Driver's side B -pillar : tire pres­
sure label
;;; ~
,---------------.,. ,,
<le::~~~ I ::: I :.. I)@ g: n.. ....... _,_. ....... ....__. ...... _ __, .... _ ... ............ .._. . .,~-------~ ... .
- KPA. -PSI
- KPA. -PSI
- KPA. -PSI
Fig. 196 Tire pressure label
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 8-
pillar
c:> fig. 195, c:> fig. 196.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
c:> table
~ on page 243. If driving the vehi­
~
~ cle when fully loaded, you must Ln
"' \0 ....
Wheels
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure
c:> &. -
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,,.Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
... check the label
c:> fig. 196 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,,.Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
... vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­
ment system
c:> page 250.
.,,.Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire*/spare t ire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper ­
ature that is specified for the
tire .
_& WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle
load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read
241

Wheels
and follow the important safe­
ty precautions in
q page 243,
Tires and vehicle load limits.
-The tire must flex more if the
tire pressure is too low or if
the vehicle speed or load are
too high. This heats the tire up
too much. This increases the
risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and
result in loss of vehicle con­
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure in­
creases tire wear and has a
negative effect on driving and
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print­ ing , and the information is sub­
ject to change. If there are differ­
ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side B­
pillar, always follow the specifica ­
tion on the B-pillar label
q page 241, fig. 195.
242
braking behavior, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
(D Note
Replace lost valve caps to re­
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
@ For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in­
creases fuel consumption.
(D Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a normal load
q table on
page 243
or for a full load
when the vehicle is partially
loaded.
Make sure that the tire designa­
tion on your tire matches the des­
ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom­
mended tire pressures in cold
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed. ..,

Wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)a)
front rear front rear
PSI
A6: 225/55 Rl 7 97H 2.0L All Season
32
4 cylinders 245/45 Rl8 l00H XL
All Season
33
255/40 Rl9 l00H XL
All Season 33
255/40 Rl9 l00Y XL
High Performance
32
255/35 R20 97V XL
High Performance
35
A6: 225/55 Rl 7 97H
3.0L All Season
35
6 cylinders 245/45 Rl8 l00H XL
All Season
35
255/40 Rl9 l00H XL
All Season
35
255/40 R19 l00Y XL
High Performance
36
255/35 R20 97V XL
High Performance
39
56: 255/40 Rl9 l00Y XL
4.0L High Performance 39
8 cylinders
255/35 R20 97V XL
High Performance
44
a) 2 people in the front, 1 person in the rear
A WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire pressure
c::> page 241 and load
limits
c::>page 243.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
220 29 200 35 240
38 260
230 32 220 35 240 38 260
230 32 220 35 240 38 260
220 32 220 33 230 36 250
240 32 220 38 260 41 280
240 32 220 38 260
41 280
240 32 220 38 260 41 280
240 32 220 38 260 41 280
250 33 230 39 270 42
290
270 36 250 44
300 46 320
270 35 240 42 290 44 300
300 39 270
46
320 48
330
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
243

Wheels
Your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR") .
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
plus maximum load . The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of 1 SO lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any
luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi-
244
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a trailer hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 241,
fig. 195.
&_ WARNING ~
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.

-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­ tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­
ed.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU ­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS "on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 241, fig. 195.
Wheels
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers
from "XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 241, fig . 195 .
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the "XXX " amount
equals
1400 lbs. and there will
be five
150 lbs . passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lbs .)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­ ceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces ..,
245

Wheels
th e av ail able cargo and lug­
g age load capa cit y of your vehi­
cl e.
.,.Ch eck th e tire s idewall
(¢
pa ge 231, fig. 193) to deter­
mine the d esignated load r atin g
for a sp ecifi c tire .
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
W heel bo lt s must be clean and loosen/t ighten
easi ly.
Rims
R ims with a bol ted rim ring * or w it h bolted wheel
covers * consist of m ultip le pieces . These compo­
nents we re bolted together using specia l bolts
a nd a speci al procedu re. You must not repair o r
d is a ssemble them¢
A.
A WARNING
Whee l bolts that a re tightened or repaired in­
co rrectly can become loose and result in loss
o f vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an acc ident. For the correct t ightening specifi­
cat io n, refer to¢
page 254 , After changing a
wheel.
- Always keep t he wheel bolts and the
t h reads in the whee l hub clean and free of
grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
-Always have damaged rims repaired by an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized repair
facility . Never repair or d isassemble rims
yo urself, because th is increases the r isk of
an accident .
Winter tires
Winte r ti re s s ignificantly improve the veh icle's
h a ndling when d riving in w inte r condi tions. Be­
c a use of the ir cons tru ction (width, compound,
tread pattern), summe r tires provide less trac­
tion o n ice and snow.
246
.,. Use win ter tires on a ll four wheels .
.. On ly use winter tires that are approved for yo ur
veh icle.
.,. Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires¢&_ .
Your authorized Audi dealer or authorized re ­
pa ir fac ility can inform you about the maxim um
permitted speed for your t ires .
.,. Check t he tire p ressure afte r insta lling wheels
~ page 241.
The effectiveness of wi nter tires is reduced g reat­
l y when the tread is wo rn down to a depth of
0.157 inch ( 4 mm). The chara cte ris tic s of winter
ti res a lso decrease g rea tly as the t ire ages, re­
gard less o f the remaining t read.
_&. WARNING
- Never drive faster than the maximum pe r­
m itted speed for your tires . This could cause
the t ires to heat up too much. This increases
the risk of an accident because it can cause
the t ire to burst .
- Always adapt your driving to the road and
traffic conditions . Drive carefully and reduce
your speed on icy or slippery roads . Even
winter t ires can lose t ract io n on black ice .
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropr iate
time, because they prov ide better handling
when roads are free of snow and ice. Summer
tires cause less road no ise, tire wear and fuel
consumpt ion.
(i_) Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
winter tires . Please note that in some coun­
tries where wint er tires are required, o nly
winter tires w it h t he
& symbol may be per­
mi tted.
Snow chains
Snow chains improve trac tion in the snow.
.,. On ly install snow chai ns on the fron t wheels .
T his applies a lso to vehicles with a ll wheel
dr ive*.
-

~ Check and correc t the seating of the snow
chains if necessary after driving a few feet. Fol­
l ow the instructions from the manufacturer .
~ Note the maximum permitted speed when driv­
ing with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h) .
Snow chains not only improve the
driving in win­
ter road cond itions, but also the
braking.
Use of snow chains is on ly permitted with certain
rim/tire combinations due to tec hnical reasons .
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author­ ized repair facility to see if you may use snow
cha ins.
You must remove the chains when driving on roads that are
free of snow. When roads are free
of snow, snow chains can impair handling and
damage the t ires, and the chains w ill quickly be
destroyed .
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains o r installing snow
chains incorrect ly can result in loss of vehicle
c ont rol, w hic h in cr eases the risk of a n acci ­
de nt.
- Snow cha ins can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the cha ins come into d irect con­
tact wi th them . Remove the whee l cove rs*
first. Use coated snow cha ins.
- Usi ng snow chai ns tha t add more than 0.4
i nch (10.5 mm) of he igh t ca n severely dam­
age the wheel ho usings and othe r vehicle
components .
- Do no t install and use s now chains if there is
a mal funct ion in the adaptive air suspen ­
sion*, because the vehicle height wi ll be
very low. If you d rive with snow chains any­
way, the wheel ho usings and othe r vehicle
components can be severely damaged.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory -equipped with low aspect ra­
tio tires . These t ires have been tho rough ly tested
and been se lected specifically for yo ur model fo r
Wheel s
their superb performance, road fee l and handling
u nder a variety of driving conditions . Ask your au­
thorized Audi dea le r fo r more detai ls.
T he low aspect rat io o f th ese tires is indicated by
a n umeral of
55 or le ss in the tire's size des igna­
tion . The numera l represents the ratio of the
t ir e's s idewall height in relation to its tread w idth
expressed in percentage. Conventiona l tires have
a he ight/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-aspect- ratio tires is par­
ticularly sen sitive to imprope r inflat ion pres­
s ure. It is the refore important that low aspect
rat io tires are inflated to the speci fied pre ssure
and that the inflation pressure i s regularly
checked and m aintain ed. Tir e pr essures should
be checked at least once a month and always
b efor e a long trip
~ page 241.
What you can do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i­
ly by impact w ith po tholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is un ­
deri nflated.
In orde r to m in imize the occurrence of impact
damage to t he tires of yo ur vehicle , we recom ­
me nd that you observe the following pre ca u­
t ions:
- Always ma intain recommended inflat ion pres­
sures. Check yo ur tir e pressure every 2,000
m iles (3 ,00 0 k m) and add air if necessary.
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w it h potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. T he impact from dr iving
t hrough or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impac t wi th a curb may a lso ca use
damage to your tires.
- Afte r any impac t, immed iate ly inspect yo ur
t ires or have them inspected by the nearest au ­
thorized A udi dealer. Rep lace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 m iles (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not a lways
easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ich could eventually cause
tire fa ilure. If you believe that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos -
sible . .,.
247

Wheels
- These tires may wear more q uickly than othe rs.
- Please also remembe r th at, w hile these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may r ide less
comfortably and make more noise than ot her
cho ices.
Reduced performance in wint er/ cold season
condit ion s
All tires are designed for certain purposes. The low aspect ratio, ultra high pe rformance tires
or iginally insta lled on yo ur vehicle are intended
for maximum d ry and wet road performance and
handling. They are not suitable for cold, snowy or
icy weathe r cond itions .
If you drive under those
circumstances, you should equ ip your ve hicle
with all-season or winter tires, wh ich offe r bette r
traction under those condit ions. We sugges t you
use the recommended snow or all-season tires
specified for yo ur vehicle, or their eq uivalen t.
Refer to¢
page 246 for more deta iled info rma·
tion reg arding w in ter ti res.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread we ar
- Tra ction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Qua lity grades can be found where app licab le on
the t ire side wall betwee n tread s hou lder and
maximum sect io n w idth ¢
page 231, fig . 193.
For e xample: Tread wear 200 , T raction AA, Tern·
pe rature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federa l
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades .
Tread wear
T he
tread wear grade is a compara tive ra ting
b a se d on the wea r rate of the t ire when tes ted
under contro lled conditions on a specified gov ·
ernment test co urse.
F or examp le, a tir e graded 150 would wear one
a nd one ha lf ( 11/2) times as well on t he gove rn·
men t course as a tire graded 100 .
T he rela tive perfo rmance of t ires depends upon
the a ct u a l c ondi tions of their use, howeve r, and
may depart s ignific ant ly from the norm d ue to
248
variations in driving habits, service p ract ices an d
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The
traction grades , from hig hest to lowest , a re
AA , A, B and
C. Those grades rep resent the tire's
a bility to stop o n wet p avement as measure d un­
der controlled conditions on specified govern ·
ment test s urfaces of asphalt an d concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfo rmance
¢ ,& .
Temperature
The
temp eratur e grades are A ( the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire 's resistance to the
generatio n of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under contro lled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the mate·
rial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive temperature can lead to s udden
tire failure¢ ,&.
The grade C cor responds to a level of perform ·
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un·
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No . 109 . Grades Band A represent hig her levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel than
t h e m inim um requ ired by law .
A WARNING
-
The tract io n grade assigned to this t ire is
based on st raig ht-a head braking tr action
tes ts, and do es not in clude acceler ation, cor·
n erin g, hy droplaning or pe ak traction ch arac­
teristics.
A WARNING
T he tem pera ture grade fo r thi s tire is esta b·
lishe d for a tire that is properly inflated and
not ove rloaded . Excessive speed, underinfla ·
tion, o r excessive load ing, either separately or
in comb inat ion, can cause heat bu ildup and
-
possible tire failure . ..,