wheel bolt torque AUDI A7 2012 Owners Manual

248 Tire s and whee ls
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with a ll-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 275.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
er ly t ightened .
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintain the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi ­
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires ar e inflat ed to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
r e gularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
m onth and alw ays bef ore a long trip
r=> page 237, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be d amaged more
easily by impact with potholes, curbs, gull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.

.. The fault wheel will not fit ins ide the spa re
whee l wel l. Store it in the luggage compart­
ment and secure it so that it does not slide
r=> page 59 .
.. Check the tire pres sure on the spare wheel
immediately after mounting it .
.. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
t o rqu es
on a ll wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench . The correct tightening tor­
que is 90 ft lb ( 120 Nm) .
.. Have the flat tire
re pl ac ed as soon as possi­
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the whee l bolts are
corroded and difficult to t urn w hile
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque .
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked .
- After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
in a ll four tires must be checked/cor rect­
ed and the tire pressure monitoring indi­
cator must be stored in the MMI
r=> page 251.
Decorative wheel covers
App lies to vehicles: with deco rat ive wheel cove rs
T h e decorativ e whe el covers must b e re moved
firs t to access the wheel bol ts.
Fi g. 186 Ch ang ing a w hee l: Remov ing the wheel cove r
Removing
.. Insert the hook (provided with the vehicle
tool kit) in the hole in the wheel hub cover .
.. Pu ll off the
dec orativ e whe el c over
r=> fig . 186.
What do I d o now ? 255
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: wit h wheel bo lts with caps
T he cops must be removed first from the
wheel bolts before the bolts con be un­
screwed .
Fig . 1 87 Changin g a whee l: r emovi ng th e wheel bolt
c ap s
Removing
.. Push the pla stic clip (provided with the ve­
hicle tool kit) over the wheel bolt cap unt il
the inner reta iners on the clip align with the
edge of the cove r.
.. Remove the cap w it h the
pl as tic clip (veh i­
cle too l kit)
r::!:> fig . 187.
Refitting
.. Place the caps over the wheel bolts and
push them back on.
The caps are to protect and keep the wheel bolts clean.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 188 Changing a whee l: loosening t he w hee l bo lts ..

258 What do I do no w?
• Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
hand le to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly .
• Remove the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
Like the rest .
• Turn the jack handle counter-clockw ise to
lower the vehicle unt il the jack is fully re­
leased .
• Use the whee l bolt wrench to t ighten al l
wheel bolts firmly¢
page 255 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximate ly) opposite one, to keep the
whee l centered.
@ Note
When removing or installing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work carefully and have a
second person help you.
@ Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or tighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversible b lade from the screw­
driver before you use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to turn the whee l
bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
unid irectional
t re ad design
make sure the tread pat­
tern is pointed the right way
~ page 258.
- The wheel bolts should be clean and easy
to turn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
the mat ing surfaces of both the whee l
and the hub. Remove all dirt from these
s ur faces before remo unt ing the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Using a sp are t ire w ith a tre ad pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare t ire with a tread patter n
intended for use in a spec ific d irection , please
note the following :
- The direct ion of rotation is marked by an ar­
row on the side of the ti re .
- If the spare tire has to be installed in the in­
correct direct ion, use the spare tire only
temporarily s ince the tire will not be able to
achieve its optim um performance cha racter­
is tic s wit h regard to aquap la ni ng, no ise and
wear .
- We recommend that you pay part icu la r at­
t en tion to th is fact d uring wet wea ther and
t ha t you adjust you r speed to match road
conditions .
- Replace the fl at tir e with a new o ne an d
have it insta lled on you r vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the handling advantages
of a u nidirectional tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information ¢ page 242, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels
if you a re
going to use a spare tire which is different
from the ti res on your vehicle .
After you change a tire:
- Check the tire pre ssure on the spare imme­
diately after install ation.
- Have th e whe el bolt tight ening torqu e
c hecked with a torque wrench as soon a s
possible by your author ized Audi dealer or
a qualified service stat ion.
- With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolt s are cor re ctl y tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm ).
- If you noti ce that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and diffi cult to turn while changing
a ti re , they should be replaced before you
check the t ightening torque. .,..

Wheel bolts Torque ..... .. ................ .... 248
Wheels ... .. ................. .. ... 231
Cast alloy .. ............. .. .. .. ... 205
Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 237
Cold tire inflation pressure ....... .. . 235
General notes ..................... 231
Glossary of tire and loading terminolo-
gy .. .... .. ................. .. ... 232
New tires and wheels ...... .. .. .. .. . 242
T ires and vehicle load limits .. .. ... .. 239
When must a safety belt be replaced? .. 131
When must the airbag system be inspect-
ed? ... .. .. .. .... ............. .. .. . 149
When should I adjust the tire pressures? 238
When should I check the tire pressures? . 238
Where are lower anchorages located? .. . 178
Where can I find the tire pressures for my
car? .. .... .. .. ............. .. .. ... 237
Why safety belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128, 129
Windows Cleaning . .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. .. . 204
defrosting (automatic climate control) . 68
defrosting (climate control) .. .. .. .. .. 66
Windshield Clean ing ... ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. 45
defrosting (automatic climate control) . 68
defrosting (climate control) .. .. .. .. .. 66
Windshield washer system .. .. .. .. .. .. 45
Washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Washer reservoir .... ..... .. .. .. .. . 230
Windshield wipers Folding up . ............. .... .. .. .. 46
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Replacing windshield wiper blades ..... 46
Switching on/off ............. ... ... 45
Winter operation Battery .. .. ............. .... .. ... 226
Cooling system ........... .... .. .. . 223
Defrosting windows (automatic climate
control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Defrosting windows (climate control) . . 66
Seat heating (automatic climate control) 68
Seat heating (climate control) . . . . . . . . 66
Steering wheel heating ....... ..... .. 69
Tires . ..... .. ................ .... 189
Windows .. ................ ... ... 204
Index 289
Winter tires ........................ 246
All-wheel drive ..... ............... 246
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Xenon-Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 263