AUDI A7 2018 Owners Manual
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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.
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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
Page 214 of 274
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 .
.,.
Page 215 of 274
..,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
i=:> &, .
..,If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con
sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility before making a pur
chase
i=:> &, .
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
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Wheels
is the same circumference as the
regular tires.
&_ WARNING
-
-Do not use steel rims that are
17 inches or larger. Other
wise, damage to the vehicle
and an accident could result.
-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.
...
213
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Wheels
-Only use tires that are more than six years old when absolutely 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 allow enough a ir circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 188 Tire profile: trea dwear indica
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
l) Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
214
-Driving qu ickly through curves,
rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
-Have an authorized Audi dealer 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 tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quick ly.
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 t ires have reached the mini
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
c> A . "'
Page 217 of 274
Ti re rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec
ommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly. To rotate the t ires,
install the tires from the rear 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 i ng to the running direction indi
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 241.
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, dr ive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal er or authorized Audi Service Fa
cility to have the vehicle inspect
ed.
A WARNING , ~ -
o Tread that has worn too low or co ...
~ different tread depths on the
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Wheels
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can increase the risk of an accident because it has a nega
tive effect on handling, driving
through curves, and braking, and because it increases the
risk of hydroplaning when driv
ing through deep puddles.
Tire pressure
Fig. 189 Driver's side 8-pillar : tire pres
sur e lab el
;;;
--------------- -
(. c ==. ~:t I : I :,. I ) (':~ ) l ~
1111..-... ............................ -.. ..... ..... _ .... "" ................ .. .,_...._,. ..... .............. ... .
-KPA. . PSI
-KPA. . PSI
-KPA. . PSI
Fig. 190 Tire pressur e 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 B-
p illar
¢ fig. 189, ¢ fig. 190. ..,
215
Page 218 of 274
Wheels
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially
loaded ¢ table
on page 217 .
If driving the vehi
cle when fully loaded, you must
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified
pressure ¢.&. -
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¢ fig . 190 for
the correct tire pressure based
on vehicle load.
~correct the tire pressure if nec
essary .
~store the new tire pressure in
the Infotainment system
¢ page 224 or ¢ page 226.
~check the pressure in the emer
gency tire*/spare tire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper
ature that is specified for the
tire.
216
& 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 and follow the important safe
ty precautions
in¢ page 218,
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
braking behavior, which in
creases the risk of an accident.
{tfj) 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.
Page 219 of 274
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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
¢ page 215, fig. 189.
Model/ Tire designation
Engine
Wheels
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.
Tire pressure
Normal load Maximum load
(up to
2/3* people)a>
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A7: 235/55 Rl 7 99V
32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260
3.0L
255/45 Rl8 99H 32 220 29 200 35 240 38 260
6 cylinders
255/45 Rl8 99V 32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260
255/40 Rl9 l00H 35 240 32 220 38 260 41
280
255/40 Rl9 l00Y 36 250 32 220
38 2
60 41 280
265/35 R20 99H 35 240 32 220 38 260 41
280
265/35 R20 99V 36 250 32 220
38 260 41 280
275/30 R21 98V 38 260 33 230 39 270 41
280
57: 265/35 R20 99V 41 280
35 240 44 300 44 300
4.0L
255/40 Rl9 l00Y 39 270 33 230 42
290 42
290
a-cylinder
275/30 R21 98V 41 280 35 240 44 300 44 300
RS 7 Sportback: 275/35 ZR20 102V 36 250 30 210 39 270 39 270
4.0 L 275/30 ZR21 9aY 41
280 38 260 45 310 45 310
a-cylinder
RS 7 Sportback 275/30 ZR21
9aY 46 320 44 300 51 350 51 350
performance:
4.0 L a-cylinder
a ) Vehicles with 4 seating positions: two people in the front, Vehicles with 5 seating
positions:
two people in the front, one person in the rear
217
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Wheels
A WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
¢ page 215 and load
limits¢ page 218.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
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 deflat ion that can
cause the vehicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded . Vehicle load inc ludes 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") .
T he "GVWR" inc ludes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
2 18
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
150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passen
ger at a designated seating posi
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the veh icle. 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 vehic le 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
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehic le (inc luding
the weight of a trailer h itch 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 Veh icle We igh t Ra ting
and the Gross Axle Weight Rat ing
.,.