flat tire AUDI Q7 2013 Owner´s Manual

286 Tires and wheels
-Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label loc;ated on driver's side 8-pil­
lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
¢ page 284, Cold tire inflation pressure.This
means that the pressure must be checked and
ad justed when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of mile s (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
use . The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations ¢
page 284. The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflat ion pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, original
equipment tires that were on your vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For the loca­
tion of the label
~page 284, fig. 251.
Most tires lose air naturally over time. They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking.
It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least once a month and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjust ing tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See
~ page 2 88, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflat ion pres­
sures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire .
If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this manual and the kind
of driving you plan to do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pres­
sure listed on the tire sidewall for any rea­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the correct
t ire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold.
- Read the required tire pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo-
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
liJJ>

pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflatio n pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity we ight a nd the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man ­
ufactured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load condit ions, please see chap ­
ter ~
page 284 .
-Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
s light ly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure ?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor ­
tant at high speeds . The pressure sho uld
therefo re be checked at least once a month
and a lways before start ing a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adju st the tire pre ssures?
Ad just the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then
store the new tire pressures i n the t ire pres­
sure mon itor ing system
~ page 300.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or unde rinfla­
tion ca n lead sudden tire failure, loss of
cont ro l, col lision, ser ious persona l inju ry
or even death.
- Whe n the wa rning symbo l
[ti] appears in
the instrume nt cl uster, s top and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfl a­
t ion can ca use inc reased t ire wear and
can affect the handling o f the veh icle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin ­
flation ca n also lead to sud den tire fa il-
Tires an d wheel s 287
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of veh icle contro l.
- The driver is responsi ble for the co rrect
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker o n the dr iver's s ide B-pil­
lar .
- Onl y when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres­
sure mon itor ing system can work cor­
rectly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage .
Therefore it is ess ential that th e drive r
observe t he spec ified t ire p ress ure val ues
for the tires and the cor rect pressures for
the func tion of the t i re p ress ure moni to r­
ing system.
- Always in flate tires to the recommen ded
a nd correct t ire p ress ure be fore dr iv ing
off .
- D riving with unde rinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, s udden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear premat urely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, d rive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire press ure and add
air as requ ired .
(D Note
Driving w ithout valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure that factory installed
valve s tem caps o n all whee ls are sec urely
mounted o n the valve .
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fuel consumpt ion.
•
•

288 Tires and wheels
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded wi ll not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle control
,
but can a lso damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure in-
,
eluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are tech nically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the we ight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories , a full
tank of fuel , oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maxim um load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any l uggage in the ve­
hicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker label located on the
driver's side B -pillar. Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 5. On vehicles w ith
six seats*, your veh icle has two front seats,
two seats in the second row seating and two
seats in the third row seating. On vehicles
with seven seats*, your vehicle has two front
seats, three seats in the second row seating
and two seats in the third row seating . Each seating
position has a seat belt
q page 175,
Safety belts .
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
mean that less weight can be carr ied as lug­
gage .
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location of the
label
q page 284, fig. 251.
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icl e control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or

other things that you plan to
transport so that you can make sure that your vehicle will not
be overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 284,
fig. 251.
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" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 284, fig. 251 .
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty . For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca-
Tires and wheels 289
pa city is 650 lbs. (1400-7 so
(5 X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail ­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
~ Check the tire sidewall
( ¢ page 291 , fig. 255) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
•
•
'

A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their" previous histo ­
ry ." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control. Tires and wheels 291
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in
.
Fig. 255 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rat ing
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The ti res and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•

292 Tires and wheels
contribution to good road ho lding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated ¢
,&.
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about technica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system
¢pa ge 298.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
c:> page 284.
Aud i-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(<:>page 284) lists specifica­
ti ons of the tires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l located on the driver's
side B-pillar
c:> page 284, fig. 252 lists the
specif ications of the original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle at the time it was
manufactured.
Federal law requires tir e manufacturers to
place standard ized information on the s ide­
wall of all tires
c:> fig. 255. This information
id ent ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire ident ificat ion number f
or sa fety standard ce rtification and in case of
a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specificat ions makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 55 R 18 109 H XL
This co nta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tir e is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
255 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewa ll edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
t he tire
55 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construction: Radial
18 Rim diameter code (in inches)
109 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
that the tire is a"Re inforced" or an "Extra
Load " tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat io n ¢
page 280 .
Tire manufacturing date
The manufact uring date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
side of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2212 ... "means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2012.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permissible road speeds
c:> & in Winter tires on page 296.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph ( 170 km/h)

S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/ h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1>
Your vehicle is no rma lly facto ry equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving cha rac­
ter istics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort . An e lectronic speed limiter
¢ page 28 wi ll normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
¢ A .
U.S. DOT Tir e Identification Numbe r (TIN )
a nd tir e m anufactur e date
T his is the t ire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
t ire meets all federal s tandards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
F or example, the numbers 2212 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd wee k of
20 12. The othe r numbe rs a re mar ke ting co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . This informat ion is used to con­
tact consumers if a tire defect requi res a re ­
call.
Audi Original tir e
Tires with the identi fication "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched w ith your Audi . We
recommend using only t hese tires because
they meet the highest standards rega rd ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . You r authorized Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materi als used
The number of plies indicates the n umber of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 k m/h) , tire ma nufa cturers some times use
t h e l ett ers " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 293
genera l, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, po lye ster, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
ki lograms and pounds that can be carr ied by
the tire.
Tir e quality grading for treadwear ,
tract ion, and temp eratu re resis tance
T read wear, t raction and temperat ure grades
¢ page 294.
Ma ximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the g reatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder normal driving conditions.
A WARNING ~
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
col lis ion and serious personal injury.
-Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specif ications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- T ires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
a nd then w ith speci al care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam ­
aged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
•
•

29 4 T ire s and wheel s
-All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ir es that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with wi nter tires - on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the no r­
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi ­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maxim um
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are drive n
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly.
- Overloading ti res cause heat build- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
poss ible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve­
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked . Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping d istances and caus­
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that we re eq uipped w it h them
at the f acto ry. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for r un flat t ires . Incor­
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi­
cle damage or acc idents . Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or t ire specia list
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat t ires. If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed o n all four
wheels. Mix ing tire types is not permit­
ted. (D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er veh icles. T his can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is diffe rent from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w it h the
ti re mat ching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possi ble.
- Never d rive without the valve stem cap.
T he v alves co uld get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance w ith the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Tra ction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicab le
on the tire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
c> page 291,
fig . 255 .
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA ,
Temperature A .
All passenger car ti res must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder contro lled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
F o r example, a tire graded 150 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a ti re graded 100.

The relative perform a nee of ti res depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how ­
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to var iat ions in dr iving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and climate .
Trac tion
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled cond itions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢,&. .
Temp erature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the t ire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi ­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden ti re fa ilu re ¢ ,&. .
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
u nder the Federa l Moto r Veh icle Safety Stand­
a rd No.
1 09. G rades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of perfo rmance on the laboratory tes t
wheel than the m inimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this ti re is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop lan ing or peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es­
tablished for a t ire that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
-
Tire s an d wheel s 295
separately or in combinat ion, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possible tire failure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true winter o r "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires should
o nly be used in pairs and be installed o n all
four wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
t ires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on you r vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive,
th is w ill improve traction during winter driv­
i ng, even with the standa rd tires . However, we
strong ly recommend that you always equip all
fo ur wheels on you r vehicle wit h corre ct ly fit­
ted winter tires or all-season t ires, when win­
te r road cond itions are expected . This also im ­
proves the veh icle's braking per formance and
reduces stopping dista nces.
Summe r tires provide less grip on i ce and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire size s. Use
o nly rad ial w inter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con­
dit ions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
whee l
¢page 291.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed rating than the tires o rigi -
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it .,.
•
•

29 6 T ire s and whee ls
was manufactured . Please see q page 292,
Speed roting (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed rating letter code( ¢
page 282) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 291.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the maximum
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal inj ury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING
=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immed iately .
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. A l­
ways remember:
- When brak ing, an a ll-wheel d rive vehicle
hand les in the same way as
a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive caref ully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under black ice conditions.
{® Fo r the s ake of the en vironment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be f itted only to the rear
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Aud i dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13 .5 mm), includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow chains on your vehicle
c::>@ . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your veh i­
cle or instal ling them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. Always make sure to follow the in ­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con ­
tact with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after