AUDI R8 SPYDER 2015 Owners Manual

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Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciat­
ed and most abused parts of a
motor vehicle.
Tires may be the least appreciated
and most abused parts of a motor
veh ic le . Tires are, however, one of
the most important parts of ave ­
hicle, particularly considering the
comparatively small patch of rub­
ber on each tire that assu res that
all-important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road .
Maintain ing the correct t ire pres­
sure, making sure that your vehi­
c le and its tires do not have to
carry more weight than they can
safe ly handle, avoiding damage
from road hazards and regularly inspecting tires for damage in­
c luding cuts, slashes i rregular
wear and overall condition are the most important th ings that you
can do to help avo id sudden tire
failure including tread separation
and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
~ If you have to dr ive over a curb or ":
~ similar obstacle, drive very s lowly
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Tir es a nd whe els
and as close as possible at a right
ang le to the curb.
Always keep chemicals including
grease, oil, gasoline and brake
fluid off the tires. Inspect the tires regularly fo r
damage (cuts, cracks or blisters ,
etc.) . Remove any foreign bodies
embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove them
to indicate the direction of rota­
tion. This ensures you to be able
to mount them correctly when
you reinstall them.
When removed, the w heels or
tires sho uld be stored in a coo l,
dry and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position if
they are not mounted on rims, in
a horizon tal position if they are
mounted on rims .
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢,&.
The tread depth of new tires may
vary, according to the type and make of tire and the tread pa t­
tern.
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Tires and wheels
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often
not readily visible. If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle
pulls to one side, this may indi­
cate that one of the tires has been
damaged. The tires must be
checked immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be identi­
fied by arrows on the sidewall,
that point in the direction the tire
is designed to rotate. You must
follow the specified direction of
rotation . This is necessary so that
these tires can develop their opti­
mum characteristics regarding
grip, road noise, wear and hydro­
planing resistance. For more in­
formation
¢ page 203 .
A WARNING ~ -
New tires or tires that are old,
worn or damaged cannot pro­
vide maximum control and
braking ability.
-New tires tend to be slippery
and must be broken in. To re­
duce the risk of losing control,
a collision and serious person­
al injuries, drive with special
170
care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of con­
trol, sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden
deflation, crashes and serious
personal injuries. Have worn
or damaged tires replaced im­
mediately.
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sud­
denly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at
low speed.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure
of their "previous history." Old
used tires may have been
damaged even though the
damage cannot be seen that
can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
-If you notice unusual vibration
or if the vehicle pulls to one
side when driving, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires
for damage.
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(D Note
- Please note that summer and
winter t ires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons . Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur ­
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem­ peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
Tires and wheels
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires . Audi is
not responsible for this type
of damage.
- Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter road condi­
tions . The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro ­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­ aged by road salt or similar
substances .
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 , powe r seats , radio , and
heater , to the extent that these
items a re 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 -
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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 f it the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
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Tires and wheels
Cold tire infl ation pre ssure
means the tire pressure recom ­
mended by the vehicle man ufac­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the three
hour period before the tire pres­
sure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi­
tioning and additiona l weight of
optional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires my be identified as "XL",
"xl ", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR" )
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces.
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Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR")
means the maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle.
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
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated. A lso called "maxi-
mum inflation pressure ." .,.

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Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of yo ur vehi­
c le .
Occupant distribution
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 .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular product ion
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre ­
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including
Tir es a nd whe els
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
heavy duty battery, and special
trim.
Radial ply tire
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.
Recommended inflation
pre ssure
see c::> page 172, 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 my be identified as
"X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF"
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim di ameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
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Tires and wheels
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designat ion
means rim diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim 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)
c::;, page 189. You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
T he speed rat ing letter code,
where applicable, is mo lded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
c::;, .& in Winter tires on
page 194 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
1 7 4
tires are underinflated and ill umi­
nates a low tire p ressure 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 .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees
of wear of the t read. See
c::;, page 185 , Tread Wear Indica­
tor (TWI) for more information
on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Adminis­
tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buye rs make relative com­
parisons among tires . The UTQG is
not a safety rating an d not a guar­
antee tha t a tire will last for a
prescr ibed number of mi les or
perform in a certain way. It sim­
ply gives tire buyers addit ional in­
formation to combine w ith other
considerat ions, such as pr ice,
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brand loyalty and dealer recom­
mendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufac ­
turers in three areas: treadwear,
traction and temperature resist­
ance . The UTQG information on
the tires, molded into the side­
walls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number"
It beg ins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standa rds. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac ­
tured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of
manufacture . For example,
DOT ... 221 3 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 2013. The
other numbers are marketing co­ des that may or may not be used
by the tire manufacturer. This in­
formation is used to contact con-
Tires and wheels
sumers if a tire defect requi res a
recal l.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo­
grams) times the vehic le's tota l
seating capac ity as listed on the
label located on the driver's side
B-pillar.
Vehicle ma ximum 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 vehicle weight
and div iding 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
tributed in accordance with table
below ~
page 176) and dividing
by two. ,..
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Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for
various designated seating capacities
Designated seating Vehicle normal load, Normally loaded vehi-
capacity, number of occupants cle,
number of occupants occupant distribution
2 2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of
a vehicle.
Fig . 147 Tire pressure label: located on
driver's side 8-pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to
the amount of air in a tire that it
needs it to do its job and safely
carry the combined load of the
entire vehicle and its contents.
Tire pressure is measured in kilo­
pascals (kPa), the international
measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is
based in part on the vehicle's de­
sign and load limit -the greatest
amount of weight that the vehicle
can carry safely and the tire size.
The proper tire pressure is fre-
176
-... PHIU OIMl(Hll()NI
"'"'"
Fig. 148 Tire pressure label
quently referred to as the "recom­
mended cold tire inflation pres­
sure." Air in the tires expands
when the tire heats up because of internal friction when it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher
when the tire has warmed up than
when it is "cold ." It is the infla-
tion pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore , you should
never let air out of a warm tire to
match "cold tire inflation pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires ""

...
would then be underinflated a nd
could fail suddenly .
M ainta ining proper tire pressure
is one of the most important
things you can do to he lp avoid
s u dden tire fai lure . Under inflated
tires are a major cause of sudden
tire fa ilure . Keeping tires at the
r ight pressure is also important
for safe and responsive vehic le
handling, traction, braking and
load carrying.
Tire pressures are
particularly important when the
vehicle is be ing dr iven at higher
speeds, and then especially when
heavily loaded even within the
permissib le load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures
for your Audi depend on the kind of tires on your vehicle and the
number of passengers and/or
amount of luggage you will be
transport ing .
The tire pressure label is located
on the driver's side 8-pillar . The
tire pressure label lists the recom­ mended cold tire inflation pres­
s u res for the vehicle at its maxi­
mum capacity weight and tires
~ that were on your vehicle at the
": ;;; time it was manufactured. "? N
"' ....
Tir es a nd whe els
If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 2 occupants ),
you can adjust tire pressu res to
those specified for normal vehi­
cle load . Before operating the ve­
hicle at ma ximum load, you
must increa se the ti re pressures
to those specified for maximum
vehic le load
c:::> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can only monitor the tire pressures that
are stored. The system does not recognize the load condition of
your vehicle .
See the illustration
c:::> fig. 147 for
the location of the labe l on driv­
er's side 8-pillar (color of the ac­
tual label and exact location on
the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate a t the time of going to
press and is subject to change . In
the event of discrepancies, the
tire pressure label on driver's side 8-pillar always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recom ­
mended cold tire inflation pres­
sures for the Audi model covered by your Owner 's Literature at the
vehicle's capac ity weight and the .,.
177

Tires and wheels
tire sizes installed on the respec­
tive models as original equip­ment, or as a factory option.
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine normal load full load normal load full load
condition condition condition condition
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS: 235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 45 310 45 310 ------ ------
4.2 liter
295/30 Rl9 lOOY XL ------------41 280 41 280
S-cylin-
305/30 Rl9 102V XL
der
--- --- ------41
280 41 280
RS: 235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 45 310 45 310 --------- ---
5.2 liter
295/30 Rl9 lOOY XL --------- ---41
280 41
280
10-cylin-
305/30 Rl9 102V XL
der
--- ------
---41 280 41 280
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
Because technical changes may be
made to vehicle equipment dur­
ing the model year, always com­
pare the tire size designation on
the tire pressure label on your ve­ hicle with the tires on your vehi­
cle. Make sure that the tire size information on the vehicle label is
the same as the size of the tires on the vehicle. This is especially
important if the vehicle belongs
to someone else or you bought
the vehicle with different rims/
tires or you bought the vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that
of your passengers also depends
on making sure that load limits
are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything
178
in and on the vehicle. These load
limits are technically referred to
as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles. The Gross Ve­ hicle Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed on
the safety compliance sticker la­ bel located on the driver's side B­
pillar. The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of all of the oc­
cupants and luggage or other car­
go that the vehicle can carry. For
the location of the tire pressure label ¢
fig. 147.