wheel alignment AUDI S6 2014 Owners Manual

unbalanced, resulting in vib rations you can
usually feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels mus t be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing, suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Inco rrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wea r, impair ing t he safety of the veh i­
cle. If t ires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel d rive
Ve hicles w it h quattro must always have tires
of the s ame s ize, construction and tread type.
F or detai ls see
¢ page 198 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any t ire 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"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, 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 lower
sp eeds.
- Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used ti res may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 251
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 199 Tire spec ification codes on the s idewall of a
tire
No . Description
@ Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal w idth of t ire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rati ng
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and ma terials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and tempe rat ure
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The ti res and rims approved
by Audi a re spec ia lly matched to the charac­
teris tics of the ve hicl e and can m ake a major .,.

262 What do I do now?
Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 204 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cover
folded upward/spare t ire
Fig . 205 Trunk lid: Vehicle tool kit
• Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
c:> fig. 204.
• Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
• Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise
c:>fig. 204 and remove the spare tire to
reach the vehicle tool kit.
• Unhook the cargo floor before clos ing the
rear lid.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wheel bolt wrench
-Alignment p in for changing wheels
- Screwdr iver w ith reve rsible blade
- T owing loop
- Jack
Before storing the jack, make sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
A WARNING ,-
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in­
juring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional extras .
- Before you can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
c::> page 266.
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for short-term use only.
Taking out the spare tire
.,. Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
c::> page 262, fig . 204 .
.,. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.,. Turn the large screw
c:> page 262, fig. 204
counter-clockwise .
.,. Take out the spa re tire.

-On hard, slippery surface (such as tiles)
use a rubber mat or similar to prevent
the jack from slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yourself and
your passengers:
- Do not raise the vehicle until you are
sure the jack is securely engaged.
- Passengers must not remain in the ve­
hicle when it is jacked up.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a
safe place away from the vehicle and
well away from the road and traffic.
- Make sure jack position is correct , ad­
just as necessary and then continue to
raise the jack.
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
(D Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the sill. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift­
ing points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi­
cle will be damaged.
(D Tips
The vehicle jack mode* switches off auto­
matically at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/
h).
Removing and installing the sill cover
Applies to vehicles : wit h sill
Fig. 211 Sill: remov ing t he cover
.,. Pull the cover down to remove it c'> fig. 211.
.,. To install the cover again, insert it into the
retainers and then swing it upward until it
clicks into place. The cover must be flush
with the sill.
What do I do now? 267
@ Tips
Some models may also have a cover for the
rear vehicle lift point.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fig. 212 Changing a wheel: using the screwdrive r han­
dle (w it h th e blade re m oved) to turn the bolt s
Fig. 213 Changing a wheel : alignment p in in sid e the
top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and
raised the vehicle
off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows :
Removing the wheel
.,. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriv­
er handle
to completely remove the top­
most wheel bolt and set it aside on a clean
surface c>fig. 212 .
.,. Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole r::;;fig . 213 .
.,. Then remove the other wheel bolts as de­
scribed above .
.,. Take
off the wheel leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole
r::;; d). ..,.

268 What do I do no w?
P uttin g on the spare wheel
.. Lift the spare wheel and ca refully slide it
over the alignment pin to guide it in place
¢ (D .
.. Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver
handle to screw in and tighten all wheel
bolts
slightly.
.. Remove the alignment pin and insert and
t ighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
l ike the rest .
.. Turn the jack handle counte r-clockw ise to
lower the vehicle unt il the jac k is fully re­
leased.
.. Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bolts firmly¢
page 265 . Tighten
them
crosswise, from one bolt to the (ap­
proximately) opposite one, to keep the
wheel centered.
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 .
(j) Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the han­
dle of the screwdriver to loosen or t ighten
the wheel bolts .
- Pull the reversible blade from the screw­
driver before you use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to turn the wheel bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
unid ir ec tional
tread design
make su re the tread pat­
tern is pointed the right way
¢ page 268.
-The wheel bolts should be clean and easy
to tu rn . Check for d irt and corrosion on
t h e mat ing s urfaces of both the whee l
and the h ub. Remove al l dirt from these
s ur faces before remo unting 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 racte r­
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 resto re the handling advantages
of a u nidirectional tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information¢ page 251, 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 tightening torque
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. .,..