wheel size AUDI A3 2011 Owner´s Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2011, Model line: A3, Model: AUDI A3 2011Pages: 320, PDF Size: 75.79 MB
Page 75 of 320
Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adju sted.
Th ere are several dif ferent ways you can ad just the d river's sea t and
t he front passenger's seat so that it confo rms to your body size .
It is
especially important t hat the seat be adjusted properly so that:
• you can easily and quickly reach a ll the switc hes and contro ls in the
ins trumen t pa nel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing phys ica l stress and
fatigue
• the safety be lts and airbag system can offer maximum protection
=>
page 145
In the follow ing chapters, you will see exactly how you can best adjust
your sea ts .
Th ere are special regulations a nd instr uctions for install ing a child
safety seat on the front passenger 's seat. Always heed the informa
tion regarding child safety p rovided in=>
page 167, "Child Safety ".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating posit ion of the driver and all other passengers
can result in seriou s personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in
motion -never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the window or on top of the seat cushion! This applies especially
to the passengers. If your seating po sition is incorrect you
increase the ri sk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an acci-
Controls and equip
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
& WARNING
(con tinu ed)
dent . If the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect
this could result in per sonal injury or even death .
• It is important for both the dri ver and front passenger to keep
a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between themselves and
the steer ing whee l and /or instrument panel. If you're sitting any
closer than this , the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition to thi s, the front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they can give you maximum
protection .
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger 's seat while the
vehicle is moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly, causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury . If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving, you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correc t sea t posi tion is import an t f or sa fe and
rel axed dri ving.
We recomm end that you a djust th e d rive r's sea t in the
fo llowing man ner:
- Ad just the sea t in f ore and a ft dire ct io n so that y ou can
e asily pus h the pe dals to the floor while keep in g you r
kne es slightly bent=>
& in "W hy is yo ur seat a djust m en t
so imp ort an t?".
- Adj ust the sea tbac k so tha t when yo u sit wi th y our back
agai nst the se atba ck, you can sti ll gra sp th e to p of t he
s te er ing w hee l. _..
Vehicle care Technical data
Page 152 of 320
........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Airbag work mo st effectivel y when us ed with p roperly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your veh icle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
c hildren, will receive seriou s injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the a irbag when it inflates.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger a irbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in a ccordance with the
" low risk" option under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that is
hea vier than the t ypical one-year old child is on the front
passeng er seat and the other condition s for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety, all children , especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly res trained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance wit h Unit ed St ates Fe d er al Motor Vehi cle Safe ty Standar d
208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured . The front Advanced A
irbag System supplements the safety belts to
prov ide ad ditional prote ct ion for th e d river's and front passenger's
heads and uppe r bodies in fro nta l crashes. The ai rbags i nflate only in
fronta l impacts when the vehicle dece leration is high enoug h.
Th e front Adva nced A irbag Sys tem for the fron t seat oc cupan ts is not
a s ubstitute for your safety be lts. Rathe r, it is part o f the overall occu
p an t restr aint sy stem in y our ve hicl e. Always remembe r that the
airbag system ca n only help to protect you, if you are sitting upr ight,
we aring your sa fe ty be lt and we aring it prope rly. T his is why you and
your passengers must always be properly restra ined, not just because
t he law requires you to be.
Th e A dvan ced A irbag Syst em in your veh icle has been c ertified to
meet the "low r isk" req uir ements fo r 3 an d 6 year-old c hildren on the
pas senge r side and ve ry small ad ults o n the dr ive r side. T he low r is k
dep loyment cr iteria a re intended to help reduce the risk of injury
t hroug h in teraction wi th the front a irbag tha t can oc cur, fo r ex am ple,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel whe n
t he air bag i nflates .
In add it ion , the system has been cert ified to comply with t he
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and young er w ho are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restra ints that are
listed in the Standard=>
pag e 169 .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
tur ned off if :
• a ch ild up to about one yea r of age is restra ined on the fron t
passenge r seat in one o f th e rear -facing or forward- facing infant
restraints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Saf ety St andar d 208 w it h
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in yo ur vehicle was ce rtif ied. Fo r a
lis ting of the chil d res trai nt s t hat were u sed to certify your vehicle' s
compliance with the US Safety Standard =>
page 169,
• weigh t less t han a thres ho ld level stored in the cont ro l un it is
detected on the front passenger seat.
W hen a perso n is de te cte d on t he fro nt pas senger se at, weigh ing
more than the tota l weight of a child that is about 1 year o ld
Page 170 of 320
-Child Safety _____ ____;_..:::.:!.----------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nued)
• Always install rear-facing child safet y seat s on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not come on and stay on,
immediately in stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a rea r
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi
ately by your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If , in exceptional circumstances , you must in stall a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger' s seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instructions p rovided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before install ing the child restra int . The back
re st must be adju sted to an upright position .
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
c omes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition i s
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in compli
ance wi th Uni ted St ates Federa l Mo to r Vehicle Safety St andar d
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your veh icle was manufac
tu red . The Advanced A
irbag system in yo ur vehicle has been certif ied to
mee t the "low -r is k" requiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old ch ildre n on
t he passenger side and small adults on the dr iver side . The low risk
dep loyment criteria are inten ded to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the a irbag t hat can occur, for example, by being too
close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel when the airbag
inflates. In addi tion, the sy stem has been certified to comp ly with t he
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
fron t air bag for infan ts u p to 1 2 months who a re res tra ined on the
front passenger seat in child restrai nts that are listed in the Stan
d ar d.
Even thoug h your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system , a ll ch ildren, especially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always r ide in t he back seat p roperly restrained for t heir ag e and si ze .
Th e ai rbag on the passenge r si de makes the front seat a potentia lly
dange rous p lace for a child to r ide. Th e front seat is not th e safest
place fo r a child in a forward- facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
d an ge rous p lace for a n infan t or a large r chil d i n a rea rwa rd-facing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advanced A irbag System i n your ve hicle de tects t he p resence o f
an infa nt o r ch ild in a child rest rai nt on the fro nt passenger sea t using
the we ight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r be low the
saf ety belt la tch o n th e front passenge r seat tha t measur es t he
tension on the safety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing ma t me asures tot al we ight of the child and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the fro nt passe nger seat . The
we ight on the fro nt passenger se at is re late d t o the desi gn of the
child res traint and i ts "footpri nt", the size and shape of t he bottom
of the ch ild restraint as it sits o n the seat . The weight of a child
restrain t an d its "foo tpr int" vary for differe nt kinds of child res tra ints .,_
Page 248 of 320
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Tire s age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (in excess of those sta nda rd items which
may be rep lace d) of automatic transmission, power steering, power
bra kes, powe r w indows , power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent
that these items are avai lab le as factory- installed equipment
(w het he r i nsta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
me ans the ratio of t he he ight to t he w id th of the tir e in percent .
Numbe rs of 55 o r lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
respo nse an d be tter overa ll handling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part o f the tire that is made of stee l w ires , wrap ped o r
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bon d between components in the bead .
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the tire.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous hi story ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unu sual vibration or if the vehicle pull s to one side
when driving, alway s stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle ma nufa cturer
for a tire of a des ignated size t hat has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree ho ur period
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed.
Curb weight
mea ns the weig ht of a motor vehicle wit h standard equ ipment
including the max imum cap aci ty of f ue l, oil, and coo lan t, air condi
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designe d to operate at higher loads and at higher infla
t ion p ressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard t ire. Ext ra load tires
my be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load -ca rry ing capacity of a s ingle ax le system, measured at
t he t ire-grou nd inte rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded we ight of the vehicle .
Page 252 of 320
-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and tires that were on your
vehicle at the tim e it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 occupants) , you can adjust tire pressures to
those specified for normal vehicle load. Before operating the
vehicle at maximum load, you must increase the tire pressures to
those specified for maximum vehicle load
=> &.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring system* ca n only
monitor the tire pressures you have stored. The system does not
recogn ize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system* wi ll be
impaired if you store normal load pressures but then operate the
vehicle at its maximum load
=> &.
Tire designation
See the illustration => page 249, fig. 171 for the locat ion of the label
either on driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap (color of the
actual label and exact location on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following tab le is accurate at the time of going to press
and is subject to change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire pres
sure label (on USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on
dr iver's side B-pillar ; on Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is
located either on the driver's side B-p illar or inside the fuel filler flap.)
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures
for the Audi model covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehicle's
capacity weight and the tire sizes installed on the respective models
as origina l equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine
(displace
ment in liter) normal Load
normal Load
condition (up full Load condition (up
full Load
to 3 occu- condition to 3 occu- condition pants) pants)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI II kPA
4-cylinder 205/55 R16 91H All Season 36 250 39 270 30 210 38 260
2.0 TFSI
225/45 R17 91W High Performance 35 240
38 260 30 210 36 250
(gasoline)
225/45 R17 94H XL All Season
38 260 39 270 32 220 38 260
225/45 Rl 7 94Y XL High Performance 35 240 36 250 30 210 35 240
225/40 R18 92Y XL High Performance
38 260 41 280
35 240 41
280
Compact spare wheel 1125/70 R18 60 420 60 60 420 60 420
Page 253 of 320
Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load normal load
ment in
liter ) condition (up full load condition (up full load
to 3 occu- condition to 3 occu- condition
pants) pants)
PSI kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA
4-cylinder 205/55 R1 6 91H All Season 36 250 39 270 30 210 36 250
2 .0 TDI
225 /45 Rl 7 94H XL All Season 38 260 41 280 32 220 38 260 (clean diesel )
225 /45 R1 7 94V XL High Performance
35 240
38 260
30 210
35 240
225
/40 R18 92V XL High Performance 35 240 38 260 30 210 38 260
Compa ct spare wheel T125 /70 R18 60 420 60 420 60 42 0 60 420
XL = reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as x i, EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire sidewall.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a label
ei ther on the driver 's s ide B -pillar or inside the fuel fille r flap.
Because technical changes may be made to vehicle equipment dur ing
the model year, a lways compare the tire size des ignation on the tire
pressu re label on you r vehicle w ith the t ires on your veh icle . Make
sure that the tire si ze information on the vehicle labe l is the same as
the s ize of the t ires o n the vehicle . This is especially important if the
vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle with
different r ims/ tires or you bo ugh t the vehicle as a previously owned
vehicle. pants and
luggage or other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location o f the tire p ressure label=>
page 249, fig. 17 1.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause lo ss of vehicle control , a cra sh or
othe r accident, serious personal injury , and even death .
• Carrying more we ight than your vehicle wa s designed to carry
will p revent the vehicle from handling prope rly and increa se the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control.
• The brake s on a vehicle that has been o verloaded may not be
able to stop the v ehicle within a saf e distance .
• Tires on a vehicle that has been ove rloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash .
• Always make sure that the tot al load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -doe s not make the vehicle hea vier than the
I
I
Remember, your safety and tha t of your passengers also depends on
maki ng sure that load lim its are not exceeded . Vehicle load includes
everybody and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the ve hicle's G ross Vehicle Weig ht Rating
("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat ing ("GAWR") is the max imum
load th at c an be applied at ea ch of the veh icle 's two ax les. The G ross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the Gross Ax le We ight Rating are listed on
t he safety comp liance st ic ke r label lo cated ei ther on the d river 's s ide
B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler f lap. The tire p ressure label
on yo ur Audi lists t he maximum com bined weight o f all of the occu -
vehicle 's Gross V ehicle We ight Rating. ~
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data
Page 259 of 320
________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... 91
Incorrect wheel alignment
In correct whee l al ignme nt can ca use excessive tir e wea r, impairing
th e sa fety o f the vehicl e. If t ires show excessive w ear, hav e the w heel
alignment checked by a n authorized A udi dea ler or qualifie d work
shop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles wi th quattro® must always have tires of the same size ,
con st ruct ion an d tread type . For details see~
page 194.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to los s of control, a cra sh and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
• 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 t ire 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 speeds.
• 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 failu re and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle OP-eration
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New t ires an d w hee ls have to be brok en in .
Fig. 175 Tire specificat ion codes on th e sidewall of a tire
No.
©
®
®
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nom inal wid th of ti re in mil limeters
Ratio of hei9ht to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
jj Rim diameter code
L oa d index and speed rating
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
Page 262 of 320
-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
ev en though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicl e control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial tires of the same
type, size (rolling circumference ) and the same tread patte rn .
Driving with different tires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a los s of control.
• If the spare t ire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle -for example with winter tires -only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with e xtra care. Refit the
normal road wheel as soon a s safely possible.
• Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the ti res
on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Overloading tire s cau se heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated
and not o ver or underinflated.
• For technical reasons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicle s- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels, make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increa sing stopping distance s
and causing a collision.
• Run flat tires may only be used on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassis designed
for run flat tires and a factory-in stalled tire pres sure monitoring
sy stem* that indicates a loss of tire pressure . Incorrect use of run
flat tires can lead to vehicle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire speciali st to see if your vehicle can
be equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat tires are used, they must
be installed on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted .
0 Note
• For tech nica l reasons, it is no t gene rally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from other vehicles. This ca n hold t rue for w heels of the same
vehicle type .
• If the spa re tire is different from the tires t hat you have mounte d
on you r vehi cle (fo r exa mple w inte r tir es or wide profi le tires), then
use the spa re t ire for a short perio d of time on ly and d rive with e xtra
c are. Replace t he f lat tire w it h t he ti re m atch ing t he ot hers on yo ur
vehicle as soon as possible.
• If you put diffe rent whee ls and t ires o n your ve hicle (e.g . winter
w heels and tires), yo u must be certain t hat the whee ls and tires are
c omp atib le w ith the tire press ure mon ito ring system* . O th erwise the
system will register a malfunction and a fault message w ill be
displayed. For m ore infor mati on, con ta ct y our au thor ized Aud i
dea ler.
• N ever dr ive witho ut the valve stem c ap. The valves could get
damaged.
For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the loca l requ irements. •
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wear
• Tr act io n AA A B C
• T emperat ure A B C
Q uali ty g rades can be fo und where applicab le on the tir e s ide wall
between tread sho ulder and max imum sect ion width ~
page 257,
fig. 175.
For example: Tread wear 200, Tract ion
AA , Temperat ure A.
All passenger ca r tires must confo rm to Federa l Safety Requirements
i n addition to these grades. .,_
Page 263 of 320
__________________________________________________ T_i_ r _e _s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e _ l_s __ _
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compa ra tive ra ting based on the wear rate
of the tire when tested unde r co ntrolled conditions on a specified
government test co urse.
For examp le, a tire g rade d 150 would wea r o ne and one half (1 1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
Th e relat ive performance o f tires depends upon t he ac tual con ditions
o f their use, however , and may de pa rt s ig ni ficantly from the norm
due to variations in driv ing ha bits, service prac tices an d differences in
roa d characterist ics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, Band C. Those
grades represent the tire's ab ility to s to p on wet pavemen t as
meas ured under controlled condit ions o n spec ified governme nt test
s u rfaces of asphalt and conc rete. A tire mar ked C may have poo r trac
ti on perfo rma nce => & .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (t he h ighest), B, a nd C, rep resenting
the t ire's resistance to the gene rat ion of heat and its ab ility to dissi
pate hea t when test ed unde r co ntro lled condi tions o n a spe cifi ed
indoor laboratory test wheel.
S ust ain ed high te m peratu re can cause t he mate rial of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperatu re ca n lead
t o sudden tire fail ur e=> & .
Th e g rade C cor responds to a leve l of performance which all
passenger car tires m ust meet under the Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Safety Standa rd No. 109. G rades Band A rep resent higher levels of
per formance on the labo ratory test whee l than the minimum
req uired by law .
Safety first
& WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight -ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, or e xcessive loading, either separately or in combination, can
c ause heat buildup and po ssible tire failure .•
Winter tires
W inter tires can improve vehicl e handling on snow and
ic e. A t temper atures belo w 45 °F (7 °C) we recommen d
ch angin g to win ter tires .
In some heavy snow areas , loca l gover nments may requ ire true
wi nte r o r "snow" t ires, those with very deep ly c ut trea d. These tires
should only be use d in pairs and be i nstalled on all fo ur w heels . Mak e
sure you purchase snow tires that are the same size a nd constr uction
t ype as the ot her tir es o n your ve hicle.
If your veh icle is eq uipped with all-wheel drive*, th is will improve
t raction during w inte r drivin g, eve n with t he standard tires . However,
we st rongly recomme nd that you a lways equi p all four w hee ls on your
vehicle with correctly fitte d winter t ires or a ll-season ti res, w hen
wi nter road conditions a re expe cte d. Thi s also improves the vehicle 's
bra king pe rformance and re duces stop ping distances.
S u mme r tir es pro vide less g rip on ice and snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fi tted on all fo ur whee ls .
Ask yo ur autho rized Audi deale r or qu alified wor kshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use only ra dial w inte r tir es. ..
Vehicle care Technical data
Page 264 of 320
.,,.___T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to
a dep th o f 0. 15 7 inch (4 m m).
Only drive w it h w inte r tir es under w inte r co nd it io ns. S u mmer t ires
hand le better w hen there is no s now or ice on t he roads a nd the
t em pe ra ture i s above 4 5
°F (7 ° ( ).
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare wheel~ page 257.
Please always remember that winter tires may have a lower speed
rating than t he t ires originally installed on yo ur ve hicle at the time it
was ma nufact ured . Please see~
page 259, "Speed rat ing ( letter
c ode)" fo r a listing of the speed rating le tte r codes a nd t he maximu m
speed at which the tires can be dr ive n.
Th e spee d rat ing le tt er code( ~
page 259 ) is on the side w all of the
t ire~
page 257 .
& WARNING
Winter tires have ma ximum speed limits that may be lower than
your vehicle's maximum speed. Always know the maximum speed
before driving off. Never drive faster than the speed perm itted fo r
your specific winter tires . This will cause damage to the tire s
leading to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
passengers.
& WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were des igned can cause ti re failure includ ing a
blowout and sudden deflation, lo ss of control, crashes and serious
personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires replaced immedi
ately.
• Winter t ires have maximum speed rat ing that may be lower
than your vehicle's maximum speed .
• Never drive faster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic conditions.
Never let the good acceleration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Always remember :
• When braking , an all-wheel drive vehicle handles in the same
way as a front drive vehicle .
• Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy and slippery roads,
even winter tires cannot help under black ice conditions.
Use s ummer tires when weather co ndit io ns permit. They are qu ieter,
do not wear as quickly and reduce fuel consum ption .•
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fit te d on ly to the fr ont w heels, and only to
certain t ire sizes . Ask yo ur aut horized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used .
If you are go ing to use snow c ha ins, then you must insta ll th em on t he
front wheels at least .
Th e sn ow chain s mus t have low-pr ofile li nks and m ust no t be th icker
than 0 .53 inc h (13.5 mm), including the lock.
R emove wheel cente r covers an d trim discs before putti ng snow
chains on your vehicle~
0. For safety reaso ns cove r caps m ust the n
be fitted over the whee l bo lts. These are availab le from a utho rized
Audi dealers.
& WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your veh icle or installing them
incorrectly can incre ase the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury .
~