wheel AUDI A4 2013 Workshop Manual

Tires an d wheel s 239
you have stored. The system does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor­
ing sys tem* will be impaired if you store nor ­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 191 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (co lor of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate a t
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
I Model II Tire designation
c h ange. In the event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
A4 S edan:
2.0 liter
4-cylinder
all road:
2.0 liter
4-c ylinder 225
/55 R16 95H
All S eason
245 /45 Rl 7 95H
All Season
245 /40 R18 93Y
High Performan ce
225 /50 Rl 7 94H
All Season
245 /40 R18 93H
All Season
1 255 /35 R19 96Y XL
High Performance
225 /55 Rl 7 97H
All Season
245 /45 Rl8 l00H
All Season
245 /45 R18 96Y
High Performance
245 /40 R19 98V XL
High Performance (up to 3 occupants
)
front rear front rear
I
PSI j[ kPA PSI j[ kPA PSI Jl kPA PSI I[ kPA
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
•
33 230 30 210 35 2
40 36 250
I
33 230 32 220 36 250 38 260
'
32 220 30 210 35 2
40 35 240
I
30 210 30 210 33 230 36 250
32 220 32 220 33 230 36 250 30 210 30 210 33 230 36 250
32 220 29 200 35 2
4 0
38 260
-• - -. -
•
•
...

240 Tires and wheels Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 3 occupants )
front rear front rear
I
PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA :
S4 Sedan : 245 /40 Rl8 93H
3 .0 liter All Season
36 250 32 220 41 280 41
280
6-cylinder
24S/40 Rl8 93V
I High Performance
39 270 35 240 41 280 41 280
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
High Performance
39 270 33 230 41 280 41 280
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl
, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
l o cated on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical cha nges may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compa re the tire siz e designation on the
tire pressure labe l o n you r vehi cle w it h the
tires on your vehicle. M ake s ure that the t ire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the t ire s on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be ­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you boug ht the
ve hicle as a p reviously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing s ure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on t he
ve hicle . These load lim its are technically refer ­
red to as th e vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rati ng ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
i ng ( "GA WR ") is the ma ximum load tha t can
be applied at each o f the veh icle 's two axles.
T he G ross Vehicle We ig ht Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance st ic k er labe l located on the
driver's side B-p illar. The tire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
A WARNING
Overloadin g a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a 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 distanc e.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s uddenly ca us ing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g transported - including the weight of
a trailer hitch and t he tongue we igh t of a
loaded tr ail er -does not ma ke t he ve hi­
cle he avier th an the vehicle' s Gro ss V ehi­
cle Weigh t Ra tin g.
.&_ WARNING
- In cor rect tire pressure s and /or u nderin­
fl ation can lead to a serio us or fatal acci ­
dent .
- I nco rrec t tire pressures an d/or un derin­
fla tion ca use increased ti re wear an d can
'
I
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo tha t the vehicl e can carry . For the
l ocat io n of the ti re pressu re labe l~
fig . 191 .
affect the handling of the vehicle. ..,_

-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
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 located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar .
The recommended t ire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
c:> page 238, Cold tire inflation pressure .Th is
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
mo re tha n a couple of m iles (k ilome ters) at
l ow speeds during t he p revious three hours.
A ir in the tires expands when the ti re heats up
as a result of inte rna l friction as it flexes in
use. The tire press ure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the i nflat ion p ressu re in a "cold" tire that
counts . Therefore, you shou ld never let air ou t
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation pressure" recommendations
c:> page 238. The
tires would then be under inflated and could
fa il suddenly.
The tire press ure labe l on yo ur Audi lists the
recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, origina l
equ ipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
tion of the label
<=> page 238, fig . 191 .
Most tires lose a ir naturally over time. They
can also lose some a ir if you drive
over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial t ires
used today are underi nflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least o nce a month and always before going
on a long tr ip . Make sure to take the number
of people and the amoun t of luggage into ac­
coun t when adjusting tire pressure for a t rip -
even one that you would not consider to be
Tire s an d wheel s 241
"long." See c:> page 24 2, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
A lways use an acc urat e tire pressu re ga uge
when checking and ad justing infla tion pres ­
s ur es . Check a ll of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any t ire
is too h igh when the tire is "cold", let a ir o ut
of the t ire s low ly w ith 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 k ind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
t ire a nd the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
t h e ve hicl e load (passenge rs and luggage) for
the tires on you r veh icle as l isted on the o n
yo ur vehicle and in this ma nual and the kind
of driving you plan to do.
Never exc eed the maximum inflation pr es­
sure li ste d on the tire sidewall for any re a­
s o n.
Remember that the vehicl e manufacture r, not
t h e tire manu fact urer, de termines t he cor re ct
t ir e p ress ure fo r th e tires on your ve hicl e.
It is important to check the t ire p ressu re whe n
the tires are co ld.
- Read the required tire pressure from the t ire
pressure labe l. The t ire pressure label is lo­
cated o n the dr iver's side 8-pillar. The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommended co ld
tire inflation pressures for t he vehi cle at its
maxim um capacity weigh t and t he tires that
were on your ve hicle a t the time i t was man­
ufactured . For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, p lease see chap­
ter
<=> page 238.
-Tu rn the va lve stem cap counter -clockwise
to remove it from the tire
va lve .
-Place t he ai r pressure gauge on the va lve.
- The tire pressu res should o nly be checked
and ad justed when the tires are co ld . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be red uced.
Ill>-
•
•

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
-Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I a dju st the tire p re ss ures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels . In addition, you must then initi­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*
r:!> page 253.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
II] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
t ion can cause increased t ire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
t ire press ures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressure va lues are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B -pil ­
lar.
- Only when a ll ti res on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work cor­
rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified t
ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the ti re pressure monitor­ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not ha ndle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wh eel immediately, drive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
air as required.
Q) Note
D riving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure tha t factory insta lled
valve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
U nderinflated tires w ill also incre ase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is over loaded will not handle
well and is more d iff icult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
cl ud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation tha t
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are .,..

not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
l oad limits are techn ica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle Weight Rat ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
veh icle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fu el, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
in tended to carry ("seating capacity") w ith a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des igna ted sea ting pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weig ht o f the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
l oaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load.
The
Gro ss A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two ax les.
The G ross Vehicle We ight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pi llar .Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
tota l seating capacity of 5. Each seating posi­
tion has a seat belt¢
page 137, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l 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 limited. The more passen­
ge rs in the veh icle or passengers who are
h eav ier than the standa rd weights assumed
mean that less weight can be ca rr ied as l ug­
gage.
The tire pressure labe l on you r Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
oc cu pants and luggage o r othe r ca rgo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location o f the
l abe l
¢page 238, fig. 191.
Tires an d wheel s 243
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle 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 overload­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden defla tion, causing loss of
contro l and a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the total load be­
ing transpor ted - incl uding the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle We ight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e example below to ca l­
culate the total weight of the
pa ssengers and lu ggage or oth­
e r thing s that you pl an t o tran s­
po rt so that you can make sur e
that your vehicle will not b e
o verloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1 . Lo cate th e statement "THE
C OMBINED WEIGHT OF O C­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi-
c le 's pla card (tire inflation ..,
•
•

244 Tires and wheels
pressure label) ¢ page 238,
fig.191.
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 pas­ sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 238, fig. 191.
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
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(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 246, fig. 195) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 193 T ire tread: tread wear ind icato rs (TWI)
____ Jj
Fig. 194 Rotating tires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on you r vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
¢ fig. 193 running across the tread. Depend-
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other ..,

symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other co untries
c:> .&. .
Tir e pres sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c:> page 241.
Driving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for mo re even wear
For all four t ires on your vehicle to have the
same se rvice life, we recommend that the
fro nt and rea r tires are rotated according to
the t ire manufacture r's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow ­
ing:
- T ire rotat ion inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Maintenance and Wa rranty Booklet .
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
fo llow the t ire manufacturer's suggested
t ire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all whee l drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c:> fig. 194.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c:> page 263 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H oweve r, va rio us situations d uring eve ryday
driving can cause them to be come unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can us ually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels must 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.
Tire s an d wheel s 245
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. For details see
<=:> page 191.
_8 WARNING
Sudden tire fa ilure 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 ti res are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires .
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount 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 though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control. •
•

246 Tires and wheels
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 195 Tire speci fication codes o n the sidewal l of a
t ir e
No. Description
(!) Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in mill imeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
@ Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(j) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@) Tire ply composition and materials
used
Maximum load rating
Tr eadwear, traction and temperature
grades
Maximum permissible inflation pres­
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
ter istics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢
&..
We recommend that all work on tires and
whee ls be performed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
tools and spare parts as well as the proper fa­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
insta lling or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and
not individually (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the i nformation to
the tire pressure mon itor ing system*
<:!> page 253 .
Always buy replacement radia l tires that have
the same spec ificat ions as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must a lways have the same load rating speci­
fication as the origina l equipment or approved
optiona l tires listed in the table¢
page 238 .
Audi-approved specification tires are specia lly
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important roadhold­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(c;, page 238) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod­ els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure label located on driver's side
B-pillar
(c;, page 238, fig. 192) lists the speci­
fications of the original equipment tires in­
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man ­
ufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side­
wall of all tires co
fig. 195 . This information
identifies and descr ibes the fundamenta l
characteristics, the quality grade of the t ire
and also provides a tire identification number ..,.

for safety standard certification and in case of
a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
i er to choose the correct tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewall, for example :
P255 / 35 R19 96V XL
This contains the follow ing information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where applicable)
255 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewa ll edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ra-
tio)
R Tire construction: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
that the tire is a"Reinforced" or an "Extra L oad" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The t ires could also have the information of
d ir ection of rotation~
page 234.
Tire manufacturing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (poss ibly only on the
inner
side of the wheel):
"DOT . .. 2212 ... "means, for example, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2012.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on the wheels in­
dicates the maximum permissib le road speeds
~ &. in Winter tires on page 250.
ll For tires w it h a max imum spee d capa bility over
1 4 9 mp h (2 40 k m/h) , tire man ufact urers sometimes
u se t he le tte rs "ZR ."
Tires and wheels 24 7
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)1l
Z
over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1l
Your vehicle is normally factory equ ipped w ith
tires, which possess excellent dr iving charac­
teristics and give your Aud i optimum driving
comfort . An electron ic speed lim iter
~ page 31 will normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
~&. -
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
T his is the tire's "se rial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and ind icates that the
tire meets all federa l standards. 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.
For example, the numbers 2212 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2012 . The other numbers are marketing co ­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . T his information is used to con­
tact consumers if a tire defect requ ires a re­
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specially matched with your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characterist ics w hen used
correct ly . Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more information . ...,
•
•

248 Tire s and whee ls
Tir e pl y c ompo sit ion and materi als used
The numbe r of plies ind icates the number of
l ayers of rubber -coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Max imum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadw ear ,
tr act ion, a nd t emper ature re sis tan ce
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c:> page249.
Max imum Permiss ibl e Inflation Pressur e
This numbe r is the greatest amo unt of air
p ressure that should ever be put in the ti re
under normal driving conditions .
A WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
collision and serious persona l injury .
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed t ires or other combina­
t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- 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
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not su re 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.
- 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
.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare t ire fo r a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i­
b le.
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on you r vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fai l
suddenly .
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of contro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinf lated .
- For technica l reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other
veh icles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same veh icle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the a ir flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopp ing distances and caus­
ing a co llision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on veh icles that were equipped with them
at the factory. The veh icle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
f a ctory -insta lled tire pressure monitor­
ing system* that indicates a loss of tire
pressu re . I ncorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equ ipped w ith run flat t ires. If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all fou r wheels . Mix ing tire types is not
pe rm itted.