wheel AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2013 Workshop Manual

234 Tire s and wheel s
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too h igh 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
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your veh icle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do .
Never exceed th e ma ximum inflati on pres­
s ur e list e d on th e tir e s idewall f or an y re a ­
so n.
Remembe r that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufactu rer , determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the t ires on your vehicle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires a re cold .
- Read the requ ired t ire pre ssure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side 8 -p ill ar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inflat ion pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity we ight a nd the tires that
were on yo ur vehicle at the time it was man­
u factured. Fo r recommended tire press ures
for normal load conditions, please see chap ­
ter
¢ page 231 .
-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 chec ked
and adjus ted when the tires are cold . The
s li ghtly 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 o n the valve .
When should I check th e tir e pre ssure ?
The correct tire pressu re is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressu re should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jo urney . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adju st the ti re pre ssures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying . After changing a whee l
or replacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tir e pressur es
on all wheels. In addition, you m ust then initi­
a lize the new tire pressures in the t ire pres­
sure monitoring system*¢
page 245.
A WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, se rious pe rsonal injury
or even dea th.
- When the
[IJ wa rning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping abi lity.
- Incorrec t tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail ­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
The applicable pressure values are locat ­
ed on a sticker on the dr iver's s ide 8-pil­
lar.
- Only 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 values
can lead to acc idents or other damage .
Therefore it is essential that the drive r
observe the spec ified t ire pressu re val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
II),

th e f unct ion of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with under inflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resu lting
in tread separation, sudden t ire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematurely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t i re is not flat and you do not have
to change a w heel immed iate ly, dr ive at
reduced speed to the nearest serv ice sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as requi red.
{Q) Note
Dr iving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the tire va lves . To preve nt this,
always ma ke s ure t hat facto ry installed
va lve stem caps on all wheels a re secu re ly
mounte d on the va lve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Unde rinflat ed tires will a lso inc reas e the
fue l cons umption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are l imits to the amo un t of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not handle
w ell and is more difficult to stop. Overload ing
can not only lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but c an a lso damage import ant parts of the
ve hicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the ve hicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers a lso
depends on making sure that load limits are n ot exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle . Th ese
Tire s an d wheel s 235
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
T he "GVWR" incl udes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a f ull
tan k of fuel, oi l, coo lant and other fluids plus
max imum load. The max imum load incl udes
the n umber of passengers t hat the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seat ing capac ity") with an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for eac h
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and the tota l weight of a ny luggage i n the ve­
hicle. If you tow a tra ile r, the we igh t of the
tra iler hi tch and the tongue we igh t of t he
loaded tra iler mus t be included as part of the
vehicle load .
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating (" G AWR ") is
the max imum load th at can be appl ied a t each
of the veh icle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and t he
G ross Ax le Weig ht Ra ting are listed on the
sa fe ty comp lian ce sti cke r la bel lo cate d on the
driver's side B-pillar. Audi has
4 seating pos i­
tions, 2 in the front an d 2 in the rear fo r total
seating capacity of 4 . Eac h seati ng position
has a seat belt
q page 132, Safety belts.
T he fac t that there is an upper limit to yo ur
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­ ried in the vehicle ( includ ing the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler) is lim ited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers w ho are
heavier than the sta ndard we ights assumed
mea n that less we ight can be ca rried as lug­
gage.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the max imum combined weight of all of the
occupants and l uggage or other cargo that
the ve hicl e can ca rry . Fo r th e lo cat ion of the
la bel
q fig. 182 .
_&. WARNING
--==
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss o f ve -
h icle cont ro l, a crash or other accide nt, se-
rious pe rsonal in ju ry, and even death. ..,
•
•

236 Tires and wheels
-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
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
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 weight 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 oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port 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)
¢fig. 182.
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
¢fig. 182.
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. (1400-7 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 luggag e load c apaci ty of
y our vehicle.
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(c:::> fig . 18 6) to d etermine th e
de sign ated load rating f or a
s p ecific tir e.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balan cing , correc t tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fi g. 1 84 Tire t rea d: tread we ar ind ic a tors (TWI)
.__ __ __,, ,.)
Fig . 185 Rotat ing t ires for more eve n wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
<=> fig. 184 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
t hem evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example ''TWI " or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires m ust be replaced.
D ifferen t fig ures may apply in o ther co untries
¢ ,& .
Tires and wheels 23 7
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire press ure c auses prema ture wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
reason , tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
r:!) page 233.
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy acce le ra ti on
and har d brak ing inc rease tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even w ear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life , we recommend that the
front and rear t ires a re rotated a ccording to
the tire man ufactur er's suggested tire ro ta­
tion intervals . Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation in tervals may differ from the
veh icle servi ce inte rv al s o utli ned in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Boo klet.
- The longer one tire is used in one lo cation
on t he veh icle, the more it wears a t cer tain
points ; the re fore, we recommend that you
follow the tire man ufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehi cles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to a ll wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown¢
fig. 185 .
-Extra care mus t be taken when ro ta ti ng di -
rection -specific tires
q page 2 54.
Wheel balancing
T he w heels on new ve hicles are balanced .
Howeve r, various s ituations duri ng eve ryday
driv ing ca n ca use t hem to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vib rat ions you ca n usually
feel through the steer ing whee l.
Un balanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avo id excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled .
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exc es­
s ive tire wear, impa iring the safe ty of the vehi-
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
)I>-

238 Tires and w hee ls
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel dri ve
Vehicles w ith quattro ® must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. F or detai ls see
¢ page 184 .
.8, WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a veh icle 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 "hydrop lan ing" and loss of
control.
- 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
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 s udden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 186 Tir e specificat ion c odes on t he s idewall o f a
t ire
N o. Descri ption
(!) Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nom inal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
@ L oad index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Orig inal tire
@ Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply compos ition and mate rials
used
Maximum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
Maximum permissible inflation pres­
sure
T he t ires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle 's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics 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 t ires and
wheels be performed by an authorized A udi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as we ll as the proper fa ­
cilities for dispos ing of the old tires .
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and wheel s
Tires shou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for example both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be s ure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢ page 245.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the t ires approved
for your ve hicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must always have the same load rating speci ­
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table¢
page 231.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits ,
and can contribute to the important road hold­
ing, driving character istics, and safety of the
veh icle. The table
( ¢ page 231) lists spec ifica­
tions o f the t ires approved for the Audi mod­
e ls covered by your Owner 's Literature .
T he tire pressure labe l located on dr iver 's side
B-pillar
( ¢ fig . 183) lists the specifications of
the orig inal equ ipment tires insta lled on your
ve hicle at the time it was manufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standa rd iz ed information on the s ide­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 186. This information
ident ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and a lso provides a tire identificat ion number
for safety standard certificat ion and i n case of
a recall. Tire
s an d wheel s 239
Tire specification s
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
i er to choose the co rrect tires . Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 35 Rl9 96V XL
This conta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where applicab le)
2 55 Nom inal ti re w idth in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general , the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idt h ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "E XTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indicates
that the t ire is a"Re in forced" or an "Ex tra
Load" t ire
M+S (or "M/S") Indica tes that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the informat ion of
direction of rotat ion
¢ page 22 7 .
Tire manuf acturing d ate
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2212 ... "means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2012 .
Speed rating (letter c ode)
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 243 .
P up to 93 mph (1S0 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (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)
•
•

24 0 T ire s and wheel s
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)ll
Your vehicle is norma lly factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
c::> page 29 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r than the tire speed rating
¢ & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It beg ins
with the lette rs "DO T" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indica te the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
F or examp le, 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 . This information is used to con ­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and d riving character istics when used
correctly. Yo ur au tho riz ed Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of pl ies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the g rea ter the numbe r of p lies, the
mo re weig ht a t ire can support. Tire man ufac ­
turers a lso must indicate the materials in the
ll For tir es w it h a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity ove r
1 4 9 mp h (2 40 k m/h) , t ire ma nufact urers somet imes
u se the lette rs "ZR. "
tir e, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilog rams and po unds t hat can be ca rr ied by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, tra ct ion and tempera ture grades
c::>page 241 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_& WARNING
- Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinat ions can lead to loss of control
'
collis ion and serio us personal i nju ry .
- A lways use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of origina l
factory- insta lled tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w it h specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previo us histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sud den tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted with r adial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) an d the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tires reduces ..,_

vehicle 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 tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble .
- Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause 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 over or un­
derinflated.
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing 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-installed tire pressure monitor­
ing system* 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 specialist 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 technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth-
Tires and wheels 241
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as possible .
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width 9 fig. 186.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded ISO would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
1J1>
•
•

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
c:> .&. .
Te mp eratu re
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under con trolled condi­
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
c:> ,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No .
109 . Grades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.&_ WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop laning or peak traction
characteristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilu re.
-
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 w inter o r "snow" t ires, those
with very deeply cut tread . T hese tires should
o n ly be used in pairs and be installed on a ll
f o ur wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
ti res that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on yo ur vehicle.
You r vehicle is equipped with al l wheel d rive,
th is will improve traction d uring win ter driv­
ing, even with the standard tires. However, we
strong ly recommend that you always equip all
fo ur wheels on your vehicle with correctly fit­
ted winter tires or a ll-season tires, when win­
ter road cond itions are expected. This also im­
proves the veh icle's brak ing performance and
reduces stopping d istances .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all fo ur whee ls .
Ask your authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
w in ter ti re size s. Use
only radial winter tires .
Winter tires lose their effec tivenes s when the
tread is wo rn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w ith w inter t ires under w inte r co n­
ditions. S ummer t ires handle bette r when
there is no snow o r ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
If you have a flat ti re, see notes on spare
whee l
c:> page 238 .
Please always remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi­
nally installed on your vehi cle at the time it
was ma nufactu red. P lease see
c:> page 239,
Speed rating (Letter code)
for a lis ting o f the
speed rating lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven . ..,.

The speed rating letter code (c::> page 230) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 238.
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
winter tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury 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 immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
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 .
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 risks . Al­
ways 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.
@l For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Tires and wheels 243
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels , and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.S mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
c::> 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
~ Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control 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 specific snow chains .
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving 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 wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all wheel drive .
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