wheel size AUDI A5 COUPE 2012 Owners Manual

old child is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for airbag de­
ployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, espe­ cially 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back properly restrained
for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supple­ ments the safety belts to provide additional
protection for the driver's and front passeng­
er's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle deceleration is high enough .
The front Advanced Airbag System for the
front seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the over­
all occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
Always remember that the ai rbag system can
only help to protect you, if you are sitting up­ right, wearing your safety belt and wearing it
properly . This is why you and your passengers
must always be properly restrained, not just
because the law requires you to be.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low risk" re ­
quirements for 3 and 6 year-old children on
the passenger side and very small adults on
the driver side. The low risk deployment crite­
ria are intended to help reduce the risk of in­
jury through interaction with the front airbag
that can occur , for example , by being too
close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply with the "suppression" requirements
Airbag system 167
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants 12 months old and younger
who are restrained on the front passenger
seat in child restraints that are listed in the
Standard ¢
page 188 , Child restraints and
Advanced Airbags .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to about one year of age is re­
strained on the front passenger seat in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified . For a listing of the child restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com­ pliance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 188,
-weight less than a threshold level stored in
the control unit is detected on the front pas­
senger seat.
When a person is detected on the front pas­
senger seat, weighing more than the total
weight of a child that is about 1 year old re­
strained in one of the rear-facing or forward­
facing infant restraints (listed in Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified), the front airbag on the passen­ ger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electronic control unit detects a to­
tal weight on the front passenger seat that re­
quires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the control unit senses
an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old ,
but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy
(the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on). ..,. •
•

-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 does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rearward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer.
,& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install 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 passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided 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 installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
@ Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured .
Child Safety 187
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size . The airbag on the pas ­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the ..,. •
•

-Never mount used tires on yo ur 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 sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed equip ­
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r rein force d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire infl ation pressure
means t he tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 253
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i­
tion ing a nd addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
respondi ng s tanda rd tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOA D", or
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the loa d ra ti ng f or a t ire at the maxi­
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
•
•
...

254 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation p ressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter means the overa ll diameter of an inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tir e in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 253, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
o r "R F" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat.
If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
t read and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 264 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble , is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the max imum perm issible road speeds
~ A in Winter tires on page 268.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.

256 Tires and wheels
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 210 Tire p ress ure labe l: loca ted e ith er on d river 's
side 8 -pillar or ins ide t he fue l filler flap
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air i n a t ire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa), the inte rna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
squa re inch ( PSI). Tire pressure is based in
pa rt o n the vehicle's design an d load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi ­
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop­
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ress ure is higher when the tire
h as warmed up than when i t is "cold ." It is the
in flat ion pressu re i n a "cold " tire that coun ts.
T herefore, you sho uld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tir e infla tion pres­
sure" recommendations . The ti res wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M ain taining p roper t ire pr es su re is one o f the
most impor tan t things you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinfla ted ti res
a re a major ca use of s udden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires at the r ight pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sur es are particularly important when th e
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds , and
then especially when heav ily loaded even
w ithin the permissible load -carrying capaci ­
tie s approved for y our vehicle .
,;
•(=~ : I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - ­u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA. a PSI
Fig. 21 1 Tir e pressure la bel
SU OWNER'S MANUAl FOR AD0"10NAL l10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR Pl.US DE
REHSEKi.\'IEME NTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on t he kind of tires o n your veh icle
and the numbe r of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you w il l be transporting .
On USA vehicles, the t ire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-p illar. On Canada
vehicles, the tire press ure label is located ei­
ther on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or inside the
fuel fille r flap. The t ire press ure l abel lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures for
t h e veh icle at its ma ximum ca pa ci ty we igh t
and t ires th at were on yo ur vehicle at the t ime
it was manufac tured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 oc cu­
pant s), you can adjust tire pre ssures to those
specified for normal vehicle lo ad. Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
must increase the ti re pressures to those
specified for ma ximum veh icle load ¢.&..
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system * can o nly monitor the tire press ures
yo u have sto red. The system does not recog­
ni ze the load condition of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire press ure monitor ­
ing system * w ill be impa ired i f you store nor­
mal load press ures but then operate the veh i­
cle at its maximum load
¢ .&. .
See the ill ustration ¢ fig. 210 fo r the location
of the label eit her on driver's side B -p ill ar or
i nside the fuel fi ller flap (color of the actual
IJI>

Tires an d wheel s 257
labe l and exact location on the vehicle wi ll
va ry slightly). inside the f
uel fi ller flap) always takes p rece ­
dence.
Note that the f ollowing tab le is accurate at
t he t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (On USA vehicles, the tire pres­
sure label is located on the dr iver's side B-pil­
lar. On Canada vehicles, the tire pre ssure labe l
is located either on the driver's side B-pillar or T
he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re in flat ion p ressu res for the Audi mode l
cove red by your Owner 's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
( displace-
normal load normal load
ment in li- condition full load condition
full load
ter) (up to 2 oc-condition (up to 2 oc- condition
cupant s) cupants)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
4-cylinder 225 /50 Rl 7 94H All Season
230
33 230
2
.0
245/45 Rl 7 95H All Season 230
245 /40 R18 93H All S eason 33 230 35 240 29 200 35 240
255 /35 R19 96V XL High 32 220 33 230 32 220 33 230 Performance
265 /30 R20 94V XL H igh
Perfo rmance
30 210 33 230 29 200 33 230
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
located on a label e ither on the driver's side B­
p illar or ins ide the fuel filler flap .
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l­
ways compare the tire s ize designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle w it h the
tires on your veh icle. Ma ke sure that the tire
size info rmation on the ve hicle label is the
s a me as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires o r you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing su re that
l oad limits a re not exceeded . Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight Rat
ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We ight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
sa fe ty comp liance sticke r label lo cated e ither
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the ins ide of
the fue l filler flap. The tire pressure labe l on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage or
other cargo that the veh icle can carry . For t he
loca tion of the t ire p ressure label¢
fig. 210.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro l, a c rash or other accide nt, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
1
I
•
•

262 Tires and wheels
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. 212 Tire tread: tread wear ind icators (TWI)
_____ __,.J)
Fig. 213 Rotating t ires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
¢
fig . 212 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 sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
¢ & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
¢ page 258.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls outlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Booklet .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown¢
fig. 213.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires¢
page 279.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces ­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
¢page 210. ..,.

26 6 T ire s and whee ls
- Never mount used tires on yo ur 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 sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driv ing with different ti res reduces veh i­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare t ire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
f or example with winte r tires -on ly use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care. Refit the nor­
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi ­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading t ires 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
poss ible to use wheels from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even whee ls
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im discs on the ve­
hicle whee ls, 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.
0 Note
- For technical reasons , it is not general ly
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth­
er vehicles . This can ho ld 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 (fo
r example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possib le.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves could get damaged.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
D ispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality g rades can be found where applicab le
on the tire side wall between tread sho ulder
and maximum section width
~ page 263,
fig . 214.
For exampl e: Tread wear 200, Trac tion AA ,
Tempe rature A.
All passenge r car t ires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades .
Tread w ear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
under controlled conditions o n a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one ha lf (1 1/2) times as well on the
gover nment course as a ti re g raded 100 .
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart s ignificantly from the
no rm due to va riations i n driving hab its, se rv ­
ice practices and differences in road charac ter­
istics and cl imate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the ..,.

tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
t raction performance¢ .&,.
Temp 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 controlled condi­
tions on a specified indoor 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 ¢.&, .
T he grade
C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.8, WARNING
The trac tion grade assigned to this t ire is
b ase d on stra ight-ahead brak ing t raction
t ests, and does not inclu de acceleration,
co rnering, hydrop laning or peak traction
characteristics .
.8, 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
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible ti re 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 a reas, loca l governme nts
may require t rue winter or "snow" tires, those
Tires an d wheel s 267
with very deeply cut tread. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
fo ur wheels. Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same si ze and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with a ll-wheel drive,
th is w ill imp rove traction d uring winter driv ­
ing, even with the standard tires. However, we
strong ly rec ommend that you always equip all
fou r wheels on you r vehicle with correctly fit­
ted w inter t ires or al l-season t ires, when win­
te r road cond itions ar e expected . This also im­
proves the veh icle's b ra ki ng perfo rman ce and
reduces stopping d ista nces .
Summe r tires p rovide less grip on ice and
snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all four wheels .
Ask your authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes . Use
only rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive with winter tires under winte r con ­
ditions. S ummer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °().
If you have a flat t ire, see no tes on spare
whee l ¢ page 263.
P lease alway s remember tha t win ter tire s m ay
have a lowe r speed ra ti ng than the tires orig i­
nally installed on your vehi cle at the time it
was man ufactured. Please see ¢page 264,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
T he spee d rating letter code (¢ page 254) is
on the side wall of the t ire ¢page 263.
.8, WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than yo ur vehicle's max-
imum speed . Always know the max imum
~
•
•

268 Tire s and wheel s
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter t ires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING
Driv ing faster than the maximum speed
for which the w inter t ires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fa ilu re in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflat ion,
loss of control, crashes and serious per ­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immed iate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster t han 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 winte r tires and all -wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. Al­
ways remembe r:
- When brak ing, an all -wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
canno t he lp under black ice condit io ns.
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather cond i­
tions permit . They are quieter, do not wea r
as quickly and reduce fue l consumption .
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, a nd only to certa in tire sizes. Ask yo ur
author ized Audi dealer on wh ich 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), includ ing the lock.
Remove whee l cen ter cove rs and t rim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
¢ 0 . For safety reasons cover caps m ust then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail ­
a ble from authori zed Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your veh i­
cle o r instal ling them incorrectly can in ­
crease the risk of loss of cont rol leading to
serious pe rsonal injury .
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions p rov ided by t he snow cha in
manufac turer.
- When driving with snow cha ins never
d rive faster than the speed permitted for
your specifi c snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains down un necessa rily .
- Snow chains, which come into direc t con­
tact with the whee l rim, can scratch or
damage i t. Therefo re , make sure tha t the
snow chains are s uitably covered. Check
t he pos ition of t he snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces ­
sary. Follow the inst ructions from the
snow chain man ufacturer when do ing so.
(I) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer ­
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to ve ­
hicles w ith all whee l dr ive .