tire pressure AUDI A6 2011 Owner's Manual

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Yo ur sa fety and that of your passengers also depends o n mak ing s ure
t h at loa d limits are no t ex ceede d. Vehicle lo ad incl udes eve rybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These load limits are tech nica lly
referred to as the ve hicle 's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("G VW R").
T he "G VWR" includes the we igh t of the b asic ve hicl e, all fa ctory
installe d accesso ries, a fu ll tank of fue l, o il, coo lant and other fluids
p lu s m aximu m lo ad. Th e maxi mum lo ad include s th e num ber of
passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity")
w ith a n assu med we ight of 150 l bs (6 8 kg) for e ach p assenger at a
designated seating position and the tota l weight of any luggage in
t he vehicle . If you tow a trai le r, t he weight o f the t railer hitch and t he
tongue we ig ht of the loaded trailer must be included as pa rt of the
veh icle load .
T he
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the m aximum load tha t
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
Th e Gross Vehi cle We ight Ratin g a nd the Gross Axle Weigh t Ra ting
are listed o n the safety compliance sticker label located on the
dr ive r's side B-pillar. You r A udi has 5 sea ting positions, 2 in the fron t
and 3 in the rear fo r tota l seati ng ca pac ity of 5 . Eac h seat ing position
has a safety belt ~
page 18 7, "Safety belts".
T he fa ct t hat t here is an upper lim it to your ve hicle's G ross Veh icle
We ight Rating means that t he total weight of whatever is being
c arried in t he ve hicle (includi ng the wei ght of a tra ile r hit ch an d the
tongue weig ht of the loaded tra iler) is limited. The more passengers
i n th e ve hicl e or p assenge rs who are heavier th an the stan dard
we igh ts assumed mean that less we igh t can be ca rried as luggage.
The tire pressure label on yo ur A udi a lso lists the max imum combined
w eight of all of th e occ upants and luggag e or o ther cargo that th e
vehicle ca n car ry. Fo r the location o f the labe l~
page 299, fig . 216.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control , a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was de signed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe di stance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash .
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gros s Vehicle Weight Rating. •
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage or other things that you plan to transport 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 OCCUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure label) =>
page 299,
fig. 216.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers 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 =>
page 299, fig. 216.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lbs . passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
Safety first
Tires and wheels -
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 trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
- Check the tire sidewall(=>
page 307,
fig. 220) to determine the designated load rating for a specific tire . •
Vehicle care Technical data

___ T_ i_ r _e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Tire service Life
The servi ce life of tires depends on a lot of different
things including proper installation and balancing,
correct tir e pressure and driving style.
l 1.. ______ Jj
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
Fig. 2 18 Tire tread:
t rea d w ear in di cato rs
(TW I)
Fig . 21 9 R otati ng
tires f or m ore e ven
w ea r
The original t ires o n your veh icle have 1/16 inch ( 1.6 mm) h igh "wear
ind icators"~ fig. 218 running across the tread . Depending on the
ma ke, there w ill be six to eight of them even Ly placed around the ti re.
Marks on the t ire sidewall (for examp le "TWI " or other symbols) indi­
cate the positions of the tread wea r indicators . Worn t ires must be
replaced. Differe nt figu res may apply in other countries ~ & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wea r and can cause sudden
tire blow-o ut. Fo r th is reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
once a mont h
~ page 302.
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acceleration and hard b raking
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires o n your ve hicle to have the same se rvice life, we
recommend that the fron t and rear t ires are rot ated according to the
tire manufact urer's suggested tire rotat ion intervals . Please
remember the fo llow ing :
• Tir e ro tat ion inte rvals may d iffe r from the vehicle serv ice intervals
out lined in your Maintenance and Warranty Booklet .
• The longer one tire is used in one locat ion on the vehicle, the more
it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you follow
the t ire manufacture r's sugges ted tire rotation interva ls .
• Vehicles with front-whee l drive experience more tread wea r on the
front wheels compa red to a ll-wheel dr ive (quattro ®).
• Please ro ta te tires as shown~ fig. 219 .
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific t ires
~ page 325 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, var ious si tuatio ns
dur ing everyday driving can cause them to become unbalanced,
resu lting in v ibr ations yo u can us ua lly fee l throug h the stee rin g
w heel.
Unbalanced whee ls mus t be rebalanced to avoid excessive wea r on
steeri ng, suspension and tires . A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
~

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
(j)
®
®
@
@
U.S . DOT tire identification number
Audi Original tire
Sever snow conditions
Tire ply composition and materials used Ma ximum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature grades M axi mum pe rmissib le inflation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design . The tires
and rims approved by Audi are specially matched to the characteris­
tics 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 wheels be performed by an
authorized Audi dealer . They are familiar with recommended proce­
dures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as well as
the proper facilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about tech­
nical requirements for installing 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 information to the tire pressure moni­
toring system* ~
page 314.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have the same specifications
as the tires approved for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires must
always have the same load rating specification as the original equip ­
ment or approved optional tires listed in the table~
page 299.
Audi-approved specification tires are specially matched to your
vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important road- holding, driving characteristics, and safety of the vehicle
. The table
(~ page 299) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Audi
models covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located on driver's side B-pillar (~
page 299,
fig. 217) lists the specifications of the original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to place standardized infor­
mation on the sidewall of all tires~
page 307, fig. 220 . This infor­
mation identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics, the
quality grade of the tire 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 easier to choose the correct
tires . Radial tires have the tire specifications marked on the sidewall,
for example:
P245 / 45 R 17 99 H XL
This contains the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars (where applicable)
245 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire from sidewall edge to side-
wall edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider the tire
45 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction : Radial
17 Rim diameter code (in inches)
99 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF") indicates that the tire is a"Rein­
forced" or an "Extra Load" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has some mud and snow capa­
bility
The tires could also have the information of direction of rotation
~page 295.

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Tire manufacturing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on the tire sidewall
(possibly on ly on the
inner s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2210 ... " means, for example, that the tire was produced in
the 22nd week of 2010.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rat ing letter code on the wheels ind icates the maximum
permissible road speeds =>
& in "Winter tires" on page 311.
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 1 18 mp h (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)3>
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)3>
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)3>
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)3>
Your vehicle is normally factory equipped with t ires, which possess
excellent driving characterist ics and give you r A udi optimum driv ing
comfort. An electronic speed limiter=>
page 23 will normally prevent
your vehicle from going faster than the tire speed rating =>
&-
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins with the letters "DOT" and
indicates that the tire mee ts all federal standa rds. 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 2210 mean that the tire was produced in
3
l For tires w ith a maxim um speed capabi lity ove r 149 mph (240 km/h), tire
manufacture rs sometimes use the letters "ZR."
Safety first
the 22nd week of 2010 . The other numbers are marketing codes that
may or may not be used by the tire manufacturer . This i nformation is
used to contact consumers if a tire defect requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have been specially
matched w ith your Audi. We recommend using only these tires
because they meet the highest standards regard ing safety and
driv ing characteristics when used correct ly. Your authorized Audi
dealer will gladly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of layers of rubber-coated
fabric in the tire. In general, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufacturers also must indi­
cate the materials in the tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in kilograms and pounds
that can be carried by the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades=> page 310.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should ever
be put in the tire under normal driving conditions.
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can lead to loss of control, collision
and serious personal injury. _,.
Vehicle care Technical data

___ T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
After changing a wheel, the torque must be checked as soon as
possible with a torque wrench -preferably by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop. •
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ratio tires. These tires
have been thoroughly tested and been selected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road feel and handling under a
variety of driving conditions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated by a numeral of
55 or
less
in the tire's size designation. The numeral represents the ratio of
the tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width expressed in
percentage. Conventional tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is particularly sensitive to
improper inflation pressure. It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflation pressure is regularly checked and maintained. Tire pres­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always before a
long trip=>
page 302, "Checking tire pressure" .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more easily by impact with
potholes, curbs, gullies or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact damage to the tires of
your vehicle, we recommend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
• Always maintain recommended inflation pressures. Check your
tire pressure every 2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary.
• Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep gullies or ridges. The
impact from driving through or over such obstacles can damage your
tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires. •
After any impact, immediately inspect your tires or have them
inspected by the nearest authorized Audi dealer. Replace a damaged
tire as soon as possible.
• Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000 km) for damage and
wear . Damage is not always easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, which could eventually cause tire failure. If
you believe that a tire may have been damaged, replace the tire as
soon as possible.
• These tires may wear more quickly than others.
• Please also remember that, while these tires deliver responsive
handling, they may ride less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes. The low aspect ratio, ultra
high performance tires originally installed on your vehicle are
intended for maximum dry and wet road performance and handling.
They are not suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If you
drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle with
all-season or winter tires, which offer better traction under those
conditions. We suggest you use the recommended snow or all-season
tires specified for your vehicle, or their equivalent.
Refer to=>
page 311 for more detailed information regarding winter
tires. •
Tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
General notes '
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a different size .,

Tires and wheels Ill _______________ _____.
than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure
label , you sho uld determine the proper tire infla tion pressure fo r
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressu re monitoring sys tem (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pres ­
sure telltale when one o r more of your t ires is s ignificantly under­
inflated. Accord ingly, when the low tire pressure tellta le illumi nates,
you should stop and check your tires as soon as possib le, and inflate
them to the proper p ress ure. D riving on a sign ificantly under-inflated
tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under­
inflation also reduces f uel efficiency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle's handling and stopping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper tire mainte­
nance, and it is the d river's responsibility to mainta in correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level to trigger
ill umination of the TPMS low tire press ure te lltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped w ith a TPMS malfunction indi­
cato r to indica te when the system is not operating properly . The
TP MS ma lf u nction indicator is combined with the low tire p ress ure
telltale. When the system detects a malfunct ion, the telltale will
fl ash for approximate ly one minute and then rema in continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
sta rt-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the ma lfunction indicator is illum inated, the system may not
be able to de tect or signa l low ti re pressure as intended . TPMS
ma lfunctions may occur fo r a var iety of reaso ns, includ ing the instal­
lation of replacement o r alternate tires or wheels on the vehi cle that
prevent the T PMS from functioning properly . Always check the TPMS
ma lfunction tellta le after replacing one or more tires or whee ls on
yo ur vehicle to ensure that the replacement o r alte rnate t ires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to funct ion proper ly .•
Vehicle OP-eration
App lies to vehicles : wi th t ire p ressu re mon it ori ng system
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument cluster
informs you if the tire pressure is too low or if there is a
system malfunction.
Fi g. 221 D is pl ay:
un der infl ation
wa rning
Fi g. 2 22 Display :
Sys tem malfun ction
Us ing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor ing system compares
the t ire tread c ircumference and vibration characteristics of the ind i­
vidual tires .
If the pressure decreases in one or more tires, this is indi -
cated in the instrument cl uster with a warning symbol and a
message ~ fig. 221. The d river message in the display goes o ut after
5 seconds . The driver message can be displayed again by p ressing the
!C HECK ] button. If on ly one t ire is affected, the display will ind icate
its position. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

IIIIL_T.:...:..: i r~ e:.: s~ a:::. n:..:..:: d:.....: w..:...:. h::e:.: e::.:: ls::::._ ______________________________________________ _
The tire pressure monitoring must be reset via MMI each t ime the
pressures are adjus ted (e.g. w hen swi tching between p art ial an d full
load pressure) or after chang ing o r replacing a tire o n your veh icle
~ page 31 6. Yo u can fi nd the recommended tire press ures for yo ur
veh icle on the label on the driver 's door pillar~ page
299 .
Tire tread circ umference and vibrat ion characteristics can change and
c a u se a tir e pressure war ning if:
• the t ire pressure in one o r more tires is too low,
• t he tire ha s structur al dam age,
• the tire press ure was changed, wheels rotated or rep laced but the
TPM S was no t reset~ page
316.
Warning symbols
1..1' Loss of press ure in at least one tire~ &. Check the tire or tires
and replace or repair if necessary. The indicator light (• in the instru­
me nt clust er also illuminates~ page
12. Check/correct th e p res­
sures o f all four tires and reset TPMS via MMI.
rr :; (T ire Pressu re M on itor ing System) Tire pres sure! System
malfunction.
If T ,.;> appears a fter switching the ignition on or w hile
dr iv ing ~ page
315, fig . 2 22 a nd t he indica to r lig ht 'in th e instr u­
me nt clus ter b links for approx ima tely one m inute and the n stays on,
there is a system ma lf u nct io n. See your authorized Audi dealer as
soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the tir e pres sure indicator appears in the instrument cluster
display, one or more of your tires i s significantly under-inflated.
Reduce your speed immediately and avoid any hard steering or
braking maneuvers. Stop as soon a s possible and check the tires
and their pressures . Inflate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle 's tire pressure label~
page 299.
Driving on a significantly under -inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under -inflation also is likely
to impair the vehicle's handling and stopping ability.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• The driver is re sponsible for maintaining the correct tire pres­
sures . You must check the tire pres sures regularly .
• Under certain conditions (such as a sporty driving style , winter
conditions or unpaved roads) , the pressure monitor indicator may
be delayed.
• Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run-flat tires may be used on
your vehicle . Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you u se
the se tires when not permitted. Damage to your vehicle or acci­
dents could also result.
[ i ] Tips
• T he tire pressure monito ring system stops wor king when there is
an ES P/ABS malf u nctio n.
• Using snow cha ins may res ult in a system ma lf u n ct ion .
• The tire pressure mon itor ing system on your Au di was calibrated
using t ires with the "AO" or "RO " id ent ificat ion . We re comme nd
using these tires. •
Applies to vehicles: with tire p ressure monito ring system
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
I f the tire pressure is adjus ted, wheels are rotated or
changed, th e TPfvf S must b e re set via
fv1fv1 I.
-Turn on the ign it ion .
- Sele ct : Fu nct ion butt on
[C AR ]> Systems* > Tire pressure
monitoring
> Store now.
[ i ] Tips
Before resett ing the TPMS, the current pressures of all four t ires
mus t co rrespo nd to the specifie d val ues. A djust the tire pre ssure and
~

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ nn
reset the pressure in the tire pressure mon itoring system accord ing
t o the loa d you are car rying ~
page 299. •
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data

lffl!I.___W __ h_a_ t_ d_ o_ I_ d_ o_ n_ o_w_ ? _____________________________________________ _
- Disengage and lower the floor panel before you close the
luggage compartment lid again.
Storing the replaced wheel
-Place the replaced wheel inside the spare wheel well in the
luggage compartment.
Tighten the knurled retaining screw clockwise to secure
the wheel in place.
- Disengage and lower the floor panel before you close the
luggage compartment lid again.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compartment can cause serious
personal injury during hard braking or in an accident.
• Never store the spare wheel or jack and tools in the passenger
compartment.
• Always store all jacking equipment, tools, and the spare wheel
in the luggage compartment.
• Tighten the knurled retaining screw for the spare wheel
securely.
[ i] Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the spare tire periodically to keep the
tire ready for use.•
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own and your
passenger's safety when changing a wheel.
- After you experience a tire failure, pull the car well away
from moving traffic and try to reach
level ground before
you stop :::> & .
- All passengers should
leave the car and move to a safe
location (for instance, behind the guardrail) :::>& .
- Engage the
parking brake to prevent your vehicle from
rolling unintentionally:::> &.
- Move
selector lever to position P :::> & .
- If you are towing a trailer: unhitch the trailer from your
vehicle.
- Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the luggage
compartment:::>
page 318.
& WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured while changing a wheel if
you do not follow these safety precautions:
• If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance off the road. Turn
off the engine, turn the emergency flashers on and use other
warning devices to alert other motorists.
• Make sure that passengers wait in a safe place away from the
vehicle and well away from the road and traffic.
• To help prevent the vehicle from moving suddenly and possibly
slipping off the jack, always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel being changed. When
one front wheel is lifted off the ground, placing the Automatic
~