flat tire AUDI A7 2017 Owner´s Manual

Driving
system can be severely damaged by dr iving
th ro ugh water.
- Always switch the Star t/Stop sys tem * off
when driving through wate r
r:';> page 71.
{D) Tips
-Dete rm ine the depth befo re driv ing th ro ugh
wa ter.
- Do not s to p the veh icle, dr ive in reverse or
swi tc h t he eng ine off when dr iv ing t hrough
wa ter.
- K eep in mind t hat on coming veh icles m ay
crea te waves t hat raise the wate r level an d
make it too deep for your ve hicle to drive
th ro ugh safely.
- Avo id driving through s alt wa ter, because
th is can ca use corros io n.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fue l cons umption, the env iron­
men tal impact and the wear to the engine,
b rakes and t ires dep ends mostly on your dr iv ing
style. W ith an anticipatory and economic driv ing
s tyle, f ue l consumption can be reduced by ap­
p roximate ly 10-15% . The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipatory dr iving
A veh icle uses the mos t fu el when a cce le ra ting.
W hen you dr ive wi th ant icipat ion, you do not
need to brake as often and so you ac celerate less .
When possib le, let your ve hicle coast wit h a
gear
engaged ,
for example, when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions a nd fuel con­
sumpt io n to ze ro (f uel shut-off dur ing decelera­
tion) .
Shift efficiently
An effective way to save fuel is to upshift earlier.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the acce le rator peda l slowly and
avoid "k ick -down" .
66
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maxim um vehicle
speed. Hig h speeds cause a disproportionate ly
high increase in fue l cons umption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slowe r driving saves fue l.
Reduce idling time
The Start-S top system * helps to re du ce the idling
time automat ic all y. In ve hicles withou t the Star t­
Stop system *, i t is efficient to sw itch the engine
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
red lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec­
onds a lready saves more fue l than the amo unt of
extra fue l needed to restart the engine.
It takes a very long time in id le to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm- up
phase . Therefore, you shou ld begin driving im­
med iate ly after starting the engi ne. Avoid high
RPMs wh ile doing this.
Have maintenance performed regul arly
By having maintenance pe rformed reg ula rly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The
mainte nance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long- term value but al­
so im pacts
fuel consumption . A poorly main­
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consump tio n t hat
i s 1 0% hig he r th an no rm al.
Avoid short trips
The eng ine and exhaust clean ing system must
r each their op tima l
operating temperature to ef­
fect ively reduce consump tion a nd emissions.
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fuel. T he eng ine reaches operat ing
temperat ure and cons umption no rma lizes only
af ter approximate ly
2.5 miles (4 km).
Check the tire pressu re
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to t he correct press ure
r=':>page 221. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres­
s ur e is only 0 .5 bar too low . Due to t he i ncreased
r oll ing resis tance, low tire p ressures w ill also
...

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\.J ' Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
¢page 221. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions .
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 105, ¢0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions , you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight ¢page 107.
0 Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select
auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances . Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles.
Always apply brakes early . When driving down ­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving . Select in the MMI:
I CAR ! function button > (Car)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On. 1J,,
83

Driving sa fe ty
-Never lea ve yo ur vehicle unattended espe­
c ially w ith the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing t rapped in a vehicle can lead to se rious
persona l injury.
- Never let children play in or aro und the veh i­
cle.
- Never let passe ngers ride i n the luggage
compartmen t. Veh icle occupants m ust al­
ways be prope rly restrained in one of t he ve­
hicle's seating posi tions.
- A ir c irculat ion hel ps to reduce window fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
th ro ugh vents i n the t rim panel. Be su re to
k eep these sl ots free and open.
- T he t ire pressu re mus t cor respond to the
l oad. The tire p ressure is shown on the tire
pressure l abe l. T he tire p ressure label is lo­
cated on the driver 's s ide B-pi llar . The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommended cold
tire inflation p ressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the t ires that
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond itions, please see chap­
ter
¢ page 222.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
¢ page 135, Loading the luggage compartment .
In a collision, the laws of p hysics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in­
jury . Items in t he ve hicle possess energy wh ich
vary with vehicle speed and t he weight of the
item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignifica nt facto r.
For examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces act ing o n a 10-lb
(4 . 5 kg) object are abo ut 20 times the normal
weight of the item . T his means that the weight
136
of the item would s udden ly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the inj uries
that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
li sion like th is.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail dur ing hard
b raking or in a collision and cause ser ious per­
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mo unt ing straps and
pro perl y secure i tems to the tie-downs in
t he l uggage comp artmen t to help preven t
items from shi fting o r flying forwa rd as dan ­
ge rous miss iles .
- W hen the rear sea t bac krest is folded down,
a lways use suitable mo unti ng straps and
pro per ly secure items to the tie -downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to help prevent
items from flying forward as dangerous
m iss iles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
-
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immedi ately in­
form the National Highway Traffic Safet y Administration (NHTSA) in
a ddition to notifyin g Audi of
Ame rica, Inc.
If NHTSA re ceives s imilar com­
plaints, it m ay open an in vestiga­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defe cts exist s in a group of
v e hicles, it m ay order a re call and ..,

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Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
.,.Check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap­
proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
"'Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.M ark tires before removing
them so that the same running
direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled.
"'Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as
possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­ crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
Wheels
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form
on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­ aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 190 T ir e designations on the side -
wall Ill>
211

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® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is suitable for driving on mud and
snow. £ indicates a winter tire.
@Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the tire . In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry. Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the ti re . These inc lude
stee l, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Un iform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temper­
ature ranges¢
page 229 .
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional tires.
You must always follow the speci­
fied running direction
¢page 248 .
~ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
Wheels
T his number indicates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat ­
ing conditions .
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic t ransmission, power steer ­
ing, power brakes, power win­
dows , powe r seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent tha t these
items are avai lab le as factory- in­
stalled equipment (whether in­
s t alled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the w idth of the tire in percent.
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinfo rced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim. ...
213

Wheel s
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufac­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire
pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi­
tioning and additional weight of
optional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewal l.
214
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(" GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in ­
flation pressure. You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­ tion pressure for that tire.
Ma ximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of :
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight

a,
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Maximum (permissible )
inflat ion pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to wh ich a t ire may
be inflated. Also called "maxi­
mum inflation pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the veh icle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­
c le .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Oute r diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire .
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, including
elevations due to labeling, deco­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords.
Wheels
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 214, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in ­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire. Rein­
forced tires may be identified as
"X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF"
on the sidewall. ..,
215

Wheels
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the t ire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wh eel size, you will have to p ur­
chase new tires to match the new
rim d iameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and w idth.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
r im flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a t ire be­
twee n the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a t ire is
designed to be driven for extend­
ed periods of ti me. The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 212 .
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code,
wh ere applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and ind icates the
2 16
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ A in Winter tires on
page 227 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle's
tires a re underinflated and illumi ­
nates a low tire pressure war ning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact wi th the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the project ions wi thin the
pr inc ipal grooves designed to g ive
a visua l indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 2 20, Treadwear indicator
for mo re information on meas ur­
ing tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
i s a tire informa tion system devel ­
oped by the Unite d States Nation ­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make re lative
..

Wheels
comparisons among tires. The by the tire manufacturer. This in-
UTQG is not a safety rating and formation is used to contact con-
not a guarantee that a tire will sumers if a tire defect requires a
last for a prescribed number of recall.
miles (kilometers) or perform in a
Vehicle capacity weight
certain way . It simply gives tire
means the rated cargo and lug-
buyers additional information to
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 ki lo -
combine with other considera -
tions, such as price, brand loyalty grams) times the vehicle's desig-
na
ted seating capacity.
and dealer recommendations. Un-
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire manu facturers in three areas: tire
treadwear, traction, and tempera -
means that load on an individual
ture resistance. The UTQG infor- tire that is determined by dist rib-
mation on the tires, molded into
uting to each ax le its share of the
the sidewalls. maximum loaded vehicle weight
U.S. DOT Tire Identification an d div id in g by two.
Number (TIN)
Vehicle normal load on the tire
This is the tire's "seria l number" .
means that load on an individual
It beg ins with the letters "DO T"
tire that is determined by distrib-
and indicates that the tire meets uting to each axle its share of the
all federal s tandards. The next
curb weight, accessory weight,
two numbers o r letters indicate
and normal occupant weight (dis-
the plant where it was manufac- tributed in accordance with ¢
ta-
tu red, and the last four numbers ble on page 2 23) and divid ing by
represent the week and year of two.
manufactu re . For example,
Occupant loading and distri -
DOT ... 2216 ... bution for vehicle normal load
means that the tire was produced for various designated seating
in the 22nd week of 2016 . The capacities
a,
other numbers are marketing co- Refer to the tire
inflation pres -a, .... N r-.
sure label¢ page 221, fig. 193 N des that may or may not be used ... .... 0 a, OJ ..
217

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circumference as the regular
tires .
8,_ WARNING , -
-Only use tire/rim combina-
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident
could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles -in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso­
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
Wheels
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve­ hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 191 Tire profile: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear .
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear .
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear. ..
219