tires AUDI A8 2017 User Guide

Wheels
(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
P indicates a tire for a passenger
vehicle. T indicates a tire desig­
nated for temporary use.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be­
tween the sidewalls in millime­
ters. In general: the larger the
number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height/width ratio expressed as a
percentage.
@ Tire construction
R indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Size of the rim diameter in inches.
@ Load index and speed rating
The load index indicates the tire's
load-carrying capacity.
The speed rating indicates the maximum permitted speed
¢ & in
Winter tires on page 298.
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi­
cates that the tire is reinforced or
is an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
p
up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (160 km/h)
284
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
Ing
R
up t o 106 mph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 1 18 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)al
z above 149 mph (240 km/h)al
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)al
y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)al
a) For tires above 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacturers sometimes use the
code "ZR".
(j) US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
The manufacture date is listed on
the tire sidewall (it may only ap­
pear on the inner side of the tire):
DOT ... 2216 ...
means, for example, that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2016.
@ Audi Original equipment
tires
Audi Original equipment tires
with the designation "AO" have
been specially matched to your
Audi. When used correctly, these
tires meet the highest standards
for safety and handling. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility will be

able to provide you with more in­
formation .
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
has properties making it suitable
to drive in mud or snow .
& indi­
cates 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 tire. These inc lude
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the max i­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temper ­
ature ranges ¢
page 300.
0 @ Running direction
"' -~ The arrows indicate the running
-~ direction of unidirectional tires . ...
Wheels
You must always follow the speci­
fied runn ing d irect ion
¢ page 319 .
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi ­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat­
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weigh t (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­
matic transm ission, power steer­
ing , power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as facto ry-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the heigh t to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lowe r indicate a
low sidewa ll for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement. .,.
285

Wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
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 vehic le manufac­
turer for a tire of a des ignated
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 adj usted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle w ith standard equipment in ­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of
op tional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire des igned to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in -
286
flation pressures than t he corre­
spond ing standa rd tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl" , "EXTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the ti re-gro und interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all ti res be­
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion p ressure for that ti re .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:

0
"' -N
" N
-0
0
:c ...
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight
Ma ximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which 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.
Outer 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 .
Wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
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 286, 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 .,.
287

Wheels
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" I I I
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel size, you w ill have to p ur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
rim flanges.
S idewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time. The rat ings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 284.
You may not find
this information on all tires be ­
cause it is not requ ired by law.
28 8
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and ind icates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on
page 298.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i­
na tes a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact w ith the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away o f the tread
from the t ire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of the deg rees
of wear of the tread. Se e
¢ page 292, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur-
ing tire wear. .,.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
al Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relat ive com­
parisons among tires . The UTQG
is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of mi les
(kilometers) or perform in acer­
tain way. It simply gives t ire buy ­
e rs add itional informa tion to
combine with other considera ­
tions, such as p rice, brand loya lty
and dealer recommendations . Un­
der UTQG, tires are graded by t he
tire manufacturers in th ree areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera ­
ture res istance. The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the s idewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number".
It beg ins with the le tters "DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards . T he nex t
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac -
~ tu red, and the last fo ur numbers
-~ represent the week and yea r of
-~ manufacture. For examp le, ...
Wheels
DOT ... 2216 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week o f 2016 . The
other numbers are marketing co­ des that may or may not be used
by the t ire manufact urer. This in ­
formation is used to contact con­ sumers if a tire defec t req uires a
reca ll.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus lS0 lbs . (68 k ilo­
grams) t imes the vehicle's desig ­
na ted seating capacity.
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an ind iv idual
tire tha t is determined by dist rib­
ut ing to eac h ax le its share of the
maximum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on a n individual
tire that is determined by dist rib­
uting to each ax le its share of the
curb weight , accessory weight ,
and normal occupant weigh t (dis­
tributed in accordance wit h
c:::> ta­
ble on page 295) and dividing by
two. .,.
28 9

Wheel s
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seat ing
capacit ies
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure label ¢
page 293, fig . 268
for the number of seating posi­
tions . Refer to the table¢
table
on page 295
for the number of
people that correspond to the ve­
hicle normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility .
These facilities have the proper knowledge and are equipped with
the required tools and replace­
ment parts.
.,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum gripping properties. Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 miles (500 km) with new tires .
.,. Use tires of the same construc­
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as poss ible on all four
wheels .
290
.,.Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,. Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires. If you would
like to use different tires, please
note that the tires may perform
differently even if they are the
same size ¢
,&..
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina ­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility before making a pur­
chase ¢&, .
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle -for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
so only use the spare tire* tempo ­
rarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use. It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
All four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the
drive system is not damaged by
different tire speeds. For this rea -
son, in case of emergency, only .,.

0 a, .... N ,.... N .... g :r ..
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ 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-
Wheels
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so .
-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. 266 T ire 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.
291

Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread
pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 in (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per­ pendicular to the running direc­
tion. The letters "TWI" or trian­
gles on the tire sidewall indicate
the location of the treadwear in­
dicators.
The tires have reached the mini­ mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
c:::> ..&. .
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec­
ommended to ensure the tires
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
292
wear evenly. To rotate the tires,
install the tires from the rear axle
on the front axle and vice versa .
This will allow the tires to have
approximately the same length of
service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
c:::>page 319.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden . Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
.&_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety. ,..

This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the
risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving
through curves and when brak­ ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 267 Driver's side B -pillar : tire pres­
sur e label
-"' -,--------------- -
• ============ i (
:=:=a : I =:: I :.. I) (':: ~) n,.......,.._,.,.. ......... _.__......, _ _.., .... _ ... l ................... . __.......... .......... ..._ .. .,,, ..
Fig. 268 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la­
bel. The label is located on the B­
pillar ¢
fig. 267, ¢ fig. 268.
~ When the vehicle is partially load-
N
~ ed (up to 3 peop le), use the tire
0
0
I Wheels
pressure specified for normal
loads¢
table on page 295. If
driving the vehicle when fully loaded, you must increase the tire
pressure to the maximum speci­
fied pressure ¢.&, .
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,..Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,..Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
.,..Check the label ¢
fig. 268 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,..Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary.
.,..Vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain ­
ment system ¢
page 302.
.,..Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire* /spare t ire* . Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire. .,.
293