weight AUDI A8 2017 Owner's Manual

Child safety
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion 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 de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint ", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year-old child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de­
cide" , whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
250
· Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag
is turned off and that the airbag status is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
differen t weights and si zes and different 'foot­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Grace Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio S IP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos-
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 2S4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
Child safety
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immed iately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly ¢
page 254 .
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­ ty seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking r etractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
~page 258.
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measu re more weight
than is actually on the seat.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~page 253.
Always remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especia lly those 12 years and younger,
shou ld a lways ride in the back seat proper ly re-
strained for their age and s ize.
liJJ..
251

Child safety
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward -facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 241 Schema tic overv iew: rearwa rd -facing infan t sea t,
properly installe d on the rea r seat
• When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 258 or install the seat using the LA TCH
attachments.
• Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 253.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats des igned for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in spec ial restraints in which the
chi ld faces the back of the veh icle. These infant
seats support the baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig . 241 .
The airbag on the passenger 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 forward -facing child seat.
It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
254
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even w ith an Advanced Airbag System .
A ch ild will be serio usly inju red and can be
killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof ¢
page 22 7, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot p rotect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately i nstall
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used<=)
page 218, Safety belts,
¢ page 226, Airbag system and
¢ page 248, Important information.

Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 242 Schemat ic overv iew: installatio n of the attac h­
ments app lica ble to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 243 Schematic overv iew : installat io n of the seat using
the vehicle 's safe ty be lt syste m
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
Q page 258 or install the seat us ing the LATC H
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward o r sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm)
Q page 258.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
Q page264.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Q page 253.
~ A toddler or child is usually too large for an in-
;:::: fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
" 8 weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
0 :r Child safety
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be
properly restrained in a child safety seat certified
for their size and weight
Q fig. 242 and
q fig . 243.
The airbag on the passenger 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 forward -facing child safety seat. It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
_&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong
child safety seat or improperly instal ling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth ­
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center arm rest, door
or roof.
-Al ways install rear-fa cing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must insta ll a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of excep tional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat shou ld
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust the rear
seat head restraint if it is difficult to install
the child seat w ith the head restraint in
~
255

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
A WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described~
page 236, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installation of chi ld restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improper ly installed chi ld restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints :
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan ­
el.
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad-
Ch ild safety
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­ bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing ch ild restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except iona l cir­
cumstances.
- A t ight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and reg ister a heav i­
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight reg istered can make the
system work as though an ad ult we re on the
seat and deploy the Advanced A irbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.
259

Child safet y
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer 's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your veh icle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the wa y out .
.,. Route it around o r through the ch ild restraint
belt path
~ ,&. .
""Pu sh the child safety seat down wit h your fu ll
weight to get the s afety be lt rea lly tight.
.,. Inse rt the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
ti l the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" no ise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vertib le locking ret ractor by pu lling on the belt .
Yo u should no longer be ab le to pu ll the belt
out of the retracto r. The conve rtible locking re­
tra cto r is now act ivated .
.,. Make s ure that the red release b utton is fac ing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
u nbuck led q uickly.
.,. Pull on the be lt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restra int or an im prop­
erly installed ch ild rest raint can cause ser ious
perso nal in jury o r de ath in a crash.
- Always make sure tha t the safety belt re­
t ra ctor is loc ked when ins tall ing a child
safe ty seat. An unlocke d safety bel t re trac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during no rma l driving or in a crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
loose child safety seat can f ly arou nd du ring
a sudden stop or in a crash.
260
- Always make sure the seat back rest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
r ight position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherw ise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident o r othe r emergency s ituation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used~
page 248. Spe cial p recau tions
ap ply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r seat ~
page 22 7, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
' Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way back into the re­
tractor .
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buck le.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
.,. Guide the safety be lt all the way back into its
stowed posit io n.
Always let the safety be lt retract completely into
i ts stowed pos it ion. The safety be lt can now be
u sed as an ord inary safety belt w it h out the con­
vertib le locking retractor for ch ild restraints .
If the conve rtible locking retractor should be ac­
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided comp letely back i nto its
stowed pos ition to deactiva te th is feature . If the
conve rtible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety be lt will g radually become t ighter and
u n comfortab le to wear.
A WARNING
Improperly installed c hild safety seat s in­
crease the r is k of serious personal injury and
death in a co llision.
-
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactiv ate
the convertible locking ret ractor fo r ch ild re-
straints wh ile the vehicle is mov ing. You
~

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r that could be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
rior .
Fo rward facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U .S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors (in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a collision. The anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by cor­ rectly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­ pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
- The heavier weight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Ad­
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to the
child.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
Child safety
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 252 Tether st rap: proper routing and mount ing
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions .
.,. Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint ¢
fig. 252 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary). For child restraints with V­
tether straps, always make sure that the head
restraint guide rods do not interfere with any
part of the top tether strap .
.,. Center seating position*: Guide the upper teth­
er strap over the rear head restraint.
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage .
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
ca tch of the hook engages.
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions .
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
265

Child safet y
CJ) Note
If you leave the chi ld restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cush ion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around the tethe r strap . This applies especially to
lea ther seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Curre ntly, few rear -facing chi ld restraint systems
come w ith a tether . P lease read and heed the
child restra int system manufact urer 's instruc­
t ions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether .
A WARNING
A child in a rearwa rd-faci ng chi ld safety seat
installed o n the front passenge r seat w ill be
ser iously injured and c an be killed if the fron t
airb ag infla tes -even w ith an Adv ance d Airbag
System.
- T he infl ati ng air bag w ill hit the child sa fety
seat or infant carrier wi th great force and
will smash t he chi ld safety seat and child
against the bac krest, center armrest, o r
doo r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing child restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too m uch pressure
on the we ight-mat in the seat and register a
heavie r weig ht in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem . The heav ier weight registered can
make the system wo rk as though an adult
were on the sea t and deploy the Advanced
Air bag whe n it must be supp res sed ca using
serious o r even fa tal i njur y to the ch ild.
- If you mus t install a rearward fac ing ch ild
sa fe ty seat on the front passenger sea t be­
ca use of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay o n, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
266
Additional information
· Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a n umber of sources of addi tional in ­
formation about ch ild rest raint se lection, instal ­
l ation and use :
N HT SA advises t hat the bes t chi ld safety seat is
the one tha t fits yo ur child and fits in yo ur vehi ­
cle, and that you will use correct ly and consis­
te ntly.
Try befo re yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra ­
tion
Tel.: 1 -888 -3 27- 42 36 ( TTY: 1-800- 424 -9153)
htt p://www.nh tsa.gov
http:/ /www .sa ferca r.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: ( 202) 662-0600
htt p://www.safekids .org
Safety BeltSafe U.S .A
T el.: (800) 745-SA FE (E nglish)
Tel.: (8 00) 747-SA NO (Spanish)
htt p://www.ca rseat.o rg
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1 -613-998-86 16 if
yo u are in the Ottawa area
h ttp://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ roadsafety/menu. htm
Audi Customer Re lat ions
Tel.: (800) 82 2-2834

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: