weight AUDI R8 SPYDER 2011 Owner's Manual

Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly restrained for its age and si ze.
_&. WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­ ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
r::;,page 138. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
r::;, page 119, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
_&. WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Child Safety 147
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
r::;, page 128, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on the inflating
airbag will hit the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately
by your Audi dealer.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­ ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
_&. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­ straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position. •
•

148 Child Safety
-Make sure t hat the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
Rearward -fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carri er wit h great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the b ackrest, door or
roof.
- Alway s be espe cially caref ul if you must
ins tall a re arwa rd fa cing child s afety seat
on the front passenge r seat in exception ­
al circumstances .
- A tight tether st rap on a rearward-facing
child rest raint attached to the front pas ­
senger seat can put too much pressu re
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg is­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced A ir­
bag System. The heav ier we ight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Ai rbag when it must
be s uppressed causing ser ious o r even
f a tal inj ury to the child .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the
t ime whe never the ignition i s switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If t he PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rie r with great fo rce and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
au thori zed Au di d ealer .
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cu re a child re strain t.
Always heed the ch ild safety sea t manufactur­
er's instr uctions when installing a child re­
st ra in t in your veh icle . To a ctivate the conve r­
t ible lo cking re tractor:
.,. Place t he ch ild restraint on a seat .
.,. Slowly pu ll the belt
all the way out .
.,. Route i t around or th roug h the child re­
s train t belt pa th
~ .&, .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight.
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back i nto the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and snug o n the child
safety seat.
"" Yo u should hear a "cl icking " noise as the
be lt winds back into the inertia ree l. Test the
convert ible lo cki ng re tr actor by pulling on
t he belt. You s hould no longer be ab le to
pull t he be lt out of the retrac to r. T he con ­
vertible locking retracto r is now activated .
.,. Make s ure that the red release button is fac ­
ing away from the child rest raint so that it
can be unbuckled quick ly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
s e at ca nnot move forwa rd or sideways more
than one inch ( 2.S cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child res traint o r an i m­
pr operly ins talled chi ld restraint can cause
se rious pe rsonal injury or deat h in a c rash.
- Always ma ke sure tha t t he safe ty belt re-
trac to r i s loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An un locke d safety belt re­
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing norma l dr iving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child sa fety seat firmly
-
in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. ~

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . T ires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara ­
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, you r vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid s udden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A voidin g damage
If yo u have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals incl ud ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on r ims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 189
New tires
New ti res h ave to be broken in~& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip,
road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
~ page 216.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

190 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of R t ron ic, powe r stee ring, powe r brakes,
power w indows , power sea ts, r ad io , a nd hea t­
e r, to the extent that these i tems are available
as facto ry -in stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio o f the heigh t to the w idth of
the tire in percen t. Numbers of 55 or lower in­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means t he pa rt of the t ire that is made o f
steel wires, wrapped o r reinforce d by p ly cor ds
and that is shaped to fi t the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the s trands forming the plies in the
tire .
Cold tire inflation pre ssure
means t he tire pressure recommended by the
ve hicle manufacture r for a tire of a designated
si ze that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure i s measu red or adjusted. -
If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment includ ing the max imum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, a ir cond i­
ti on ing and addi tional weig ht o f option al
equipmen t.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher
loads and at highe r inflat ion p ress ures tha n
the cor responding standard tire . Extr a load
t ir es my be i dent ified as "XL", "xl", "E X T RA
LO AD", or "RF" on t he sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load-carry ing capacity of a s ingle
axle system , measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rat ing (code )
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry fo r a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not fi nd this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the lo ad r ati ng for a tire a t the m axi­
mum perm issib le inf lation pressure for that
ti re .

Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation pressu re."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the
nu mber of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diameter of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated para llel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic t ire in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Tires and wheels 191
Recommended inflation pressure
see ~ page 190, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflat ion pressures than
the corresponding standard tire. Re inforced
ti res my be ident ified as "XL" , "xl", "E XTRA
LOAD", or "RF" 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 nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim fla nges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 200 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
T he speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum pe rm issib le road speeds
~ .&. in Winter tires on page 204.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.
•
•

192 Tires and wheels
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a v isual ind ication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
~ page 198, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NH TSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires. The UTQG is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tir e will last fo r a prescribed
number of miles or perform in a certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers additional informa­
tion to combine w ith other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dea ler recom­
mendations. Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufacturers in three areas: tread­
wear, tract ion and temperature resistance.
The UTQG information on the tires, molded in­
to the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the tire meets a
ll federal standards. 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,
DOT . .. 2210 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2010. The other numbers are market­
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
tire manufacturer . This information is used to
contact consumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to eac h axle its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distributed in
accordance with tab le below ~
page 192)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
I Designated seating capacity, Vehicle normal load,
number of occupants number of occupants
2 2
Normally loaded vehicle,
occupant distribution
•
2 in front

Tires and wheels 193
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 150 Tire pressure label: located on driver's side B·
pillar
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents. Tire pressure is measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi­
cle can carry safely and the tire size. The prop­
er tire pressure is frequently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal friction when it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold." It is the
inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflation pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires would then be underinflated and could fail suddenly.
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle.
"' ..,
-~ --------------- ~ a ;l!; TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION
• (SfATING CAPAOTY JOTAI. I }ROHT I :CUITTR I :R£AR I)
l'hl!o combned~c:loo:upain.sanoatg0,sbo&AdnM'fexeeC1 •"'.gcw -b.
COI.O TIRE PRESSURE
- KPa.- PSI
- KPa,- PSI
_ KPa,. PSI
Fig. 151 Tire pressure label
SEE OWNER'S
MANUA L FOR
ADDITTONAL
INFOl n
u
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your vehicle
and the number of passe ngers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting.
The tire pressure label located on driver's side
B-pillar on your Audi lists the recommended
cold tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at
its maximum capacity weight and tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was manu­
factured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 2 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before oper­
ating the vehicle at maximum load, you must
increase the tire pressures to those specified
for maximum vehicle load
9 .&.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system can only monitor the tire pressures
that are stored. The system does not recog­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
See the illustration,:;,
fig. 150 for the location
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual label and exact location on the ve­
hicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label on driver's side B-pillar always
ta kes precedence. ..,.

194 Tire s and wheel s
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the Audi model
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi- cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal­
led on the respective models as original
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine
(dis­
place­
ment in Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
normal load full load normal load full load condition condition condition condition
liter )
a -cylin­
der
4 .2
inder
5.2 235
/3 5 R1 9 9 1 V
XL
295 /30 R19 100V X L
305 /30 R1 9 10 2V X L
235 /35 R19 91 V X L
295 /30 R1 9 100V XL
305 /30 R19 102V X L
XL= reinf orc ed
PSI
45
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
vehicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on you r vehi cle w it h the
tires on your vehicle. Make s ure that the ti re
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
veh icle . These load lim its are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rati ng ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
i ng ("GAWR") is the max imum load that can
be app lied at each o f the veh icle's two axles.
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance stic ker labe l located either
on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire pressure
labe l on your Audi lists the maximum com­
b ined weight of all of the occupants and lug­
gage or other cargo that the veh icle can carry.
For the location of the tire pressure label
¢ fig. 15 0 .
kPA PSI kPA PSI
310 45 310
41
41
kPA PSI
280 41
280 41
kPA
280
280
280
280
.&_ WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle cont ro l, a crash o r other accident, se ­
r ious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we igh t than your veh icle
was designed to carry wi ll prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been over load­
ed can fail s uddenly ca us ing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
.&_ WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
f lation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
f lation can a lso lead to s udden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of veh icle cont ro l.

196 Tires and wheels
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­ flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side 8-pil­
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system .
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off .
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires will wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well. -
If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required .
(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in­ cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are technically referred to as the
vehicle 's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve-
hicle. ..,_

The Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B-pi llar . Your Audi has 2 seat ing
positions in the front for total seat ing capac i­
t y of 2. Each seating posi tion has a safety belt
c::> page 109, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
ve hicle's Gross Veh icle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the veh icle is limited . The more passen­
gers in the veh icle or passengers who a re
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The t ire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
occupants and luggage o r othe r cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
la be l
c::>page 193, fig. 150.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
r ious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of veh icle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, includ ing a b lowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
Tires and wheels 197
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port 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 OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 193,
fig. 150.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 193, fig. 150.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci-
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
c le, the amount of available .,..
•
•