flat tire AUDI R8 SPYDER 2015 Owners Manual

Driving Sa fel y
could crawl into the l uggage compartment
and close the front lid becoming trapped and unable to get out. Being trapped in ave­
hicle can lead to ser ious personal injury.
- Never let children p lay in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Veh icle occupants must al­
ways be proper ly restrained in one of the
ve­
hicle's seat ing positions .
@ Tips
The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The t ire pressure label is locat­
ed on the d river's s ide B-pillar . The t ire p res­
sure label lists the recommended cold ti re in­
flation pressures for t he ve hicle at its ma xi­
m um c apaci ty weigh t and the tires t hat were
on yo ur vehicle at the time it w as m anuf ac­
tured . For recommende d tire pressures for
normal load conditions, please see chapter
¢ page 176.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
ha s a defect which could cause a
crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediatel y in­
form the National Highwa y Tr affic
Safet y Admini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notif ying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ceiv e s similar com­
plaint s, it ma y op en an in vestiga­
tion , and if it finds that a safe ty
def ects exis ts i n a group of
vehicle s, it may order a re call and
reme dy campaign. However,
92
NHTSA cannot b ecome in vol ve d in
indi vidual p roblems bet ween you,
y o ur deal er, or Audi of Am eric a,
In c.
To contact NHTSA, you may c all
the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll­
free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY :
1-800-424-915 3) or
1-800-424-9393
o r you m ay wri te to :
Admini strator
NHTSA 1200 New Jersey A venue, SE
Wa shington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other infor­
mation about m otor vehi cle safe­
t y fr om :
http: //w ww.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­
lie ve that your vehicle has a de­
fect that could cause a crash , in­
j ur y or death, you should immedi­
atel y inform Transport Canada,
Defect In vestigations and Recall s.
You should also notify Au di C an a­
da, Inc.
Can adian cu stomer s who wi sh to
r e po rt a s afet y-related defe ct to ..,.

Tires and wheels
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often
not readily visible. If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle
pulls to one side, this may indi­
cate that one of the tires has been
damaged. The tires must be
checked immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be identi­
fied by arrows on the sidewall,
that point in the direction the tire
is designed to rotate. You must
follow the specified direction of
rotation . This is necessary so that
these tires can develop their opti­
mum characteristics regarding
grip, road noise, wear and hydro­
planing resistance. For more in­
formation
¢ page 203 .
A WARNING ~ -
New tires or tires that are old,
worn or damaged cannot pro­
vide maximum control and
braking ability.
-New tires tend to be slippery
and must be broken in. To re­
duce the risk of losing control,
a collision and serious person­
al injuries, drive with special
170
care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of con­
trol, sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden
deflation, crashes and serious
personal injuries. Have worn
or damaged tires replaced im­
mediately.
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sud­
denly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at
low speed.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure
of their "previous history." Old
used tires may have been
damaged even though the
damage cannot be seen that
can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
-If you notice unusual vibration
or if the vehicle pulls to one
side when driving, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires
for damage.
..

Tires and wheels
Cold tire infl ation pre ssure
means the tire pressure recom ­
mended by the vehicle man ufac­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven fo r
more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the three
hour period before the tire pres­
sure 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 additiona l 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 my be identified as "XL",
"xl ", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR" )
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces.
1 72
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 .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion pressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of :
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible )
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated. A lso called "maxi-
mum inflation pressure ." .,.

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Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the vehicle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of yo ur 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 .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular product ion
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
Tir es a nd whe els
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
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
pre ssure
see c::> page 172, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
R einforced 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 my be identified as
"X L", "xl", "EXTRA 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 di ameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
1 73

Tires and wheels
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designat ion
means rim diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Sidewall
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 ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
c::;, page 189. You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
T he speed rat ing letter code,
where applicable, is mo lded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
c::;, .& in Winter tires on
page 194 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
1 7 4
tires are underinflated and ill umi­
nates a low tire p ressure warning
telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees
of wear of the t read. See
c::;, page 185 , Tread Wear Indica­
tor (TWI) for more information
on measuring tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Adminis­
tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buye rs make relative com­
parisons among tires . The UTQG is
not a safety rating an d not a guar­
antee tha t a tire will last for a
prescr ibed number of mi les or
perform in a certain way. It sim­
ply gives tire buyers addit ional in­
formation to combine w ith other
considerat ions, such as pr ice,
...

Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for
various designated seating capacities
Designated seating Vehicle normal load, Normally loaded vehi-
capacity, number of occupants cle,
number of occupants occupant distribution
2 2 2 in front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of
a vehicle.
Fig . 147 Tire pressure label: located on
driver's side 8-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 kilo­
pascals (kPa), the international
measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is
based in part on the vehicle's de­
sign and load limit -the greatest
amount of weight that the vehicle
can carry safely and the tire size.
The proper tire pressure is fre-
176
-... PHIU OIMl(Hll()NI
"'"'"
Fig. 148 Tire pressure label
quently referred to as the "recom­
mended cold tire inflation pres­
sure." 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 infla-
tion 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 a nd
could fail suddenly .
M ainta ining proper tire pressure
is one of the most important
things you can do to he lp avoid
s u dden tire fai lure . Under inflated
tires are a major cause of sudden
tire fa ilure . Keeping tires at the
r ight pressure is also important
for safe and responsive vehic le
handling, traction, braking and
load carrying.
Tire pressures are
particularly important when the
vehicle is be ing dr iven at higher
speeds, and then especially when
heavily loaded even within the
permissib le load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures
for your Audi depend on the kind of tires on your vehicle and the
number of passengers and/or
amount of luggage you will be
transport ing .
The tire pressure label is located
on the driver's side 8-pillar . The
tire pressure label lists the recom­ mended cold tire inflation pres­
s u res for the vehicle at its maxi­
mum capacity weight and tires
~ that were on your vehicle at the
": ;;; time it was manufactured. "? N
"' ....
Tir es a nd whe els
If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 2 occupants ),
you can adjust tire pressu res to
those specified for normal vehi­
cle load . Before operating the ve­
hicle at ma ximum load, you
must increa se the ti re pressures
to those specified for maximum
vehic le load
c:::> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can only monitor the tire pressures that
are stored. The system does not recognize the load condition of
your vehicle .
See the illustration
c:::> fig. 147 for
the location of the labe l on driv­
er's side 8-pillar (color of the ac­
tual label and exact location on
the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate a t the time of going to
press and is subject to change . In
the event of discrepancies, the
tire pressure label on driver's side 8-pillar always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recom ­
mended cold tire inflation pres­
sures for the Audi model covered by your Owner 's Literature at the
vehicle's capac ity weight and the .,.
177

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.&_ WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal 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 a loss of ve ­
hicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance .
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud­
denly causing loss of control
and a crash.
A WARNING
-
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or
underinflation can lead to a
serious or fatal accident.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the
handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or
underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on your
vehicle is listed on the tire pres­
sure label located on driver 's side
8-pillar .
The recommended tire pressures
are on the tire pressure label and
in the table
c:::> page 176 , Cold tire
inflation pressure.
This means
that the pressure must be checked and adjusted when the
tire has not been driven for more
than a couple of m iles (kilome­
ters) at low speeds during the
previous three hours. Air in the
tires expands when the t ire heats
up as a result of internal friction
as it flexes in use . The tire pres­
sure 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 shou ld never let air out of a
warm tire to match "Cold tire in­
flation pressure" recommenda ­
tions
c:::> page 176. The tires would
then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your
Audi lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the
1 79

Tires and wheels
new, original equipment tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. For the loca­ tion of the label¢
page 176,
fig. 147.
Most tires lose air naturally over
t ime. They can also lose some air
if you drive over a pothole or hit a
curb while parking. It is usually not possible to see whether the
radia l tires used today are under ­
inflated just by look ing at them .
T herefore, be sure to check tire
pressures at least once a month
and always before going on a long
trip. Make sure to take the num­
ber of peop le and the amount of
luggage into account when ad­
justing tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not con­
sider to be "long". See
¢ page 182, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important in­
forma tion .
Always use an accurate tire pres ­
sure gauge when checking and
adjust ing inflation pressures .
Check all o f the tires . If the pres­
sure in any tire is too h igh when
the tire is "cold", let air ou t of the
tire slowly with the edge of the
tire gauge and keep checking the
1 8 0
pressure until you reach the pres­
sure that is correct for the load
(passengers and luggage) and
kind of driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low , note the difference between
the pressure in the co ld tire and
the pressure you need and add
the air that you need to reach the
correct pressure fo r the vehicle
load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on yo ur vehicle as listed
on the on your veh ic le and in this
manual and the kind of driving
you plan to do .
Never exceed the ma ximum in­
flation pressure listed on the tire sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the vehicle manu­
facturer, not the tire manufactur ­
er, determines the cor rect tire
pressure for the t ires on you r ve­
hicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when the tires are cold .
- Read the required tire pressure
from the tire pressure label lo­
cated on driver 's side B-pillar .
- Turn the va lve stem cap counter­
cl ockw ise to remove it from the
tire va lve . .,.

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" N ": ... IO "? N U'> .....
-Place the air pressure gauge on the valve .
- The tire pressu res should only be
checked an d adjusted when the
t ires are cold. The slig htly raised
pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the
load you are carrying.
-Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire
pressu re?
The correct tire pressure is espe­
cially important at high speeds .
The pressure should therefore be
checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jour­
ney.
When should I adjust the tire pressures ?
Adjust the tire pressure to the
load you are carrying . After
changing a wheel
or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures on all wheels. In addi ­
tion, you must then initialize the
new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure mon itoring system
¢page 196 .
Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or
underinflation can lead sudden
tire failure, loss of control, col­ lision, serio us personal injury or
even death .
-When the warning symbol
rD]
appears in the instrument
cluster, stop and inspect the
tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or
underinflation can cause in­
creased tire wear and can af ­
fect the handling of the vehi­
cle and stopping ab ility.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or
underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a
blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsib le for
the correct tire pressures for
all t ires on the vehicle . The ap ­
plicable pressure values are lo­
cated on a sticker on the driv ­
er's side B-pillar.
-Only when all tires on the ve­ hicle are filled to the correct
pressure, the tire pressure monitoring system can work
correct ly .
1 8 1
..