rims AUDI R8 SPYDER 2015 Owners Manual

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Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciat­
ed and most abused parts of a
motor vehicle.
Tires may be the least appreciated
and most abused parts of a motor
veh ic le . Tires are, however, one of
the most important parts of ave ­
hicle, particularly considering the
comparatively small patch of rub­
ber on each tire that assu res that
all-important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road .
Maintain ing the correct t ire pres­
sure, making sure that your vehi­
c le and its tires do not have to
carry more weight than they can
safe ly handle, avoiding damage
from road hazards and regularly inspecting tires for damage in­
c luding cuts, slashes i rregular
wear and overall condition are the most important th ings that you
can do to help avo id sudden tire
failure including tread separation
and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
~ If you have to dr ive over a curb or ":
~ similar obstacle, drive very s lowly
N U'> .....
Tir es a nd whe els
and as close as possible at a right
ang le to the curb.
Always keep chemicals including
grease, oil, gasoline and brake
fluid off the tires. Inspect the tires regularly fo r
damage (cuts, cracks or blisters ,
etc.) . Remove any foreign bodies
embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark tires when you remove them
to indicate the direction of rota­
tion. This ensures you to be able
to mount them correctly when
you reinstall them.
When removed, the w heels or
tires sho uld be stored in a coo l,
dry and preferably dark place.
Store tires in a vertical position if
they are not mounted on rims, in
a horizon tal position if they are
mounted on rims .
New tires
New tires have to be broken in
¢,&.
The tread depth of new tires may
vary, according to the type and make of tire and the tread pa t­
tern.
1 69
...

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.
..

(D Note
- Please note that summer and
winter t ires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons . Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur ­
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem­ peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
Tires and wheels
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires . Audi is
not responsible for this type
of damage.
- Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter road condi­
tions . The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro ­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­ aged by road salt or similar
substances .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­
matic transmission, power steer­
ing, power brakes, power win ­
dows , powe r seats , radio , and
heater , to the extent that these
items a re available as factory-in­
stalled equipment (whether in­
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
;:;: the width of the tire in percent .
" ~ Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a ...
~ low sidewall for improved steer -
"' ....
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to f it 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.
17 1
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Tires and wheels
tire sizes installed on the respec­
tive models as original equip­ment, or as a factory option.
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine normal load full load normal load full load
condition condition condition condition
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS: 235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 45 310 45 310 ------ ------
4.2 liter
295/30 Rl9 lOOY XL ------------41 280 41 280
S-cylin-
305/30 Rl9 102V XL
der
--- --- ------41
280 41 280
RS: 235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 45 310 45 310 --------- ---
5.2 liter
295/30 Rl9 lOOY XL --------- ---41
280 41
280
10-cylin-
305/30 Rl9 102V XL
der
--- ------
---41 280 41 280
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
Because technical changes may be
made to vehicle equipment dur­
ing the model year, always com­
pare the tire size designation on
the tire pressure label on your ve­ hicle with the tires on your vehi­
cle. Make sure that the tire size information on the vehicle label is
the same as the size of the tires on the vehicle. This is especially
important if the vehicle belongs
to someone else or you bought
the vehicle with different rims/
tires or you bought the vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that
of your passengers also depends
on making sure that load limits
are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything
178
in and on the vehicle. These load
limits are technically referred to
as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles. The Gross Ve­ hicle Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed on
the safety compliance sticker la­ bel located on the driver's side B­
pillar. The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of all of the oc­
cupants and luggage or other car­
go that the vehicle can carry. For
the location of the tire pressure label ¢
fig. 147.

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" N ": ... IO "? N
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No Descript ion
•
® Ratio of height to width (as -
pect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(j) U.S. DOT tire identification
number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and ma-
terials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and tern-
perature grades
@ Maximum permissible infla-
tion pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design. The
tires and rims approved by Audi
are specially matched to the char­
acteristics of the vehicle and can
make a major contribution to
good road holding and safe han­
dling when in good condition and
properly inflated ¢
&.
We recommend that all work on
tires and wheels be performed by
an authorized Audi dealer. They
are familiar with recommended
Tires and wheels
procedures and have the necessa­
ry special too ls and spare parts as
well as the proper facilities for
disposing of the old ti res.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about
technical requirements for insta l­
ling or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tire s and wheel s
Tires should be replaced at least
in pairs and not individually (for
example both front tires or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the in ­
formation to the tire pressure
monitoring system¢
page 190.
Always buy replacement radial
tires that have the same specifica­
tions as the tires approved for
your vehicle by Audi . Replacement
tires must always have the same
load rating specification as the
original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
i=> page 176 .
Audi-approved specification tires
are specially matched to your ve­
hicle and its load limits, and can
contribute to the important road­ holding, driving characteristics,
and safety of the vehicle. The .,.
187

Tires a nd wh eels
Tire ply composition and
materials used
The number of plies indicates the
number of layers of rubber-coat­
ed fabric in the tire. In general,
the greater the number of plies,
the more weight a tire can sup­
port . Tire manufacturers also
must indicate the materials in the
tire, which include steel, nylon, polyester, and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by the
tire .
Tire quality grading for
treadwear , traction , and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and tempera­
ture grades ~
page 192.
Maximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that
should ever be put in the tire un­
der normal driving conditions .
190
Replacing tires or rims on
vehicles equipped with tire pressure monitoring sy stem
The wheels on your vehicle are
equipped with a sensor which
constantly monitors the air pres ­
sure inside the tire, and then
transmits this information to the
tire pressure monitoring system.
If you are go ing to replace the
wheel rims on your vehic le, make
sure the new rims also have these
sensors. The sensors must be
compatible with the tire pressure monitoring system on your vehi­
cle.
If you install rims, which do not have the sensors, or have sensors
which are not compatible, then
the tire pressure monitoring sys­
tem will not work properly . In this
case, the tire pressure monitoring
system would not be able to mon­ itor the tire pressure or warn you
if it is necessary .
-The battery inside of the tire pressure sensor has a limited
service life.
-Always drive with the valve stem caps securely mounted . We rec­
ommend using factory installed ""

Tires and wheels
valve stem caps. Ask your au--Tires age even if they are not
thorized Audi dealer to replace being used and can fail sud-
lost valve stem caps .
denly, especially at high
The installation of replacement speeds
. Tires that are more
tires with steel cord body plies in than 6 years old can only be
the tire sidewall may cause mal- used
in an emergency and
function of the tire pressure man- then with special care and at
itoring system, and is not recom- lower speeds.
mended (cord material informa- -Never mount used tires on
tion in molded on the tire side- your vehicle if you are not sure
wall). of their "previous history." Old
Always check your tire pressure used tires may have been
damaged even though the
monitoring system indicator after
damage cannot be seen that
replacing one or more tires on
can lead to sudden tire failure
your vehicle. If the tire pressure
and loss of vehicle control.
monitoring system indicator
-Only the wheel/tire sizes
flashes, or is on, your system is
specified by the manufacturer
not working properly.
may be used on vehicles with
A_ WARNING all-wheel drive.
-Using incorrect or unmatched -Never drive faster than the
tires and/ or wheels or im- maximum speed for which the
proper tire and wheel com bi -
tires on your vehicle are rated
nations can lead to loss of because tires that are driven
control, collision and serious faster than their rated speed
personal injury. can fail suddenly.
-Always use tires, rims and
-Overloading tires cause heat
wheel bolts that meet the build-up, sudden tire failure,
specifications of original fac- including a blowout and sud-
tory-installed tires or other den deflation and loss of con-
combinations that have been trol.
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" specifically approved by the N ": ...
vehicle manufacturer. IO "? N
"' ....
191

Tires and wheels
-Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflated.
-For technical reasons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicles -in some
cases not even wheels from
the same vehicle model.
-Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle. Using run-flat
tires can lead to vehicle dam­age or crashes.
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to use the
wheel rims from other
vehicles. This can hold true for
wheels of the same vehicle
type.
-If you should put different wheels and tires on your vehi­
cle (e.g. winter wheels and
tires), you must be certain
that the wheels and tires are compatible with the tire pres­
sure monitoring system. Oth­
erwise the system will register
a malfunction and a fault message will be displayed. For
more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
192
(D Note
-When installing new tires, be careful not to damage the
valves or tire pressure moni­
toring system sensors.
-Never drive without the valve stem cap. The valves could get
damaged.
-If the sensors must be re­ placed, then the valve must
also be replaced at the same
time.
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accord­
ance with the local require­
ments.
(D Tips
Tires with the identification "ROl" have been specially matched with your Audi. We
recommend using only these
tires because they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characteris­
tics when used correctly. Your authorized Audi RB dealer will
gladly provide you with more information.
· Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA AB C
- Temperature ABC

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r-­N "': ..... \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 .....
CD Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on roads
not covered with snow to avoid damaging
tires and wearing the snow chains down un­ necessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct contact
with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage
it. Therefore, make sure that the snow
chains are suitably covered . Check the posi­
tion of the snow chains after driving a few
yards and correct if necessary. Follow the in­
structions from the snow chain manufactur­
er when doing so.
(j) Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the fac­
tory installed rims. If different rims are fitted,
the correct wheel bolts with the right length and
correctly shaped bolt heads must be used. This
ensures that wheels are fitted securely and that
the brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you may not use wheel
bolts from a different vehicle -even if it is the
same model ¢
page 217.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose causing loss of con­
trol, a collision and serious personal injury.
-
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads
in the wheel hubs clean so the wheel bolts
can turn easily and be properly tightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs. They can become
loose while driving if greased or oiled, even
if tightened to the specified torque.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim
being installed.
Tires and wheels
- Never use different wheels bolts on your ve­
hicle.
- Always maintain the correct tightening tor­
que for the wheel bolts to reduce the risk of
a wheel loss. If the tightening torque of the
wheel bolts is too low, they can loosen and
come out when the vehicle is moving. If the
tightening torque is too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged and the
wheel can become loose.
CD Note
The specified torque for the wheel bolts is 90
ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7 .4 ft lb
(± 10 Nm) . Torque wheel bolts diagonally. Af­
ter changing a wheel, the torque must be
checked as soon as possible with a torque
wrench -preferably by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect ra­
tio tires. These tires have been thoroughly tested
and been selected specifically for your model for
their superb performance, road feel and handling under a variety of driving conditions . Ask your au­
thorized Audi dealer for more details.
The low aspect ratio of these tires is indicated by
a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's size designa­
tion. The numeral represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Conventional tires have
a height/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par­
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres­
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect
ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip
c> page 179, Checking tire
pressure.
195

What do I do now?
-Repl ace th e fl at ti re with a n ew one and h ave
it ins talled on you r vehicle as soon as
po ssible. Remount the wheel co ve r.
Until th en, driv e with extr a car e and at redu ced
s pe eds .
A WARNING
-If you are go ing to equip your vehicle with
t ires or rims which differ from those wh ich
were factory installed, then be sure to read
the informat ion¢
page 186, New tires and
replacing tires and wheels.
- Always store the tools securely in luggage
compartment . Otherwise, in an accident or
sudden maneuver they cou ld fly forward,
caus ing injury to passengers i n the vehicle .
(D Note
Do not use commercially available t ire sea l­
ants. Otherwise, the electrical components of
the t ire pressure monito ring system* will no
longer wo rk properly and the sensor fo r the
tire pressure monitor ing system will have to
be rep laced by a qualified workshop.
Jump-starting
General
If necessary, the engine can be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle.
-
If the engine sho uld fail to start because of a d is­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pai r of jumpe r cable s to start the engine.
Both batteries must be rated at 12 vo lts. The
ca ­
pacit y
(Ah) of the booster battery must not be
substantially less than the capacity of the dis­
charged battery.
Jump er c ables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cro ss
s e ctio n
to safely carry the s tarte r cu rrent . Refer
to the manufact urer's specifications.
Use o nly jumper cables wh ich have
insulated ter­
minal clamps and are p roperly marked for d is­
tinction:
206
plu s(+) ca ble : in most cases colo red red
minu s(-) c abl e:
in most cases colo red bla ck
A WARNING
-
Batteries conta in e lectr ic ity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fata l in ­
jury . Follow the instructions below for sa fe
handling of your vehicle's battery.
- Always shie ld your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possib le .
- A discharged battery can a lready freeze at
tempera tures just below 32 °F (0 °C). Befo re
connecting a jumper cab le, the frozen bat­
tery must be thawed comp lete ly, otherwise
it could exp lode.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immed iately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
veh icle may cause an explosion.
- Vehicle batter ies generate explosive gases .
Keep sparks, f lame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery.
- The voltage of the booster battery must al­
so have a 12 -Vo lt rat ing. The capacity (Ah)
of the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of batter ies of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah" rating may cause an explo­
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an exp losion .
- Never charge or use a battery that has been frozen. The battery case may have be weak­
ened.
- Use of batter ies of different voltage or sub­
stantially d iffe rent capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an exp losion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery sho uld not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtment, always re ad and heed all
WARNINGS
¢page 155, Working in the en -
gine comportment. .,,.