tires AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2015 Owner's Manual

222 Tires and wheels
Most tires Lose air naturally If the pressure in any tire is too
over time. They can also Lose Low, note the difference be-
some air if you drive over a pot- tween the pressure in the cold
hole or hit a curb while parking . tire and the pressure you need
It is usually not possible to see and add the air that you need to
whether the radial tires used reach the correct pressure for
today are underinflated just by the vehicle load (passengers
looking at them. and luggage) for the tires on
Therefore , be sure to check tire your vehicle as listed on the on
pressures at least once a month your vehicle and in
this manual
and always before going on a and the kind of driving you plan
long trip. Make sure to take the to do.
number of people and the
Never exceed the maximum in-
amount of luggage into ac-flation pressure listed on the
count when adjusting tire pres-tire sidewall for any reason.
sure for a trip -even one that
Remember that the vehicle
you would not consider to be manufacturer, not the tire man-
"long." See
¢ page 224, Tires ufacturer, determines the car-
and vehicle load limits for more
rect tire pressure for the tires
important information. on your vehicle.
Always use an accurate tire
It is important to check the tire
pressure gauge when checking pressure when the tires are
and adjusting inflation pres- cold.
sures . Check all of the tires. If
the pressure in any tire is too -Read the required tire pres-
sure from the tire pressure la-
high when the tire is "cold ", let
bel. The tire pressure label is
air out of the tire slowly with
located on the driver's side 8-
the edge of the tire gauge and
pillar. The tire pressure label
keep checking the pressure un-
lists the recommended cold
til you reach the pressure that
tire inflation pressures for the
is correct for the load (passen-
vehicle at its maximum capaci-
gers and luggage) and kind of
ty weight and the tires that
...
driving you plan to do.

Tires and wheels 223
were on your vehicle at the changing a wheel or replacing •
time it was manufactured. For wheels you have to adjust the • '
recommended tire pressures tire pressures on all wheels. In
for normal load conditions, addition, you must then initial-
please see chapter ize the new tire pressures in the
9page 217. tire pressure monitoring sys-
-Turn the valve stem cap coun- tern*
9 page 239.
ter-clockwise to remove it
_&. WARNING
from the tire valve.
Incorrect tire pressures and/
-Place the air pressure gauge or underinflation can lead
on the valve. sudden tire failure, loss of
-The tire pressures should only control, collision, serious per-
be checked and adjusted when sonal injury or even death.
the tires are cold. The slightly -When the
[IJ warning sym-
raised pressures of warm tires bol appears in the instru-
must not be reduced. ment cluster, stop and in-
-Adjust the tire pressure to the spect the tires.
load you are carrying. -Incorrect tire pressure and/
-Reinstall the valve stem cap or underinflation can cause
on the valve. increased tire wear and can
When should I check the tire affect the handling of the
pressure? vehicle and stopping ability.
The correct tire pressure is es- -Incorrect tire pressures
pecially important at high and/or underinflation can
speeds . The pressure should also lead to sudden tire fail-
therefore be checked at least ure, including a blowout
once a month and always be -and sudden deflation, caus-
fore starting a journey. ing loss of vehicle control.
When should I adjust the
-The driver is responsible for
the correct tire pressures for
tire pressures?
M all tires on the vehicle. The N
er Adjust the tire pressure to the u..
applicable pressure values ... co ,....,
load you are carrying. After \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,

224 Tires and wheels
are located on a sticker on
the driver's side B-pillar.
-Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the cor­rect pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*
can work correctly.
-The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to
accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that
the driver observe the speci­
fied tire pressure values for
the tires and the correct pressures for the function of
the tire pressure monitoring
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 con­
trol.
-Excessive speed and/over­ loading 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 near­
est service station 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 secure­ ly mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also
increase the fuel consump­
tion.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount
of load or weight that any vehi­
cle and any tire can carry. Ave­
hicle that is overloaded will not
handle well and is more diffi­
cult 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 fail­
ure, including 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 in­
cludes everybody and every­
thing in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical­ ly 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 in­
cludes the number of passen­
gers that the vehicle is intend­
ed to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each pas­
senger at a designated seating
position and the total weight of
any luggage in the vehicle. If
you tow a trailer, the weight of
the trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of the loaded trailer
Tires and wheels 225
must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
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 Rat­ ing and the Gross Axle Weight
Rating are listed on the safety
compliance sticker label locat­
ed on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Your Audi has 4 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for total seating capacity
of 4. Each seating position has
a seat belt¢ page 123, Safety
belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve­
hicle Weight Rating means that
the total weight of whatever is being carried in the vehicle (in­
cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer) is limited.
The more passengers in the ve­ hicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
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226 Tires and wheels
The tire pressure label on your
Audi also lists the maximum
combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the location of the label
¢page 217, fig. 182.
A WARNING
-
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the ve­
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of the
loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi­
cle within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow­
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash .
-Always make sure that the
total load being transported
- including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer­ does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
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 217,
fig. 182.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
...

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3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
.:::> page 217, fig. 182.
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
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
Tires and wheels 227
.,.Check the tire sidewall
(.:::> page 230, fig. 186) to de­
termine the designated load
rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends
on a lot of different things in­
cluding proper installation and
balancing, correct tire pressure
and driving style.
Fig. 184 Tire tread : tread wea r ind i­
cators (TW I)
____ Jj
Fig. 185 Rotat ing ti res fo r more even
wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehi­
cle have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
¢ fig. 184 running across the

228 Tir es an d whee ls
tread . Depending on the make, -Tire rotation interva ls may dif-
there will be six to eight of fer from the vehicle service in-
them evenly placed around the tervals outlined in your Main-
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall tenance and Warranty Book- (for example "TWI" or other
let.
symbols) indicate the positions -The longer one tire is used in
of the tread wear indicators .
one location on the vehicle ,
Worn tires must be replaced. the more it wears at certain
Different figures may apply in
points; the refore, we recom-
other countries¢
.a:... mend tha t you follow the tire
Tire pressure manufact urer's suggested tire
rotation intervals .
Incorrect tire pressure causes -Vehicles with front -wheel
premature wear and can cause drive experience more tread
sudden ti re blow-out. For this
wear on the front wheels com-
r eason, tire pressure must be
pared to all wheel drive (quat-
checked at least once a month tro).
¢page 221.
-Please rotate t ires as shown
Driving style ¢fig. 185.
Driving fast around curves, -Extra care must be taken when
heavy acceleration and hard rotating direction-specific
b rak ing increase tire wear . tires
¢
page 249.
Rotating tires for more even Wheel balancing
wear
The wheels on new vehicles are
For all four t ires on your veh ic le balanced. However
, various sit-
to have the same service life, uations d
uring everyday drivi ng
we recommend that the front can cause them to become un-
and rear tires are rotated ac- balanced, resulting in vibra
-
c o rd ing to the tire man ufact ur- tions you can
usu ally feel
er's suggested tire rotat ion in- through the s
teering wheel.
terva ls. Please remember the
Unbalanced wheels must be re-
following :
balanced to avo id excessive
...

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er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
wear on steering, suspension and tires. A wheel must also be
rebalanced when a new tire is
installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can
cause excessive tire wear, im­
pairing the safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excessive
wear, have the wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must al­
ways have tires of the same
size, construction and tread
type. For details see
¢page 176.
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
-Worn tires are a safety haz­
ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
Tires and wheels 229
-Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such
as grease, oil, gasoline and
brake fluid away from tires.
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail
suddenly, 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 lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." 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.
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230 Tires and wheels
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to
be broken in.
Fig. 186 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rat-
1ng
(j) U.S. DOT tire identifica -
tion number
No. Description
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and
materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and
temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible in-
flation 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 characteristics of the vehi­
cle and can make a major con­
tribution to good road holding and safe handling when in good
condition and properly inflated
¢ A .
We recommend that all work
on tires and wheels be per­
formed by an authorized Audi
dealer. They are familiar with recommended procedures and
have the necessary special tools
and spare parts as well as the
proper facilities for disposing of
the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have
the necessary information

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er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
about technical requirements
for installing or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not individu ­
ally (for example both front
tires or both rear tires togeth­ er) .
Be sure to read and heed the in­
formation to the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 239.
Always buy replacement radial
tires that have the same specifi­
cations as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Re­
placement tires must always
have the same load rating spec­
ification as the original equip ­
ment or approved optional tires
listed in the table
¢ page 217.
Audi-approved specification
tires are specially matched to
your vehicle and its load limits and can contribute to the im­
portant roadholding, driving
characteristics, and safety of
the vehicle. The table ( ¢
page 217) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for
I
Tires and wheels 231
the Audi models covered by
your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located on driver's side B-pillar
(r=>page 217, fig. 183) lists the
specifications of the original
equipment tires installed on
your vehicle at the time it was
manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manu­
facturers to place standardized information on the sidewall of
all tires¢
fig. 186. This infor­
mation identifies and describes
the fundamental characteris­
tics, the quality grade of the
tire and also provides a tire identification number for safety
standard certification and in
case of a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications
makes it easier to choose the
correct tires. Radial tires have
the tire specifications marked on the sidewall , for example:
P265 / 35 R19 98V XL
This contains the following in-
formation: ..,..
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