AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2014 Owners Manual

-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.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age .
(D Note
Please note that summe r and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic transmission, power steer ing ,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the rat io o f the height to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overa ll handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the part of the t ire t hat is made o f
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead .
Cord means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 229
typica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
dec rease the e lasticity of summer t ires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer t ires are used i n very co ld tem ­
peratures, cracks ca n form o n the tread
bars , res ulting in perma nen t tire damage
that can cause loud driving noise and un­
bala nced ti re s. Audi i s not respon sible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire p ress ure recommended by t he
vehicle manufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ignated
s ize t hat has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire press ure
is m easured or adjusted.
Curb weight
me ans the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
st andard equipmen t incl ud ing the max imum
capacity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weig ht of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to oper ate a t higher load s
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standa rd tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", o r
"RF" on the sidewal l.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the load-ca rry ing capac ity of a single
axle system , measured at the tire -ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,..
•
•

230 Tires and wheels
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, 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 pressure ."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number 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 elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands o r ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those insta lled
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 we ight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and special tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumat ic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
t ia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see<=> page 229, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standa rd tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD"
' ' '
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
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 diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
t read and bead.

Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire is des igned to
be driven for extended periods of t ime . The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢
page 240 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­ ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 243.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or
more of a vehicle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warn ing te ll­
tale .
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 princ ipal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 237, 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
Admin istration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires . Th e U TQG is not a safety rating and not a
g ua ran tee that a tir e will las t for a prescribed
number of mi les (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way. It simply gives tire buyers addi ­
tional information to combine with other con-
Tires and wheels 231
siderations, such as price, brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwear, traction, and temperature
resistance. The UTQG informat ion on the tires,
molded into 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 all federa l standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2213 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2013. 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 p lus
150 lbs . (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to­
tal 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 individual 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 individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (distr ibuted in
accordance with table below¢
page 232)
and dividing by two.
•
•

232 Tires and wheels
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity, Vehicle normal load , number Occupant distribution in a nor -
number of occupants of occupants mally loaded vehicle
4 2 2 i
n front
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 195 T ire press ure label : located on driver's side B·
pillar
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amount
of air in a t ire 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 kilopasca ls (kPa), the i nterna·
tional measur ing unit and in pou nds pe r
squa re inc h (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
p art o n the vehicle's design and load limit -
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi·
cle can carry safe ly and the t ire size . The prop·
er tire pressure is freq uently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inf lation pressure."
A ir in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal frict ion when it flexes in
use . The t ire p ressu re is higher when the tire
has wa rmed up tha n when it is "cold ." It is the
in flat ion pressu re i n a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tire infl ation pres­
sure" recommendations . The t ires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
M ain taining p roper t ire pr essu re is one of the
most im po rt an t th ings you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underin fla ted t ires
a re a ma jo r cause of s udden tire failure. Keep·
i n g tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-U'>
-
---------------------- ,;
•(=~= I: I::... 1)§ :l!: n-...,....,....,~ ...... ~-...,..., ..... _ ... U ........ ~-·~N.-..-.we..... .... lllt-
-AVANT ...,.
-...... .. _
-KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fig. 196 Ti re pr essure labe l
SEE OWNEJICS MANUA1 FOA A,DOITl<>N.IU. INfORMATlON VOIR L£ MANUll DUPR0ftlET""" P"OUR i-t.US DE RENSEIGMEMENfS
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 .
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depe nd on the kind of tires o n your ve hicle
and the numbe r of passe ngers and/o r amount
of luggage you w ill be t ransporti ng .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er 's side B-pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n press ures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires t hat were o n your veh icle at
t h e time it was m anufactur ed .
If you wish to improve comfort wh en operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 2 occu­
pant s), you can ad just tire pre ssure s to tho se
specified f or normal vehicle load . Before op­
erating the vehicle at maximum load, you
mu st increase the ti re pressures to those
specified for maximum vehicle load
~ ,&. .
Bear in min d that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system ca n only moni to r the tire pressures .,.

Tires an d wheel s 233
you have stored. The system does not recog ­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the ti re pressu re monitor­
ing sys tem w ill be impaired if you store no r­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 195 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side B-pillar (color of
the actual labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slig htly) .
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate at
the t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
Model/ Tire de
signation
c h ange. In the event of discrepancies, the ti re
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar always takes precedence .
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflat ion pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 2 occupants )
front r ear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS 7 275/35 R20 102V XL
36 2S0 30 210 39 270 39 270 Sportback: High P erformanc e
4.0 lit er
275 /30 R21 98V XL
a -cy linder
High Performance
41 280 38 260 45 310 4S 3 10
X L = r einfor ced or extra load tir e. It ma y al so appear a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on th e tire side -
w all.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
ve hicl e equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire s ize designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
veh icle 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
ve hicl e. These load limits are technically refer­
r ed to as the vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Ax le Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the G
ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
sa fety comp liance sticke r label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar . The tire pressu re labe l on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage o r
other cargo that the veh icle can carry. For the
location of the t ire pressure label ¢
fig. 195.
A WARNING
-Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
h icle contro l, a crash or other accide nt, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly a nd 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.
•
•

234 Tire s and wheel s
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the tota l load be­
ing transported does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the veh icle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­ flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
-
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­
lar.
The recommended t ire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the tab le
~ page 232, 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 mi les (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal fr iction as it flexes in
use . The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the inflat ion pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore , you should never let air out
of a warm t ire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
~ page 232. The
tires would then be under inflated and cou ld
fail suddenly.
The tire p ressure label on your Audi l ists the
recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, original equipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
t ion of the labe l
~pag e 232, fig. 195.
Most tires lose air naturally over t ime . They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot­
ho le or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore , be sure to check tire pressures at
l east once a month and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long ." See ~
page 235, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important info rmation .
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
whe n checking and adjusting inflat ion p res­
sures . Check al l of the tires . If the pressure in
any ti re is too high when the tire is "cold," let
air o ut of the tire slowly with the edge of the
t ire gauge and keep checking the pressure un­
ti l you reach the pressure that is correct for
the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any ti re 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 for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this manual and the kind
of driving you plan to do.
Ne ver ex cee d th e ma ximu m in fl ation pr es­
sure l isted on th e tir e side wall for any re a­
son .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the correct
t ire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are co ld.
- Read the required tire pressure from the t ire
pressure labe l. The tire pressure label is lo -
cated on the driver's side B-pillar .
liJJ>

-Turn the valv e stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjus ted when the tires are cold . The
s li ght ly raised p ressures of warm tires must
not be reduced .
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying .
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve.
When should I che ck the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is espec ially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefo re be checked at least once a month
and a lways before start ing a journey.
When should I adjust the tire p re ssure s?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition , you must then
store the new ti re pressu res in the t ire pres ­
sure monitoring system
r::!.> page 246 .
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of contro l, collision, serious persona l injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbo l
[ti] appears in
the instrument cl uster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla ­
t ion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de ­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tir e pressures fo r all t ires on the vehicle .
T he applicable pressu re va lues are locat­
ed on a stic ker on the drive r's side B-pil­
lar .
- Only when a ll t ires on the vehicle are fi l­
led to t he cor rect pressure, the ti re p res-
Tire s an d wheel s 235
sure monitor ing system can work cor­
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re p ress ure monito r­
ing system .
- Always inf late t ires to the recommended
a nd correct t ire p ress ure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with unde rinflated tires bend
mo re, lett ing t hem get too hot resulti ng
in tread separation, s udden tire failure
and loss of cont ro l.
- Excess ive speed and/overloadi ng can
cause heat b uild- up, sudden tire failure
a nd loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prema turely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not fla t and you do not have
to ch ange a wheel immedia tely, drive a t
red uced speed to the nearest service sta ­
tion to check the t ire p ress ure and add
air as requi red.
(D Note
Dr iving w it h out valve stem c aps can c ause
damage to the tire valves . To prevent this,
a lways make sure that factory insta lled
va lve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve .
@ For the sake of the env ironment
Un derinflated tires wi ll 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 mo re d iff icult to stop. Overloading
can not o nly lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and c an le ad to sudden tire fa ilu re, .,..
•
•

236 Tire s and whee ls
including a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passenge rs a lso
depends on making s ure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are techn ically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gr oss Veh icl e W eight R ating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
ve hicle, 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
i ntended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des ignated seat ing pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any luggage in the ve­
h icle.
The
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be app lied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The G ross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
driver 's side B-p illar. Your A udi has 4 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rear for
total seating capacity of 4. Each seating posi­
tion has a safety belt
9 page 133, Safety
belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle is limited. The more passen­
gers in the veh icle or passengers who are
heav ier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
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 veh icle can carry . For the location of the
l abe l
9page 232, fig. 195.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the 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 overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total lo ad be­
ing transpor ted does not make the veh i­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi ­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se the exa mple belo w to ca l­
c ula te the t otal weight of the
p ass engers a nd lu ggage or oth­
e r thin gs that yo u plan to tran s­
p o rt so t hat yo u can make sur e
th at yo ur vehi cle w ill n ot be
ove rloa ded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Lo cate th e statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGH T OF Q C-
CU PANT S A ND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle 's placard (tire inflation
11>

pressure label) c> page 232,
fig. 195.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ s engers from
"XXX" kilo ­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
s hown on the sti cker
c> page 232 , fig. 195.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­ go and luggage load capa ci­
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
Tires and wheels 237
vehicle . Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duce s the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
.,..Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 239, fig. 199) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The servic e lif e of tires dep ends on a lot of
d ifferen t things inclu ding p roper ins tall ation
a n d ba lanc in g, corre ct ti re press ure and dr iv­
ing style .
Fig. 197 Tire trea d: tread wea r in dicators (TWI)
,.............,------,,
-=---::;:-r-
Fig. 198 Rotat ing tires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The or iginal tires on you r vehicle h ave
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hi gh "wear indicato rs"
r::!> fig. 197 run ning acr oss the tread. Depen d-
ing on the mak e, th ere will be si x to eight of
t h em evenly placed a ro und t he tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for e xamp le ''TWI" or ot her
Ill>

238 Tires and wheels
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced. Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire p ressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 234.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tir es on your vehicle to have the
same se rv ice life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- T ire rotation inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle serv ice intervals outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
- T he longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certa in
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front whee ls com­
pared to all-whee l drive (quattro).
- Please rotate ti res as shown
c::> fig. 198.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 2 59.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
Ho wever, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on steering, suspension
and tires . A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed. Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect
wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi ­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an a uthorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
c::>page 195.
_8 WARNING
-Sudden tire fa ilure can lead to loss of con-
trol, 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 t ires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, o il, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.