wheel AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2014 Repair Manual

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, .,..
•
•

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.

New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 199 Tir e speci fication codes on the s idewall of a
t ire
No . Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in m illimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
@ Radia l
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Or iginal tire
® Sever snow condit ions
@ T ire p ly composi tion a nd materia ls
used
@ Max imum load rat ing
@ T readwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Max imum pe rm iss ible inflation pres-
sure
The t ires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and r ims approved
by Aud i are specia lly matched to the charac­
ter istics of the veh icle and can make a majo r
Tires and wheels 239
contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
~ .&. .
We recommend that a ll work on tires and
whee ls 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 fa­
cilities for disposing of the old t ires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
i nstalling or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pa irs and
not individually (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together) .
Be sure to read and heed the info rmation to
the tire pressure mo nitoring system
¢ page 246.
Always b uy replacement radia l tires that have
the same spe cifica tions as t he tires app rove d
for yo ur vehicle by Audi . Replacement tires
must a lways have the same load rating speci­
ficatio n as the origina l equipment or approved
optiona l tires listed in the table¢
page 232 .
Audi-approved specif ication t ires a re spec ial ly
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contr ibute to the impo rtant roadho ld­
ing, driv ing characteristics, and sa fety of the
vehicle. The table(¢
page 232) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod­
els covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located on driver's s ide
B-pillar (¢
page 232, fig. 196) lists the speci­
ficat ions of the original equipment tires in­
stalled on you r vehicle at the time it was man ­
ufactu red .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 199. This information
i dentifies and descr ibes the fundamenta l
c haracteristics, the q uality grade of the t ire
and also provides a t ire identification numbe r
IJi,,-

240 Tires and wheels
for safety standard certification and in case of
a recall.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specifications makes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial tires
have the tire spec ifications marked on the
sidewall, for example:
275/35 R 20 102 Y XL
This contains the follow ing informat ion :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where applicable)
275 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the w ider
the tire
35 Height/width ratio in percent (aspect ra-
tio)
R Tire construction: Radia l
20 Rim diameter code (in inches)
102 Load rating code
Y Speed rat ing letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") Indicates
that the tire is a "Reinforced " or an " Extra
L oad" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the tire has
some mud and snow capability
The tires could also have the information of
d irection of rotation¢ page 228.
Tire manufacturing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire s idewall (possibly only on the inner
side of the wheel):
"DO T ... 2213 ... " means, for examp le, the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2013.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on the wheels in ­
dicates the maximum permissib le road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 243.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
ll For tires wit h a max imum speed capabil ity over
149 mph (240 km/h), tire manufactu rers somet im es
use the letters "ZR."
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph ( 170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph ( 180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph ( 190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1>
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1l
y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your vehicle is normally factory equipped w ith
t ir es, w hich possess excellent dr iving charac­
teristics and g ive your Aud i optimum driving
comfort .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and ind icates that the
t ir e meets all federal standards . The next two
numbers or l etters ind icate the plant where it
was manufactu red, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of man ufacture.
For example, the numbers 2213 mean the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of 2013. The
other numbers are marketing 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.
Audi Original tire
Tires w ith the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specially matched with your Audi. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving characterist ics when used
correctly. Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more inf ormation.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
genera l, the greater the number of pl ies, the
more weight a tire can support. T ire

manufacturers also must indicate the materi­
als in the tire, which include steel, nylon, pol­
yester, and others.
M ax imum Load R atin g
This numbe r indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire qualit y gra ding for treadw ear,
t ract ion , and temp erature r esistanc e
Tread wear , traction and temperature g rades
¢ page 242.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressur e
This number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that sho uld ever be put in the ti re
under normal driving conditions.
_& WARNING ,...__._
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or whee ls or improper tire and whee l
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
co llision and serious persona l injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of original
factory-installed tires or other combina­ t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- 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 su re of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used ti res may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­ c u mference) and the same tread pattern.
Driving with different tires red uces veh i­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
Tire s an d wheel s 241
-If the replacement tire is not the same as
the t ires that are mounted on the veh icle
- for example with winter tires - only use
the replacement tire for a short per iod of
time and drive with extra care . Refit the
normal road whee l as soon as safely pos­
sible.
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on you r vehicle
a re rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than thei r rated speed ca n fa il
suddenly .
- Ove rloading tires ca use heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowou t
and sudden deflation and loss of cont ro l.
- Temperature grades apply to ti res that
are properly inflated and not over or un ­
derinf lated .
- F or technical reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other
vehicles -in some cases not even whee ls
from the same veh icle mode l.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve ­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not b locked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increas ing stopping d istances and caus­
ing a co llision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on
veh icles that were equipped with them
at the factory . The veh icle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires . Incor­
rect use of ru n flat ti res can lead to vehi­
cle damage or accide nts. Che ck with an
author ized Audi dealer or tire spe cialist
to see if your vehicle can be eq uipped
with run flat tires . If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit­
ted.
@ Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er veh icles. Th is can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type. .,..
•
•

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
-If a replacement tire is different from
the tires that you have mounted on your
vehicle (for example winter tires or wide profile tires), then use the replacement
tire for a short period of time only and
drive w ith extra care. Replace the flat tire
with the tire matching the others on your
vehicle as soon as poss ible.
- Never dr ive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged.
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the
local requ irements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A BC
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wa ll between tread shou lder
and max imum section width
¢ page 239,
fig. 199.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenge r car tires must confo rm to Feder ­
a l Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
u nder cont rolled conditions on a spec ified
government test course .
For example, a t ire graded 1S0 wou ld wear
one and one half (11/ 2) t imes as well on the
gove rnment course as a tire graded 100.
The relat ive perfo rmance of t ires depends
upon the a ctua l conditions of their use, how ­
ever, and may depart sign ifican tly from the
n orm due to var iat ions in dr iving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road cha racte r­
istics and climate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
ti re's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under contro lled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of aspha lt
and concrete. A t ire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢.&,. .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ab ility to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
t ions on a specif ied indoo r laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the
mater ial of the tire to degenerate and reduce
t ire life, and excessive temperature ca n lead
to sudden tire failure
~ .&,. .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform ­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109 . Grades Band A represent h igher
levels of performance on the laborato ry test
whee l than the minimum requ ired by law.
_& WARNING
The t raction grade assigned to t his tire is
based on s traight-ahead braking trac tion
tests, and does not include accelerat ion,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak t raction
cha racte rist i cs.
A WARNING "--
The temperature grade for this tire is es-
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excess ive speed, un­
derinflation, or excess ive load ing, either
separately or in combinat ion, can cause
heat bui ldup and possib le tire failure.
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Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we r ecommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy s now areas, local governments
may require true winter or "snow " tires, those
with ve ry deeply cut tread. These t ires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be insta lled on all
fou r wheels. Ma ke sure yo u pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle .
Your veh icle is equipped w it h all-wheel drive,
this will improve tra ct io n du ring w inte r driv­
ing, even with the s tandard tires. However, we
strongly recommend that yo u always eq uip a ll
four whee ls on your vehicle with cor rectly fit­
ted w inter tires or all-se ason tires, when w in ­
te r r oad conditions are expected . This also im­
proves the vehicle's braking performance and
reduces stopping distances .
Summe r tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter t ires (snow t ires) must a lways be fitted
on all four whee ls .
Ask yo ur autho rized Aud i dea ler o r qualified
wo rkshop fo r permi tted
winter tire siz es . Use
on ly radia l winter tires.
W inte r tir es lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.15 7 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with wi nter tires under winter con­
d it ions . Summer tires hand le better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F ( 7 °C).
I f you have a flat tire, see notes on replace­
men t wheel ¢
page 239.
Please always remember that w inter tires may
h ave a lower speed rating than the t ires origi­
n a lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime it
was manufactured. Plea se see ~
page 240,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a List ing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and t he maxim um
speed at w hic h the tir es can be driven.
Tire s an d wheel s 243
The speed rating letter code(¢ page 231) is
o n the side wall of the tire~
page 239 .
A WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before driv ing off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur specific
winter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leadi ng to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING ,._.__
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fail ure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation, loss of contro l, crashes and ser ious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately .
- Wi nter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle 's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the w inter or othe r tires installed
on you r vehicle a re rated .
A WARNING
Always a djust yo ur dr iv ing to the road and
traffic cond it ions . Never let the good ac­
celer atio n of the winter t ires and al l-wheel
d rive tempt yo u into ta king ext ra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- W hen braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive c arefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permi t. T hey are qu iete r, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion .
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