air condition AUDI S4 2014 User Guide

202 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "balanced" rig is easier
to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

Vehicle care and cleaning 207
Component Situation Solution
Te xtile s,
Stains adhering to Vacuum cleaner
Vinyl, the surface
Alcantara Water-based stains Absorbent cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Apply a mild soap solutiona>, blot away the d issolved oil
such as oil, make- or dye, treat afterward w ith water, if necessary
up, etc.
Special stains such Special stain remover, blot with absorbent material,
as ballpoint pen, treat afterward with mild soap solutiona>, if necessary
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc.
Natural leather Fr es h stains Cotton cloth with a mild soap solutiona)
Water-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, Dr ied stains: sta in remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based stains Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make- for leather
up, etc . dried sta ins: Oil cleaning spray
Special stains such Stain remover suitable for leather
as ballpo int pen,
na il polish, latex
pa int, shoe polish,
etc .
Care Regularly
apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-col-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Dirty Clean the same way as plastic parts
al Mild soap solution: maximum two tablespoons neut ral soap in a liter of water
& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with
water-repelling windshie ld coating agents .
Unfavorab le conditions such as wetness,
darkness, or low sun can result in in­
creased glare. W iper blade chatter is also
possible.
- Headlights/tail lights
- Never clean headlights or tail lights
w ith a dry cloth or sponge. -
Do not use any cleaning product that
contains alcohol, because they could
cause cracks to form .
-Wheels
-Never use any paint polish or other
abrasive mater ials.
- Damage to the protective layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches
must be repaired immediately.
- Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to re-
move snow or ice from the camera
len s. This could cause the lens to crack .
IJII>
•
•

Modern eng ine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years . Many synt hetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast traditional pet role­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life o f your Audi .
W hether you use synthetic or petroleum­
based engine oil, the oil that you use must
c o nform to Audi's oil quality standard
VW 502 00 to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the for­
mat ion of harmfu l deposits, sometimes called
"sludge", that ove r time can lead to expensive
r epairs .
At the time of pri nting, engine o ils available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oi l standard VW 502 00
are synthetic engine oils. This does not mean, h owever, that every synthetic engine oil w ill
meet Audi oil standard VW 502 00. So always
be sure that you use an approved oi l.
To help prevent the format ion of harmful de­
posits use only oi l with the fo llowing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container:
Audi oil standard VW 502 00
O il conta iner labels may carry the specif ica­
tion s ingly or in comb inat ion w ith other des ig­
nations and oil qua lity standards .
Viscosity
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity. The proper v iscosity grade oi l for your
engine depends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d itions where you dr ive. You can use oil with a
viscosity grade of SAE SW40 across all tem­
pe rature ranges for normal d riving conditions .
However, if eng ine oi l viscosity grade SAE
SW40 is not avai lab le, you can also use viscos­
ity grade SAE SW-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi o il quality standard VW 502 00
specifications.
Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we st rongly recomme nd
that you always carry with you a n ext ra quart
Checkin g and fillin g 217
(li ter) of oil that exp ress ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 specification, in case you have to
top
off the o il while on the road.
Only if the level of the o il is at or be low the
minimum mark -and no oi l that expressly
confo rms to Audi oil standard VW 502 00
spec ifications is available -may you top
off
with a h igh quality engine o il, preferab ly syn ­
thet ic-based, that meets ACEA A3 or API SM
specifications, but even then, only in v iscosity
grades SAE SW-40, SA E SW-30, o r SAE
OW-40. However, dur ing the entire time be­
tween o il cha nge inte rva ls, never top
off with
more than a tota l of 0. 5 q t/liter engine o il
that does not con form to A udi oil specification
vw 502 00.
Fo r more information about eng ine oi l tha t
has been approved for your veh icle, ple ase
contac t either yo ur a uthorized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822 -2834
or visit our web site at www .audiusa.com or
www.aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers, brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
vw 502 00.
Changing the engine oil
T he eng ine oi l and o il f ilter m ust be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified i n your vehicle's War ­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these interva ls - harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changi ng the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important beca use the lubricat­
ing propert ies of oil decrease gradually during
norma l veh icle use . If you a re not sure when
you have your o il cha nged, ask your author­
ized Audi Se rv ice Adv isor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more frequent ly.
Change oil more often if you dr ive most ly
sho rt distances, operate the veh icle in dusty
areas o r most ly under stop-and-go traff ic con-
di tions, o r when you use your vehi cle where .,..
•
•

Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
qu ires little attention .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with anticorros ion addi­
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian
models) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It also raises the boil ­
ing point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 ° F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::;, .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 214.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
Checkin g and fillin g 221
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli ­
mate conditions. This is especia lly impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extremely co ld. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is available at au­
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection. The resulting corro­
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se­ rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in
damage not covered by your New Veh icle
Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 185 En gin e compar tment: Cover on the coo la n t
expansio n tan k
"' Before you check anything in the engine
compa rtme nt,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c::;, .&, in Working in the engine
compartment on page 214.
"'Park your vehicle on a level su rface .
.,. Turn off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank
i=> fig . 185, c::;, page 216,
fig . 182. With a cold engine, the coolant Iii>

Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out through the pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot .
_& WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Turn
off the engine and allow itto cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts . Under certain
conditions, the ethylene glycol in en­
gine coolant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
tifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con ­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
is empty. Air could enter the cooling sys­
tem and damage the engine. If this is
the case, do not continue driving . Seek
professional assistance.
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire . Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 221 must be re­
stored as soon as possible.
Checking and filling 223
'
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­
ing all environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan according to the temperature of the coolant.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine
off, the auxiliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition
off. It can even switch
on again later by itself ¢.&. , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises
du e to the h eat build-up from th e engin e in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
_& WARNING ~
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev-
er touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops. •
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the pr oblem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat­
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte ­
nance. With
high outside temperatures or
long daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by an authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop . The elec­
trolyte leve l should also be checked each time
the battery is charged ¢
page 22 7.
H ave the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service . Yo u are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 yea rs .
W ith certa in types of a irbag deployment, t he
b attery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢.&.
in Re ­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 159.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators , for example) are lost if the battery ter­
m inals a re d isconnected. These func tions have
to be re lea rned after the batte ry term inals a re
connected agai n. T o prevent this , the bat tery
should only be d isconnec ted from the vehicle
e lec tric al system when absolu tely necessa ry
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive you r vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elec trical compo­
nen ts are gr adually cut b ack o r swi tched off .
This redu ces energy cons umption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per io d
¢ page 193.
Some o f the conven ience f unctions m ay not
ope rate, su ch as the in ter ior lig hts or t he
Checkin g and fillin g 225
power seat adjus tment. The convenience
funct io ns w ill be available again when yo u
turn o n the ign ition and start the engine.
Winter operation
D ur ing the w inte r mon ths, bat tery capa city
tends to dec rease as tempera tures drop . This
is beca use more power is a lso consumed wh ile
starting, and the headlights, rear window de­
fogge r, etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consumpt ion, pa r­
ticular ly in city traffic or when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat ­
tery before w inter sets in
¢ page 227. A well
charged battery will no t on ly prevent star tin g
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
also last longer .
@ Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for seve ral
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery s hou ld be removed and
stored where it will not freeze . This will
p revent it from be ing damaged and having
to be repla ced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the bat tery.
The battery is located in the luggage compar t­
ment under the floor . B efo re you che ck any­
thi ng in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ ,&. .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
i ng on the veh icle batte ry or t he vehicle e lec­
t rical sys tem to p reven t inju ry.
The following WARNINGS are very
important when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BO LS and safety precautions when working
on the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection.
•
•

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* will be impaired if you store nor ­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢,& .
See the illustration ¢
fig. 189 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 designation
Engine
A4 Sedan: 225/55 Rl6 95H
2 .0 lit er All Se ason
4 -cy linder
245/45 Rl 7 95H
All Se ason
2 4 5/ 40 Rl8 93Y
Hi gh P erf or mance
2 25/5 0 Rl 7 94H
All Sea son
2 4 5/ 40 Rl 8 93H
All Se ason
2 55 /35 Rl9 96Y XL
Hig h Perf ormanc e
a llro ad: 225/55 Rl 7 97 H
2.0 l it e r All Season
4 -cy lind er
245 /45 Rl 8 l00H
All Sea so n
2 45 /45 Rl8 96 Y
Hig h Perf or mance
245 /40 Rl9 98Y XL
High P erf or mance
Tire s an d wheel s 235
change. 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 inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature 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
normal load condition full load condition
( up to 3 occupants )
f r ont rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
32 220 29 200 33 230 35 240
33 230 30 210 35 240 36 250
33 230
32 220
36 250
38 260
32 220 30 210 35 240 35 240
30 2 10 30 2 10 33 230 36 250
32 220 32 220 33 230 36 250
30 210 30 2 10 33 230 36 250
32 220 29 200 35 240
38 260
•
•

-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 table
c:> page 234, Cold tire inflation pressure . This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
mo re tha n a couple of m iles (k ilome ters) at
l ow speeds during t he p revious three hours.
A ir in the tires expands when the ti re heats up
as a result of inte rna l friction as it flexes in
use. The tire press ure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
It is the i nflat ion p ressu re in a "cold" tire that
counts . Therefore, you shou ld never let air ou t
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation pressure" recommendations
c:> page 234. The
tires would then be under inflated and could
fa il suddenly.
The tire press ure labe l on yo ur Audi lists the
recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures at
maximum capacity for the new, origina l
equ ipment tires that were on your vehicle at
the time it was manufactured. For the loca­
tion of the label
<=> page 234, fig . 189 .
Most tires lose a ir naturally over time. They
can also lose some a ir if you drive
over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial t ires
used today are underi nflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least o nce a month and always before going
on a long tr ip . Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
coun t when adjusting tire pressure for a t rip -
even one that you would not consider to be
Tire s an d wheel s 237
"long." See c:> page 2 38, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
A lways use an acc ura te tire pressu re ga uge
when checking and ad justing infla tion pres ­
s ur es . Check all o f the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any t ire
is too h igh when the tire is "cold", let a ir o ut
of the t ire s low ly w ith the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and k ind of
driv ing you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the co ld
t ire a nd the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
t h e ve hicl e load (passenge rs and luggage) for
the tires on you r veh icle as l isted on the on
yo ur vehicle and in this ma nual and the kind
of driving you plan to do.
Never exc eed the maximum inflation pr es­
sure li ste d on the tire sidewall for any re a­
s o n.
Remember that the vehicl e manufacture r, not
t h e tire manufact urer, de termines t he cor re ct
t ir e p ress ure fo r th e tires on your ve hicl e.
It is important to check the t ire p ressu re whe n
the tires are co ld.
- Read the required tire pressure from the t ire
pressure labe l. The t ire pressure label is lo­
cated o n the dr iver's side 8-pillar. The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommended co ld
tire infla tion pressures for t he vehi cle at its
maxim um capacity weigh t and t he tires that
were on your ve hicle a t the time i t was man­
ufactured . For recommende d tire pressures
for normal load conditions, p lease see chap­
ter
c:> page 2 34.
- Tu rn the va lve stem cap counter -clockwise
to remove it from the tire
va lve .
-Place t he ai r pressure gauge on the va lve.
- The tire pressu res should o nly be checked
and ad justed when the tires are co ld . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be red uced.
Ill>-
•
•

242 Tires and wheels
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 193 Tire speci fication codes o n the s idewal l of a
t ir e
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 rating
0 U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac­
ter istics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢
&..
We recommend that all work on tires and
whee ls be performed 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 tires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary
information about technical requirements for
installing or changing tires and rims .
Replacing tires and wheels
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 information to
the tire pressure mon itor ing system *
co page 249 .
Always buy replacement radia l tires that have
the same spec ifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement tires
must a lways have the same load rating speci­
fication as the origina l equipment or approved
optiona l tires listed in the table¢
page 234 .
Audi-approved specification tires are specia lly
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important roadhold­
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(c;, page 234) 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 side
B-pillar
(c;, page 234, fig. 190) lists the speci­
ficat ions of the original equipment tires in­
stalled on your vehicle at the time it was man ­
ufactured .
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the side­
wall of all tires
co fig . 193. Th is information
identifies and descr ibes the fundamenta l
characteristics, the quality grade of the tir e
and also provides a tire identification number
II>-

24 4 T ire s and wheel s
Tire pl y compo sit ion and materi als used
The numbe r of plies ind icates the n umber of
l ayers of rubber -coated fabric in the tire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ic h include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others.
M ax imum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadw ear ,
tr act ion, a nd t emper ature re sis tan ce
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c:> page245.
Max imum Permiss ibl e Inflation Pressur e
This numbe r is the greates t amo unt of air
p ress ure that sho uld ever be put in the ti re
under normal driving conditions .
A WARNING
-Us ing incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
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 orig inal
factory-installed t ires or other combina­
t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tir es that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not su re 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.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing c ir- cumference) and the same tread pattern
.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires - only use
the spare t ire fo r a short pe riod of time
and d rive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i­
b le.
- Never d rive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on you r vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fai l
suddenly .
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of cont ro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or un­
de rinf lated .
- For technica l reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other
veh icles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same veh icle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the a ir flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopp ing distances 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 and a
f a ctory -inst alled tire pressure monitor­
ing sys tem * that indicates a loss of tire
pressu re . I ncorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist to see if your vehicle can be
equ ipped w ith run flat t ires. If run flat
tires are used, they must be installed on
all fo ur wheels . Mix ing tire types is not
pe rm itted.