tires AUDI S4 2014 User Guide

-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 summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
are typ ic al in those seasons. Aud i recom­
mends using w inter t ires du ring the win-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be replaced)
of automatic tra nsmission, power steering,
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 ratio of the height to the width of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in­
d icate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the pa rt of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
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 231
ter months . Low temperatu res signifi­
cantly decrease the elastic ity of summer
t ires, which affects traction and braking
ability. If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, res ulting in permanent
ti re damage that can cause loud drivi ng
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is not
responsib le for this type of damage.
- Burn ished, polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter weather. Th e
surfa ce of the rims does not have suffi­
c ien t cor rosion pro te cti on for this and
c o ul d be pe rmanen tly damaged by road
salt or similar substances. This damage
is not covered by warranty.
Cold tir e inflation pressure
me ans the t ire press ure re commended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire o f a des igna ted
size that has not bee n driven for more than a
couple of miles (k ilomete rs) at low speeds in
the three hour pe riod before the tire press ure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight o f a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, air cond i­
tion ing and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
ter~ces .
~
•
•

232 Tires and wheels
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR" )
means the maximum total loaded weight o f
the vehicle.
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 inflat ion pressure. You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not requ ired by law .
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the maxi­
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 opt ions 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 kilog rams) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the tota l seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means dist ribution of occupants in a veh icle.
Outer diameter
means the overall 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 or ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubbe r-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production opt ions we ighing over 5
lbs. ( 2.3 kg) in excess of those standa rd items
wh ich they replace, not previously cons idered
in curb weight or accessory weight, 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
tially 90 deg rees to the center line of the
tread.
Recommended inflation pressure
see c:::> page 231, Cold tire inflation pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread 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 243. You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­ b le, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 246.
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 port ion 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 pr incipal
grooves designed to give a visual ind ication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢
page 240, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat 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 (N HTSA) 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 last 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 233
siderations, such as price, brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the t ire 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 indicate 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 plus
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 234)
and dividing by two.
•
•

234 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
5 3 2 in fron t, 1 in back seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fi g. 189 T ire press ure label : located on driver's side B·
p ill ar
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. 190 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 3 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 * can o nly mo nitor the tir e press ures .,.

236 Tires and wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 3 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
S4 Sedan : 245/40 Rl8 93H
36 250 32 220 41
280 41
280 3.0 liter All Sea son
6-cylinder 245/40 Rl8 93V
High Performance
39 270 3 5 24 0 41 28 0 41 280
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
39 270
33 230 41
280 41 280 High Perfo rmance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may al so appear a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
l o cated on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical cha nges may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compa re the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l o n you r ve hicl e w it h the
tires on your vehicle. M ake s ure that the t ire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the t ire s on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be ­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you boug ht the
ve hicle as a p reviously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing s ure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle . These load lim its are technically refer­
red to as th e vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rati ng ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
i ng ("GA WR") is the ma ximum load tha t can
be applied at each o f the veh icle's two axles.
T he G ross Vehicle We ig ht Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance st ic k er labe l located on the
driver's side B-p illar. The tire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
o ther cargo tha t the vehicl e can carry. For the
l ocat io n of the ti re pressu re labe l~
fig . 189 .
A WARNING
Overloadin g a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hi cle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and 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
ve hicle w ith in a safe distanc e.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s uddenly ca us ing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g transported -including t he weight of
a trailer hitch and t he tongue we igh t of a
loaded tr ail er -does not ma ke t he ve hi­
cle he avier th an the vehicle' s Gro ss V ehi­
cle Weigh t Ra tin g.
.8_ WARNING
- In co rrec t tire pressure s and /or u nderin­
fl ation can lead to a serio us or fatal acci ­
dent .
- I nco rrec t tire pressures an d/or un derin­
fla tion ca use increased ti re wear an d 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 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>-
•
•

238 Tire s and whee ls
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I ch eck the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey. Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
wheel.
When should I adj ust the tire p re ss ures?
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 initi­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*~
page 249.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the
RI] warning symbol appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
t ion can cause increased t ire 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
t ire pressures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressure va lues are locat­
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil ­
lar.
- Only when a ll ti res on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system* can work cor­
rect ly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the specified t
ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the ti re pressure monitor­ing system*.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wh eel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
air as required.
Q) Note
D riving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure tha t factory insta lled
valve stem caps on all whee ls are sec urely
mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
U nderinflated tires w ill also incre ase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is over loaded will not handle
well and is more d iff icult 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 fa ilure, in­
clud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation tha t
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 includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
l oad limits are techn ica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle We ight Rat ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
veh icle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fu el, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i n tended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des igna ted sea ting pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight o f the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
l oaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load.
The
Gro ss A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two ax les.
The G ross Vehicle We ight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B -pi llar . Your Audi has 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
tota l seating capacity of 5. Each seating posi­
tion has a seat belt¢
page 138, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer) is limited. The more passen­
ge rs in the veh icle or passengers who are
h eav ier than the standa rd weights assumed
mean that less weight can be ca rr ied as l ug­
gage.
The tire pressure labe l on you r Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
oc cu pants and luggage o r othe r ca rgo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location o f the
l abe l
¢page 234, fig. 189.
Tires an d wheel s 239
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal 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, incl uding a blowout
and sudden defla tion, causing loss of
contro l and a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the total load be­
ing transpor ted - incl uding the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle We ight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e example below to ca l­
culate the total weight of the
pa ssengers and lu ggage or oth­
e r thing s that you pl an t o tran s­
po rt so that you can make sur e
that your vehicle will not be
o verloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1 . Lo cate th e statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF O C­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCE ED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi-
c le 's pla card (tire inflation ..,
•
•

240 Tires and wheels
pressure label) ¢ page 234,
fig. 189.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 234, fig. 189.
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 .
... check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 242, fig. 193) 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 including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 191 T ire tread: tread wear ind icato rs (TWI)
____ Jj
Fig. 192 Rotating tires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on you r vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
cf> fig. 191 running across the tread. Depend-
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other ..,.

symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators. Worn tires must be replaced.
Different fig ures may apply in other co untries
c:> .&. .
Tir e pres sure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
<=:> page 237.
Driving sty le
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for mo re even wear
For all four t ires on your vehicle to have the
same se rvice life, we recommend that the
fro nt and rea r tires are rotated according to
the t ire manufacture r's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow ­
ing:
- T ire rotat ion inte rva ls may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Maintenance and Wa rranty 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
fo llow the t ire manufacturer's suggested
t ire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all whee l drive (quattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
<=:> fig. 192.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c:> page 259 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
H oweve r, va rio us situations d uring eve ryday
driving can cause them to be come unbal­
anced, resu lting in vibrations you can us ually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing , suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Tire s an d wheel s 241
Incorrect wh eel alignment
Incor rect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details see
<=:> page 192.
_8 WARNING
Sudden tire fa ilure can lead to loss o f con­
trol, a crash and serio us personal in jury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn ti res are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk 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 fail sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of thei r "previo us histo­
ry ." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control. •
•