tires AUDI S6 2016 User Guide

Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
.,.Check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap­
proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
"'Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.M ark tires before removing
them so that the same running
direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled.
"'Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as
possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­ crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
Wheels
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form
on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­ aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 193 T ir e designations on the side -
wall ,..
231

Wheels
(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
P indicates a tire for a passenger
vehicle. T indicates a tire desig­
nated for temporary use.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be­
tween the sidewalls in millime­
ters. In general: the larger the
number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height/width ratio expressed as a
percentage.
@ Tire construction
R indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Size of the rim diameter in inches.
@ Load index and speed rating
The load index indicates the tire's
load-carrying capacity.
The speed rating indicates the maximum permitted speed
¢ & in
Winter tires on page 246.
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi­
cates that the tire is reinforced or
is an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
p
up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (160 km/h)
232
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
Ing
R
up t o 106 mph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 1 18 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)al
z above 149 mph (240 km/h)al
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)al
y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)al
a) For tires above 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacturers sometimes use the
code "ZR".
(j) US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
The manufacture date is listed on
the tire sidewall (it may only ap­
pear on the inner side of the tire):
DOT ... 2214 ...
means, for example, that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2014.
@ Audi Original equipment
tires
Audi Original equipment tires
with the designation "AO" or "RO"
have been specially matched to
your Audi. When used correctly,
these tires meet the highest standards of safety and handling.
Your authorized Audi dealer will
be happy to provide more infor­
mation.

Wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehic le manufac­
turer for a tire of a des ignated
size that has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adj usted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle w ith standard equipment in ­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of
op tional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire des igned to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in -
234
flation pressures than t he corre­
spond ing standa rd tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl" , "EXTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the ti re-gro und interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all ti res be­
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion p ressure for that ti re .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of: ...

(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options we ight
Ma ximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated. Also called "maxi ­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants
seated in the veh icle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­ c le.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an inflated tire, including elevations due to labeling, deco ­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes , ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 234, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire. Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as
235

Wheels
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" I I I
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel size, you w ill have to p ur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
rim flanges.
S idewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time. The rat ings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 232.
You may not find
this information on all tires be ­
cause it is not requ ired by law.
23 6
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and ind icates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on
page 246.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i­
na tes a low tire pressure warning
te lltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact w ith the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away o f the tread
from the t ire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of the deg rees
of wear of the tread. Se e
¢ page 240, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
al Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relat ive com­
parisons among tires . The UTQG
is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of mi les
(kilometers) or perform in acer­
tain way. It simply gives t ire buy ­
e rs add itional informa tion to
combine with other considera ­
tions, such as p rice, brand loya lty
and dealer recommendations . Un­
der UTQG, tires are graded by t he
tire manufacturers in th ree areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera ­
ture res istance. The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the s idewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number".
It beg ins with the le tters "DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards . T he nex t
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac ­
tured , and the last fo ur numbers
represent the week and yea r of
manufacture. For examp le,
Wheels
DOT ... 2214 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week o f 201 4. The
other numbers are marketing co­ des that may or may not be used
by the t ire manufact urer. This in ­
formation is used to contact con­ sumers if a tire defec t req uires a
reca ll.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus lS0 lbs . (68 k ilo­
grams) t imes the vehicle's desig ­
na ted seating capacity.
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an ind iv idual
tire tha t is determined by dist rib­
ut ing to eac h ax le its share of the
maximum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on a n individual
tire that is determined by dist rib­
uting to each ax le its share of the
curb weight , accessory weight ,
and normal occupant weigh t (dis­
tributed in accordance wit h
c:::> ta­
ble on page 243) and dividing by
two.
23 7
..

Wheel s
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seat ing
capacit ies
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure label ¢
page 241, fig . 196
for the number of seating posi­
tions . Refer to the table¢
table
on page 243
for the number of
people that correspond to the ve­
hicle normal load .
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized repair facility . These fa ­
cilities have the proper knowl­
edge and are equipped with the
required tools and replacement
parts.
.,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum adhesion properties .
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 miles (500 km) with new tires .
.,. Use tires of the same construc­
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as poss ible on all four
wheels .
238
.,.Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,. Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original equipment tires . If
you would like to use d ifferent
tires, please note that the tires may perform differently even if
they are the same size ¢
,&.
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina ­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair facili­
ty before making a purchase
~ & -
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle -for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire* tem­
porarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use. It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
On
all wheel drive vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand and have the same construction
and tread pattern so tha t the
drive system is not damaged by

different tire speeds. For this rea­son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­ tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ
greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
Wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso­ lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
- If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­ low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 194 Ti re profi le: T readwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves,
rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear. .,.
239

Wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair facility
check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear .
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an
imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
The original tires on your vehicle
have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high
"wear indicators"¢
fig. 194 run­
ning across the tread. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) indicate
the positions of the tread wear in­
dicators.
The tires have reached the mini­
mum tread depth
l) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones ¢Ai..
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly . To rotate wheels, in­
stall the wheels from the rear
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
240
axle on the front axle and vice
versa. This will allow the tires to
have approximately the same
length of service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­
ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
¢page 258.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are
hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage .
Reduce your speed immediately .
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized repair facility to
have the vehicle inspected.
A WARNING ~
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the
risk aquaplaning when driving .,.

....
through water, when driving
through curves and when brak­ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 195 Driver's side B -pillar : tire pres­
sure label
;;; ~
,---------------.,. ,,
- KPA. -PSI
- KPA. -PSI
- KPA. -PSI
Fig. 196 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la­
bel. The label is located on the 8-
pillar
c:> fig. 195, c:> fig. 196.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded
c:> table
~ on page 243. If driving the vehi­
~
~ cle when fully loaded, you must Ln
"' \0 ....
Wheels
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure
c:> &. -
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,,.Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold. Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
... check the label
c:> fig. 196 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,,.Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
... vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­
ment system
c:> page 250.
.,,.Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire*/spare t ire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper ­
ature that is specified for the
tire .
_& WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle
load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read
241