tire pressure AUDI S7 2015 Owner's Manual

and increase the risk of the loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi­
cle within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow­
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash.
-Always make sure that the total load being transported - including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing .
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
~ overloaded.
Tires and wheels 257
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 247,
fig. 200.
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
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 247, fig. 200.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of car­go 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. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo ""
•
•
'

258 Tires and wheels
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 260, fig. 204) 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 in­
cluding proper installation and
balancing, correct tire pressure
and driving style.
Fig. 202 Tire tread: tread wear indi­
cators (TWI)
Fig. 203 Rotating tires for more even
wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehi­
cle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm)
high "wear indicators"
¢ fig. 202 running across the
tread. Depending 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 figures may apply in
other countries
¢ .&. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes
premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire press ure must be
checked at least once a month
¢page 252.

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
No. Description
® Load index and speed rat-
1ng
0 U.S. DOT tire identifica-
tion number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and
temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible in-
flation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design.
The tires and rims approved by
Audi are specially matched to
the characteristics of the vehi­ cle and can make a major con­
tribution to good road holding and safe handling when in good
condition and properly inflated
¢ &.
We recommend that all work
on tires and wheels 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
Tires and wheels
proper facilities for disposing of
the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers 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 individu­
ally (for example both front
tires or both rear tires togeth­ er).
Be sure to read and heed the in­
formation to the tire pressure
monitoring system
¢ page 270 .
Always buy replacement radial
tires that have the same specifi­
cations as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Re­ placement tires must always
have the same load rating spec­
ification as the original equip­
ment or approved optional tires
listed in the table
¢ page 247.
Audi-approved specification
tires are specially matched to
your vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the im­portant roadholding , driving
261
•
•
'

262 Tires and whee ls
characteristics, and safety of This contains the following in-
the vehicle. The table formation:
(¢
page 247) lists specifica -p Indicates the tire is for pas-
tions of the tires approved for senger cars (where applica-
the Audi models covered by ble)
your Owner's Literature.
255 Nominal tire width in mm
T he tire pressure label located
of the tire from sidewall
on driver's side B-pillar edge to sidewall edge. In
(¢
page 247, fig . 201) lists the
general, the larger the num-
specifications of the original ber, the wider the tire
equipment tires installed on
40 Height/width ratio in per-
your veh icle at the time it was
cent (aspect ratio)
manufactured.
R Tire construction: Rad ia l
Federal law requires tire manu-
19 Rim diameter code (in in-
facturers to place standardized ches)
information on the sidewall of
100 Load rating code
all tires¢
fig. 204. This infor-H Speed rat ing letter code
mation identifies and describes
XL (or "xl", " EXTRA LOAD" or
the fundamental characteris -"R
F") Indicates that the tire
tics, the quality grade of the is a "Reinforced" or an
"E xtra
tire and also provides a tire Load" tire
identification number for safety
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that
standard certification and in the tire has some mud and
case of a reca ll. snow capability
Tire specifications T
he tires could also have the in-
Knowledge of tire specifications formation of direction of ro
ta-
tio n ¢
page 241. makes it easie r to choose the
correct tires . Radial tires have
Tire manufacturing date
the tire specificat ions marked
The manufacturing date is also
on the sidewall, for example: indicated on the tire sidewall
255 /40 R 19 100 H XL (possibly only on the inner side
of the wheel):
...

264 Tires and whee ls
tires because they meet the
h ighest standards regarding
safety and driving characteris ­
tics when used correctly. Your
authorized Audi dealer w ill
g ladly provide you with more
information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
T he number of plies indicates
the number of layers of rubber­
coated fabric in the tire. In gen­
eral, the greater the number of
plies , the more weight a tire
can support . Tire manufactur­
ers also must indicate the ma­
ter ia ls in the tire, wh ich include
steel, nylon, polyester, and oth­
ers .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max­
imum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for
treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, trac tion and tem­
perature grades
¢ page 266.
Ma ximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
T his number is the greatest
amount of air pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driv ing condi­
tions.
A WA RNING
-Using incorrect or unmatch­
ed tires and/ or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control , collision and
ser ious personal injury.
-Always use tires, rims and
wheel bolts that meet the
specifications of original
factory-installed tires or
other combinations that
have been specifically ap ­
proved by the vehicle manu­
facturer.
- Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that a re more
than 6 years old can on ly be
used in an eme rgency and
then with special care and
at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on
your vehicle if you are no t

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If differen t rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -eve n if it
i s the same model
~ page 296.
_&. WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
whee l bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can become loose wh ile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque .
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor ­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cl e is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
Q;) Note
The spec ified torque fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a toleran ce of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts diago-
Tire s an d wheel s 269
nally . After changing a whee l, the torq ue
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque wrench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been selected specifically for your model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling u nder a variety of driving condi­
tions . Ask your au thorized Aud i dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's si ze
designation. The n umera l represents the ra tio
of the ti re's sidewall height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven­
tiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The perform ance o f low-a spe ct-r atio tire s is
p ar ticul arl y s ens it iv e to imp ro per infl ation
pressur e. It is t herefo re im porta nt t hat low
a spect ratio t ires are inflat ed to the specified
pr essure and that the inflation pressure is
r e gularly checked and ma int ained. Tire pr es­
s ure s should be check ed at lea st on ce a
month and alwa ys befor e a long trip
~ page 252 , Checking tire pressure.
What you c an do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gull ies
o r r idges on the road, pa rtic ularly if the tire is
u nder infla ted .
In order to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following p re ca u­
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
p ressures . Check your tire pressu re eve ry
2 ,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary .
- Dr ive caref ully on roads wi th potholes , deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from driv ing ..,. •
•

2 70 T ire s and wheel s
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Audi dealer. Rep lace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible.
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire failu re. If you bel ieve that a
t ire may have been damaged, replace the
t ire as soon as possible.
- These tires may wear more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please also remember that, while these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make mo re no ise than
othe r cho ices .
Reduced performance in winter /co ld
season condition s
All tires are des igned for certain pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high pe rformance
tires orig inally installed on your veh icle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond it ions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or a ll-season tires specified
for your vehi cle, or their equ ivalent.
Refer to¢
page 267 for more deta iled infor­
mat ion regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
U) General notes
Each t ire, includ ing the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacture r on the vehicle
p lacard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a diffe
rent size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat ion pressure labe l, you shou ld determ ine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t ires).
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ires is significantly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper p ressu re. Driving on a sig nifican tly u n­
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fai lure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's hand ling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­ er's respons ibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale .
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to ind icate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS ma lfunction indicator is combined w ith
the low tire pressure telltale . When the sys­
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash fo r approxima te ly one m inute and then
rema in continuously illum ina ted. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indica to r is illum inat­
ed, the system m ay not be ab le to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a var iety of rea­
sons, incl uding the insta llation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more tires or
whee ls on you r vehicle to ensu re that the re­
placement o r alternate ti res and wheels a llow
the TPM S to cont inue to func tion p roperly.

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 205 Display: underinflation warning
Fig. 206 Display: System malfunction
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­ ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster with a warning symbol
rD] and a
message
c:> fig . 205.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad­
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and fu ll load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle
c:> page272 . The
TPMS indicator only monitors the tire pres­
sure that you have previously stored. You can
find the recommended tire pressures for your
vehicle on the label on driver's side 8-pillar
c:>page247.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
Tires and wheels 2 71
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
c:>poge272.
- the spare tire* is mounted .
Warning symbols
[I] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.& .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
necessary. The indicator light
rD] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates <=:>
page 12.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and resetTPMS via MMI.
l!I (Tire Pressure Mon itoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction .
Ifljl appears
after switching the ignition on or while driving
¢
fig. 206 and the indicator light rD] in the in­
strument cluster blinks for approximately one
minute and then stays on, there is a system
malfunction. Attempt to store the correct tire
pressure
c:> page 272. If the indicator light
does not turn off or if it turns on shortly
thereafter, immediately drive your vehicle to
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair
facility to have the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label<=:>
page 247 . Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must check the tire pressures regularly.
.

272 Tires and wheels -Under certain conditions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor
indicator may be delayed.
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle.
- The tire pressure monitoring system may
stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was developed using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification on the
tire sidewall
c:> page 260. We recom­
mend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI.
• Before storing the new tire pressures, check
that the current pressures on all four tires correspond to the specified values and
adapt the pressures to the current load <=>page 247.
• Switch on the ignition.
• Select in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
(Car)* systems control button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures> Yes, store now.
Do not store the tire pressure if there are
snow chains on the tire. Otherwise, a sys­
tem malfunction may occur.

274 What do I do no w?
-Never use the jack s upplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a heavier one. The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came w ith.
- Some of the on board items listed above
are provided on certain mode ls only or
are optiona l extras.
- Before you can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jack ing
mode
Qpage 277.
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover. It
is intended for short-term use only.
Taking out the sp are tire
,. Fold the floor to the seatback with the help
of the handle.
,. Turn the large screw
Q page 2 73, fig. 208
counter-clockw ise .
,. Take out the spare tire .
,. Always store the vehicle tool ki t, the jack*
and the replaced t ire in the l uggage com­
partment
Q page 134.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tire )
The compact spare tire is only intended for
emergenc ies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as poss ible with a s tand­
a rd wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare t ire. Th e compact spare t ire
has been des igned specifically fo r your type of
ve hicle . It must not be swapped with a com­
pact spare ti re from another type of vehicle .
Snow chains
For technica l reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is
not p ermitt ed .
If you do have to dr ive with snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mo unt the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear t ire. I nstall the snow chains on the rear tire and use it to rep
lace
the defective front tire.
A WARNING
-- Never use the spare t ire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
d icators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old, use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­ porary and short-term use. It s hou ld be
replaced as soo n as poss ible with the
normal wheel and tire.
- After mounting t he compact spare tire,
the t ire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible . The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire must be 4. 2 ba r; oth­
erwise, you risk having an a cc iden t.
- Do not dr ive faste r th an
50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u ris k having a n accident.
- Avoid full-throttle acceleration, heavy
b rak ing, and fast corne ring. You risk hav­
ing
('I n accident.
- N ever d rive using more than one spa re
wheel and ti re. You r is k having an ac ci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mounted on t he compa ct spare w heel
r im.
- For technica l reasons, the use of tire
ch ain s on the sp are tire is not permitted.
If i t is necessary to drive with tir e c hains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
f ront ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front whee l
m ust then be insta lled in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the t ire chain before mounting the whee l
a nd tire is recommended .
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause se rious personal injury
du ring hard b rak ing or in a n accident.
Never store the i nflatable spa re tire or
jack and tool s in the passenge r compart­
men t.