tires AUDI S8 2008 Owner's Guide

__________________________________________________ T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_d _ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ 9II
•
& WARNING
The tr action grade assigned to this tire i s ba sed on straight -ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
c ornering , hydroplaning or peak tra ction chara cteristic s.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed , underinfla ­
tion , or ex cessive loading , either separately or in combination , can
c ause heat buildup and po ssible tire failure . •
Winter tires
Winter tires c an im prove vehicle handlin g on snow and
i ce. At tem pera tures belo w 4 5 °F (7 °C ) we re commend
changi ng to w inte r tires.
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governments may require true
winter or "s now" tire s, those with very deeply cut tread. These tires
s h ou ld on ly be used in pairs and be i nstalled on all four wheels .
M ake sure you purchase snow tires that a re the same size and
co nstruct io n type as t he othe r tires on your ve hicle.
I f your vehicle is equipped with all -wheel drive *, this will improve
t raction d uring winte r dr iving , eve n wit h th e sta n dar d tir es .
However, we strongly recommend that you always equip a ll four
w hee ls on you r vehic le wi th co rrectl y fi tted w inte r tires or all-season
t ir es, w hen w inter road condi tions are expec ted . T his also improves
the vehicle 's br aking perfo rma nce a nd reduces stopping distances .
Summe r tires p rov ide less gr ip on ice a nd s now.
Wint er tires (snow tires) must a lways be fitted on all four whee ls .
Compatible ti re p ressu re m oni to ring sen so rs must be instal led on
a ll four w inte r tires for t he ti re pr essur e moni tor ing s yste m to fu nc­
tion
proper ly => page 33 8.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualifi ed workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes. Use only ra di al winter tires .
W inter tires lose their eff ectiveness when the tr ead is worn down to
a depth of 0 .157 inc h (4 mm).
O nly d rive wi th winte r ti res under w inter cond itio ns. S um mer tire s
handle better when there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
te mpera ture i s abov e 45 °F ( 7 °C) .
I f you have a f lat tire, se e notes on spar e whee l
=> page 336.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may have a lower speed
r ati ng t han th e tires orig in ally ins talled o n you r ve hicle at t he time
it was manufactu red . P lease
see => page 338, "Speed rating (letter
co de)" for a l is tin g of th e sp eed ratin g letter code s an d th e
maximum speed at which the tires can b e driven .
The speed ra ti ng le tter
co de( => page 327) is on the side wa ll of the
t ire
=> page 336.
& WARNING
Winter tires have ma ximum speed limits that may be lower than
your vehicle's maximum speed . Always know the maximum speed
before driving off . Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific winter tires. This will cause damage to the tires leading to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
passengers .
& WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause tire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation, loss of control , crashes and serious
per sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires replaced immedi­
ately.
• Winter tires have maximum speed rating that may be lower
than your vehicle's maximum speed.
Vehicle care

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&, WARNING (continued )
• Never drive faster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires in stalled on your vehicle are rated.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic condit ions .
Never let the good acceleration of the winter tires and all -wheel
dri ve tempt you into taking extra risks. Always remember :
• When braking , an all -wheel drive vehicle handles in the same
way as a front drive vehicle .
• Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy and slippery roads ,
even winter tires cannot help under bla ck ice conditions.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather conditions permit. They are
q uiete r, d o not wear as qui ckly a nd r educe fuel cons ump tion.•
Snow chains
Sn ow c hain s may be fitte d only to the fron t w heel s, an d on ly to
certain tire sizes. Ask your authorized Audi dealer on which tire
s iz es snow c hains can be used.
If you are going to use snow cha ins, then you must instal l them on
the front wheels at least.
Th e sn ow c hains mus t h ave low-pro file l inks and mus t n ot be t hic ke r
than 0. 53 inch ( 13. 5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel ce nter c ove rs a nd tr im dis cs be fore putti ng sn ow
c h ains on your
veh ic le:::::, 0. For safety reasons cover caps must
then be fitted ove r the wheel bo lts . These are avai lable from autho ­
rized Audi dealers.
& WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehicle or installing them
incorrectly can in crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury .
• Snow chains are available in different sizes. Alway s make sure
to follo w the instructions provided by the snow chain manufac ­
turer.
• When driving with snow cha ins never drive faster than the
speed permitted for your specific snow chains .
• Always observe local regulations .
0 Note
• Remove snow chains before driving on roads not covered with
snow to av oid da magi ng t ires a nd weari ng th e snow cha ins dow n
unnecessari ly .
• Snow c hains, w hich
come int o direct co ntact w it h the w heel r im,
can scratch or damage it. Th erefore, make sure that the snow chains
are suitab ly cov ere d.
• I f the Adaptive Air Suspension should malfunction, do not
mo unt or use snow cha ins because t he veh icle w ill be ext re me ly
l ow. If you do drive with snow chains on while the vehicle is at this
l ev el, the s now c hai ns mig ht sev erely da mag e th e wheel house an d
other parts of the vehicle .
[ i ] Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain roads, this norma lly
a lso ap plies t o veh icle s wi th All Wheel D rive .•

Tires and wheels 11111 --------------------------------------------
•
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must al wa ys be tightened to the correc t
tor que .
The design of wheel bo lts is matched to the factory installed rims. If
di fferent r ims a re fitted, t he co rrect w heel bo lts wi th the rig ht len gth
and correct ly shaped bolt heads m ust be used. This ensures that
w he els a re fitt ed se cu rel y and that t he bra ke syste m functi on s
correctly.
In certa in ci rc ums ta nces, yo u may no t use wheel bo lts fr om a
differ ent vehicle - eve n if it is the sa me
model=:> page 382.
& WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel bolts can become loose
causing loss of control, a collision and serious personal injury.
• Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs
clean so the wheel bolts can turn easily and be properly tightened .
• Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel
hubs. They can become loose while driving if greased or oiled,
even if tightened to the specified torque .
• Only use wheel bolts that belong to the rim being installed .
• Never use different wheels bolts on your vehicle.
• Always maintain the correct tightening torque for the wheel
bolts to reduce the risk of a wheel loss .
If the tightening torque of
the wheel bolts is too low, they can loosen and come out when the
vehicle is moving . If the tightening torque is too high, the wheel
bolts and threads can be damaged and the wheel can become
loose .
0 Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is 9 0 ft lb (12 0 N m) with a
t olerance o f± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). T orque whee l bolts diago nally.
After changing a whee l, the torque must be checked as soon as possible with a torque wrench
-preferably by an authorized Audi
dea ler o r qua lif ied wo rksho p.•
Low aspect ratio tires
You r Aud i is fact ory- eq uip pe d w it h lo w aspect rati o tire s. T hese tir es
hav e been thorough ly t ested and been se lect ed specifical ly for your
mod el for thei r supe rb pe rf or manc e, r oad f eel an d ha nd ling under
a variety of driving conditions. As k your authorized Audi d ealer for
m or e de tails.
The low aspect rat io o f th ese t ires is indicat ed by a nume ra l of 55 or
less in the tire's size designatio n. The numeral represents the ratio
o f t he tir e's s idewa ll he ig ht in r ela ti on to it s tread w idt h ex pressed
in percentage . Conventiona l tires have a height/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performan ce of low -aspe ct-ratio tires is particularly sensitive to
improper inflation pressure . It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure and that the
inflation pressure is regularly checked and maintained . Tire pres­
sures should be checked at least once a month and alway s before a
long
trip :::::, page 331, "Checking tire pressure" .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim damage L ow a spect ratio tires can be damaged mo re easily by impact with
pot ho les, cu rbs, gull ies o r ridge s o n th e road, part icular ly if th e tire
is underinf lated .
I n or der to mini mize th e occurren ce of i mpac t da mag e to the tires
of your vehicle, we recommend that you observe the fol lowing
pr ecaut ions :
• Alwa ys m aint ain recom mended inflatio n pressu res . C he ck you r
t ire p res su re eve ry 2,000 mi les (3, 000 k m) and add ai r if neces sary .
• D rive carefully on roads with potho les, deep gullies or ridges .
The impac t from d riving th rough or ove r such o bstacles can
da mage you r tir es . Imp act with a curb may a lso caus e damage to
your tire s. .,_
Vehicle care

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• After any impact, immediately inspect your tires or have them
inspected by the nearest authorized Audi dealer. Replace a
damaged tire as soon as possible .
• Inspect your tires every 2,000 miles (3,000 km) for damage and
wear . Damage is not always easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, which could eventua lly cause tire fai lure. If
you be lieve that a tire may have been damaged, replace the tire as
soon as possib le .
• These tires may wear more quickly than others .
• Please a lso remember that, whi le t hese tires deliver responsive
handling, they may ride less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
R ed uce d p erform an ce in win ter/co ld s eason
c ondi tion s
All tires are designed for certain purposes. The low aspect ratio,
u ltra hig h performance t ires orig inally instal led o n your vehic le are
intended for maximum dry and wet road performance and hand ling.
They are no t suitable for cold, snowy or icy weather condit ions . If
you drive under those circumstances, you should equip your vehicle
with al l- season or winter tires, which offer better traction under
those conditions . We suggest you use the recommended snow or
a ll-season tires specified for your vehicle, or their equiva lent.
Refer
to~ page 341 for more detai led informat ion regarding w inter
tires. •

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..:.... n;..:..:: o...;w ...:...;. ? ____________________________________________ _
Taking the wheel off /installing the spare
Follow these instructions step-by-step for changing the
wheel
Fig . 289 Changing a
wheel: using the
screwdriver handle
!with the blade
removed) to turn the
bolts
Fig . 290 Changing a
wheel: alignment pin
inside the top hole
After you have loosened all wheel bolts and raised the
vehicle off the ground, remove and replace the wheel as
follows:
Removing the wheel
- Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle to
completely remove the topmost wheel bolt and set it
as ide on a
cl ean surface => fig. 289. -
Screw the threaded end of the
alignment pin from the
tool kit hand-tight into the empty bolt
hole => fig. 290.
- Then remove the other wheel bolts as described above .
- Take off the wheel leaving the alignment pin in the bolt
hole.
Putting on the spare wheel
- Lift the spare wheel and carefully slide it over the align­
ment pin to guide it in place.
- Use the hexagonal socket in the screwdr iver handle to
screw in and tighten all wheel bolts
slightly.
- Remove the alignment pin and insert and t ighten the
remaining wheel bolt slightly like the rest.
- Turn the jack handle counter-clockwise to lower the
vehicle until the jack is fully released.
- Use the wheel bo lt wrench to tighten all wheel bolts
firmly=> page 354. Tighten them crosswise , from one
bolt to the (approximately) opposite one, to keep the
w heel centered .
[ i ] Tips
Never use the hexagonal socket in the handle of the screwdriver to
loosen or tighten the wheel bolts .
• Pull the reversible blade from the s crewdriver before you use the
hexagonal socket in the handle to turn the wheel bolts.
• When mounting tires with
unidirectional tread design make sure
the tread pattern is pointed the right way ::::>
page 357.
• The wheel bolts should be clean and easy to turn . Check for dirt
and corrosion on the mating surfaces of both the wheel and the -.,

What do I do now? -
----------------
•
hub. Remove all dirt from these surfaces before remounting the
wheel. •
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be mounted
with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern intended for use
in a specific direction
When using a spare tire with a tread pattern intended for use in a specific direction , please note the following:
• The direction of rotation is marked by an arrow on the side of the
tire .
• If the spare tire has to be installed in the incorrect direction, use
the spare tire only temporarily since the tire will not be able to
achieve its optimum performance characteristics with regard to
aquaplaning, noise and wear.
• We recommend that you pay particular attention to this fact
during wet weather and that you adjust your speed to match road
conditions.
• Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it installed on your
vehicle as soon as possible to restore the handling advantages of a
unidirectional tire. •
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the information =:> page 336, "New tires and replacing
tires and wheels" if you are going to use a spare tire which is
different from the tires on your vehicle.
After you change a tire :
• Check the tire pressure on the spare immediately after installa­
tion. •
Have the wheel bolt tightening torque checked with a torque
wrench as soon as possible by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified service station .
• With steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel bolts are correctly
tightened at a torque of 90 ft lb (120 Nm}.
• If you notice that the wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn while changing a tire, they should be replaced before you check
the tightening torque.
• Replace the flat tire with a new one and have it installed on your
vehicle as soon as possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, drive with extra care and at reduced speeds .
& WARNING
• If you are going to equip your vehicle with tires or rims which
differ from those which were factory installed, then be sure to read
the information
=:> page 336, "New tires and replacing tires and
wheels".
• Always make sure the damaged wheel or even a flat tire and
the jack and tool kit are properly secured in the luggage compart­
ment and are not loose in the passenger compartment.
• In an accident or sudden maneuver they could fly forward,
injuring anyone in the vehicle .
• Always store damaged wheel, jack and tools securely in the
luggage compartment . Otherwise, in an accident or sudden
maneuver they could fly forward, causing injury to passengers in
the vehicle .
• Do not use commercially available tire sealants. Otherwise, the
electrical components of the tire pressure monitoring system will
no longer work properly and the sensor for the tire pressure moni ­
toring system will have to be replaced by a qualified workshop. •
Do -it -yourself service