AUDI S8 2013 Owners Manual

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A voidin g damage
If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 249
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 278.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

250 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you 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 t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, 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 wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, power steer ing,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that th ese
items are availab le as factory -installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he ight to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part 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 separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem­
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un­
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ressu re recommended by t he
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des igna ted
s iz e that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
t h e three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
standard equipment in cl uding the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
me ans a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the lo ad -c a rry ing c apac ity of a s ingle
axle system , measured a t the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicl e. .,.

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 g iven inflation pressure. You
may not find this information on all tires be­
cause it is no t req uired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options 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 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overa ll diamete r of an inflated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ ­
in g elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Tires and wheels 251
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production options we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and spec ial tr im .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tia lly 90 degrees to the center line of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see¢ page 250, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at h igher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl" , "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
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 nom inal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the new rim di­
ameter.
Rim size designation
means r im diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
•
•

252 Tires and wheels
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ic h a tir e is des igned to
be d riven for extended per io d s of t ime. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ page 262 . You may
not find this in format ion on all tires because
it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, w here a pplica­
b le, is molded on the tire s idewa ll and indi­
cates the maxim um permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on page 265.
Tire pressure monitoring sy stem*
means a system tha t d etects when one or
mo re of a vehicle's t ires are under inflated and
i llum ina tes a low t ire p ress ure warn ing te ll­
tale.
Tread
means t hat port ion of a tire tha t comes into
con tact w it h t he road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the t read from the t ire
car cass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means t he projections withi n the pr inc ipal
g rooves designed to give a v isua l ind ication of
the deg rees of wea r of the tre ad . See
¢
pag e 259, Tread W ear Indicator (TWI) for
mo re inf ormat io n on measu ring tire we ar.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire i nfo rmation system developed by the
United States Nat io nal Highway Traffic Safety
Admin istration (N HTSA) that is designed to
h e lp buye rs make re lative compa risons among
tires. The UT QG i s no t a safety r ating and no t a
g uar antee that a t ire will las t fo r a presc ribed
n umber of m iles (kilome ters) or pe rform in a
certain way. It s imply gives ti re bu ye rs addi­
tional information to combine with other con -s
iderations, such as p rice , brand loya lty and
dealer recommendations. Un der UTQ G, tires
are grade d by the t ire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwea r, 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 "se ria l numbe r" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and ind icates that the
t ire meets all federa l standards . The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it
was ma nufactu red, and the last four numbe rs
r eprese nt the week and year of ma nufact ure.
Fo r exampl e,
DOT ... 2212 ...
means that the tire was produced in t he 22nd
wee k of 2012. The ot her numbers are market­
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
t ire manufacturer. This information is used to
contact consumers i f a tire defect requires a
r ecall .
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 k ilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pilla r.
Vehicle maximum lo ad on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to eac h axle its
share of the maxim um loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two .
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l t ir e that is
determined by distributing to eac h ax le its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weig ht (d istr ibuted in
accorda nce wit h tab le below ¢
page 253)
and divid ing by two .

Tires and wheels 253
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various d esignated seat ing
capaci tie s
Designated seating capacity ,
number of occupants Vehicle normal load
, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants _____ mally loaded vehicle
4 2 _________ 2infront
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig . 20 4 Tire pressu re lab el: located o n driv e r's side B­
p ill ar
Tire pressure genera lly refers to the amo unt
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely car ry the combined load of the en tire
vehicle and its contents . T ire pressure is
measured in kilopasca ls (kPa) , the interna ­
tional measu ring unit and in pounds per
s quare inch (PSI). Tire p ressure is based in
part on 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
e r tire pressu re is frequent ly referred to as the
" recommended cold tire inf lation pressure ."
Air in the tires expands when the ti re heats up
bec ause of interna l fri ct ion when it flexes in
use. The tire p ress ure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
inflat ion p ressure in a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let air out of a
warm tire to match "cold tire inflation p res­
sure" recommendations. The t ires would the n
be underi nflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tire pre ssure is one of the
most important things you can do to he lp
avoid sudde n tire failure . Underinflated t ires
are a majo r cause of sudden tire failure . Keep­
i ng tires at the r ight pressure is also impor-
-"' --~ - -,e
• (:::=~. ~: I =: I :,.. I)( ::: ) l3 n,........,..,.__...,~ ........ ....,_...... • ... _ .. , ....................................... ..,_ "" ..
-""u
--
-...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
-KPA. a PSI
Fi g. 20 S Tire pres sure label
tant for safe and respo nsive ve hicle han dling,
tr action, braking and load carrying.
Tir e pres­
sure s are particul arly important when the
vehicle i s being dr iven at higher speeds, and
then e speciall y when hea vily loaded even
within the pe rmissible load- carrying capaci­
ties app roved for your veh icle .
The recommended t ire pressures for your Audi
depen d on the kind of tires on your vehicle
and the n umber of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you wi ll be transporting.
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 ion pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capac ity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufactured .
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal lo ad (up to 2* /3
occup ants ), you can adjust t ire pressures to
those specified for normal v ehicle load . Be­
fore operating the vehicle at maximum load ,
you must increase the tire pre ssures to tho se
spe cified for maximum v ehicl e load
¢ ,&. . IJi,,-

254 Tires and wheels
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system* can only monitor the tire pressures
you have stored . The system does not recog­
nize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor ­
ing system* will be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its max imum load
c:> &. .
See the illustration c:> fig. 204 for the location
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the act ua l label and exact location on the ve­
hicle will vary slightly). Note
that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
change. In the event of d iscrepancies, the t ire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold
t ir e 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
led on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory opt ion.
Tire pressure
Model/En­ gine Tire designation
normal load condition full load condition
AB/AB L: 235/55 R18 104H
3.0
liter 255/45 R19 104H
6
-cyli nd
er 265/40 R20 104H
265/40 R20 104V
275/35 R21103Y XL
AS/AS L: 235/55 R18 104H
4.0
liter 255/45 R19 104H
B-cyli nd
er 265/40 R20 104H
265/40 R20 104V
275/35 R21103Y XL
AS/AB L: 235/55 R18 104H
4.2
liter 255/45 R19 104H
B-cyli nd
er 265/40 R20 104V
ASL:
6.3 liter
12-cylin­
der
265/40 R20 104H
275/35 R21103Y XL
265/40 R20 104V
255/45 R19 104H
265/40 R20 104H
275/35 R21103Y XL
SB: 265/40 R20 104V
4.0
liter 265/35 R21101 Y
B-cyli nd
er 275/35 R21103Y XL
rearal front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
260
260
260
240
240
260
260
260
240
260
260
260
240
260
260
240
260
260
240
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
•> normal load condition <=>page 253 .

The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
l ocated on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
veh icle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle wit h the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the s ize of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be ­
longs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you boug ht the
ve hicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing su re that
l oad l imits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
veh icle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating ("GVWR") . The Gross Ax le Weight Rat ­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be app lied at each of the veh icle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle We ight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance st icker label located on the
driver's side B-p illar . The t ire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
weight of a ll of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
l ocat ion of the tire pressure labe l
c;, fig. 204.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Car rying more weight than yo ur vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a loss of veh icle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
t rol and a crash.
Tire s an d wheel s 255
-Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported - includ ing the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue we ight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a ser ious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, caus ing loss of veh icle contro l.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressvre label located on driver's side 8-pil ­
lar.
T he recommended tire pressures are on the
ti re pressure label and in the table
c;, page 253, Cold tire inflation pressure .This
means that the pressure m ust be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been dr iven for
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal frict ion as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is h igher when the tire
has warmed up t han when it is "cold."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" t ire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let a ir out
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat io ns
c;, page 253 . The
ti res wo uld then be unde rinfl ated and co uld
fail suddenly.
T he tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended co ld tire inflation pressures at
max imum capacity for the new, or ig inal
equipment tires that were on your vehi cle at
1J1>
•
•

256 Tires and wheels
the time it was manufactured . For the
location of the label~
page 253, fig . 204.
Most tires lose air naturally over time. They
can also lose some air if you drive ove r a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking . It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
used today are under inflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least once 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
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See~
page 257, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres­
sures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare t ire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
l oad (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manual and the kind
of dr iving you plan to do .
Never exceed the maximum inflation pres­
sure listed on the tire sidewall for any rea­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold.
- Read the req uired ti re pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo ­
cated on the driver's side B-pi llar . -
Tu rn the va lve stem cap counter -clockwise
to remove it from the tire va lve .
- Place the air pressure gauge on the va lve.
- The tire pressu res should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold. The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reins tall the valve stem cap on the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jour ney. Do not
f orget to check the tire pressure for the spare
whee l
~page 272.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all whee ls. In addition, you m ust then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*~
page 267.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla­
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
Rt] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping abi lity.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to su dden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of veh icle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­ ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil-
la~
~

-Only when a ll tires 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 d river
observe the specif ied tire pressure values
for the tires and the co rrect p ress ures for
the f un ct ion of t he tire pressure mo nitor­
ing sy stem*.
- Always inflate ti res to the recommended
and co rrec t tire pressu re befo re dr ivi ng
off.
- Driv ing wi th under infla ted ti res bend
more, letti ng them get too ho t res ulting
in t read separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- Excessive spee d and/ove rloading can
ca use heat bui ld -up, sudden tire fa il ur e
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires w ill wea r prematu rely an d the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
-If the t ire is no t flat and you do no t have
to change a w heel imme diate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
(D Note
Driving without va lve stem caps ca n cause
damage to the t ire va lves. To prevent this,
always make s ure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels a re secure ly
mounted on the va lve .
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will a lso increase the
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire can carry .
A vehicle that is ove rloaded w ill not ha ndle
well and is more difficult to stop . Overload ing
can no t on ly lead to loss o f vehi cle con tro l,
Tire s an d wheel s 257
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and ca n lead to sud den tire fai lure, in ­
clud ing a b lowout and s udden def lation that
can cause the vehicle to cras h.
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 veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
("GVWR ") .
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coo lant and other fluids plus
maximum load . The max imum load includes
the number of passenge rs that th e vehicle is
i n tended to car ry ("seat ing capa city") wi th an
ass umed we igh t of 150 lbs (68 kg) fo r each
passenger at a designated seating posi tion
and t he tota l weight of any luggage i n the ve­
hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
tra iler hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he
Gro ss Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
T he Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
G ross Ax le Weig ht Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar. Your Audi has 5 seat ing
pos itions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rea r fo r
total seating capacity of 5 . Vehicles with pow­
er ind iv idual rea r seats* have 4 seat ing pos i­
tions, 2 in the front and 2 in the rea r fo r total
seat ing capac ity o f 4. Each seating position
has a safety belt~
page 144, Safety belts.
The fact that there is a n uppe r limit to you r
vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight Rating means
t h at the to tal weig ht of whatever is bei ng car ­
ried in the vehicle ( in cl ud ing t he weight of a
trai ler hitch and the tongue weigh t of t he
loa ded trai le r) is limite d. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard we ights assumed
•
•

258 Tires and wheels
mean that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
label ¢
page 253, fig. 204.
.&_ WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle 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
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
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.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF QC­
CU PANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)¢
page 253,
fig. 204.
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 253, fig. 204.
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 ..,