weight AUDI TT ROADSTER 2011 Owner's Manual

142 Child Safet y
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs . (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig. 128 Sche mati c ove rview : in stallat ion o f the seat
u sing t he ve hicle's safety be lt system
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to install
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retracto r on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from movi ng
Q page 144.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
Q page 144.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
Toddle rs and c hildren who are o lder than one
year up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs . (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restrained in a ch ild safety
seat certi fied for the ir size and weight
Q fig . 128 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to r ide. The front seat is not the safes t
p lace for a child in a forward -facing child safe ­
ty seat.
It is a very dangero us p lace for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-facing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, usi ng the
w ro ng ch ild s afety sea t or improperly in-
-
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal in jury and death in a
collis ion or other emergency situat ion.
- Ch ildren on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously i njured or even k illed when an air­
bag inflates . A chi ld in a rearwa rd-facing
child safety seat installed on the front passenger s eat will be s erio usly injured
an d can be killed if the front a irbag in­
f lates -even with an Advanced Airbag
Sys tem.
- T he infla ting airbag will h it the c hild
safety sea t or i nfan t carrier wi th grea t
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the back rest, door or
roof.
- Never i nsta ll a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on have the airbag sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by yo ur Audi
deale r.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
wh eneve r using a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used
9 page 107, Safety
belts,
Q page 115, Airbag system and
Q page 136, Importan t thing s to know .
.8_ WARNING
If excep tional circ ums tan ces require the
use of a fo rward -f a cing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe­
ty and we ll-being requ ire that the fo llow­
in g spec ial precautions be taken:
- Make sure t he forward -facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its man u­
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions prov ided with the c hild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ie r.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen- ge r seat's fo re and aft adjustment range, ,..

child should always ride in the seat properly
restrained for its age and size .
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­ tractor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it .
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop o r in a coll ision
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
f orce and w ill smash t he ch ild safety sea t
and child against the backrest, door or
roof .
- F orward-fac ing ch ild safe ty sea ts or in­
f ant ca rriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may inte rfe re with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the ch ild.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in
ave­
hicle is being used¢ page 136 . Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenge r seat
¢ page 116, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
m ust in stal l a forw ard or rearward-f acing
child restrain t on the front passenger's
sea t in except iona l situat ions:
- Whenever a fo rw ard or rearward- facing
child restraint is installed on the fron t
passenge r seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
Child Sa fet y 145
the checks described ¢ page 125, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on the inflating
airbag w ill hit the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system i nspe cte d immed iate ly
by your Audi de aler.
- I mp roper installation of ch ild restraints
can reduce t heir effec tiveness o r even
preven t them from providing any pro tec­
tion.
- An improperly installed ch ild restr aint
can interfere with the airbag as i t de­
ploys and seriously injure o r even kil l the
child.
- Always carefu lly follow the manu fact ur­
er 's instructions p rovi ded with t he chi ld
safety seat or car rier .
- Never p lace additiona l items on the seat
that ca n increase the total weight reg is­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child rest raints:
- Always make s ure the forward- facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up , against or
very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat 's fore and
aft ad justment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fa cing ch ild restra int. The
b ackrest mus t be ad ju ste d to a n up right
posi tion.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and st ays o n all the
time whenever the ignit ion is switched
on. •
•

146 Child Safety
_& WARNING
Rearward -fac ing ch ild restraints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenge r
seat will be seriously injured and can be
ki lled if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances .
- Make sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t comes on and stays on. H the PAS ­
SEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on have the airbag sys ­
tem inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
A lways heed the child safety seat man ufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor:
• Place the child restraint on a seat .
• Slow ly pull the be lt
all the way out .
• Route it around or through the child re­
stra int be lt path
c::> &_ .
• Push the child safety seat dow n with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight .
• Insert the be lt tongue into t he buckle for
t h at seating position. •
Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat .
• You shou ld hear a "clicking" noise as the
be lt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convert ible lock ing retractor by pu lling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the be lt out of the retractor . The con­
ve rtible locking re trac to r i s now activated .
• Ma ke s ure t hat the red release b utton is fac­
ing away from the child rest raint so that it
can be unbuckled quic kly.
• Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 .5 cm).
_& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
p roperly installed chi ld restrai nt can cause
se rious pe rsonal injury or deat h in a cr ash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tracto r is loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tracto r ca nnot hold the child safety sea t
in place dur ing no rma l dr iving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child sa fe ty seat firmly
in p lace even if a ch ild is not si tt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a s udden stop or in a crash .
- Always ma ke sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition. Otherw ise, the seat­
back with the ch ild safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an
accident o r other emergency situation .
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used
c::> page 136. Special
p reca utions apply when insta lling a child
safety sea t on the front passenger seat
c::> page 116, Child re straints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-

194 Tire s and wheel s
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 ­
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-important contact between
you, you r vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your veh icle and its t ires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han­
d le, avoiding damage from roa d haza rds and
r eg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid s udden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls incl ud ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the t ires .
Inspect the t ir e s regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires
Mark ti res 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
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored 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.
New tires
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one side, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au ­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sid ewa ll, that po int in the direc­
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You must
f ol low the specified d irec tion of rot ation . This
is necessa ry so tha t these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information ¢
page 226.
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 risk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in jur ies, d rive w ith special ca re fo r the
fi rst 3 50 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
fla tion, crashes and seriou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
p laced immediate ly .
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.

-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 tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed eq uip ­
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 o r lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improve d steer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r reinforce d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
com ponents in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire .
Cold tire infl ation pres sure
means the tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 195
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i­
tion ing and addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at highe r inflat ion p ressu res tha n
th e co rresponding standard tire. Extr a load
tir es my be i dent ified as "X L", "xl", " EXTRA
L O AD", or "RF" on t he sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rate d
to ca rry for a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the loa d ra ting f or a t ire a t the maxi­
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re . •
•
...

196 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation p ressure."
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 diameter of an inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a laye r of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined we ight of those installed
regular production options weighing 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, r ide leve lers, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tir e in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 195, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation p ressures than
the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced
ti res my be ident ified as "XL" "xl" "E XTRA
, ,
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 d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
r atings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 206 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
T he speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the maximum perm iss ibl e road speeds
~ A in Winter tires on page 209 .
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
i lluminates a low tire pressure warning tell-
tale. ..,_

Tires and wheels 197
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
c:> page 203, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tir e wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires. The UTQG is not a safety rating and not a
g uarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of mi les or per form in a certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers additional informa­
tion to combine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dea ler recom­
mendations. Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufacturers in three areas: tread­
wear, traction and temperature resistance.
The UTQG information on the tires, molded in­
to the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the t ire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four n umbers
represent the week and year of man ufacture.
For example,
DOT . .. 2209 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2009. 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 kilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l 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 individua l 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 loa d on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weig ht (distributed in
accordance with tab le below
c:> page 197)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading for vehicle normal load (no luggage)
Designated seating capacity, number of occu- Vehicle normal load (no luggage), number of
pants occupants
2 2
•
•

198 Tires and whe els
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 14 6 Tire p ress ure labe l: loca ted on dr iver 's side B ·
p ill ar
Tire pressure generally 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 interna·
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
squa re inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part 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 inflation 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 ressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ." It is the
i n flat ion pressure in a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefore, you shou ld neve r let air ou t of a
warm tire to match " co ld tir e infla tion p res­
sure" recommendations . The tires wo uld then
be underinflated and could fail su ddenly .
M aintaining p roper t ire press ure is one o f the
most impo rtan t things you can do to he lp
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated ti res
are a major cause of s udden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tir e pres­
s ur es are part icularly important wh en th e
vehicl e is being driven at higher speed s, and
then es pecially wh en heav ily loaded even
w ithin th e permis sible load -carrying capa ci­
tie s approv ed for y our vehi cle.
,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - ­u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
Fig . 14 7 Tir e pressure labe l
SEE OWNER'S MANUAl FOR
A DOMlONAL
T10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR P\.US DE
REHSEKiloiEMENTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you w ill be transporting .
The tire pressure label is located on the driv ­
er's side B-pillar . The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold t ire inflat io n pressures
for the vehicle at its maxim um capac ity
we ight and tires that were on your veh icle at
the time it was manufa ctu red .
If you wish to impro ve comfort when operat­
ing the v ehicle at normal lo ad (no luggag e)
up to 2 occupant s, you can adju st ti re pr es­
sures to tho se spe cified f or normal vehi cle
load. Before oper ating th e vehicl e at maxi­
mum load, yo u must increase the tire pr es­
sure s to tho se spe cified f or ma ximum vehicle
load ~.&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pressure mon itor ing
system c an only moni to r the tire pressu res
you have stored. The sys tem does not recog­
nize the load condition of your veh icle.
T he effec tiveness of the t ire press ure monitor­
i ng system will be impaire d if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load
~ .&. .
See the ill ustration ~ fig. 146 fo r the locat io n
of the label on d river 's s ide B-pillar (colo r of
the actual label and exact location on the ve-
hicle will vary slight ly) .
IJi,,

Tires and wheels 199
Note that the following tab le is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepanc ies, the tire
pressure label (on dr iver's side B-pillar) always
takes precedence .
The table be low lists the recommended cold
tire inf lation pressures for the Audi model covered
by your Owner 's Literature at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the tire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine II Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear l
(dis-
full load full load
place- normal load
condition normal load
condition
ment in condition
(2 occupants condition
(2 occu-
liter) (up
to 2 oc-
plus lug- (up
to 2 oc-
pants plus
cupants) gage) cupants)
luggage)
PSI
ll kPA PSI kPA
PSI JI kPA PSI Jl kPA
-
4-cylin-
der
2.0 225/50
Rl 7 94H All Sea-
son
225/50 R17 94W XL High
Performance
245/45 Rl 7 95H All Sea-
son
245/45 R17 95YXL High
Performance
245/40 R18 93H All Sea­
son
245/40 R18 93V XL High
Performance
255/35 Rl9 96V XL High
Performance
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220
32 220 32
220 29 200 29 200
32 220 29 200 29 200
32 220 29 200 29 200
•
32 220 29 200 29 200
I
32 220 29 200 29 200
•
33 II 230 29
200 30 210 I
32 220 29 200 29 200
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spore wheel is
l ocated on a label on the drive r's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
ve hicl e equ ipment dur ing the model year, a l­
ways compa re the tire size designation on the
tire pressure label on your vehi cle w ith t he
tires on your vehicle . Make sur e that the tire
size information on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires 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 bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle. Remember, you
r safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We ight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label lo cated on the
driver's side B-pillar. The tire pressure label on
your A udi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occ upants and luggage or
Ill>
•
•

200 Tires and wheels
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
r=:>fig. 146.
A 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 a loss of veh icle 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 causing loss of con­
tro l and a crash.
A WARNING ,~ -
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and 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 labe l and in the table
r=:> page 198, Cold tire inflation pressure . This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
A ir i n the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of interna l fr iction as it flexes in use.
The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "co ld."
It i s the inflation pressure in a "cold" tir e that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
r=;, page 198. The
t ir es wou ld then be underinf lated and co uld
fail suddenly .
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the new, original eq uipment tires that were
on your veh icle at the time it was manufac­
tured. For the location of the labe l
r=:>page 198, fig . 146.
Most tires lose air natura lly over t ime. They
can a lso lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while park ing. It is usually
not possible to see whether the rad ial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check t ire pressures at
least once a month and a lways before going
on a long trip . Make sure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjust ing tire pressu re for a trip -
even one that yo u wou ld not consider to be
" long." See
r=;, page 202, 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 s ure not to
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire s low ly with 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 kind of
dr iv in g 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 vehicle and in this manual and the kind
of driving you plan to do. .,..