218 Tires and wheels
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be-
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi-
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your 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 vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (''GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight 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 compliance sticker label located either
on the driver's side B-pillar or on the inside of
the fuel filler flap. The tire pressure label on
your Audi 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 tire pressure label
o fig. 167.
_& 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 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 causing loss of con-
trol 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.
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 fail-
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 either on driver's side
8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
o page 216, 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.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is highe r when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold t ire inflat ion
pressure" recommendations
o page 216 . The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the new, original equipment tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manufac-
tured. For the location of the label
opage 216, fig. 167.
Most tires lose air naturally over time . They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot-
hole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires ..,.
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