Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
•
& WARNING (continued )
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle w ithin a safe distance .
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the we ight 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 Rating .
& WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and/ or underinflation can lead to a
serious or fatal accident.
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
• Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehi cle control. •
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressu re for the tires ori ginally installe d
on your vehicle is lis ted on the tire pressure label loca ted
either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside th e fuel filler flap.
The recomme nd ed ti re pressu res are on the tir e pressure label and
in the table~
page 328, "Co ld tire inflation pressure". This means
t hat t he pres sure m ust be checked and adjus t ed w hen t he ti re has
not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at low
speeds du ring the previo us t hree hou rs. Ai r in t he tir es expands
when the tire heats up as a resu lt of internal fr iction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is hig her when the tire has warmed up than
when it is "co ld."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that counts . Therefore, you
shoul d never let air out of a w arm ti re to mat ch "Co ld t ire infl ati on
pressure" recommendations~
pa ge 328 . The tires wou ld then be
unde rinflate d and could fail sud denly .
The tire pressure label on your Au di lists the recomme nded cold t ire
inflation press ures at maximum capacity for the new, origina l equip -
ment ti res t hat we re on yo ur ve hicle at t he t im e it was manufac -
tured. For the location of the labe l ~
page 328, fig . 272.
Most tires lose air natu rally over ti me. They can also lose so me air if
you drive over a pothole or hit a curb while parkin g. It is usually not
pos si ble to see whe t her t he radial t ires used today are unde rinfl ated
just by look ing at t hem.
Therefore, be sure to chec k tire pressures at least once a month and
always before go ing on a long trip . Make su re to take the nu m ber of
people and the amount of luggage into account when adjusting tire
pr essure fo r a tr ip - even one t hat you wou ld not conside r to be
" long ." See~
page 333, "T ires and vehic le load limits" for more
imp ort ant infor mati on .
Always use an accu rate ti re pressure gauge w hen checkin g and
adjusting inflation pressures . Check all of the tires and be sure not
to forget t he spare t ire. If the pressu re in any tire is too high w hen
the tire is "co ld," let air out of the tire slow ly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking t he pr essure unt il you reach t he pr essu re
that is correct for the load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving yo u 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
t hat you need to reach the correct pressure for t he veh icle load
(passengers and luggage) for the tires on your vehicle as listed on
t he on you r vehicl e and in thi s manua l and the kind of driving yo u
plan to do.
Never exceed the maximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
sidewall for any reason.
Remember that the vehic le manufacturer, not the tire manufacturer,
deter mines the correc t tire pressure for the ti res on your vehicle.
~
Vehicle care
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