2 6 2 T ire s and w heel s
Driving with different tires reduces vehi-
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - only use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor-
ma l road wheel as soon as safely possi-
ble.
- Never drive faste r than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are rated because ti res that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly.
- Overloading t ires cause heat build- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un-
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles - in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you insta ll wheel trim discs on the ve-
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air-
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping distances and caus-
ing a collision .
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that were equ ipped with them
at the facto ry. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for run f lat t ires . Incor-
rect use of run flat tires can lead to vehi-
cle damage or accidents. Check with an
aut horized Audi dealer or ti re specia list
to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run f lat tires. If run flat tires are
used, they must be installed on all four
wheels . Mixing tire types is not permit-
ted .
(D Note
- For technica l reasons, it is not generally
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth-
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is diffe rent from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve-
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible .
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The valves could get damaged .
® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicab le
on the t ire side wall between tread shou lder
and maximum section width
c> page 259,
fig. 212 .
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car t ires must conform to Feder-
al Safety Requirements in addition to t hese
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
under contro lled conditions on a specified
government test course .
For example, a tire graded 1S0 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
gover nment course as a t ire graded 100 .
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depa rt significantly from t he
norm due t o variations in driving hab its, se rv-
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
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