Audi TT 2012 Owner's Manual page 104

204 Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels 20
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
q
fig. 150.
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 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 failsuddenly causing loss of con-
trol 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 fail-
ure, including a blowout and sudden de-
flation, causing loss ofvehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires originol-
Iy instolled on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure lobellocoted on driver's side B-pil-
lar.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
q
page 202, 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 higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold."
lt is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
q
poge 202. The
tires would then be underinflated and could
failsuddenly.
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
q
page 202, fig. 150.
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. lt is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least once a month and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac-
cou nt when adjusting tire pressure for a trip-
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See
q
page 206, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accu rate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres-
sures. Check all of the tires and be sure 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 slowly 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
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 vehicle and in this manual and the kind
of driving 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, determines 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 required tire pressure from the tire
pressure labellocated on driver's side B-pil-
lar.
_ Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
_ Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures 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.
- Reinstall the valve stem cap on the valve.
When should 1 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 journey.
When should 1 adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel or replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition, you must then initi-
alize the new tire pressures in the tire pres-
Sure monitoring system
q
page 216.
lÀ
WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
[D]
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 ability.
- 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.
- 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-
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil-
Led to the correct pressure, the tire pres-
sure monitoring system can work cor-
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
c~n
lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function ofthe tire pressure monitor-
ing system.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires will wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta-
tion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
rCD
Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely
mounted on the valve.
1