Uniform Tire Quality Grading - Audi TT Coupe 2016 Owner's Manual

Wheels
expressed in percent age. Conventional tires have
a heig ht/width ratio of 60 or more.
The perfo rmance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par·
t icularly sensitive t o improper inflation p res·
s ure. It is therefo re important that low aspect
ratio t ires are inflated t o the specified pressure
and that t he inflation pressure is reg u larly
checked and maintained . Tire pressures should
be checked at least once a month and always
befo re a long trip
Q
page 260.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more easi·
ly by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on t he road , pa rt icula rly if the t ire is un·
de rinflated .
In order to minim ize the occu rrence of impact
damage to the ti res of your vehicle, we recom·
mend that you observe the fo llowi ng precau·
t ions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres·
sures. Check your tire pressure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary.
- Drive carefully on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
through or over such obstacles can damage
your t ires. Impact with a curb may also cause
damage to your tires.
- Aft er any impact, immediately inspect your
t ires or have them inspected by the nearest au-
thorized Aud i dea ler. Replace a da maged t ire as
soo n as possible.
- Ins pect your t ires every 2 ,000 m iles (3,000 km)
fo r damage a nd wear. Damage is not always
ea sy t o see. Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, which could eventually cause
tire failure. If you believe that a t ire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos-
sible.
- These tires may wear more quickly than others.
- Please also remember that, while these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may ride less
comfortably and make more noise than other
choices.
266
Reduced performance in winter/ cold season
conditions
All ti res are designed fo r certain purposes. The
low aspect rat io, ult ra high performance tires
originally installed on your vehicle are intended
for maximum dry and wet road performance and
handling. They are not suitable for cold, snowy or
icy weather conditions. If you drive under those
circumstances, you should equip your vehicle
with all-season or winter tires, which offer better
tract ion under those conditions. We suggest you
use the recommended snow or a ll-season t ires
specified for your veh icle, or their equiva lent.
Refer
to ~
page 264
for more detailed informa-
tion regard ing winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Tract ion AA ABC
- Temperatu re ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width
Q
page 250, fig. 192.
Fo r example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem-
perature A.
All passenger car t ires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addit ion to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of t he tire when tested
unde r controlled cond itio ns on a specified gov·
ernment t est course.
For example, a t ire g raded 150 would wea r o ne
and o ne ha lf (1 1/2) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a ti re graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
t he act ual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variat ions in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The
traction
grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, Band C. Those grades represent the tire's
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