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Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits t o the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any t ire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading
can not on ly lead to loss of vehicle contro l,
but can also dam age impo rtant parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in-
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation t hat
can cause the vehicle to crash .
Your safety and that of your passengers also
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everyth ing in and on the vehicle. These
load limits are techn ically refe rred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR ").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories , a full
tank of fue l, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") wit h an
assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the tota l weight of any luggage in the ve-
hicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the
t railer hitch and t he t ongue weight of t he
loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is
t he maximum load tha t can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are list ed on the
safety compliance st icker labe l located on the
driver's side 8-pillar. Your Audi has 5 seat ing
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
tota l seating capacity of 5. Each seat ing pos i-
tion has a seat belt
c::>
page 148, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car-
ried in the vehicle (including t he weigh t of a
t railer hitch and t he tong ue weight of the
Tire s an d wheel s
255
loaded tra iler) is limited . The more passen -
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug-
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the locat ion of the
label
c::>
page 251, fig . 214 .
A
WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve-
hicle cont rol, a crash or other accident, se-
rious pe rsonal injury, and even dea t h.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was des igned to carry will prevent t he
vehicle from handling properly and in-
crease t he risk of t he loss of vehicle con-
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop t he
vehicle with in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload-
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sud den deflation, causing loss of
contro l and a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that t he tot al load be-
ing transported - including t he weight of
a t railer 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.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal-
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth-
er things that you plan to trans-
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
.,.
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