Wheels and Tires — General Precautions and Maintenance (Audi 100 C3)

Check and maintain correct tire pressure regularly. Check on cold tires after some time of vehicle operation.

Low pressure will cause the tire to overheat due to excessive casing flex, the tread will not sit properly on the road surface. This will cause a gradual loss of traction and excessive wear.

High pressure will cause rapid wear of the center of the tire tread along with reduced traction and a harsher ride.

Check the condition of your tires regularly, especially the sidewalls. Remove any nails or stones that may be lodged in the tread.

Remove the wheels periodically, clean the surface from dirt. Check the inner side surfaces of the wheel rim. Light wheels with cast disks are easily damaged by the curb when parking, similarly steel wheels can be dented. Replacing the wheel is often the only way to eliminate these problems.

To avoid excessive wear not only on the tires but also on the suspension and steering components, the balance of each wheel and tire assembly must be maintained. Wheel instability is usually expressed as vibration in the vehicle body, although in many cases it is especially felt through the steering wheel. Conversely, wear or damage in the suspension or steering components can lead to excessive tire wear.

Wheel balancing can be done on the vehicle or removed from the vehicle. If balancing was done on the vehicle, the wheel-hub position must be marked in some way before removing the wheel.

Overall tire wear is greatly influenced by your driving style - harsh braking and acceleration or fast cornering will cause the tire to wear out quickly.

There are also restrictions on mixing tire types on a vehicle. A vehicle must not have tires of different designs on the same axle.

(This article was copied from the website AUDIMANUAL.ru)