wheel size AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2016 Owners Manual

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prevent collisions -there is still a risk of ac­
cidents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
increase the risk of a collision.
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
(D Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels have a sim ilar wear
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 119 Upper center console : ESC button
function of the ESC is limited or switched off . The
amount of stabilization control will differ de­
pending on the level.
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend­
ing on the level that is selected, the stabilization
Sport mode on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza-
tion functions are limited
~A .
Operation Press the!.$ OFFI button
briefly .
Indicator II turns on.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization
control (ESC):
sages sport. Warning! Restricted
stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permit.
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The driving
wheels could spin and the vehicle could
ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASRon
The stabilization function is The full stabilization func-
not available
~ A. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
ASR are switched off. avai lab le again.
Press and hold the!.$ OFFI Press the!.$ OFFI button
button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds.
II and lf'illtla~* turn on . II turns off or'II and
lf'tl•I~~ · turn off.
Stabilization control (ESC):
Stabilization control
off. Warning! Restricted (ESC): On
stability
swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when ESC/
ASR are switched off.
117

Airbag system
-Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
- Always hold the steering wheel with both
hands on the outside of the steering wheel
rim at the 9:00 o 'clock and 3 :00 o'clock po­
sitions to help reduce the risk of personal in ­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands any­
where inside the steering wheel or on the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering
wheel the wrong way increases the risk of
severe injury to the arms, hands, and head if
the driver airbag deploys.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds and/or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Always make sure nothing is in the front air-
-
bag deployment zone that could be struck
by the airbag when it inflates.
- Objects in the zone of a deploying airbag
can become projectiles when the airbag de­
ploys and cause serious personal injury.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never place accessories or other objects
(such as cup holders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors;
never attach then to the doors or the wind­
shield; never place them over or near or at­
tach them to the area marked ,.AIRBAG" on
the steering wheel, instrument panel or the
seat backrests; never place them between
these areas and you or any other person in
the vehicle.
- Never attach objects to the windshield
above the passenger front airbag, such as
accessory GPS navigation units or music
players. Such objects could cause serious in­
jury in a collision, especially when the air­ bags inflate .
148
-Never recline the front passenger seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side airbags or
the front airbag during breaking or in a sud­
den maneuver . Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerously through the passenger com­
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate.
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­ ing too close to the airbag when it inflates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
-
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the .,low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U.S . Fed­
eral Standard if a child with electrical capac­
itance greater than the combined capaci­
tance of a typical one-year old infant re­
strained in one of the forward facing or rear­
ward-facing child seats with which your ve­
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the other conditions for airbag de­
ployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ..,.

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rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle
c!;> page 135, Safety belts, c!;> page 143,
Airbag system
and c!;> page 165, Impor­
tant information.
{D) Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Ai rbag System" in compliance with United States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your veh icle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
sys tem has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, should always r ide
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
Child safety
the front seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-facing child safety seat . It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­
pacit ive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket are on the front passenger seat . The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a chi ld, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restraint system resting on the seat. The meas­
ur ed capacitance of a child restra int system var­
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and mode l.
T he elect rical capacitance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specif ied
by the U.S .National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typ ical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat w it h a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenge r detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
trol unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its manu ­
facturer for use w ith an airbag . Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa-
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and .,.
167

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(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
P indicates a tire for a passenger
vehicle. T indicates a tire desig­
nated for temporary use.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be­
tween the sidewalls in millime­
ters. In general: the larger the number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height/width ratio expressed as a
percentage.
@ Tire construction
R indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Size of the rim diameter in inches.
@ Load index and speed rating
The load index indicates the tire's load-carrying capacity.
The speed rating indicates the maximum permitted speed¢.&
in
Winter tires on page 219.
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi­
cates that the tire is reinforced or
is an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
p
up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (160 km/h)
Tires and wheels
Speed rat- Maximum permitted speed
ing
R up to 1 06 m ph (170 km/h)
s up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km /h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)al
z above 149 mph (240 km/h)al
w up to 168 mph (270 km/h)al
y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)al
a ) Tire manufacturers sometimes use "ZR"
for tires with a maximum speed above
149 mph (240 km/h).
(j) US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
The manufacture date is listed on
the tire sidewall (it may only ap­
pear on the inner side of the tire):
DOT ... 2215 ...
means, for example, that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2015.
@ Audi Original equipment
tires
Audi Original equipment tires
with the designation "AO" or "RO"
have been specially matched to
your Audi. When used correctly,
these tires meet the highest standards of safety and handling.
An authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility will ""
205

Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufac­
turer for a tire of a designated size that has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
c luding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi­
tioning and add itional weight of
optional equipment.
E xtra load ti re
<( a:,
~ means a tire designed to operate
N
~ at higher loads and at higher in ­
s: a:,
Tires and wheels
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
" xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( " GAWR")
means the load -carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire-ground interfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR ")
means the max imum total loaded
weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flat ion pressure . You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not requ ired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
2 0 7
..

<( a:, ... N .... N ... 0
s: a:,
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" ' ' '
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new
rim diameter .
Rim size designat ion
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be ­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at wh ich a t ire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time . The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 205.
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ & in Winter tires on
page 219 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of t he degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 213, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur-
ing tire wear. .,.
209

<( a:, ... N .... N ... 0
s: a:,
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure label
c::> page 214, fig. 171
for the number of seating posi­
tions. Refer to the table
c::> table
on page 216
for the number of
people that correspond to the ve­
hicle normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on tires or whee ls perfo rmed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au ­
thorized Audi Service Facility .
These facilities have the proper
knowledge and are equ ipped with
the required tools and replace­
ment parts .
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
opt imum adhesion properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
.,,. On ly use tires w ith the same de­
sign, size (rolling c ircumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as possible on all four
wheels.
Tire s and wheel s
.,,.Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the same axle at the same time .
.,,. Audi recommends that you use
A udi Original equipment tires. If
you would like to use different
tires, please note that the tires may perform differently even if
they are the same si ze
c::> ,&. .
.,,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle w ith a tire/r im comb ina­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con ­
sult w ith an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur­
chase ¢
..1,..
The spare t ire* is diffe rent from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle - for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire* tem­
porarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use . It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
On
all wheel d rive vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand
and have the same construction
and tread pa ttern so that the
drive system is not damaged by
2 11

Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea­
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
,&. WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ
greatly
even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of an accident.
212
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso­ lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle. Using them when not permitted can Lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profile: tread wear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear. ..

Tires and wheels
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed.
Model/ Tire designation
Engine Tire pressure
Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)
3>
front rear front rear
PSI
A3 Cabrio- 225/45 Rl7 91Y let: High Performance
30
l.8L
225/40 Rl8 92Y
4 cylinders High Performance
35
225/45 Rl 7 91H
All Season
33
225/40 Rl8 92H
All Season
36
235/35 Rl9 91 Y
High Performance
33
A3 Cabrio- 225/45 Rl 7 91 Y
let: High Performance
30
2.0L 225/40 Rl8 92Y
4 cylinders High Performance
35
225/45 Rl 7 91H
All Season
33
225/40 Rl8 92H
All Season
38
235/35 Rl9 91 Y
High Performance
35
a) 2 people in the front , 1 perso n in the rear
.&, WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
¢ page 214 and load
limits
¢page 216.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
216
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
210 28 190 36 250 36 250
240 3 2 220 36 2 50 36 250
2 30 30 210 38 260 38 260
250 33 230 41 280 41 280
2 30 29 200
36 25
0
36 25
0
210 28 190 38 260 38 260
240 32 220 38 260 38 260
230 30 2 10 39 270
39 270
260 35 240 41 280 41 280
240 29 200 38 260
38 260
that is
overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.

Tires and wheels
"' Check and cor rect the seating of the snow
c h ains if necessa ry after dr iving a few feet. Fo l­
l ow the instructions from the manufacturer .
"' Note the maximum permitted speed when d riv­
i ng with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mp h
(SO km/h) .
Snow chains not only improve the
driving in win­
ter road conditions, but also the
broking .
Use of snow cha ins is o nly pe rmitted with certain
rim/t ire combinations due to tec hnical reasons .
C hec k with an authorized A udi dealer o r autho r­
i z ed Audi Service Fac ility to see if yo u may use
snow cha ins.
Use
fine-mesh snow chains . They must not add
mo re t han 0.53 inch (13.5 mm) in height, includ­
i n g the chain loc k.
You must remove the c hains when d riving on
roads that are
free of snow . W hen roads a re free
of snow, snow c hains ca n impair handling and
damage the ti res, and the chai ns w ill quickly be
destroyed.
A WARNINC
Us ing inco rrect snow c hains or insta lling snow
c hai ns inco rre ctl y can resul t in loss o f vehicle
c o ntro l, w hich incr ease s th e ris k of an a cci­
d ent .
(D Note
Snow chains can damage th e rims/wheel cov­
ers* i f the cha ins come in to d irect contact
w it h t hem. R emove the w heel c overs* first .
U se coat ed sn ow cha ins.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Au di is fac to ry-equipped wi th low aspec t ra­
tio tires . These ti res have been tho roughly tested
a nd been se lected specifically fo r yo ur model fo r
their supe rb per fo rmance, road feel and handling
un der a variety of driving conditions . As k yo ur au­
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re details.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is i ndicated by
a numeral of
55 or less in t he tire's size designa­
tion. The nume ra l rep resents the rat io of the
tire's sidewall he ight i n relat io n to its tread width
220
exp ressed in perce nta ge . Conventiona l tir es h ave
a height/width ratio of 60 or more.
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is par­
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres­
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should
be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip
r=> pog e 214.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i­
l y by impact with potho les, curbs, gullies or
r idges on the road, particularly if the tire is un ­
der inflated .
In orde r to min imize the occur rence of impact
damage to the tires of you r vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following preca u­
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended inflation pres­
sures. Check you r tir e pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add a ir if necessa­
ry.
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w it h potholes, deep
gu llies o r ridges . Th e impac t from dr iv ing
t hroug h or over such o bstacl es ca n da mage
your tire s. I mpac t w ith a curb may also cau se
d am age to yo ur ti re s.
- After any impac t, imme diate ly inspect you r
t ire s or h ave them inspe cted by t he nea rest a u­
t hori ze d Audi d ealer. Repl ace a dama ged t ire as
soon as possible.
- Ins pect your tir es eve ry 2,00 0 m iles (3,0 00 k m)
for dama ge and wear. Dam age is no t always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
unde rinflation, w hich coul d event ua lly cause
tire fa ilure. If yo u be lieve that a tire may have
been damaged, replace the tire as soon as pos­
sible .
- These tires may wear mo re quick ly than others.
- Please also remember that, while t hese tires
delive r responsive hand ling, they may ride less
comfortably and make mo re noise than other
choices. ""