flat tire AUDI A3 SEDAN 2017 Owners Manual

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con­
sumption to zero (fuel shut-off during decelera­
tion).
Shift efficiently
An effective way to save fuel is to upshift earlier.
Staying in a gear too long uses fuel unnecessari­
ly .
Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly and
avoid "kick-down".
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately
high increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* helps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles without the Start/
Stop system, it is efficient to switch the engine
off when stopped
at railroad crossings and long
red lights. Depending on the version of the en­
gine, stopping the engine for as little as five sec­
onds once it has reached operating temperature
still saves more fuel than leaving the engine run­ ning
-even when taking into account the amount
of extra fuel that is used to restart the engine.
It takes a very long time in idle to warm the en­
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm-up
phase. Therefore, you should begin driving im­
mediately after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance performed regularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con­
sumption before you even start to drive. The maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al­
so impacts
fuel consumption. A poorly main­
tained engine can lead to fuel consumption that
is 10% higher than normal.
Driving
Avoid short trips
The engine and emissions control system must
reach their optimal
operating temperature to ef­
fectively reduce consumption and emissions.
A cold engine uses a disproportionately high
amount of fuel. The engine reaches operating
temperature and consumption normalizes only
after approximately 2.5 miles (4 km).
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the tires are always in­
flated to the correct pressure
r=;, page 33 5. The
fuel consumption can increase by S% if the pres­
sure is only 0.5 bar too low. Due to the increased
rolling resistance, low tire pressures will also
lead to greater tire
wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every kilogram of extra weight increases
fuel consumption, a quick inspection of the lug­
gage compartment may be worth it to avoid un­
necessary weight.
When not being used, a roof rack should be re­
moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle. You will save approximately 12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph
(100-120 km/h).
Save energy
The engine drives the generator, which generates
electricity; the fuel consumption also increases
with the demand for electricity. Therefore, switch
electrical equipment off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating*.
(D Note
- Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on
to indicate improper operation, they would go unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
IJ,-
75

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck tha t all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind
c> ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
120
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system.
Safety chains
A lways use s afety chains between you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your Aud i dea le r fo r cor rect wir ing,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mir rors, then yo u
must in­
stall extended mirro rs . It is impo rtant that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
&, WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tr ailer hi tch, do not s to re
i t i n yo ur vehicle. In case o f su d den braking,
the hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p revent i t from shi fting forward, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer c> &.
in Driving instructions on page 121.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h flu id.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inf late the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full load" on the label
c> page 336. Inflate trailer

Driving safety
-Close the power top*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
.&, WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof*, the power top* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked to
reduce the risk of injury when the vehicle is
not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­ cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­ ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­ ter
c:> page 336.
254
· Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
c:> page 253, Loading the luggage compartment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
lision like this.
.&, WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
-

Wheels
Wheels
Wheels and Tires
General information
~check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
~ If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap ­
proach the curb at an angle.
~ Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
~ Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
~ Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
~ Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as possible.
(i}) Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical i n those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
i ng the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­ crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
328
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the r ims
does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for th is and
could be permanently dam­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
Tire designations
Fig. 278 Tire specifi cation codes on the
sidewall of a tire
.,._

Wheel s
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is sui table for driving on mud and
snow.
& indicates a winter tire.
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the t ire. In general: the
more layers, the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, po lyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry .
@Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear,
traction and temperature resist ance
Treadwear, traction and tempera­
ture
ranges ¢ page 344.
@ Running direction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional t ires .
You must always follow the speci­
fied running direction
¢page 361 .
330
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number indicates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat ­
ing condit ions.
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Acces sory we ight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power steer­
ing, power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
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 r im .
...

Bead separa tion
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 capac ity of
fuel, oi l, and coolant, a ir condi­
tioning and add itional weight of
optional equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in ­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as
"X L",
:;:;: "xl", "E XTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on ...
~ the s idewal l. ... 0 N > a:,
Wheels
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 maxim um load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flat ion pressure . You may not f ind
this informat ion on all tires be ­
cause it is not required 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:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity we ight , and
(d) Production options we ight
33 1

Wheel s
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressure
means the max imum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated . Also called "maxi ­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­
cle .
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer d iameter
means the overall diamete r of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side ­
walls of an inflated tire , including
elevations due to labeling, deco­ rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
para llel cords.
332
Production options we ight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular product ion
options weighing over 5 lbs . (2 .3
kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight or accessory weight , including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim.
Radial ply ti re
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are la id at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 331 , Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as
"XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF"
on the sidewall. ...

CX> CX> ... N .... N ... 0 N > a:,
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim di amet er
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 designation
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 tire 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 329.
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
Wheels
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ A in Winter tires on
page 342.
T ire pressure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale.
T read
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 the degrees
of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 336, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear .
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relative
333
..

Wheels
comparisons among tires. The
UTQG is not a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will
last for a prescribed number of
miles (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way. It simply gives tire
buyers additional information to
combine with other considera ­
tions, such as price, brand loyalty
and dealer recommendations. Un ­
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera ­
ture resistance. The UTQG i nfor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
T his is the tire's "serial number".
It begins with the letters "DOT"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards. The nex t
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac­
tured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year of
manufacture. For example,
DOT ... 2216 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd wee k of 2016. The
other numbers are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used
33 4
by the t ire manufacturer . This in­
formation is used to contact con­
sumers if a tire defect requ ires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load pl us 150 lbs. (68 k ilo ­
grams) times the vehicle's desig­ na ted seating capacity .
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib ­
uting to each axle its sha re of the
maximum loaded vehic le we ight
and dividing
by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by d istrib­
ut ing to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupan t weight (dis­
tr ibuted in accordance with
¢ ta­
ble on page 338) and d ividing by
two.
Occupant loading and distri­ bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating capacities
Refer to the tire inflation p res -
sure
label¢ page 336, fig. 281 .,.

a, a, ..... N
" N ..... 0 N > 00
fo r t he numb er of seating p osi­
t io ns . R efe r to th e ta bl e
¢ ta ble
o n pag e 33 8 for th e number of
p eople th at co rrespo nd to th e ve­
hi cle n orm al l oa d.
New tires or wheels
Aud i recommends having all work on tires or
wheels performed by an authorized Audi dealer
or author ized Audi Se rvice Facility . These fac ili­
ties have the proper know ledge and are equipped
with the required too ls and replacement parts.
• New tires do not yet have the optimum grip­
ping properties. Drive caref ully and at moder ­
ate speeds for the first 350 mi les (500 km)
with new tires.
• Only use tires w it h the same design, size (roll­
i ng c ircumference) and as close to the same
tread patter n as poss ible on all four wheels .
• Do not replace t ires individua lly. At least re­
pla ce both t ires on the same axle at the same
t ime .
• Audi recommends that you use Aud i Original
Tires . If you wou ld like to use different tires,
please note that the tires may perform differ­
ently even if they are the same
si ze ¢ ,& .
• If you would like to equip your veh icle w ith a
tire/rim comb inat ion that is different from
what was installed at the factory, consult w ith
an aut horized Aud i dea ler o r authorized Audi
Se rvice Facility befo re making a
purchase ¢,& .
The spare tire* is different from the regular tires
insta lled on the veh icle
-for example, if w inter
tires or w ide tires a re ins talled
-so only use the
spa re ti re* tempo rar ily in case of emergen cy and
d rive caref ully wh ile i t is in use . It should be re ­
p laced w it h a regular t ire as soon as possib le.
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel drive: all four
wheels must be eq uipped w ith tires that are the
same brand and have the same construc tion and
tread pattern so that the drive system is not
damaged by different wheel speeds. For this rea­
son , in case of eme rgency, only use a spare tire*
Wheels
that is the same circ umfe rence as the regular
tires.
A WARNING
--On ly use t ire/rim comb inations and suitab le
wheel bo lts that have been approved by
Aud i. Otherwise, damage to the vehicle and
a n accident could res ult.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to
use t ires from other ve hicles
-in some cas­
es, yo u cannot even use tires from the same
veh icle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have
e nough clearance to the veh icle. Rep lace­
ment tires should not be chosen s imply
based on the nomina l size, because ti res
wit h a differe nt constru ction can diffe r
g reatly even if they are the same size . If
there is no t enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damage d and this can re­
duce dr iving safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-On ly use t ires that are more than s ix years
old when absolutely necessa ry and drive
carefully when doing so.
- Do not use run -flat tires on your vehicle . Us­
ing them when not perm itted can lead to
veh icle damage or accidents.
- If you install wheel covers on the vehicle, make sure they allow enough air circulation
to cool the brake system. If they do not, t his
could increase the risk of an acc ident.
Tire wear/damage
F ig . 279 Tire pro file: treadwear indicato r
Tire we ar
Check the tires regu larly for wear.
335