AUDI Q3 2018 Owners Manual

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Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (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 a re available as factory- in­
stalled equipment (whether in­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width o f the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low s idewal l for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the t ire 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 .
Wheels
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tir e pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufac ­
tu rer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (k ilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the t ire
pressure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
f u el, o il, and coolant, a ir cond i­
tioning and additional weight of
optio nal eq uipment .
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flat ion pressu res than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be ident ified as "X L",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall. .,.
169

Wheel s
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the tire -ground interfaces.
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating
(" GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flation pressure. You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion pressure for that tire.
Ma ximum loaded veh icle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
170
Ma ximum (permissible)
inflation pressu re
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire may be inflated. A lso called "maxi­
mum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­
cle.
Occupant d istribution
means distr ibution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer d iameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors of the side ­
walls of an inflated tire, includ ing
elevations due to labeling, deco­ rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords.

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Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs.
(2 .3 kg) in excess of those stand­
ard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb
weight or accessory we ight, in­
cluding heavy duty brakes, ride
levelers, roof rack, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.
Re commended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 169, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in ­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire. Rein­
forced tires may be identified as
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" 1 , ,
on the sidewall.
Wheels
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diamet er
means nominal d iameter 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
r im
flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend­
ed periods of time . The rat ings
range from
93 mph (150 km/h)
to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢ table
on page 167.
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 ...
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Wheels
maximum permissible road
speeds . See also ¢&.
in General
information on page 166 .
Tire pressure monitoring
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.
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 the degrees
of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 175, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel ­
oped by the United S tates Nat ion­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relative com-
1 72
parisons among tires . The UTQG
is not a safety rat ing and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of miles (kilome ters) or perform in a cer­
tain way. It simply gives tire buy­
ers add it iona l information to
combine with other considera ­
tions, such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. U n­
der UTQG , tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, tract ion, and tempera ­
t ure res istance. The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires , molded into
the sidewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number {TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number".
It beg ins with the letters "DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal standards . The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant where it was manufac ­
tured, and the last fo ur numbers
represent the week and year of
manufacture. Fo r example,
DOT ... 2217 ...
means that the ti re was produced
in the 22nd week of 2017. The
other numbers are ma rketing co­
des that may or may not be used .,..

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by the tire manufacturer. This in­
formation is used to contact con­
sumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Ve hicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 k ilo ­
grams) times the vehicle's desig­
nated seating capacity.
Vehicle ma ximum load on the
tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the
maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib­
uting to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (dis­
tributed in accordance with¢
ta­
ble on page
178) and dividing by
two.
Occupant loading and distr i­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various design ated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure label¢
page 176, fig. 147
Wheels
for the number of seating posi­
tions . Refer to the table ¢
table
on page
178 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 wheels performed by an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper
knowledge and are equipped with
the required tools and replace­ ment parts.
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
optimum gripp ing properties .
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 miles (500 km) with new tires.
.,,. Only use tires with the same de­
sign, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread
pattern as possible on all four
wheels.
.,,. Do not replace tires individually .
At least replace both tires on the
same axle at the same time.
.,,. Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original Tires . If you would
like to use different tires, please note that the tires may perform ...
173

Wheels
differently even if they are the
same size
c::> .,&..
~ If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina­ tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur­
chase
c::> ,& .
If the spare tire is different 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.
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel
drive: all four wheels must be
equipped with tires that are the
same brand and have the same
construction and tread pattern so
that the drive system is not dam­
aged by different wheel speeds. For this reason, in case of emer­
gency, only use a spare tire that has the same circumference as
the regular tires.
174
A 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.
-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 ...

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not permitted can lead to ve­
hicle 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, this could increase the risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 145 Tire profile : treadwear 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.
-Have an authorized Audi dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facili-
l ) Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
Wheels
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear.
-Have the wheels rebalanced if an imbalance is causing noticeable
vibration in the steering wheel. If you do not, the tires and other
vehicle components could wear more quickly.
Treadwear indicator
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread pattern, which are bars that are 1/16 in (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced evenly around the tire per­ pendicular to the running d irec­
tion
i:::> fig. 145. The letters "TWI "
or triang les on the tire sidewall
indicate the location of the tread­
wear indicators.
The tires have reached the mini­ mum tread depth
l ) when they
have worn down to the treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
i:::> .&..
Tire rotation
Rotating the tires regularly is rec­
ommended to ensure the tires
wear evenly. To rotate the tires, install the tires from the rear axle ..,.
175

Wheels
on the front axle and vice versa.
This will allow the tires to have approximately the same length of
service life.
For unidirectional tires, make
sure the tires are installed accord­ ing to the running direction indi­
cated on the tire sidewall
¢ page 196.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hidden. Unusual vibrations in the
vehicle or pulling to one side may indicate that there is tire damage.
Reduce your speed immediately.
Check the tires for damage. If no
damage is visible from the out­
s ide, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Aud i deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect ­
ed.
A WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
t ires can reduce driving safety.
This can increase the risk of an
accident because it has a nega­
t ive effect on handling, driving
through curves, and braking, and because it increases the
176
risk of hydroplaning when driv­
ing through deep puddles.
Tire pressure
Fig. 146 Driver's side 8-pillar : tire pres­
sure label
"'" '" AVANT
---
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
Fig. 147 Tire pressure label
The correct tire pressure for tires
mounted in the factory and for
the spare tire* is indicated on a la ­
bel. The label is located on the B ­
pillar ¢
fig. 146, ¢ fig. 147.
Use the tire pressure specified for
a normal vehicle load when the
vehicle is partially loaded¢
table
on page 178 .
If driving the vehi-
cle when fully loaded, you must
increase the tire pressure to the
maximum specified pressure¢.&. . .,.

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Checking/correcting ti re pressure
.,,.Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it
before every long drive.
.,,.A lways check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold . Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
.,,.Chec k the label ¢
fig. 147 for
the correct tire pressure based
on vehicle load .
.,,.Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
.,,.Ve hicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­ ment system ¢
page 184.
.,,.Check the pressure in the emer­
gency tire*/spare tire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire.
.&_ WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle load.
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print-
Wheels
-Overload ing can lead to loss of
vehicle control and increase the risk of an accident. Read
and follow the important safe­
ty precautions in ¢
page 178,
Tires and vehicle load limits.
-The tire must flex more if the
tire pressure is too low or if
the vehicle speed or load are
too high. This heats the tire up
too much. This increases the
risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and result in loss of vehicle con­
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure in­
creases tire wear and has a
negative effect on driving and
braking behavior, which in­
creases the risk of an accident.
(D Note
Replace lost valve caps to re­
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
@) For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in­
creases fuel consumption.
ing, and the information is sub­
ject to change. If there are differ­
ences between this information .,.
177

Wheels
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side B­
pillar, always follow the specifica­
tion on the B-pillar label
¢ page 176, fig. 146.
Make sure that the tire designa­
tion on your tire matches the des-
Model/ Tire designation
Engine
ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom­ mended tire pressures in cold
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed.
Tire pressure
Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3 people)a)
front rear front rear
PSI
Q3: 235/50 Rl8 97H 32
2.0L
235/50 Rl8 97V 32
4 cylinders 255/40 Rl9 l00Y 33
255/35 R20 97Y 33
255/40 Rl9 l00H 33
a) 2 peop le in the front ; 1 perso n in the rear
.8, WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure ¢
page 176 and load
limits ¢
page 178.
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
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
178
kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
220 32 220 33 230 36 250
220 3 2 22 0
33 230
36 250
230 33 230 44
300 46 320
230 33 230 44 300 4
6 320
230 33 230 44 300 46 320
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
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