flat tire AUDI S3 2011 User Guide

-Tires and wheels PJTI,.____ ______________ _
in. WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can lead to a
s eriou s or fatal a ccident .
• Incor rect tire p ressu res and /or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
• Incorrect tire pressu res and /or underinflation can also lead to
s udden tire failur e, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
caus ing loss of vehicle cont rol. •
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires ori ginally installed
on your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure la bel located
either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler fla p.
Th e recommended tire pressures a re on the tire press ure labe l and in
t he table~ page 249, "Cold tire infla tion pressure" . This means that
the pressure m ust be checked an d adju sted when the tire has not
bee n dr iven for more than a co uple of miles (kilometers) at low
speeds dur ing the previous three hours. Air in the tires expands w hen
the tire heats up as a resul t of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in use. The
tire press ure is higher when the t ire has warmed up than when it is
"cold ."
It is the inflation press ure i n a "cold" t ire that counts . Therefore, you
should never let air out of a warm tire to match "Co ld tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions~
page 249 . The t ires would t hen be
underinflated and co uld fail sudden ly .
T he tire p ress ure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire
inflation pressures for the new, or iginal equipment t ires that were on
your vehicle at t he time i t was man ufa cture d. For the location of t he
label~
page 249 , fig. 171.
Most tires lose a ir nat urally over time. They can a lso lose some a ir if
you d rive over a pot hole or hi t a curb while pa rking .
It is usua lly not possible to see whether the rad
ia l tires used today are underinflated
jus t by loo king at th em.
T herefore, be sure to check t ire pressures a t least once a month and
always before go ing on a long trip. Make sure to take the number of
peop le and the amoun t of lugg age i nto a ccount whe n ad justi ng tire
pressure for a trip -even one that you would not consider to be
" lo ng." See ~
page 253, "Ti res and vehicle lo ad lim its " fo r mo re
important informat ion.
Always use an accurate t ire pressure ga uge when check ing and
ad justing i nflat io n pressures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the s pare tire . If the press ure in any ti re is too hig h when the
t ire is "co ld," let ai r out of t he tire slowly with t he edge of the ti re
gauge and keep checki ng the press ure unt il yo u reach the press ure
that is co rrect for the load (p assenge rs a nd luggage) a nd kind of
driving yo u plan to do.
If the press ure in any t ire is too low , no te the difference between t he
pressure in the cold tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
t ha t you need to reac h the co rrect pressure fo r the vehi cle load
(passengers a nd luggage) fo r the tires o n yo ur vehicle as listed on the
on your vehicle and in this man ual and the k ind of driving yo u plan to
do .
Never exceed the ma ximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
s idewall for any reason .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the t ire manufacturer,
determines the cor rec t tire p ress ure for the tires on your ve hicle.
It is important to chec k the tire pressu re whe n the t ires a re co ld.
• Read the required t ire pressure from the t ire pressure labe l. On
U SA vehicles, the tire pressure la bel is loc ated on dr ive r's si de 8- pillar.
On Canada veh icles, t he tire pressu re label is located ei ther on the
dr iver's side 8-pillar o r i ns ide the f ue l f iller flap .
• Turn the va lve stem cap counter-clockw ise to remove it from the
t ire valve.
• Place the air press ure gauge on the valve . .,_

Tires and wheels -________________ l'fFI
• The tire p ress ure s s ho uld onl y be chec ked and adjus ted whe n the
ti res are col d. T he sli ghtly rais e d pre ssu res o f w arm t ires must not b e
r e d uced .
• Adju st the tire p re ssu re to t he lo ad you are ca rry ing .
• Reinstall the valve stem cap o n the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The corre ct tire press ure is especially importa nt at high speeds. The
pressu re s ho uld t heref ore be chec ked at least onc e a month an d
always be fore start ing a journey . Do not fo rget to check t he t ire p res­
s u re for the spar e w hee l~
pag e 2 71.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Ad jus t the tire pr ess ur e to th e load you ar e carry ing . Af ter chang ing a
w hee l
or replac ing w heels yo u have to adjust the t ire press ures on all
w heels. In addi tion, you must th en ini tia lize the ne w tire press ures in
the t ire pressure monito ring system *~
page 264 .
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, loss of control, collision, serious personal injury or even death.
• When the warning symbol{__, appears in the instrument
cluster , stop and inspect the tires.
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
• Incorrect tire pressure s and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing loss of vehicle control.
• The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for all
tires on the vehicle. The applicable pressure values are located on
a sticker on the driver 's side 8-pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap .
Safety first
& WARNING (cont inued )
• Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure, the tire pressure monitoring system* can work correctly.
• The use of incorrect tire pressure values can lead to accidents or
other damage . Therefore it is essential that the driver observe the
specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres­
sure before driving off .
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and/overloading can cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure and loss of control.
• If the tire pressure is too low or too high, the tires will wear
prematurely and the vehicle will not handle well.
• If the tire is not flat and you do not have to change a wheel
immediately, drive at reduced speed to the nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as required .
0 Note
Driving witho ut valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, always ma ke sure that fa ctor y in sta lled val ve s te m
caps on all wheels a re secure ly mounted on the va lve.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Under infla ted ti res will also increase t he fue l cons umption .•
Tires and vehicle Load Limits
T he re are limits to the amo unt of load or weight that a ny vehicle and
any tire c an car ry. A veh icle t hat is ove rload ed w ill not handle well and ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data

_L_T.:...:..: i r~ e:.: s~ a:::. n:..:..:: d:.....: w..:...:. h::e:.: e::.:: ls::::._ ______________________________________________ _
is more difficult to stop. Overloading can not only lead to loss of
vehicle control, but can also 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.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends o n making sure
that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are techn ically
referred to as the veh icle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR").
Th e "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory
installed accessories, a full tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids
plus maximum load. The maximum load includes the number of
passenge rs that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each passenger at a
designated seating posit ion and the total weight of any luggage in
the vehicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that
can be applied at each of the vehicle's two ax les.
The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rat ing
are listed on the safety compliance sticker label located e ithe r on the
dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler flap. Your Audi
has 5 seating positions, 2 in the front and 3 in t he rear for total
seating capacity of 5. Each seating position has a safety belt
=> page 135, "Safety belts".
The fact that there is an upper limit to your veh icle's Gross Veh icle
Weight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is being
carried in the veh icle (in cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the
tongue weight of the loaded trailer) is limited . The more passengers
in the vehicle or passengers who are heavier than the standard
we ights assumed mean that less we ight can be carr ied as luggage.
Th e tire pressure label on your A udi also lists the maximum combined
we ight of all of the occupants and luggage or other cargo that the
vehicle can carry. For the location of the labe l=>
page 249, fig. 171.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or
other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
• Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry
will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase the
risk of the loss of vehicle control.
• The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle within a safe distance.
• Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly,
including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of control
and a crash.
• Always make sure that the total load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehicle heavier than the
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating .•
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to calculate the
total weight of the passengers and luggage
or other things that you plan to transport so
that you can make sure that your vehicle
will not be overloaded. ._

lfflJ,.___T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
(j)
®
®
U.S . DOT tire identification number
Audi Orig inal tire
Tire ply composition and materials used
Max imum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design. The tires
and r ims approved by Audi are spec ially matched to the characteris­
tics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good road
holding and safe handling when in good condition and properly
inflated =>& .
We recommend that all work on tires and wheels be performed by an
authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with recommended proce­
dures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as well as
the proper facilit ies for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary information about tech­
nical requirements for installing or chang in g ti res and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not ind ividually (for
example both front tires or both rear t ires together).
Be sure to read and heed the tir e pressure monitoring system*
information=>
page 264.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have the same specifications
as the tires approved for your veh icle by Audi . Replacement tires must
always have the same load rating specification as the original equip­
ment or approved opt iona l tires listed in the table=>
page 249.
Audi-approved spec ification tires are specially matched to your
vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important road­
holding, driv ing characteristics, and safety of the vehicle. The table (=>
page
249) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Aud i
models covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located either on driver's side B-p illar or inside
the fuel filler flap(=>
page 249, fig. 172) lists the specifications of
the original equipment tires installed on your ve hicle at the time it
was manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufact urers to place standardized infor­
mation on the sidewall of all tires =>
page 2 5 7, fig. 17 5. This i nfor­
mation identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics, the
quality grade of the tire and also provides a t ire identification number
for safety standard certification and in case of a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specificat ions makes it easie r to choose the correct
tires. Rad ial tires have the tire specifications marked on the s idewall,
for examp le:
P225 / 45 R 17 91H XL
This contains the following informat ion:
P I ndicates the tire is for passenger cars (where applicable)
225 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire from s idewall edge to side-
wa ll edge. In gene ral, the large r the number, the wider the tire
45 Height/width ratio in pe rcent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
17 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") indicates that the tire is "Rein­
forced" or an "Extra Load" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the t ire has some mud and snow capa­
bili ty
The tires could a lso have the information of direction of rotation
=>page 245.

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Tire manufacturing date
The m an ufac tu ring date is a lso indicated on the tire sidewall
(poss ibly on ly on th e
inner side of the w hee l):
"DOT . .. 2209 . .. " means, fo r example, that the tire was produced in
t he 22nd wee k of 20 09.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed ra ting letter cod e on th e w heel s in dicates t he maxi mum
permissible road s peeds =>
& in "W inte r tires" on page 2 61.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 m ph (158 km/h)
R up to 1 06 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 1 10 m ph (180 km/h)
T up to 1 18 mph (1 90 km/ h)
U up to 124 mp h (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mp h (210 km/ h)
V up to 149 mp h (240 km/ h)6>
Z over 1 49 mp h (24 0 km/h)6>
W up to 1 68 mph (270 km/h)6>
Y up to 186 m ph (298 km/h)6>
Your vehicle is normally factory equipped with t ires, which possess
ex cellen t driving chara cteris tics and give y our A udi op tim um driv ing
comfort. An elect ronic speed
Li miter=> page 20 will normally prevent
yo ur veh icle from going faste r tha n the ti re speed rating =>
&-
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
T hi s is the t ire's "serial number" . It beg ins wi th the letters "DOT" and
ind ic at es th at the t ire mee ts all f edera l stand ards. The nex t two
num bers or letters indicate the p lant where it was manufactured, and
the last four num bers represent the wee k and year of man ufacture .
For example, t he nu mbers 2209 mean tha t th e tir e was prod uced in
Gl For tires w ith a max im um speed capab ili ty ove r 149 mph (2 40 km/ h), tire
manufac tur ers sometimes use the letters "ZR."
Safety first
t he 22nd week of 2009 . The other numbers are marketing codes that
ma y or m ay not be use d b y the ti re manu facture r. This i nform ation is
used to contact consumers if a tire defec t requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ide ntificat ion "AO" or "RO" have been specially
m at ched w ith yo ur Audi. We recommend using on ly these tires
because t hey meet the highest standards regard ing safety and
dr iv ing c haracteris tic s when used cor rect ly. Yo ur authorize d Audi
dealer w ill gladly provide you wi th m ore information .
Maximum Load Rating
Thi s number ind icates the maxim um load in kilograms and pounds
that can be carried by the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades=> page 260.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Thi s number is the greatest amount of air pressure that sho uld ever
be pu t in the tire under norm al dri ving cond itions .
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can le ad to loss of control , collision
and seriou s personal injury.
• Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifica­
tions of original factory -installed t ires or other combinations that
have been specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer .
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
~
Vehicle care Technical data

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
ev en though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicl e control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial tires of the same
type, size (rolling circumference ) and the same tread patte rn .
Driving with different tires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a los s of control.
• If the spare t ire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle -for example with winter tires -only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with e xtra care. Refit the
normal road wheel as soon a s safely possible.
• Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the ti res
on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Overloading tire s cau se heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated
and not o ver or underinflated.
• For technical reasons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicle s- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels, make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increa sing stopping distance s
and causing a collision.
• Run flat tires may only be used on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassis designed
for run flat tires and a factory-in stalled tire pres sure monitoring
sy stem* that indicates a loss of tire pressure . Incorrect use of run
flat tires can lead to vehicle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire speciali st to see if your vehicle can
be equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat tires are used, they must
be installed on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted .
0 Note
• For tech nica l reasons, it is no t gene rally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from other vehicles. This ca n hold t rue for w heels of the same
vehicle type .
• If the spa re tire is different from the tires t hat you have mounte d
on you r vehi cle (fo r exa mple w inte r tir es or wide profi le tires), then
use the spa re t ire for a short perio d of time on ly and d rive with e xtra
c are. Replace t he f lat tire w it h t he ti re m atch ing t he ot hers on yo ur
vehicle as soon as possible.
• If you put diffe rent whee ls and t ires o n your ve hicle (e.g . winter
w heels and tires), yo u must be certain t hat the whee ls and tires are
c omp atib le w ith the tire press ure mon ito ring system* . O th erwise the
system will register a malfunction and a fault message w ill be
displayed. For m ore infor mati on, con ta ct y our au thor ized Aud i
dea ler.
• N ever dr ive witho ut the valve stem c ap. The valves could get
damaged.
For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the loca l requ irements. •
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wear
• Tr act io n AA A B C
• T emperat ure A B C
Q uali ty g rades can be fo und where applicab le on the tir e s ide wall
between tread sho ulder and max imum sect ion width ~
page 257,
fig. 175.
For example: Tread wear 200, Tract ion
AA , Temperat ure A.
All passenger ca r tires must confo rm to Federa l Safety Requirements
i n addition to these grades. .,_