flat tire AUDI S3 2015 User Guide

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-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 vehicles
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing.
_& WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
lead to a serious or fatal ac­
cident.
- Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation cause
increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the
vehicle.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail­ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus­ ing loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 245
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on
your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure label located on driv­ er's side 8-pillar.
The recommended tire pres­
sures are on the tire pressure label and in the table
¢ page 240~ Cold tire inflation
pressure.
This means that the
pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not
been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous
three hours. Air in the tires ex­ pands when the tire heats up as
a result of internal friction as it
flexes in use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire has
warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a
"cold" tire that counts. There­
fore, you should never let air
out of a warm tire to match
"Cold tire inflation pressure" recommendations ¢
page 240.
The tires would then be under­
inflated and could fail sudden­
ly .
...
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246 Tires and wheels
The tire pressure label on your sures. Check all of the tires and
Audi lists the recommended be sure not to forget the spare cold tire inflation pressures at tire. If the pressure in any tire is
maximum capacity for the new, too high when the tire is "cold,"
original equipment tires that let air out of the tire slowly
were on your vehicle at the time with the edge of the tire gauge
it was manufactured. For the and keep checking the pressure
location of the label until you reach the pressure
¢ page 240, fig. 168. that is correct for the load (pas-
Most tires lose air naturally sengers and luggage) and
kind
over time. They can also lose of driving you plan to do.
some air if you drive over a pot- If the pressure in any tire is too
hole or hit a curb while parking. low, note the difference be-
It is usually not possible to see tween the pressure in the cold
whether the radial tires used tire and the pressure you need
today are underinflated just by and add the air that you need to
looking at them. reach the correct pressure for
Therefore, be sure to check tire the vehicle
load (passengers
pressures at least once a month and luggage) for the tires on
and always before going on a your vehicle as listed on the on
long trip. Make sure to take the your vehicle and in this manual
number of people and the and the kind of driving you plan
amount of luggage into ac- to do.
count when adjusting tire pres-
Never exceed the maximum in-
sure for a trip -even one that flation pressure listed on the
you would not consider to be tire sidewall for any reason.
"long." See ¢page 249, Tires Remember that the vehicle
and vehicle load limits for more
manufacturer, not the tire man-
important information. ufacturer, determines the cor-
Always use an accurate tire rect tire pressure for the tires pressure gauge when checking on your vehicle.
..
and adjusting inflation pres-

Tires and wheels 24 7
It is important to check the tire sure for the spare wheel
pressure when the tires are
¢page 268.
cold.
When should I adjust the
-Read the required tire pres-tire pressures?
'
sure from the tire pressure la-
Adjust the tire pressure to the •
•
bel. The tire pressure label is load you are carrying. After
located on the driver's side B- changing a wheel
or replacing
pillar. wheels you have to adjust the
-Turn the valve stem cap coun- tire pressures on all wheels. In
ter-clockwise to remove it addition, you must then store
from the tire valve. the new tire pressures in the
-Place the air pressure gauge tire pressure monitoring sys-
on the valve. tern
¢ page 264.
-The tire pressures should only
A WARNING
be checked and adjusted when
Incorrect tire pressures and/
the tires are cold . The slightly
or underinflation can lead
raised pressures of warm tires
sudden tire failure, loss of
must not be reduced.
control, collision, serious per-
-Adjust the tire pressure to the
sonal injury or even death.
load you are carrying.
-When the warning symbol
-Reinstall the valve stem cap
RI] appears in the instru-
on the valve.
ment cluster, stop and in-
When should I check the tire spect the tires.
pressure? -Incorrect tire pressure and/
The correct tire pressure is es- or underinflation can cause
pecially important at high increased tire wear and can
speeds. The pressure should affect the handling of the
therefore be checked at least vehicle and stopping ability.
once a month and always be- -Incorrect tire pressures
fore start ing a journey. Do not
and/or underinflation can
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248 Tires and wheels
also lead to sudden tire fail­ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus­ ing 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 B-pillar.
-Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the cor­
rect pressure, the tire pres­
sure 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 speci­
fied tire pressure values for
the tires and the correct
pressures for the function of
the tire pressure monitoring
system.
-Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct
tire pressure before driving off.
- Driving with underinflated
tires bend more, letting
them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss of con­
trol.
-Excessive speed and/over­
loading 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 near­
est service station to check
the tire pressure and add air
as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem
caps can cause damage to
the tire valves . To prevent
this, always make sure that
factory installed valve stem caps on all wheels are secure­ly mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also
increase the fuel consump­
tion .

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Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehi­
cle and any tire can carry. Ave­
hicle that is overloaded will not
handle well and is more diffi­
cult 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 fail­
ure, including a blowout and
sudden deflation that can cause
the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your
passengers also depends on
making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and every­
thing in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical­
ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the
weight of the basic vehicle, all
factory installed accessories, a
full tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum
load. The maximum load in­
cludes the number of passen­
gers that the vehicle is intend-
Tires and wheels 249
ed to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of 1
SO lbs (68 kg) for each pas­
senger at a designated seating
position 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.
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of
the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing and the Gross Axle Weight
Rating are listed on the safety
compliance sticker label locat­
ed on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Your Audi has 5 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for total seating capacity
of 5. Each seating position has
a safety belt¢
page 135, Safe­
ty belts.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve­
hicle Weight Rating means that
the total weight of whatever is
being carried in the vehicle (in­
cluding the weight of a trailer ""
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250 Tires and wheels
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer) is limited.
The more passengers in the ve­ hicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that
less weight can be carried as
luggage .
The tire pressure label on your
Audi also lists the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry.
For the location of the label
q page 240, fig. 168 .
_& WARNING
~ -
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se­
rious 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 vehi­
cle within a safe distance . -Tires
on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow­
out 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 vehicles
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing .
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal ­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­ port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX .,..

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KG OR XXX LBS" on your ve­
hicle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
c:> page 240,
fig. 168.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­ sengers from
"XXX" kilo ­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
c:> page 240 , fig. 168.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the "XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150 lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
Tires and wheels 251
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
~check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 254, fig . 172) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
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No. Description
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and
temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible in-
flation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design.
The tires and rims approved by
Audi are specially matched to
the characteristics of the vehi ­
cle and can make a major con ­
tribution to good road holding
and safe handling when in good
condition and properly inflated
¢ ,&.
We recommend that all work
on tires and wheels be per­
formed by an authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with
recommended procedures and
have the necessary special tools
and spare parts as well as the
proper facilities for disposing of
the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have
the necessary information
Tires and wheels 255
about technical requirements
for installing or changing tires and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not individu ­
ally (for example both front
tires or both rear tires togeth­ er).
Be sure to read and heed the in­
formation to the tire pressure monitoring system
i=> page 264.
Always buy replacement radial
tires that have the same specifi­
cations as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Re­
placement tires must always
have the same load rating spec­
ification as the original equip ­
ment or approved optional tires
listed in the table
c> page 240.
Audi-approved specification
tires are specially matched to
your vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the im­portant roadholding, driving
characteristics, and safety of
the vehicle. The table
{ c> page 240) lists specifica­
tions of the tires approved for
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258 Tires an d whee ls
tires because they meet the
h ighest standards regarding
safety and driving characteris ­
tics when used correctly. Your
authorized Audi dealer w ill
g ladly provide you with more
information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
T he number of plies indicates
the number of layers of rubber­
coated fabric in the tire. In gen­
eral, the greater the number of
plies , the more weight a tire
can support . Tire manufactur­
ers also must indicate the ma­
ter ia ls in the tire, wh ich include
steel, nylon, polyester, and oth­
ers .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the max­
imum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for
treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, trac tion and tem­
perature grades
¢ page 260.
Maximum Permissible
Inflation Pressure
T his number is the g reatest
amount of air pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driv ing condi­
tions.
A WARNING
-Using incorrect or unmatch­ ed tires and/or wheels or
improper t ire and wheel
combinations can lead to loss of control , collision and
ser ious personal injury.
-Always use tires, rims and
wheel bolts that meet the
specifications of original
factory-installed tires o r
other combinations that
have been specifically ap ­
proved by the vehicle manu­
facturer.
- Tires age even if they a re
not being used and can fail
sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that a re more
than 6 years old can on ly be
used in an eme rgency and
then with special care and
at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on
your vehicle if you are no t

Tires and wheels 259
sure of their "previous histo-and sudden deflation and
ry." Old used tires may have loss of control.
been damaged even though -Temperature grades apply
the damage cannot be seen to tires that are properly in-
that can lead to sudden tire flated and not over or un-
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failure and loss of vehicle derinflated.
control. -For technical reasons it is
-All four wheels must be fit- not always possible to use
ted with radial tires of the wheels from other vehicles -
same type , size (rolling cir-
in some cases not even
cumference) and the same wheels from the same vehi-
tread pattern. Driving with cle model.
different tires reduces vehi- -If you install wheel trim
cle handling and can lead to discs on the vehicle wheels,
a loss of control. make sure that the air flow
-If the spare tire is not the to the brakes is not blocked.
same as the tires that are Reduced airflow to the
mounted on the vehicle - for brakes can them to over-
example with winter tires - heat, increasing stopping
only use the spare tire for a distances and causing a col-
short period of time and lision.
drive with extra ca re. Refit -Run flat tires may only be
the normal road wheel as used on vehicles that were
soon as safely possible. equipped with them at the
-Never drive faster than the factory. The vehicle must
maximum speed for which have a chassis designed for
the tires on your vehicle are run flat tires. Incorrect use
rated because tires that are of run flat tires can lead to
driven faster than their rat- vehicle damage or acci-
ed speed can fail suddenly. dents. Check with an au-
-Overloading tires cause heat thorized Audi dealer or tire
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