tire size AUDI S3 2015 User Guide

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In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -
even if it
i s the same mode l
Q page 291.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
control, a collision and ser ious personal in­
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled,
even if tightened to the spec ified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bo lts that belong to the
rim being ins talled.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque fo r the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tigh teni ng tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving . If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel ca n be­
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi­
b le with a torque wrench -prefe rably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
Tire s an d wheel s 263
and handling under a variety o f driving condi ­
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspec t ratio of these tires is ind icate d
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage.
Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularl y sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tir es are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and ma intain ed . Tire pr es­
s ure s should be checked at lea st on ce a
month and alway s bef ore a long trip
~ page 245 , Checking tire pressure .
A Word about Low Aspect Ratio and High
Performance Ti res
Hig h pe rformance tires are des igned for bet­
ter performance and handling in warm cli­
mates. When driving in cold, snowy or icy
weather, you sho uld equ ip your vehicle w it h
four all-season or winter tires, which
offer
better traction under those condit ions. We
suggest you use the Audi recommended win­
te r or a ll-season tires specified for you r Audi.
High performance tires a lso have a lower as ­
pect ratio that aids performance and han­
dling . Driving over rough or damaged road
surfaces, as well as debr is, cu rbs and other
obstacles can cause serious damage to
whee ls, tires, vehicle body, and suspens ion
parts . B e carefu l to avo id road hazards and re­
du ce your speed , espec ia lly if your vehicle is
equipped wi th low prof ile tires .
Please a lso remember when making your se­
lection that, wh ile these tires deliver respon­
s ive handling, t hey m ay ride less comfo rtably
and make more noise than o thers . Finally,
these tires may wear more quickly than other
c h oices.
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264 Tire s and wheel s
It is important that the inflation pressu re is
regularly checked and maintained at recom­
mended levels .
F or more informat ion p lease ask your A udi
deale r for more details .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio t ires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, part icularly if the t ire is
underinflated .
I n o rder to m inim ize the o ccu rrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always mainta in recommended inflat ion
pressures. Check your tire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces­
sary .
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
thro ugh or over such obstacles can damage
your t ires. Impact with a curb may also
cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
t ires or have them inspected by the neares t
authorized Aud i dealer . Replace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and unde rinflat ion, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire fail ure.
If you be lieve that a
t ire may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r more quick ly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, whi le these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make mo re noise than
other c hoices.
Reduced performance in winter /cold
s eason condition s
All tires are designed for certain pu rposes .
The low aspect ratio, u ltra hig h performance t
ir es or iginally insta lled on yo ur vehicle a re in ­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling . They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those c ircumstances, you
shou ld equ ip your vehicle w ith all -season or
winter tires, which offer bette r traction unde r
those conditions . We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow o r all-season t ires specified
for yo ur vehicle , or thei r equivalent .
Refer to~ page
261 for more detailed infor­
mation regard ing winter tires .
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
E ach tire, including the spare ( if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly wh en co ld and in­
flated to t he inflat io n pressure recommended
by the veh icle man ufact urer on t he veh icle
placard or tire inf lation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in ­
flat ion pressure labe l, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation press ure for those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illum inates a low tire
pressure tell tale when one or more of your
t ires is s ignificantly under-inflated . According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper p ress ure. Driving on a sig nifican tly u n­
der -inflated t ire causes the tire to overhea t
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel eff iciency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's hand ling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substit ute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv­
er 's respons ibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not