winter tires AUDI S3 2015 Owners Manual

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moment after re leasi ng the b rake peda l. Dur­
i n g this time, you can easily be gin to move
your veh icle.
A WARNING
- The intelligent technology of Hill Hold
cannot overcome the lim itations im­
posed by natural phys ica l laws . The in­
c reased comfort offered by Hill Hold
sho uld not cause you to ta ke safety risks .
- Hill Hold cannot hold the veh icle in all
hill start situat ions (for examp le, if the
ground is slippery or icy).
- If you do not begin movi ng immediately
after releasing the b rake pedal, the vehi­
cl e could begin to roll backwa rd under
c ertai n circumst ances. Press the bra ke
peda l or set the par king b rake immed i­
ately .
-If the engine "sta lls", p ress the brake
peda l or set the par king b rake immedi ­
ately .
- Star ting on in cli nes in s top-and-go traf­
fic: To hel p prevent the vehicle from roll ­
ing back when starting, press and hold
the brake pedal for several seconds when
the vehicle is stationary.
@ Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is equipped
wit h Hill Hold by check ing at an authorized
Aud i dea le r or q ualified repa ir facility.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed.
-
The speed warning system warns you if you
are exceeding the max imum speed that you
h ave set . Yo u will hea r a warn ing tone when
your speed exceeds the stored va lue by ap­
p rox imately 3 mph (3 km/ h). The . (USA
models)/ . (Canad a mo dels) indicator l igh t
and the message
Speed limit e xceeded! ap­
pear in the instr ument cluster disp lay at the
same time. The./. indicator light turns
Drivin g 83
off when the speed dec reases be low the stor ­
ed maximum speed .
Setting a t hreshold is recommended if you
would like to be rem inded when you reach a
ce rtain maxim um speed. S ituations whe re you
may want to do so incl ude driving in a co untry
with a genera l speed limit o r if the re is a
specified maximum speed for winter tires .
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system,
you should a lways monitor your speed us­
i ng the speedometer and make sure yo u
are follow ing the lega l speed limit .
Setting the threshold
You can set, change and delete the threshold
in the MMI.
.,.. Select: the
I MENU I button > Car > Systems*
cont ro l button > Driver assistance > Speed
warning .
You can set any threshold between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h) . Settings
can each be adj usted in increments of 6 mph
(10 km/h).
Cruise control system
Description
Applies to veh icles: w ith c ruise control system
The cru ise con trol system makes it poss ib le to
drive at a cons tant speed start ing at 15 mph
(20 km/h).
T he speed is kept const ant by modifying en­
gine powe r or throug h an ac tive brake inte r­
vention .
.&_ WARNING
-Always pay attention to the t raffic
around you when the cruise contro l is in
operation. You are always responsible for
your speed and the distance between
your veh icle and other vehicles .
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194 Smart Technology
Winter tires By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter
cond itions. However, in winter we recommend
using winter or all season tires on
all four
wheels, because this will improve the braking
effect .
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains
must also be used on vehicles with all whee l
drive ¢
page 262, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
Fo r vehicles w ith all whee l dr ive , only wheels
with the same rolling circumference should be
used . Avoid whee ls with different tread
depths ¢
page 254.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Aud i is not an offroad vehicle -there is
not enough ground clearance. For this reason,
avoid difficult terrain. Refer to¢
page 287.
&_ WARNING
- Also, in vehicles with all whee l dr ive,
adapt yo ur driving style to the current
road and traffic conditions. Do not let
the increased safety provided tempt you
into taking risks.
- The braking ability of your vehicle is lim­
ited to the traction of the wheels . In this
way, it is not different from a two wheel
dr ive vehicle. Do not be tempted to ac­
celerate to a high speed when the road is
slippery this increases the risk of an acci­
dent .
- Note that on wet streets, the front
wheels can "hydroplane" if driving at
speeds that are too high. Unlike front
wheel drive vehicles, the engine does not
rev higher suddenly when the vehicle be­
gins hydroplan ing. For this reason, pay
attention to the road conditions regard­
less of your speed.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages
the electrical energy distribution and optimiz ­
es the availability of electrical energy for
starting the engine.
When a vehicle with a conventional energy
system is not driven for a long time , the bat­
tery is drained by equ ipment (for example the
immobilizer). In certain circumstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the
engine .
Your vehicle is equipped with an intel ligent
energy management system for d istr ibut ing
electricity. This s ignificantly improves the
sta rting ability and increases the battery life.
The energy management sy stem Is made up
of
battery diagnosis , idling current manage·
ment
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
The battery d iagnosis determ ines the battery
charge leve l. The sensors determine the bat­
tery voltage, the battery current, and the bat­
tery temperature. The curren t cha rge leve l
and the performance of the battery are deter­
mined based on this.
Idling current management
The idling current management decreases the
energy used wh ile parked. With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribu­
tion to the different elect rical componen ts.
Date from battery diagnosis is taken into ac­
count for this.
Depending on the battery charge level, elec­
trical equip ment is switched off one item after
the o ther, to prevent the battery from drain­
ing and to retain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driving, dynamic energy management
distributes the appropriate amount of energy
to the e lectr ica l equipment.
It controls the
battery charge level so that more energy is ..,.

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-If you notice unusual vibra­tion or if the vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
wheels and tires for dam­ age.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 235
If summer tires are used in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
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Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­ proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
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238 Tires a nd whee ls
Recommended inflation
pressure
see c:::> page 236, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher
inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard t ire .
Reinforced tires may be identi ­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a meta l support for a
tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If yo u change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new t ires to ma tch the
new rim d iameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance be­
tween rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that por tion 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 ex­
tended periods of time . The rat­
ings range from 93 mph
( 1 50 km/h) to 186 mph
( 2 98 km/h)
c:::> page 257 . You
may not find th is informat ion
on all tires because it is not re­
quired by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the ti re sidewall and ind icates
the maximum permissible road
speeds
c:::> & in Winter tires on
page 261.
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehic le's
tires a re underinflated an d ill u­
m inates a low tire press ure
warn ing telltale.
Tread
means that por tion of a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.

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"DOT ... 2214 ... " means, for ex­
ample, the tire was produced in
the 22nd week of 2014.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed rating letter code on
the wheels indicates the maxi ­
mum permissible road speeds
¢ &. in Winter tires on
page 261.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h) U up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1
)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your vehicle is normally factory
equipped with tires, which pos­
sess excellent driving character­
istics and give your Audi opti­
mum driving comfort. An elec­
tronic speed limiter¢
page 31
will normally prevent your vehi-
1) For tires with a maximum speed ca­
pability over 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacture rs sometimes use
the let ters "ZR."
Tires and wheels 257
cle from going faster than the
tire speed rating ¢
&.-
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
This is the tire's "serial num­
ber". It begins with the letters
"DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal stand­ ards. The next two numbers or
letters indicate the plant where
it was manufactured, and the
last four numbers represent the
week and year of manufacture.
For example, the numbers
2214 mean the tire was pro­
duced in the 22nd week of 2014. The other numbers are
marketing codes that may or
may not be used by the tire
manufacturer. This information
is used to contact consumers if
a tire defect requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have been special­ly matched with your Audi. We
recommend using only these
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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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260 Tires and wheels
run flat tires. If run flat tires
are used, they must be in­
stalled on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not per­
mitted.
@) Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to
use the wheel rims from
other vehicles. This can hold
true for wheels of the same
vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different
from the tires that you have mounted on your vehicle
(for example winter tires or
wide prof ile tires), then use
the spare tire for a short pe­
riod of time only and drive
with extra care. Replace the
flat tire with the tire match­ ing the others on your vehi­
cle as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the
valve stem cap . The valves
could get damaged.
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accord­
ance w ith the local require­
ments.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality g rades can be foun d where applicab le
on the t ire s ide wall between t read sho ulder
and maximum section width¢
page 254,
fig . 172 .
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Tempera ture A .
All passenge r ca r tir es must con fo rm to Feder ­
al Safety Req uirements in ad dition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread we ar g rade is a c omparative r ati ng
b as ed on the wea r ra te of the tire when tes ted
u nder con tro lled cond itions o n a specifie d
government test course .
F o r ex am ple, a tire gr aded 1 S0 would wear
o n e and one h alf ( 11/ 2) times as well on the
government course as a ti re gr aded 10 0 .
T he re lative per forman ce of tires depen ds
up on the actu al cond itions of the ir use, h ow­
ever, and m ay dep art s ignific antly from the
no rm due to va ria tions i n driving ha bits, se rv ­
ice p ractices and differe nces in road c haracter­
ist ics and climate.
Traction
The tr actio n gr ad es, fro m hig hest to lowes t,
are AA, A, Ban d
C. Those grades represent t he
ti re 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured unde r cont rolled conditions on
specified g overnment test surfaces of aspha lt
and co ncrete. A t ire mar ked C may have poor
traction performance ¢
A.
Temperature
The temperature g rades are A (the highest),
B, an d C, represe nting the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ab ility to dissi­
pate heat when tested unde r controlled condi­
t ions on a specif ied ind oor l abo rato ry test
whee l.

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Sustained high tem perature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to su dden ti re fa ilure <=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of per form­
a nce which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_&. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop lan ing o r peak traction
character istics .
_&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es­
tablished for a ti re that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires .
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel
d rive*, this will improve tract ion during winte r
d riving, eve n w it h the standard t ires. Howev­
e r, we strong ly recommend t hat you a lways
eq uip a ll four wheels on yo ur vehicle wi th cor­
rectly fitted win ter t ires or a ll-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected .
Tires an d wheel s 261
This also improves the veh icle's b rak ing per ­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r ti res prov ide les s gr ip on i ce and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur whee ls.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted winter tire sizes. Use
o nl y rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con­
dit ions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
whee l
r=;,page 254.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating t han the tires o rigi­
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease seer=;,
page 257,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a listing of the
speed rating le tter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d rive n.
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 238) is
o n the side wall of the t ire r=;,
page 254.
_&. WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may b e lower than yo ur vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur spe cific
win ter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
_&. WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause t ire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden d eflation,
-
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26 2 T ire s and wheel s
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sona l injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
wh ich the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra r is ks. A l­
ways remember:
- When brak ing, an a ll-wheel d rive vehicle
hand les in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
canno t he lp under blac k ice condit ions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summe r tires when weathe r cond i­
tions perm it. They are quieter, do not wea r
as quickly and red uce f ue l cons umption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted on ly to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask you r
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
I f you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must h ave low-profi le links
and must not be thicker than 0 .53 inch
(13 .5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel ce nte r covers a nd tr im dis cs
be fore putting snow chains on yo ur vehicle
q0 . For sa fety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the whee l bolts. These are avai l­
ab le from authorized Audi dea lers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your veh i­
cle o r instal ling them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
se rious pe rsonal injury .
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions p rov ided by t he snow cha in
manufac turer.
- When driving with snow cha ins never
d rive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
- Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains dow n un necessa rily .
- Snow chains, which come into direc t con­
tact with the whee l rim, can scrat ch or
damage it. Therefo re, make sure that the
s now chains are s uitably covered. Check
t he pos ition of t he snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces ­
sary. Follow the inst ructions from the
snow chain man ufacturer when do ing so.
@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer ­
tain roads, th is normally a lso applies to
vehicles with a ll-wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of w heel bol ts is matched to the
f ac tory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the co rrect wheel bo lts with the right
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. Th is ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correct ly . .,..

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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.
IJJ>
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