tires AUDI S3 2016 User Guide

be happy to provide more infor­
mation.
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5 " or "M+S" indicates the tire
has character istics that make it
suitable for driving on mud and
snow .
& indicates a winter tire .
@Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the tire. In general: the
more layers , the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear ,
traction and temperature
resistance
Tread wear, traction and temper ­
ature ranges
¢ page 271.
~ @ Running direction
g
~ ...
'° V, ....
'° ....
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirect ional tires .
Tires and wheels
You must always follow the speci­
fied runn ing d irection
¢ page 288 .
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number ind icates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat ­
ing conditions.
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 steer­
ing , power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
i tems are available as facto ry-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewa ll for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement. .,.
255

Tires and wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire 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.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehic le manufac­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of
op tional equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in-
2 56
flation pressures than t he corre­
sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl" , "EXTRA LOAD" , or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR" )
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system , measured
at the tire-ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max im um total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load tha t a
tire is rated to carry for a given in­
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
t he maximum permissible infla­
tion p ressure for that tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:

(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible )
inflation p ressure
means the maximum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated. Also 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
c le.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
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, including elevations due to labeling, deco­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Tires and wheels
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not pre­
viously considered in curb weight
or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
specia l 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.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 256, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flat ion pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire. Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as .,.
257

Tires and wheels
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" I I I
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal 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 you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim 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 ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
c::> table
on page 254.
You may not find
this information on all tires be ­
cause it is not required by law.
25 8
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the maximum permissible road
speeds
c::> .&. in Winter tires on
page 269 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or mo re of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illum i­
na tes a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact w ith the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the t ire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread. See
c::> page 262, Treadwear indicator
for mo re information on measur-
ing tire wear. .,.

Uniform Tire Quality Gr ading
is a tire information system devel­
oped by the United States Nation­
al Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relat ive com­
parisons among tires. The UTQG
is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of miles
(kilometers) or perform in acer­
tain way. It simply gives t ire buy ­
ers additional information to
combine with other considera­
tions, such as price, brand loyalty
and dealer recommendations . Un­
der
UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in th ree areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera­
ture resistance. 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 begins with the letters "DOT"
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 four numbers represent the week and year of
manufacture. For example,
Tires and wheels
DOT ... 2215 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 2015. The
other numbers are marketing co­ des that may or may not be used
by the t ire manufacturer. This in­
formation is used to contact con­
sumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle 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 indiv idual
tire that is determined by distrib­
ut ing 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 dist rib­
uting to each ax le its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weigh t (dis­
tributed in accordance with
c:::> ta­
ble on page 265) and dividing by
two. .,.
259

Tires a nd wh eels
Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacit ies
Refer to the tire inflation pres­
sure label¢
page 263, fig . 205
for the number of seating posi­
tions . Refer to the table¢
table
on page 265
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 adhesion 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 poss ible on all four
wheels .
260
.,.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 equipment tires . If
you would like to use d ifferent
tires, please note that the tires may perform differently even if
they are the same size ¢
,&.
.,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina ­
t ion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­
sult with an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
F acility before making a pur­
chase ¢&, .
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.
On
all wheel drive vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand and have the same construction
and tread pattern so tha t the
drive system is not damaged by .,.

different tire speeds. For this rea­son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ 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.
Tires and wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso­ lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
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. 203 Tire profile: tread wear 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. ..
261

Tires and wheels
-Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
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 direc­
tion
¢ fig . 203 . The letters "TWI"
or triangles 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 tread wear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones
¢ ..&. .
Wheel rotation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
1> Obey any applicable regulations in your
country.
262
wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in­
stall the wheels from the rear
axle 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 288.
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
side, drive slowly and carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Fa­
cility to have the vehicle inspect­
ed .
.&_ WARNING
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety. ,..

,...,
This can especially have a nega­
tive effect on handling, on the risk aquaplaning when driving
through water, when driving
through curve s and when brak­
ing, which increases the risk of
an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 204 Driver's side B -p ill ar: tire pres ­
su re lab el
-"' -,--------------- -
• ===========
= i (:=:=a : I =:: I :.. I) (':: ~) n,.......,.._,.,.. ......... _.__......, _ _.., .... _ ... l ................... . __.......... .......... ..._ .. .,,, ..
Fig. 205 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. 204, ¢ fig. 205.
g When the vehicle is partially load-
oo
~ ed (up to 3 peop le), use the tire Ln ,...,
"' ....
Tires and wheels
pressure specified for normal
loads¢
table on page 265 . If
driving the vehicle when fully loaded, you must increase the t ire
pressure to the maximum speci­
fied pressure ¢.&, .
Checking/correcting tire
pressure
.,..Check the tire pressure at least
once per month and also check it before every long drive .
.,..Always check the tire pressure
when the tires are
cold . Do not
reduce the pressure if it increas­
es when the tires are warm .
.,..Check the label ¢
fig. 205 for
the correct tire pressure based on vehicle load.
.,..Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary.
.,..Vehicles with Tire Pressure Mon­
itoring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain ­
ment system ~
page 273.
.,..Check the pressure in the emer ­
gency tire* /spare t ire* . Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire. .,.
263

Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Always adapt the tire pressure
to your driving style and vehicle load.
-Overloading can lead to loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of an accident. Read and follow the important safe­
ty precautions inc:::> page 266,
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
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print­ ing, and the information is sub­
ject to change . If there are differ­
ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side 8- pillar, always follow the specifica-
264
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.
(D Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a normal load c:::>
table on
page 265
or for a full load
when the vehicle is partially
loaded.
tion on the 8-pillar label c:::>
page 263, fig. 204.
Make sure that the tire designa­
tion on your tire matches the des­ ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom- mended tire pressures in cold ..