tires AUDI S3 SEDAN 2015 User Guide

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 vehicle 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 pres­
sure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve ­
hicle with standard equipment in­
c luding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and add itional weight of
optional equipment.
E xtra load t ire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in -
Tires a nd whe els
flation pressures than the corre­
spond ing standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
" xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight R ating
( " GAWR")
means the load -carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire-ground interfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(" GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in ­
flation pressure . You may not find
this information on all tires be­ cause it is not required by law.
Ma ximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion pressure for that tire.
Ma ximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
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...

Tires and wheels
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Ma ximum (permissible )
inflation pres su re
means the max imum cold infla­
tion pressure to which a tire 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
cle .
Occupant d istribution
means distribution of occupan ts
in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the l inear distance be ­
tween the exteriors of the side­
walls of an infla ted tire, including
elevations due to labeling , deco­
rations, or protective bands or
ribs.
2 18
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated
parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they rep lace, not pre ­
viously considered in cu rb weight
or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers,
roof rack, heavy duty battery, and
special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply co rds that extend to the
beads are laid at substantially 90
deg rees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ~ page 217 , Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in­
flation pressures than the corre­ sponding standard tire. Rein ­
forced tires may be identified as

"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" , , ,
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 di ameter
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 de signation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Side wall
means that portion of a tire be ­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at which a t ire 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)¢
table
on page 215.
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .& in Winter tires on
page 229 .
Tire pressure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi ­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI )
means the projections w ithin the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 223, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear .
219
...

Tires and wheels
Uniform Tire Qu ality Gr ading
is a tire information system devel ­
oped by the United States Nation­
al Highway Traffic Safety Adminis­
tration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relative com­
parisons among tires. The UTQG is
not a safety rating and not a guar­
antee that a tire will last for a prescribed number of miles (kilo­
meters) or perform in a certain
way . It simply gives tire buyers
additional information to com­
bine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and
dealer recommendations . Under
UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, traction, and tempera ­
ture resistance . The UTQG infor­
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls.
U.S. DOT T ire Identification
Number (TIN )
This is the tire 's "serial number" .
It begins with the letters "DOT "
and indica tes 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,
220
DOT ... 2214 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 2014. The
other numbers are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used
by the tire manufacturer . This in­
formation is used to contact con­ sumers if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity we ight
means the rated cargo and lug­
gage load plus 150 lbs . (68 kilo­
grams) times the vehicle's desig­ nated seating capacity .
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an ind ividual
t ire that is determined by distrib ­
uting to each axle its sha re of the
maximum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib­ uting to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight ,
and normal occupant weight (dis­
tributed in accordance with
¢ ta­
ble on page 226) and dividing by
two.
...

Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pressure
labe l
c:::> page 224, fig. 171 for
the number of seating positions .
Refer to the table
c:::> table on
page 226
for the number of peo ­
ple that correspond to the vehicle
normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dea ler or au ­
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper knowledge and are equ ipped with
the required tools and replace­
ment parts .
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
opt imum adhesion properties .
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
.,,. Use tires of the same construc­
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as possible on all four
wheels .
Tires a nd whe els
.,,. 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 different
tires, please note that the tires
may perform different ly even if
they are the same size
c:::> ,& .
.,,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­ sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur­
chase
c:::> ..1,. .
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 d riv e vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand
and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the drive system is not damaged by
22 1

Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea­
son, 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.
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso-
222
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 al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profil e: treadwear 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.
..

"' N
~
-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 .
Treadwe ar indic ato r
Original equipment tires contain
treadwear indicators in the tread pattern, which are bars that are
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high and are
spaced even ly around the tire per­
pend icular to the running direc­
tion
¢ fig. 169. The letters "TW I"
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 treadwear
indicators. Replace the tires with
new ones¢ &.
Whe el rot ation
Rotating the wheels regularly is
recommended to ensure the tires
;;; l) Obey any applicable regu lation s in your ~
~ country . ....
Tires and wheels
wear evenly. To rotate wheels, in­
stall the wheels from the rear
axle on the front axle and vice ver­
sa. This will allow the tires to
have approximately the same
length of service life.
F or unidirectional tires, make sure
the tires are installed according to
the running direction indicated on
the tire sidewall¢
page 245.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims can of­
ten occur in locations that are hid ­
den. Unusual vibrations in the ve­
hicle or pulling to one side may
indicate that there is tire damage .
Reduce your speed immed iately .
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.
A WA RNING
-
Tread that has worn too low or
different tread depths on the
tires can reduce driving safety.
This can especially have a
223

Tires and wheels
negative effect on handling, on
the risk aquaplaning when driv­ ing through water, when driv­
ing through curves and when
braking, which increases the
risk of an accident.
Tire pressure
Fig. 170 Driver's side B-pillar: tire pres­
sure label
"' -
( fa (_,__,., TOl... I """" I ~- I)~-~ l ~ • .......-OIJI\ACl'..I TOTAL ltNAHt --.,-. . ~
-KPA. a PSl
Fig. 171 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. 170, r=:>fig. 171.
When the vehicle is partially load­ed (up to 3 people), use the tire pressure specified for normal
224
loads c:> table on page 226. If
driving the vehicle when fully loaded, you must increase the tire
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. 171 for
the correct tire pressure based
on vehicle load.
•Correct the tire pressure if nec­
essary .
•Vehicles with Tire Pressure Moni­
toring System*: store the modi­
fied tire pressure in the Infotain­
ment system ¢
page 234.
•Check the pressure in the emer ­
gency tire*/spare tire*. Always
maintain the maximum temper­
ature that is specified for the
tire.
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
safety precautions in
¢ page 22 7, 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 increas­
es tire wear and has a negative
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 B­
pillar, always follow the specifica­
tion on the B-pillar label
¢ page 224, fig. 170.
Tires and wheels
effect on driving and braking
behavior, which increases the
risk of an accident.
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.
(1) Tips
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a nor­mal load
¢ table on page 226
or for a full load when the vehi­
cle is partially loaded.
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
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed.
225

Tires and wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to
3 people)a>
front rear front rear
PSI kPA
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A3 sedan: 225/45 Rl 7 91 Y
30 210 26 1 80 3 5 2
4 0
35 2
4 0
l.BL High Performance
4 cylinders 225/40 Rl8 92Y XL
35 240 32 220 35 240 35 240
(Ga so lin e
High Performance
en gine )
225/45 Rl7 91H
32 220 29 200 39 270 39 270
All Season
225/40 Rl8 92H XL
35 2
40
32 22 0 39 27
0
39 2
70
All Season
235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 33 230 32 220 35 240 35 240
High Performance
A3 sedan: 225/45 Rl7 91Y
30 21
0 28 190
36 2
50
36 2
50
2.0L High Performance
4 cylinders 225/40 Rl8 92Y XL
35 240
32 220 36 250 36 2 50
(G asolin e
High Performance
e n gine)
225/45 Rl 7 91H
33 230 30 210 41 280 41 280
All Season
225/40 R18 92H XL
36 250 33 2 30 41 28 0 4
1
28 0
All Season
235/35 Rl9 91YXL
35 240 32 220 36 250 36 250
High Performance
A3 sedan: 225/45 Rl7 91Y
30 210 28 190
36 2
50 3 6 250
2.0L High Performance
4 cylinders 225/40 Rl8 92Y XL
35 24
0
32 22 0 36 250 36 250
(D ie se l en -
High Performance
gi ne)
225/45 Rl 7 91H
33 230 30 210 41 280 41 280
All Season
225/40 Rl8 92H XL
36 25
0
33 23
0 41 2 80 41 2 80
All Season
235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL
35 240 32 220 36 250 36 250
High Performance
53 sedan: 225/40 Rl8 92Y XL
39 270 36 250 42 290 42 290
2.0L High Performance
4 cylinders 225/40 Rl8 92H XL
38 260 35 24
0 4 1
28 0 4
1
280
(G asolin e
All Season
e n gine)
235/35 Rl9 91YXL
39 270 36 250 44 300 44 300
High Performance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
a) 2 people in the front, 1 person in the rear
226