2011 AUDI S3 ESP

-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Tire s age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (in excess of those sta nda rd items which
may be rep lace d) of automatic transmission, power steering, power
bra kes, powe r w indows , power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent
that these items are avai lab le as factory- installed equipment
(w het he r i nsta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
me ans the ratio of t he he ight to t he w id th of the tir e in percent .
Numbe rs of 55 o r lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
respo nse an d be tter overa ll handling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part o f the tire that is made of stee l w ires , wrap ped o r
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bon d between components in the bead .
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the tire.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous hi story ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unu sual vibration or if the vehicle pull s to one side
when driving, alway s stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle ma nufa cturer
for a tire of a des ignated size t hat has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree ho ur period
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed.
Curb weight
mea ns the weig ht of a motor vehicle wit h standard equ ipment
including the max imum cap aci ty of f ue l, oil, and coo lan t, air condi ­
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designe d to operate at higher loads and at higher infla­
t ion p ressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard t ire. Ext ra load tires
my be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load -ca rry ing capacity of a s ingle ax le system, measured at
t he t ire-grou nd inte rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded we ight of the vehicle .

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ lffll
Groove
means the spa ce between two ad jacen t tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
mea ns the max imu m load th at a tir e is ra te d to c arry fo r a give n infla­
tion pressure. You may not find this information on all t ires beca use
i t is no t required by law .
Maximum load rat ing
me ans the load r ati ng for a t ire at th e maxi mum p ermis sib le in flation
pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weig ht
(c) Vehicle ca pacity we ight, and
(d) Pro duct ion op tions weigh t
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the m aximu m cold infla tio n pr essur e to whi ch a t ire may be
inflated . Also called "maximum inflat ion press ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilog rams) times t he num ber of occupants seate d
in t he vehi cle up to the total sea ting cap aci ty of yo ur vehicl e.
Occupant distribution
means d is tribut ion of occ upan ts i n a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the ove rall d iameter of an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance betwee n the exter iors of the s idewalls of
a n in flated tire, in cludi ng eleva tions due to la beling, dec ora tions, o r
protective bands or ribs.
Safety first
Ply
means a layer o f rubbe r-coate d para llel co rds.
Production options we ight
me ans the co m bine d we ight of tho se in stalled regu lar pr oduction
options weighi ng over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of t hose standard
i t ems w hic h they replace, not previously considere d in c urb we igh t o r
accessory weight, includ ing heavy duty brakes , ride levelers, roof
rack, heavy duty battery, and s pecial tr im.
Radial ply tire
me ans a pneuma tic tir e in wh ich the pl y cords that extend to t he
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
t rea d.
Recommended inflation pressure
see => page 246 , "C old tire in fla tion pr essu re".
Reinforced tire
mea ns a t ire designe d to ope rate at hig her loads an d at higher infla­
tion pressures than the co rresponding standard ti re. Reinforced t ires
my be iden tifi ed as " XL", "xl", "E XTRA LOAD", o r "R F" on the s idew all.
Rim
mea ns a metal suppo rt fo r a tire or a tire and tube assemb ly up on
wh ic h the t ire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat . If you change yo ur whee l
si ze, yo u w ill have to purchase new tires to ma tc h the new r im diam­
eter .
Rim size designation
means r im diamete r and width.
Rim width
mea ns nom inal dis tance be twee n rim flanges.
Vehicle care Technical data

________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ........
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seat ing capacities
Designated seating capacity, num- Vehicle normal load, number of Occupant distribution in a nor­
mally loaded vehicle
ber
of occupants occupants
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
Co ld tire inf lation pressure
Tire pr essur e affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig . 171 Ti re pre ssure
label : loca te d e ithe r on
drive r's side B -pillar or
i ns ide th e fuel fille r
flap
T ire pressure generally refers to t he amo unt of a ir i n a tire tha t it
needs it to do its job and safe ly carry the comb ined load of t he entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire p ressure is measured in kilopasca ls
(kPa), the inte rnationa l measur ing unit and in poun ds per square i nch
(PSI). Tire press ure is based in part on the ve hicle 's design and load
limit -the greatest a mount of weight that the vehi cle can c arry safe ly
and the tire s ize. The proper tire pressure is frequently refer red to as
the "re commended cold t ire inflation p ressure. " Air in t he tires
expands when the tire heats up because of internal friction when it
flexes in use. T he tire press ure is hig her w hen the tir e h as warme d up
than whe n it is "cold." It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
c o unts. The refo re, you sho uld never let air o ut of a warm t ire to
match "cold ti re inflation pressure " recommendations . The t ires
wou ld then be under in flated and could fail s uddenly.
------------------.. ,::
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SUOWN'EA'S MANUAl F AO:DrTIONAL
INFORMATION
VOIR U MANUEL DU PROJl'RIETAIRE
POUR PLUS OE
RENS£1Gf\1£MENTS Fig .172 Tire pre ssur e
label
Ma intain ing prope r tire pressure is one o f the most importa nt things
you can do to he lp avoid sudde n tir e fa il u re . Under inflated tires are a
majo r ca use of sudden tire fa ilure . Keeping t ires at the rig ht pressure
is a lso important for safe and responsive vehicl e ha nd ling , traction,
braki ng an d load ca rryi ng.
Tire pressures are particularly impo rtant
when the vehicle is being driven at higher speed s, and then espe·
cially when heav ily loaded even within the permissible load ·
carrying capacities approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi depend on the kind of
t ires on your vehicle and the num be r of passengers and/or amou nt o f
luggage you will be tra nspo rt ing .
On USA vehicles, the t ire pressure label is located on driver 's s ide B·
pillar. O n Canad a vehicles, t he tire pressure label is locate d eithe r on
the dr iver's side B-pillar or inside the fue l fi ller flap. The tire pressure
•
label lists the recommen ded cold t ire in flation pressures for the _,,,
Vehicle OP-eration Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and tires that were on your
vehicle at the tim e it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 3 occupants) , you can adjust tire pressures to
those specified for normal vehicle load. Before operating the
vehicle at maximum load, you must increase the tire pressures to
those specified for maximum vehicle load
=> &.
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring system* ca n only
monitor the tire pressures you have stored. The system does not
recogn ize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitoring system* wi ll be
impaired if you store normal load pressures but then operate the
vehicle at its maximum load
=> &.
Tire designation
See the illustration => page 249, fig. 171 for the locat ion of the label
either on driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap (color of the
actual label and exact location on the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following tab le is accurate at the time of going to press
and is subject to change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire pres­
sure label (on USA vehicles, the tire pressure label is located on
dr iver's side B-pillar ; on Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is
located either on the driver's side B-p illar or inside the fuel filler flap.)
always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold tire inflation pressures
for the Audi model covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehicle's
capacity weight and the tire sizes installed on the respective models
as origina l equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine
(displace­
ment in liter) normal Load
normal Load
condition (up full Load condition (up
full Load
to 3 occu- condition to 3 occu- condition pants) pants)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI II kPA
4-cylinder 205/55 R16 91H All Season 36 250 39 270 30 210 38 260
2.0 TFSI
225/45 R17 91W High Performance 35 240
38 260 30 210 36 250
(gasoline)
225/45 R17 94H XL All Season
38 260 39 270 32 220 38 260
225/45 Rl 7 94Y XL High Performance 35 240 36 250 30 210 35 240
225/40 R18 92Y XL High Performance
38 260 41 280
35 240 41
280
Compact spare wheel 1125/70 R18 60 420 60 60 420 60 420

Tires and wheels Ill
----------------
Engine Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
(displace- normal load normal load
ment in
liter ) condition (up full load condition (up full load
to 3 occu- condition to 3 occu- condition
pants) pants)
PSI kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI II kPA
4-cylinder 205/55 R1 6 91H All Season 36 250 39 270 30 210 36 250
2 .0 TDI
225 /45 Rl 7 94H XL All Season 38 260 41 280 32 220 38 260 (clean diesel )
225 /45 R1 7 94V XL High Performance
35 240
38 260
30 210
35 240
225
/40 R18 92V XL High Performance 35 240 38 260 30 210 38 260
Compa ct spare wheel T125 /70 R18 60 420 60 420 60 42 0 60 420
XL = reinforced or extra load tire . It may also appear as x i, EXTRA LOAD , or RF on the tire sidewall.
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a label
ei ther on the driver 's s ide B -pillar or inside the fuel fille r flap.
Because technical changes may be made to vehicle equipment dur ing
the model year, a lways compare the tire size des ignation on the tire
pressu re label on you r vehicle w ith the t ires on your veh icle . Make
sure that the tire si ze information on the vehicle labe l is the same as
the s ize of the t ires o n the vehicle . This is especially important if the
vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle with
different r ims/ tires or you bo ugh t the vehicle as a previously owned
vehicle. pants and
luggage or other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location o f the tire p ressure label=>
page 249, fig. 17 1.
& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause lo ss of vehicle control , a cra sh or
othe r accident, serious personal injury , and even death .
• Carrying more we ight than your vehicle wa s designed to carry
will p revent the vehicle from handling prope rly and increa se the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control.
• The brake s on a vehicle that has been o verloaded may not be
able to stop the v ehicle within a saf e distance .
• Tires on a vehicle that has been ove rloaded can fail suddenly
causing loss of control and a crash .
• Always make sure that the tot al load being transported -
including the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -doe s not make the vehicle hea vier than the
I
I
Remember, your safety and tha t of your passengers also depends on
maki ng sure that load lim its are not exceeded . Vehicle load includes
everybody and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the ve hicle's G ross Vehicle Weig ht Rating
("GVWR") . The Gross Axle Weight Rat ing ("GAWR") is the max imum
load th at c an be applied at ea ch of the veh icle 's two ax les. The G ross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing and the Gross Ax le We ight Rating are listed on
t he safety comp liance st ic ke r label lo cated ei ther on the d river 's s ide
B-pillar or on the inside of the fuel filler f lap. The tire p ressure label
on yo ur Audi lists t he maximum com bined weight o f all of the occu -
vehicle 's Gross V ehicle We ight Rating. ~
Safety first Vehicle care Technical data

Tires and wheels -________________ l'fFI
• The tire p ress ure s s ho uld onl y be chec ked and adjus ted whe n the
ti res are col d. T he sli ghtly rais e d pre ssu res o f w arm t ires must not b e
r e d uced .
• Adju st the tire p re ssu re to t he lo ad you are ca rry ing .
• Reinstall the valve stem cap o n the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The corre ct tire press ure is especially importa nt at high speeds. The
pressu re s ho uld t heref ore be chec ked at least onc e a month an d
always be fore start ing a journey . Do not fo rget to check t he t ire p res­
s u re for the spar e w hee l~
pag e 2 71.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Ad jus t the tire pr ess ur e to th e load you ar e carry ing . Af ter chang ing a
w hee l
or replac ing w heels yo u have to adjust the t ire press ures on all
w heels. In addi tion, you must th en ini tia lize the ne w tire press ures in
the t ire pressure monito ring system *~
page 264 .
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can lead sudden tire
failure, loss of control, collision, serious personal injury or even death.
• When the warning symbol{__, appears in the instrument
cluster , stop and inspect the tires.
• Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinflation can cause
increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
• Incorrect tire pressure s and/or underinflation can also lead to
sudden tire failure, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
causing 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 8-pillar or on the inside of the fuel
filler flap .
Safety first
& WARNING (cont inued )
• Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the correct pres­
sure, the tire pressure 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
specified tire pressure values for the tires and the correct pres­
sures for the function of the tire pressure monitoring system*.
• Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct tire pres­
sure before driving off .
• Driving with underinflated tires bend more, letting them get
too hot resulting in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss
of control.
• Excessive speed and/overloading 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 nearest service station
to check the tire pressure and add air as required .
0 Note
Driving witho ut valve stem caps can cause damage to the tire valves.
T o preven t this, always ma ke sure that fa ctor y in sta lled val ve s te m
caps on all wheels a re secure ly mounted on the va lve.
c£> For the sake of the environment
Under infla ted ti res will also increase t he fue l cons umption .•
Tires and vehicle Load Limits
T he re are limits to the amo unt of load or weight that a ny vehicle and
any tire c an car ry. A veh icle t hat is ove rload ed w ill not handle well and ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data

________________________________________________ T_ i_ re _ s_ a_ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l _s _ ....... 91
Incorrect wheel alignment
In correct whee l al ignme nt can ca use excessive tir e wea r, impairing
th e sa fety o f the vehicl e. If t ires show excessive w ear, hav e the w heel
alignment checked by a n authorized A udi dea ler or qualifie d work­
shop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles wi th quattro® must always have tires of the same size ,
con st ruct ion an d tread type . For details see~
page 194.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to los s of control, a cra sh and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause t ire damage, such as
grease , oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failu re and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle OP-eration
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New t ires an d w hee ls have to be brok en in .
Fig. 175 Tire specificat ion codes on th e sidewall of a tire
No.
©
®
®
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where applicable)
Nom inal wid th of ti re in mil limeters
Ratio of hei9ht to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
jj Rim diameter code
L oa d index and speed rating
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Tire manufacturing date
The m an ufac tu ring date is a lso indicated on the tire sidewall
(poss ibly on ly on th e
inner side of the w hee l):
"DOT . .. 2209 . .. " means, fo r example, that the tire was produced in
t he 22nd wee k of 20 09.
Speed rating (letter code)
The speed ra ting letter cod e on th e w heel s in dicates t he maxi mum
permissible road s peeds =>
& in "W inte r tires" on page 2 61.
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 m ph (158 km/h)
R up to 1 06 mph (170 km/h)
S up to 1 10 m ph (180 km/h)
T up to 1 18 mph (1 90 km/ h)
U up to 124 mp h (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mp h (210 km/ h)
V up to 149 mp h (240 km/ h)6>
Z over 1 49 mp h (24 0 km/h)6>
W up to 1 68 mph (270 km/h)6>
Y up to 186 m ph (298 km/h)6>
Your vehicle is normally factory equipped with t ires, which possess
ex cellen t driving chara cteris tics and give y our A udi op tim um driv ing
comfort. An elect ronic speed
Li miter=> page 20 will normally prevent
yo ur veh icle from going faste r tha n the ti re speed rating =>
&-
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
T hi s is the t ire's "serial number" . It beg ins wi th the letters "DOT" and
ind ic at es th at the t ire mee ts all f edera l stand ards. The nex t two
num bers or letters indicate the p lant where it was manufactured, and
the last four num bers represent the wee k and year of man ufacture .
For example, t he nu mbers 2209 mean tha t th e tir e was prod uced in
Gl For tires w ith a max im um speed capab ili ty ove r 149 mph (2 40 km/ h), tire
manufac tur ers sometimes use the letters "ZR."
Safety first
t he 22nd week of 2009 . The other numbers are marketing codes that
ma y or m ay not be use d b y the ti re manu facture r. This i nform ation is
used to contact consumers if a tire defec t requires a recall.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ide ntificat ion "AO" or "RO" have been specially
m at ched w ith yo ur Audi. We recommend using on ly these tires
because t hey meet the highest standards regard ing safety and
dr iv ing c haracteris tic s when used cor rect ly. Yo ur authorize d Audi
dealer w ill gladly provide you wi th m ore information .
Maximum Load Rating
Thi s number ind icates the maxim um load in kilograms and pounds
that can be carried by the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades=> page 260.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Thi s number is the greatest amount of air pressure that sho uld ever
be pu t in the tire under norm al dri ving cond itions .
& WARNING
• Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/ or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can le ad to loss of control , collision
and seriou s personal injury.
• Always use tires, rims and wheel bolts that meet the specifica­
tions of original factory -installed t ires or other combinations that
have been specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer .
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
~
Vehicle care Technical data