2011 AUDI S3 wheel

-Tires and wheels PJTI,.____ ______________ _
in. WARNING
• Incorrect tire pressures and /or underinflation can lead to a
s eriou s or fatal a ccident .
• Incor rect tire p ressu res and /or underinflation cause increased
tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle .
• Incorrect tire pressu res and /or underinflation can also lead to
s udden tire failur e, including a blowout and sudden deflation,
caus ing loss of vehicle cont rol. •
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires ori ginally installed
on your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure la bel located
either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler fla p.
Th e recommended tire pressures a re on the tire press ure labe l and in
t he table~ page 249, "Cold tire infla tion pressure" . This means that
the pressure m ust be checked an d adju sted when the tire has not
bee n dr iven for more than a co uple of miles (kilometers) at low
speeds dur ing the previous three hours. Air in the tires expands w hen
the tire heats up as a resul t of inte rna l fr iction as it flexes in use. The
tire press ure is higher when the t ire has warmed up than when it is
"cold ."
It is the inflation press ure i n a "cold" t ire that counts . Therefore, you
should never let air out of a warm tire to match "Co ld tire inflat ion
pressure" recommendat ions~
page 249 . The t ires would t hen be
underinflated and co uld fail sudden ly .
T he tire p ress ure label on your Audi lists the recommended co ld tire
inflation pressures for the new, or iginal equipment t ires that were on
your vehicle at t he time i t was man ufa cture d. For the location of t he
label~
page 249 , fig. 171.
Most tires lose a ir nat urally over time. They can a lso lose some a ir if
you d rive over a pot hole or hi t a curb while pa rking .
It is usua lly not possible to see whether the rad
ia l tires used today are underinflated
jus t by loo king at th em.
T herefore, be sure to check t ire pressures a t least once a month and
always before go ing on a long trip. Make sure to take the number of
peop le and the amoun t of lugg age i nto a ccount whe n ad justi ng tire
pressure for a trip -even one that you would not consider to be
" lo ng." See ~
page 253, "Ti res and vehicle lo ad lim its " fo r mo re
important informat ion.
Always use an accurate t ire pressure ga uge when check ing and
ad justing i nflat io n pressures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the s pare tire . If the press ure in any ti re is too hig h when the
t ire is "co ld," let ai r out of t he tire slowly with t he edge of the ti re
gauge and keep checki ng the press ure unt il yo u reach the press ure
that is co rrect for the load (p assenge rs a nd luggage) a nd kind of
driving yo u plan to do.
If the press ure in any t ire is too low , no te the difference between t he
pressure in the cold tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
t ha t you need to reac h the co rrect pressure fo r the vehi cle load
(passengers a nd luggage) fo r the tires o n yo ur vehicle as listed on the
on your vehicle and in this man ual and the k ind of driving yo u plan to
do .
Never exceed the ma ximum inflation pressure listed on the tire
s idewall for any reason .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not the t ire manufacturer,
determines the cor rec t tire p ress ure for the tires on your ve hicle.
It is important to chec k the tire pressu re whe n the t ires a re co ld.
• Read the required t ire pressure from the t ire pressure labe l. On
U SA vehicles, the tire pressure la bel is loc ated on dr ive r's si de 8- pillar.
On Canada veh icles, t he tire pressu re label is located ei ther on the
dr iver's side 8-pillar o r i ns ide the f ue l f iller flap .
• Turn the va lve stem cap counter-clockw ise to remove it from the
t ire valve.
• Place the air press ure gauge on the valve . .,_

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

Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1.Locate the statement "THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehicle's placard (tire infla­
tion pressure label) =>
page 249,
fig. 171.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds shown on the
sticker =>
page 249, fig. 171.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lbs . passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
Safety first
Tires and wheels -
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer ,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
- Check the tire sidewall(=>
page 257,
fig. 175) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific tire . •
Vehicle care Technical data

lffll __ T_ i_ r _e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Tire service Life
The servi ce life of tires depends on a lot of different
things including proper installation and balancing,
correct tir e pressure and driving style.
(r
l \._ _____ ;)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
Fig. 173 Tire tread:
t rea d w ear in di cato rs
(TW I)
Fig . 174 Rotati ng
tires f or m ore e ven
w ea r
The original t ires o n your veh icle have 1/16 inch ( 1.6 mm) h igh "wear
ind icators"~ fig. 173 running across the tread . Depending on the
ma ke, there w ill be six to eight of them even Ly placed around the ti re.
Marks on the t ire sidewall (for examp le "TWI " or other symbols) indi­
cate the positions of the tread wea r indicators . Worn t ires must be
replaced. Differe nt figu res may apply in other countries ~ & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wea r and can cause sudden
tire blow-o ut. Fo r th is reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
once a month~
page 252.
Driv ing style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy accele ration and hard b raking
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires o n your ve hicle to have the same se rvice life, we
recommend that the fron t and rear t ires are rot ated according to the
tire manufact urer's suggested tire rotat ion intervals . Please
remember the fo llow ing :
• Tir e ro tat ion inte rvals may d iffe r from the vehicle serv ice intervals
out lined in your Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
• The longer one tire is used in one locat ion on the vehicle, the more
it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you follow
the t ire manufacture r's sugges ted tire rotation interva ls .
• Vehicles with front-whee l drive experience more tread wea r on the
front wheels compa red to a ll-wheel dr ive (quattro ®).
• Please ro ta te tires as shown~
page 256, fig. 174.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific t ires
~ page 279 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, var ious si tuatio ns
dur ing everyday driving can cause them to become unbalanced,
resu lting in v ibr ations yo u can us ua lly fee l throug h the stee rin g
w heel.
Unbalanced whee ls mus t be rebalanced to avoid excessive wea r on
steeri ng, suspension and tires . A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
~

________________________________________________ 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

lfflJ,.___T_ ir_e_ s _ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
(j)
®
®
U.S . DOT tire identification number
Audi Orig inal tire
Tire ply composition and materials used
Max imum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pressure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the vehicle's design. The tires
and r ims approved by Audi are spec ially matched to the characteris­
tics of the vehicle and can make a major contribution to good road
holding and safe handling when in good condition and properly
inflated =>& .
We recommend that all work on tires and wheels be performed by an
authorized Audi dealer. They are familiar with recommended proce­
dures and have the necessary special tools and spare parts as well as
the proper facilit ies for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dea lers have the necessary information about tech­
nical requirements for installing or chang in g ti res and rims.
Replacing tires and wheels
Tires should be replaced at least in pairs and not ind ividually (for
example both front tires or both rear t ires together).
Be sure to read and heed the tir e pressure monitoring system*
information=>
page 264.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have the same specifications
as the tires approved for your veh icle by Audi . Replacement tires must
always have the same load rating specification as the original equip­
ment or approved opt iona l tires listed in the table=>
page 249.
Audi-approved spec ification tires are specially matched to your
vehicle and its load limits, and can contribute to the important road­
holding, driv ing characteristics, and safety of the vehicle. The table (=>
page
249) lists specifications of the tires approved for the Aud i
models covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire pressure label located either on driver's side B-p illar or inside
the fuel filler flap(=>
page 249, fig. 172) lists the specifications of
the original equipment tires installed on your ve hicle at the time it
was manufactured.
Federal law requires tire manufact urers to place standardized infor­
mation on the sidewall of all tires =>
page 2 5 7, fig. 17 5. This i nfor­
mation identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics, the
quality grade of the tire and also provides a t ire identification number
for safety standard certification and in case of a reca ll.
Tire specifications
Knowledge of tire specificat ions makes it easie r to choose the correct
tires. Rad ial tires have the tire specifications marked on the s idewall,
for examp le:
P225 / 45 R 17 91H XL
This contains the following informat ion:
P I ndicates the tire is for passenger cars (where applicable)
225 Nominal tire width in mm of the tire from s idewall edge to side-
wa ll edge. In gene ral, the large r the number, the wider the tire
45 Height/width ratio in pe rcent (aspect ratio)
R Tire construction: Radial
17 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
H Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF") indicates that the tire is "Rein­
forced" or an "Extra Load" tire
M+S (or "M/S") Indicates that the t ire has some mud and snow capa­
bili ty
The tires could a lso have the information of direction of rotation
=>page 245.

________________________________________________ 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

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
ev en though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicl e control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial tires of the same
type, size (rolling circumference ) and the same tread patte rn .
Driving with different tires reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a los s of control.
• If the spare t ire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle -for example with winter tires -only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with e xtra care. Refit the
normal road wheel as soon a s safely possible.
• Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the ti res
on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly .
• Overloading tire s cau se heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated
and not o ver or underinflated.
• For technical reasons it is not always possible to use wheels
from other vehicle s- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel trim discs on the vehicle wheels, make sure
that the air flow to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat , increa sing stopping distance s
and causing a collision.
• Run flat tires may only be used on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassis designed
for run flat tires and a factory-in stalled tire pres sure monitoring
sy stem* that indicates a loss of tire pressure . Incorrect use of run
flat tires can lead to vehicle damage or accidents. Check with an
authorized Audi dealer or tire speciali st to see if your vehicle can
be equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat tires are used, they must
be installed on all four wheels. Mixing tire types is not permitted .
0 Note
• For tech nica l reasons, it is no t gene rally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from other vehicles. This ca n hold t rue for w heels of the same
vehicle type .
• If the spa re tire is different from the tires t hat you have mounte d
on you r vehi cle (fo r exa mple w inte r tir es or wide profi le tires), then
use the spa re t ire for a short perio d of time on ly and d rive with e xtra
c are. Replace t he f lat tire w it h t he ti re m atch ing t he ot hers on yo ur
vehicle as soon as possible.
• If you put diffe rent whee ls and t ires o n your ve hicle (e.g . winter
w heels and tires), yo u must be certain t hat the whee ls and tires are
c omp atib le w ith the tire press ure mon ito ring system* . O th erwise the
system will register a malfunction and a fault message w ill be
displayed. For m ore infor mati on, con ta ct y our au thor ized Aud i
dea ler.
• N ever dr ive witho ut the valve stem c ap. The valves could get
damaged.
For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the loca l requ irements. •
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wear
• Tr act io n AA A B C
• T emperat ure A B C
Q uali ty g rades can be fo und where applicab le on the tir e s ide wall
between tread sho ulder and max imum sect ion width ~
page 257,
fig. 175.
For example: Tread wear 200, Tract ion
AA , Temperat ure A.
All passenger ca r tires must confo rm to Federa l Safety Requirements
i n addition to these grades. .,_