2012 AUDI A3 tires

Tires an d wheel s 21 7
labe l and exact location on the vehicle will
vary slightly).
Note that the fo llowing tab le is accurate at
t he t ime o f go ing to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire
pressure label (on USA vehicles, the tire pres ­
sure label is located on driver's side B -pillar;
on Canada vehicles, the tire pressure label is
located e ither on the driver's side B-pillar or inside the f
uel filler flap.) always takes prece­
dence.
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflat ion p ressu res for the Audi mode l
cove red by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the tir e sizes instal­
l ed on the respect ive models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory option.
Engine
(dis­
place­
ment in liter ) Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
4- cylin ­
d er
2.0 TFSI (ga so­
line )
4-cylin -
der
2 .0
TOI
(clean
die sel) 205
/55 Rl6 91H All Sea-
son
2 25 /45 Rl7 91W High
Performance
22S /45 Rl7 94H XL All
Season
225 /45 Rl7 94Y XL High
Performance
225 /40 Rl8 92V XL H igh
Perfo rmance
Compact spare wheel
Tl25 /70 Rl8
205 /S5 Rl6 91H All Sea-
s on
225 /45 Rl 7 94H XL All
Season
225 /4S Rl 7 94V XL High
P erformance
225 /40 Rl8 92V XL High
Performance
C ompa ct spare whe el
Tl25 /70 Rl8 no
rmal load
condition
( upto 3 oc-
cupant s)
PSI kPA
36 250
•
JI
35 2 40
38 260
35 240
38 260
60 420
36 250
38 260
35 240
35 240
60 420
normal load
full load condition full load
condition (up to 3 oc- condition
cupant s)
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
39 270 30 210 38 260
..
38 260 30 210 36 250
"
39 270 32 220 38 260
36 250 30 210 35 240
41 280 35 240 41 280
60 420
60 420 60 420
39 270 30 210 36 250
41 280 32 220
38 260
38 260 30 210 35 240
38 260 30 210 38 260
60 420 60 420 60 420
X L = reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EX TRA LOAD , or RF on the tire side­
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label e ither on the driver's side B­
p illar or i nside the fuel filler flap . ways
compare the tire size designatio n on the
tire pressure label on your vehicle with the
tires on yo ur vehicle . Make sure that the t ire
s ize informat ion on the vehicle labe l is the
I
J
•
I
Because technical changes may be made to
vehicle equipment during the model year, al- same as the size of the tires on the veh
icle. .,.
•
•

218 Tires and wheels
This is especia lly important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bought the vehi­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making sure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (' 'GVWR"). The Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker label located either
on the driver's side B-pillar or on the inside of
the fuel filler flap. The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the vehicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
o fig. 167.
_& WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly causing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
A WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located either on driver's side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap.
The recommended tire pressures are on the
tire pressure label and in the table
o page 216, Cold tire inflation pressure. This
means that the pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal friction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is highe r when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm tire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
o page 216. The
tires would then be underinflated and could
fail suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the
recommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the new, original equipment tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manufac­
tured. For the location of the label
opage 216, fig. 167.
Most tires lose air naturally over time . They
can also lose some air if you drive over a pot­
hole or hit a curb while parking. It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires ..,.

used today are underinflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at l eas t once a mon th and always before going
on a long trip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See ¢
page 220, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when check ing and adjusting inflation pres­
sures . Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare t ire . If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the t ire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the p ress ure th at is cor rect for the
l oad (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
I f the p ressu re in any tire is too low , note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manual and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do.
Never e xceed the m aximum inflation pre s­
su re li sted on th e tir e side wall for any rea ­
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determines the co rrect
tire p ressure for the tires on your vehicle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold .
- Read the requ ired ti re p ressu re from the tire
pressure label. On USA veh icles, the t ire
pressure label is located on driver's side 8-
pillar . On Canada vehicles, the tire pressure
label is located either on the driver's side 8-
pillar or inside the fuel fi ller flap.
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure ga uge on the valve.
Tire s an d wheel s 219
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adj usted when the tires are co ld . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinstall the valve stem cap on the va lve.
When should I check the tir e pressu re?
T he co rrect tire pressu re is especially impor ­
tant a t high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jo urney . Do not
forget to check the tire pressure for the spare
whee l
¢page 234.
When should I adjust the tire pres sur es?
Adjus t the t ire press ure to the load you a re
carrying . After changing a whee l
or rep lacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tire pressu res
on all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then initi­
ali ze the new t ire pressures in the tire pres­
sure monitoring system*¢
page 230.
A WARNING
...---
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serio us personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
ti] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the hand ling of the vehicle and
s topping abi lity.
- I nco rrect tire pressures and/or unde rin­
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail­
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de­
flation, ca using loss of vehicle contro l.
- The driver is responsib le for the correc t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values are locat­
ed on a sticker on the dr iver's side 8-pil­
lar or on the ins ide of the fuel filler flap. •
•

220 Tire s and wheel s
-Only when all tires on the vehicle are fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres­
sure 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 va lues
for the tires and the co rrect p ressu res fo r
the f unct ion of the tire pressure mo nitor­
ing system*.
- Always inflate t ires to the recommended
and co rrec t tire pressu re before d rivi ng
off.
- Driv ing with under inflated ti res bend
more, lett ing them get too ho t res ulting
in tread separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- E xcess ive speed and/overloading can
cause heat bui ld -up, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- If the tire press ure is too low or too high,
the tires wi ll wear prematu rely and the
vehicle will not hand le we ll.
- If the t ire is no t flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediate ly, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
t ion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required.
Driving without va lve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire va lves. To prevent this,
always make sure that facto ry installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are secure ly
mounted on the valve.
@) For the sake of the environment
Underinf lated tires will a lso increase t he
fue l consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any veh icle and any t ire ca n car ry .
A veh icle that is overloaded w ill not ha ndle
well a nd is more difficult to s top. Over load ing
c a n no t on ly lead to loss of veh icle con tro l, but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and ca n lead to sudden tire fai lure, in ­
clud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety an d that of your passengers also
depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle. These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, a ll factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The max imum load incl udes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i ntended to car ry ("seat ing capac ity ") with an
a ss u med we igh t of 150 lbs (68 kg) for e ach
passenge r at a designated seating posi tion
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve ­
hicle . If you tow a trai ler, the weight of the
trai ler hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded tra iler must be included as part of the
vehicle load.
T he
G ros s Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Ax le Weight Rating are listed on the
safety comp liance sticker label located e ither
on the dr iver's s ide B-pillar or on t he ins ide of
the fuel filler flap . Your Audi has 5 sea ting po­
s itions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for to ­
tal seating capacity of 5 . Each seat ing pos ition
has a safety belt
q page 113, Safety belts.
The fac t that there is a n upper limit to your
vehicle's G ross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is bei ng car­
ried in the vehicle ( in cl ud ing the weight of a
t ra ile r hi tc h and the tongue we igh t of the
loaded trail er) is lim ite d. T he more p assen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug-
gage.
~

The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
label
c:::>page 216, fig. 167.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
ing transported -including the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer -does not make the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF QC-
Tires and wheels 221
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 216,
fig. 167.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 216, fig. 167.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-7 50
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
•
•

222 Tires and wheels
and luggag e loa d cap acit y
c alcul ated in St ep 4.
6 . If your v ehi cle will b e towing
a trail er, load fro m your trail ­
er will b e tr ansferr ed to your
vehi cle. Con sult thi s manual
to determin e how thi s re­
d uces the available cargo
and luggage lo ad capacity of
y our vehicle.
..., Check the tire sidewall
(q page 223, fi g . 171) to de­
termine the d esignated lo ad
rating f or a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balan cing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 16 9 Tire tread: trea d wea r in di cators (TWI)
fr
Fig. 1 70 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The or ig inal tires on you r vehicle have
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wear indica tors"
c::> fig. 169 ru nning across the tread . Depend­
ing on the ma ke, there will be six to eight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the positions of the tread
wear indica to rs. Wor n tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countr ies
c::> .&_ .
Tire pressure
Incor rect t ire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
o nce a month
c::> page 218 .
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves , heavy accelerat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
F or all four tires on your ve hicle to have the
same service life, we recomme nd that the
front and rear tires are rotated accord ing to
the tire manufact urer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remembe r th e follow­
i ng:
- T ire rotation intervals may differ from the
veh icle service intervals o utli ned in your
Warranty
& M ain tena nce Booklet .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on t he vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; the refore , we recommend that you
follow the tire man ufac turer's suggested
tir e rotat ion intervals.
- Vehi cles with front -wheel dr ive experience
more trea d wear on the fro nt wheels com­
pa red to all-wheel d rive (q uattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig . 170 .
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection -spec ific tires
c::> page 241 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various s ituations during everyday
driv ing ca n cause them to become
...

unbalanced, resulting in vib rations you can
usually feel through the steering wheel.
Unba lanced wheels mus t be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wea r on s teer ing, suspens ion
and tires. A wheel must a lso be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Inco rrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wea r, impair ing t he safety of the veh i­
cle. If t ires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Ve hicles w it h quattro ® must always have t ires
of the same s ize, construction and tread type.
F or details see
¢ pag e 166 .
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
tro l, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any t ire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard , they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire 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 yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle con trol.
Tires and wheels 223
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 171 Tir e spec ification codes on t he sid ewall o f a
t ire
No . Desc ription
(D Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nomina l w idth of t ire in mill imeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ial
® Rim diameter code
@ Load index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Aud i Origina l tire
® Tire ply composition and materials
used
@
@
M axim um load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature
I
grades Maxim um permissible inflation p res­
sure
T he tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's des ign . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specia lly matched to the charac ­
teristics of the ve hicle and can make a major
contribution to good road holding and safe ..,.

224 Tire s and wheel s
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated
¢ .&..
We re commend that all wo rk on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized A udi
deale r. T hey a re familiar with recommended
procedures and have the necessary special
too ls and spare parts as we ll as the proper fa ­
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary
information about technica l requirements for
installing or changing tires and r ims .
Replacing t ires and whe els
Tires shou ld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly ( for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the t ire pressure
monito ring system* info rmation
¢ page 230.
Always buy replacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
fo r your vehi cle by Aud i. Replacement t ires
must always have the s ame load rating speci­
f ication as the or ig inal equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
¢page 216.
Audi-approved specification t ires are specially
matc hed to you r vehicle and its lo ad limits,
and ca n contribute to the important road ho ld ­
ing, d riving characteristics, and safety of the
ve hicle . The table
(¢page 216) lists specifica ­
tions of the t ires approved for the Audi mod ­
e ls covered by your Owner's Literature.
The tire press ure label located either on driv­
e r's side B-p illar or inside the fue l filler flap
(¢ page 216 , fig. 168) lists the spec ificat ions
of the original equipment tires installed on
your ve hicle at the time it was manufactured.
F ederal law requires tire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide ­
wall of all tires¢
fig. 171. This information
ident ifies and describes the fundamental
characterist ics, the quality grade of the tire
and also provides a tire ident ificat ion number
for safety standard cert ificat ion and in case of
a recall.
Tire specification s
Knowledge o f ti re specifications ma kes it eas­
ier to choose the correct tires. Radial ti res
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P2 25 / 45 R 17 91H XL
Th is conta ins the following information:
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
2 25 Nom inal tire w idth in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
45 Height/w idth ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
1 7 Rim diameter code (in inches)
91 Load rating code
H S peed ra ting letter code
XL (or "xl", "E XTRA LOAD" or "RF") in d ic ates
that the t i re is "Re info rced" or an "E xtra
Load" t ire
M+S (or "M/5") Indicate s that the ti re has
some mud and snow capabi lity
The tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat io n
¢ page 212.
Tire manufacturing d ate
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly on ly on the
inner
s ide of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2211 ... "means, for examp le, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2011.
Sp eed rating (letter c ode )
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in­
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
¢ .&. in Winter tires on page 228.
P up to 93 mp h (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mp h (1 58 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)