2012 AUDI A3 tires

H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/ h)
1
)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1 )
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1l
Your vehicle is norma lly factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
ter istics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
c:> page 25 will normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faster than the tire speed rating
¢ & .
U.S . DOT T ire Identific ation Numbe r (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number" . It begins
with the lette rs "DO T" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal sta ndards. The next two
n umbers or le tters indica te the p la nt where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
F or example, the numbers 2209 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
2009 . The other numbers are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con ­
tact consume rs if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Aud i Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat io n "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only t hese tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving charac ter is t ics when used
correctly . Yo ur au thori zed Au di dealer w ill
g lad ly provide you with more information.
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms a nd pounds that ca n be carried by
the tire .
ll For tires wit h a max imum spee d capa bility over 149
mph (2 4 0 km/ h), ti re ma nufac tur ers somet imes use
t h e letters "Z R."
Tire s an d wheel s 225
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction, and temperature resi stanc e
Tread wear, traction and temperat ure grades
c:> page226.
Ma ximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the g reatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder normal dr iv ing conditions.
.&_ WARNING ~
- Using incorrect o r unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
col lis ion and serious personal inj ury.
- Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacture r.
- T ires age even i f they are not being used
and can fail sudden ly , e specially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 ye ars
old can only be used in an emergency
an d then w ith speci al care and at lower
speeds .
- Never mo unt used t ires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of thei r "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam ­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All fou r whee ls must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type , size (rolling cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
contro l.
- If the spa re tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for examp le w ith winter t ir e s -only use
the spare t ire fo r a short pe riod of time
•
•

226 Tires and wheels
and drive with extra care. Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause 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 over or un­
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels , make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing
a collision.
- Run flat tires may only be used on vehi­ cles that were equipped with them at the
factory. The vehicle must have a chassis designed for run flat tires and a factory­
installed tire pressure monitoring sys­
tem* that indicates a loss of tire pres­
sure . Incorrect use of run flat tires can
lead to vehicle damage or accidents .
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist 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 .
(D Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare ti re is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a short period of time only and
drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- If you put different wheels and tires on
your vehicle (e .g. winter wheels and
tires), you must be certain that the
wheels and tires are compatible with the
tire pressure monitoring system* . Other ­
wise the system will register a malfunc­
tion and a fault message will be dis­
played. For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
¢ page 223,
fig. 171 .
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
ll-

norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practic es and differences in road character ­
istics and climate .
Traction
The traction grades , from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the
tire 's ability to stop on wet pavement as
m easured under controll ed conditions on
specif ied government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
t raction performance¢ .&..
Te mperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
t ions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
t ire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure <=>& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of pe rform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Veh icle Safe ty Stand­
ard No .
109. Grades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of pe rformance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.8, WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop laning or peak traction
character istics .
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separate ly or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilu re.
-
Tire s an d wheel s 22 7
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments
may require true w inter o r "snow" t ires, those
with very deeply cut t read. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
f o ur wheels . Make sure you p urchase snow
tires that are the same size and cons truction
type as the other tires on yo ur vehicle .
If your veh icle is eq uipped w ith all-whee l
drive *, th is w ill improve trac tion d uring win ter
driv ing, even with the s tanda rd tires. Howev ­
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four wheels on your veh icle w ith cor­
rect ly fitted winte r ti res or all-season t ires,
when winter road conditions are expected.
This also improves the veh icle 's b rak ing per­
formance and reduces stoppi ng d ista nces .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all fo ur whee ls .
As k your au thori zed A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
winter ti re size s. Use
on ly radial winter tires .
Win ter tires lose their effec tiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth o f
0.1 57 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w ith w inte r tir es under w inte r con­
di tions. S umme r tir es handle bette r when
t h e re is no snow o r ice on the ro ads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
If you have a flat t ire, see notes on spare
whee l
¢page 223.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed rating than the tires o rigi­
nally i nstalled on your veh icle at the time it
was ma nufactu red. P lease see ¢
page 224,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a lis ting o f th e
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
111>-
•
•

228 Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code( ¢ page 224) is
on the side wall of the tire
¢ page 223.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed . Always know the maximum
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
winter tires. This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
A WARNING I>=
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks . Al­
ways remember :
- When braking , an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes . Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
least.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13 .5 mm) , including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
¢ (!) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
=
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi-
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
(D Note
- Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so. ..,.

@ Tips
-Where snow chains are mandatory on
certain roads, this normally also applies
to vehicles with All Wheel Drive .
- If snow chains are insta lled, the tire
pressures shou ld not be stored in the tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
Otherwise the system could malfunction
¢page 232.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts wit h the right
length and correctly s haped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
secure ly and that the bra ke system f unctions
cor rectly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wh eel bolts from a differ ent vehicle -even if it
i s the same mode l.
.&, WARNING
Improperly tig hte ned o r maint ained wheel
bol ts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and ser ious persona l in ­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
whee l bolts can tu rn easily and be pro p­
er ly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the w heel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bolts t hat belong to the
r im being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Always maintai n the co rrect tighten ing
torq ue for the wheel bo lts t o reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tightening tor-
Tire s an d wheel s 229
que of t he whee l bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tig htening torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torq ue whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the tor que
must be checked as so on as possible with a
torq ue w rench -prefe rably by an au thor ­
iz ed A udi de aler or qu alified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory -eq uipped w ith low aspect
r atio tires . These tires have been tho ro ughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handli ng u nder a var iety of driving condi­
tions . Ask your au thorized Aud i dealer for
more d etails.
The low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numera l represen ts the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in perce ntage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 o r
more.
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tires i s
particularly sensitive to improper inflation
pre ssure.
It is therefore important that low
aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pres sure and that the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and maintained. Tire pre s­
sures should be checked at least once a month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 218, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, gul lies ..,.
•
•

230 Tire s and wheel s
or ridges on the road, part icu larly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
I n o rder to m inim ize the o ccurrence of impact
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau ­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended infla tion
pressures. Check your t ire pressure every
2,000 miles (3,000
km) and add air if neces ­
sary .
- Drive carefu lly on roads with potholes, deep
gullies or ridges. The impact from driving
t h rough or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer. Replace a damaged
t ire as soon as possible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3,000
km) for damage and wear . Damage is not al­
ways easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of
air and underinflation, wh ich could eventu­
ally cause t ire failure . If you be lieve that a
t ire may have been damaged, replace the
t ir e as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r mo re quick ly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, wh ile these t ires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
l ess comfortably and make mo re no ise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter /co ld
sea son condit ion s
All ti res a re des igned for certa in pu rposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance
tires originally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for max imum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather condit ions. If
you dr ive under those circumstances, you
should equip your vehicle with all -season or
winter tires, which offer better traction under
those cond it ions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow or all-season tires specified
fo r your vehi cle, or their eq uivalent. Refer to
q page 22 7 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure monitoring system
ill General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, incl uding the spare ( if provided),
sho uld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by the veh icle manufacturer on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure label. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the s ize indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in­
flat ion p ressure labe l, you should dete rmine
the p roper t ire infla tion p ress ure fo r those
t i res.)
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure mon itoring
system ( TPMS) tha t illum ina tes a low ti re
pressure tel ltale when one or more of your
tires is significant ly under-inflated . Acco rding­
l y, when the low tire pressure te lltale i llumi­
nates, you should stop and check your tires as
soon as possib le, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un­
der- inflated t ire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al ­
so reduces fuel effic iency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle 's handling and
stopp ing ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute
for proper tire ma intenance, and it is the driv­
er's respons ibility to maintain co rrect tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the leve l to tr igger illum inat ion of the
T PMS low tire pressu re tellta le .
You r vehicle has also been equipped with a
T PMS ma lf un ction indicator to ind icate when
the sys tem is not operating properly. The
T PMS ma lf u nction indicator is combined w ith
t h e low tire pressure te lltale. When the sys­
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one min ute and then ..,_

remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Appl ies to vehicles: with tire pressur e monitoring sys te m
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 172 Display : underinflation warning
Fig. 173 Display: System malfunction
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni ­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster with a warning symbol
ti] and a
Tires and wheels 231
message r=!) fig. 172. The driver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
ICHECKI button @¢ page 10, fig . 3 . If on­
ly one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its position .
The tire pressure monitoring must be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
adjusted (e .g. when switching between parti­
al and full load pressure) or after changing or
replacing a tire on your vehicle¢
page 232.
You can find the recommended tire pressures
for your vehicle on the label on the driver's
door pillar¢
page 216.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat- ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
¢page 232.
Warning symbols
ti] Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢&.
Check the tire or tires and replace or repair if
necessary. The indicator light
ti] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
¢page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display .
11@1&1 (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction . Ifll@IS, ap­
pears after switching the ignition on or while
driving ¢
fig. 173 and the indicator light ti] in
the instrument cluster blinks for approx i­
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunction. See your autho rized
Audi dealer as soon as possible.
A WARNING
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your tires is significantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking ..,.

232 Tires and wheels
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label ¢
page 216. Driving on a
significantly under-inf lated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- T he driver is responsible for maintain ing
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
- Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your vehicle .
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your veh icle or acc idents
could also result .
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESP/ABS malfunction .
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO"
have been specially matched with your
Audi. We recommend using only these
tires because they meet the highest
standards regarding safety and driving
characteristics when used correctly. Your
a uthorized Audi dea ler will g ladly pro­
v ide you w ith more information.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
(Stepl)
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels ore ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset in
the menu display.
----- ®
Fig. 174 Wipe r lever: Contro ls fo r the menu d isplay
Fig. 175 Disp lay: S ta rt m enu
I Rese t I button @ and rocker switch @
¢ fig. 17 4 functions:
To open the menu
" Press the I Reset ! button @ unt il the menu
disp lay¢
fig. 175 appears
Selections and settings
" Press the rocker switch @ to reach a menu
d isp lay. The switch is operated the same as
the display (up/down) .
Entering and confirming
" Press the I Reset I button @.
Returning to the Start menu
" Press the I Rese t I button longer than 2 sec­
onds to return from any menu level to the
Start menu.