2012 AUDI A3 weight

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 ..,.

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
•
•

-The vehicle should never be lifted or jacked
up from underneath the engine oil pan , the
transmission housing , the front or rear
a x le or the body side members. This could
lead to ser ious damage.
- Use lifting equipment with padded contact
surfaces to avo id damage to the underbody
or chassis frame.
- Alternatively, cover the contact surfaces on
workshop hoist or floor jack w ith rubber
pads b efore lifting.
- Before dri ving over a workshop hoist, check
that the vehicle weight does not exceed the
permissible lifting capacity of the hoist .
- Before dr iving over a workshop hoist, en­
sure that there is sufficient clearance be­
tween the hoist and low parts of the vehi­
cle .
A WARNING
To r educe the ris k of seriou s injury a nd ve­
hicle da mage:
- Always lift the veh icle only at the spec ial
wor ks ho p hoi st and floor j ack lift p oin ts
ill ustra te d
c:;>page 253, fig. 199 and
c:;>page 253, fig . 20 0.
- F ailure to l ift the vehicl e at th ese poi nts
cou ld ca use the ve hicle to t ilt or fall from
a lift if there is a c ha nge in vehicle wei ght
dist rib ution and balance . This might hap ­
pen, for example, when heavy c ompo­
nents such as the e ngine bloc k or t rans­
mission are removed.
- W hen remov ing s uch heavy c omponents,
anchor veh icle to h oist or add corre­
sponding we ights t o maintain the center
of g rav ity. Oth erwise, th e veh icle m ig ht
t il t o r slip off the hois t, causing serio us
p ers onal in ju ry.
Emergency situations 253
Lifting with workshop hoist and with
floor jack
T he vehicle may only be lifted at the li~ing
p oi nt s illus tra ted.
..,
---------~1::
Fig. 199 Front lifting point
Fig. 200 Rear lifting point
.,. Read and heed WAR NIN G c:;> &. in Impor ­
tant safety precautions on page 253 .
.,. Locate lifting points c:;> fig. 199 c:;> fig . 200 .
.,. Adjust lifting arms of workshop hoist or
fl oor jack to matc h ve hicle lift ing poi nts.
I
.,. Insert a rubbe r pad between the floo r jac k/
workshop hoist and t he lift ing poin ts .
If you must l ift your vehicle with a floor jack
to work underneath, be sure the vehicle is
safely supported on stands intended for this purpo se .
Front lifting point
The lifting poi nt is located o n the floo r pan re­
inforcement about at the same leve l as the
jac k mounti ng po int
c:;> fig. 199. Do not lift
the vehicle at the vertical sill reinforcement .
Rear lifting point
The liftin g point is located on the vert ica l rein­
forcement of the lower s ill for the on board
jack
c:;> fig. 200. ..,.

254 Emergency situations
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to"* page 239.
(D Note
-Be aware of the following points before
lifting the vehicle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine
oil pan, the transmission housing, the
front or rear axle or the body side members. This could lead to serious
damage.
- To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be
inserted between the floor jack and
the lift points.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
check that the vehicle weight does not
exceed the permissible lifting capacity
of the hoist.
- Before driving over a workshop hoist,
ensure that there is sufficient clear­
ance between the hoist and low parts
of the vehicle.

General information Explanation of
technical data
Som e of t he technical data listed in this man ­
ual requires further explanation .
The technical data for your vehicle is listed in
the charts starting on
Q page 257. This sec ­
tion provides general information, notes and
r estr ictions wh ich app ly to this data.
Vehicle identification
The key data a re given on the vehicle identifi­
c a tion number ( VIN) pla te and the vehicle da­
ta sticker.
F ig. 201 Veh icle Ident ific atio n Num ber (VIN) p late: lo ­
cation o n dri ver"s s ide das h pa nel
Fi g. 2 02 The ve hicle iden tifi cat ion label -inside the
l u ggage co mpartme nt
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
is located on the d river's side so tha t it is v is i­
b le from the o utside throug h the windshield -
see
c!) fig. 201.
The vehicle identification label
i s located in the luggage compartment in t he
sp are wheel well. General inform
ation 255
The labe l
Q fig. 202 shows the fo llow ing vehi ­
cle data :
(D Product io n cont ro l no.
@ Vehicle identification no .
@ Type code number
@ Type designat ion/engine o utp ut in K ilo-
watts
® Engine and t ransm ission code letter
@ Pa in t no./ In te rior
(J) Optional equipment no.'s
Vehicle data 2 to 7 are a lso fo und in your W ar­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet .
The safety compliance sticker
is your assurance that your new vehicle com­
plies wi th a ll applicab le Fede ral Mot or Vehicle
S afety S tand ards which were in effect at the
time the ve hicle was ma nufactured. You can
find this sticke r on the left doo r jamb. It
shows the mo nth and yea r of prod uction and
the vehicle identificat ion number of yo ur vehi­
cle (perforation) as well as the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) a nd the Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR) .
The high voltage warning label
is located on the lock carrie r.
The spark ignition system complies with
the Canadian standard ICES-002.
Weights
Gr oss Vehicle Weight Rating
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing (GVWR), and
the G ross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
front and rear are listed on a sticker on the left door jamb.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing includes the
weight of the bas ic vehicle plus fu ll fuel tank,
o il and coo lant, plus maximum load, which in­
cludes passenger we ight (150 lbs/68 kg per
designated seating position) and luggage
weight .

256 Genera l inform ation
Gro ss Axl e Weight Rating
The Gross Axle Weight Rating is the maxim um
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle ~&. .
Vehicle capacity weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max . load) is list ­
ed eithe r on the dr iver's side B-pillar o r inside
the fuel filler flap.
Roof weight
The maximum perm iss ible roof we ight is 165
lb (75 kg ). The roof we ight is made up of the
weight of the roof ra ck system and the weight
of the object bei ng transpo rted
~ page 73 ,
Loading the roof rack .
A WARNING
- The actual Gross Axle Weight Rating at
the front and rear axles sho uld not ex­
ceed the perm iss ib le weights, and their
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing .
- Exceeding permissib le we ight ratings can
result in vehicle damage, accidents and
personal in jury.
(D Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figures app ly
when the load is distrib uted evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage) . When
transporting a heavy load in the luggage
compartment , carry the load as nea r to
the rea r axle as possib le so that the vehi­
cle's handling is not impa ired .
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axl e loads or the max imum g ross vehicl e
weig ht. Always remembe r that the vehi­
cl e's handling will be affected by the ex­
tra load . Therefore, adjust your speed ac­
cordingly.
- Alw ays obse rve lo cal regulations.
Dimensions
-
The spe cifica tions refer to the basi c model.
D ifferen ces may oc cur depe nding on the mod- el type and options orde
red , fo r example , tire
siz es.
(D Note
When dr iv ing up steep ramps, on rough
r oads, over curbs, etc. it is important to re ­
member that some pa rts of your vehicle,
such as spo ile rs or exhaust system compo­
nents, may be close to the ground . Be
careful not to damage them .