2012 AUDI A3 tire size

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
impaired persons must also use safety
belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are
more likely to be seriously injured if they
do not wear safety belts. The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
Safety belts 113
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig. 120 Safety belt warning light in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly.
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a
reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion, you will hear a warning tone for a certain period of time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
•
•

162 Intelligent technology
ESP includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys­
tem and anti-slip regulation (ASR). ESP is
switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less tract ion, you ca n sw itch
off ESP by pressing the button [g] _ Be sure to
switch ESP on again when you no longer need l ess traction .
Anti-lock b raking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard braking. Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A puls ing in the b rake pedal ind icates that
the system is he lp ing you to b ra ke the vehicle.
Br ake a ssist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
d river presses the brake pedal quick ly in eme r­
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake peda l until the si tuation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the fo rce to
the road co ndit io ns. This makes it easier to
start, ac celerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential loc k (EDL )
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
a ll-wheel d rive*. This funct ion is available up
to abo ut 60 mph (100 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL automat ically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from ove rheating . EDL w il l switch on aga in au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
n o rmal.
& WARNING
- ESP, A BS, ASR an d EDL cannot ove rcome
the laws of physics . This is espec ially im ­
portant on slippery or wet roads. If the
systems begin act ing to stab ilize your ve­
hicle, you should immediately cha nge your speed to matc
h the road and t raffic
conditions. Do not let the increased safe­
ty provided by these systems tempt you
to take risks. Do ing so w ill increase the
ris k of a loss of veh icle control , co llision
and serious pe rsonal inj uries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle inc reases when
d riving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippe ry or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESP, ABS, the brake assist system, EDL an d ASR cannot prevent collisions.
- Always accelera te with special care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. Diffe rent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- You may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working .
- If the indicator light
D] or m (USA
mode ls)/ KC] (Canada models) appears,
t here may be a malfunction~
page 18,
~page 18.
ESP switching on/off
Fig. 151 Ce nter conso le: ESP O FF butto n
The ESP is automat ically activated whe n the
engine is started, and it performs a se lf-test .
II>

-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 sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed equip ­
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r rein force d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire infl ation pressure
means t he tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 213
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i­
tion ing a nd addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at highe r inflat ion p ressu res tha n
th e co rresponding standard tire. Extra load
tir es my be i dent ified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
L O AD", or "R F" on t he sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rated
to carry for a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be­
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the load r ating for a tire at the maxi­
mum pe rm issi ble inf lat ion pressure for that
ti re . •
•
...

214 Tires and wheels
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressu re
to which a tire may be inflated. Also called
"maximum inflation p ressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution means distribution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter means the overa ll diameter of an inf lated new
tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteri­
ors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, includ­
ing e levations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the comb ined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over 5
lbs . (2 .3 kg) in excess of those standard items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, r ide leve lers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and specia l trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tir e in which the p ly cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread . Recommended inflation pressure
see
~
page 213, Cold tire inflation pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a t ire designed to operate at higher
loads and at higher inflation pressures than
the corresponding standard tire . Re inforced
t ir es my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EX TRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upon which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you w ill have to
purchase new tires to match the new r im di­
ameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the
t read and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of time. The
ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to
186 mph (298 km/h)
~ page 224 . You may
not find this information on all tires because
it is not requ ired by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applica­
ble, is molded on the tire sidewall and indi­
cates the max imum pe rmissibl e road speeds
~ A in Winter tires on page 228.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or
more of a veh icle's tires are underinflated and
illuminates a low tire pressure warning tell­
tale.

216 Tires and wheels
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle .
Fig. 167 Tire press ure labe l: loca ted ei the r on dr iver 's
side 8-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap
Tire pressure generally refers to the amount
of air in a tire that it needs it to do its job and
safely carry the combined load of the entire
vehicle and its contents . Tire pressure is
measured in kilopascals (kPa), the interna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds per
square inch (PSI). Tire pressure is based in
part on the vehicle's design and load limit­
the greatest amount of weight that the vehi­
cle can carry safely and the tire size. The prop­
er tire pressure is frequently referred to as the
"recommended cold tire inflation pressure."
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
because of internal friction when it flexes in
use . The tire pressure is higher 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 inflat ion pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the
most important things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a major cause of sudden tire failure. Keep­
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
traction, braking and load carrying .
Tire pres­
sures are particularly important when the
vehicle is being driven at higher speeds, and
then especially when heavily loaded even
within the permissible load -carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle.
,;
•(=~: I : I :,.. I)@ ~
The~-----~---w-o- ....... -e.....i -·· - ­u ........ -.-..,.0, ... -....,.,...tot~---....... ._.,. -..
....
-..... ...........
- KPA. a PSI
- KPA.
a PSI
- KPA. a PSI
Fig. 168 Tir e pressure label
SU OWNER'S MANUAl FOR AD0"10NAL l10N VOl!ILEMANU£1. DU _,...,
POUR Pl.US DE
REHSEKi.\'IEME NTS
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your veh icle
and the number of passengers and/or amount
of luggage you will be transporting .
On USA vehicles, the t ire pressure label is lo­
cated on driver's side B-pillar . On Canada vehi­
cles, the tire pressure label is located e ither
on the dr iver 's side B-pillar or inside the fuel
filler flap . The tire pressure label lists the rec­
ommended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity we ight
and tires that were on your vehicle at the time
it was manufactured.
If you wish to improve comfort when operat­
ing the vehicle at normal load (up to 3 occu­
pants), you can adjust tire pressures to those
specified for normal vehicle load. Before op­
erating 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 mon itoring
system * can on ly monitor the tire pressures
yo u have stored. The system does not recog­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
T he effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor­
ing system * wi ll be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load
¢ .&..
See the illustration ¢ fig. 167 for the location
of the label either on driver's side B-pillar or
i nside the fuel fi ller flap (color of the actual
IJI>

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. .,.
•
•

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
•
•

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>-
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