2012 AUDI S3 rims

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-

@ 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 ..,.
•
•

A WARNING ,~ -
When removing or install ing the wheel,
the rim could hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work ca refully and have a
second p erson help yo u.
@ Tips
Never try and use the hexagonal socket in
the hand le of the screwdrive r to loosen or
tighten the whee l bolts .
- Pull the reversib le blade from the screw­
drive r bef ore yo u use the hexagonal
socket in the handle to t urn t he whee l
bo lts.
- When mounting tires with
unidirectional
tread design
make su re the tread pat­
te rn is pointed the rig ht way
¢ page 241.
-The wheel bolts should be clea n and easy
to tu rn. Che ck for dirt and corro sio n on
t he mat ing surf aces of both the whee l
and the h ub. Remove a ll dirt from these
su rfaces before remo unt ing the wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidire ctional tread de sign must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in
the right direction.
Using a spare tire with a tread pattern
intended for use in a specific direction
When using a spare tire wit h a tread pa tte rn
intended for use in a specific direction , pl ease
note the following:
- The direc tion o f rota tion is marked by an a r­
r ow on the side o f the tire.
- If the spare tire has to be i nst alled in the in ­
correct di rection in the even t of a flat tire,
use the spare tire on ly tempo rari ly since the
tire will not be ab le to ac hieve its opt imum
per formance characterist ics w ith regard to
aquapla ning, no ise and wear.
- We recommend that particular attent ion be
paid to this fact dur ing wet weather and
t h at you adjust your speed to matc h road
co ndit io ns.
What do I do now? 241
- Replace the flat ti re with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible to restore the hand ling advantages
of a properly pointed direction-dependent
tire .
Notes on wheel change
Please read the informat ion ¢ page 223, New
tires and r eplacing tires and wheels
if yo u a re
go ing to use a spa re tire w hich is different
from the ti res on yo ur vehicle.
After you change a tire :
-Check the tire pressu re on the spare imme­
diately after mounting.
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as
possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
a qualifi ed service station.
- On steel and alloy wheel rims, the wheel
bolts are cor rectly tightened with a torque
of 90 ft lb (120 Nm).
- If you notice while changing a tire that the
wheel bolts are corroded and difficult to
turn, then they should be replaced befor e
you check the tightening torque .
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your veh icle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover.
Until then, dr ive with e xtra care and at re­
duced speeds .
A WARNING
-If you are go ing to e quip your vehicle
wit h tires o r rims whi ch differ from those
whi ch were fac tory inst alled, then be
sure to re ad the inform ation ¢
page 223,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always ma ke sure the damage d wheel o r
even a fla t tire an d the jack and tool ki t
are prope rly secu red in the luggage com­
partment and are not loose in the pas­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forwa rd, injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
•
•

26 6 Index
Changing engine oil
Chass is 201
Unde rcoat ing . ............. .. .... . 183
also refer to Aud i magnetic ride ... .... 95
Checking
Eng ine coolant level ........ .... ....
204
Checking tire pressure . ... .. .. ... ... . 218
C hi ld restra int
Danger of us ing c hild restra ints in the
front seat ... .... ..... ... .. .. .... .
123
Child restra ints
Where can I get add it iona l information
about child restra ints and their use? ..
160
Ch ild restra int system anchors ... .. ... 155
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143, 148
Convertible locking retractor . . . . . . . . . 152
Important safety instructions for using
chi ld safety seats ..................
146
Important things to know when dr iving
with children ............. .... ....
143
Install ing a child restraint using the
LA TC H system ............. ... .. ...
157
M ount ing and releasing the ancho rage
hook .. .... ... .......... .. .. .. .. .
157
158
158
Tether anchors
Tether straps
Ch ild safety lock
· ............... ..... 42
Child safety seats ................... 148
Booster seats .. .......... .. .. .... . 151
Convertible child seats .... .. .. .. .. . 149
Convertible locking retractor .. .. .. ... 152
H ow do I properly install a child safety
seat in my vehicle? ........ .. .. .... .
146
Infant seats ...................... 148
Ins tall ing ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 152
LA T CH system .... ..... ... .. .. .... . 157
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Child seats
L owe r ancho rages ........ .. .. .... .
156
Clean ing
Alcantara (synthet ic suede) ..........
186
Eng ine compartment ...... .. .. .. .. . 187
Exhaust tail pipes .................. 183
Fabrics and fabr ic coverings .. .. .... . 184
Instrumen t panel .................. 184
Inter ior
L eather .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... .
. ... ... . ...... ... ... ...
' . .
183
186
Plastic and vinyl ..... .. ..... .... . .. 181
Plastic parts ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. 184
Safety be lts ... .. ... ....... ... .. .. 187
trim strips
Tr im strips 181
181
Cleaning and protection .. ..... ... .. .. 178
Cl imate controls . .. ................ .. 79
Additional heater . ... .......... .. .. . 85
Air distrib ution . .. ............. .... . 83
Air o utlets · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ......... 84
Air recirculation . . .. ... ..... .... ... . 83
Air recircu lation mode (manual) . ... .. . 82
Automatic air recirculation ... .... . .. . 82
AUTO (standard setting) ........ .. .. . 81
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Defrost ing/defogging ............. .. 82
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Fan ......... ... .. .............. .. 83
Key- coded setting ... .......... .. .. . 84
Recommended settings ......... .... . 79
Setting the temperatu re ........ .. .. . 82
Switching between Fa hrenhe it and Centi-
grade . ... .... .. .. .... .... ... .. .. .
83
Switching the air conditioning on and off 81
Using the climate control economically . 84
Warm and cold . .. ............. .... . 79
Clock . ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 11
Clutch overheat ing ................. . 101
Coat hooks ..... .. ............. .... . 78
Cold tire infla tio n press ure ........ .... 216
coming home ... .................. .. 48
Compartments in the door trims ... .. .. . 77
Compass mir ro r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Compliance . .... .. ............. .... 262
Consumer Information. .. ..... .. 111,259
Contacting NHTSA ................. . 111
Convenience close/open feature
Windows . .... .. ............. .... .
44
Convertib le child safe ty seats ..... .. . . 149
Convertible locking retractor
At· .
c 1vatmg ... .. .. .. ... ....... ... . .
154
D t" t· eac 1va mg ... .. ............. .. .. 155
Using to secu re a child safety seat 1.52, 154
Coolant system ..................... 203
Cooling System
Expansion tank ... .. .... .... ... .. ..
204

----------------------------~I~n ~d ~e ~x 273
Remote control ..... .... ... .. .. .. .... 35
Resetting r emote control . ... .. .. .. .. 38
Un lock ing and locking .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 37
Remote master key Battery replacement ................ 35
Check light ..... .. .... ... .. .. .. .... 35
Repa ir manuals ..................... 259
Repairs Airbag system .................... 135
Replacing Wheel rims
... ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 223
Replacing a sound system ........... . 262
Replacing light bulbs ............... . 246
Replacing tires and whee ls ... .. .. .. .. . 224
Replacing w indshield wiper blades ...... 57
Report ing Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1
Reset b utton . ............. .. .. .. .. .. 12
Resett ing remote control .............. 38
Retractor
' . .. .... ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 1 16
Reverse Automatic t ransmission .. .. .. .. .. 97
R ims
Cast alloy .. ............. .... .. .. . 182
Replacing ........................ 223
Steel rims ................ ...... .. 182
Roof rack Attac hment points with separate roof
rack system ............. .... .. .... 72
Loading ........................... 73
M ou nti ng loca tions ......... .. .. .. .. 73
Safe mounting .......... .... ... .. .. 7 1
Roof weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
s
SAFE · .. · . .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .... 12
Safe d riving hab its .................. 103
Safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Safety belt he ight adjustment .. .. .. . 119
Safety belts worn by p regnant women . 118
Safety belt pretens ioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Service and disposal ............... 120
Safety belts .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 116
cleaning ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 187
Danger to passengers who do not wear a
safety belt ... .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 114
Fastening .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 116 height adjustment .
.. .. ..... ... .. .. 119
Improper ly worn ... . ... .... ... .. .. 119
Not worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Safety belt pos ition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Safety instructions .... ............. 116
Securing child safety seats .......... 152
Spec ial considerations for pregnant
women .......................... 118
Un fastening . .. .. .. . .............. 118
W arning/ind icator light ............. 113
Why YOU MUSTwearthem ... .. 113,11 4
Wor n properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Safety be lt warning light . . . . . . . . . 16, 113
Safety compliance sticker ........ .. .. 255
S afety equipme nt .. ................. 103
Safety features for occupant restraint and
protection .. ... .... ................ 103
Safety gu idelines
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Safe ty instr uctions
Engine compartment . ... .... ... .. .. 194
for side c urtain airbags . ..... ... .. .. 142
for using child safety seats .......... 146
for using safety belts ............... 116
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem ............................. 135
Safety lock Ign it ion key, automatic transmission 89
Seat adjus tment
Drive r's sea t ... .. .... ............. . 61
F ront passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Front seats . ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 61
Head restraints
.. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. 107
Head restraints, front seat ........... 65
Lumbar support .. .. ........... .... . 64
Manua l controls .. .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 62
Manual seats ...................... 62
Power s eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seat be lts
WhyYOU MUSTwearthem ..... 113,114
also refer to Safety be lts .. ..... ... .. 113
Seating capacity ...... .. ..... ... .. .. 113
Seating position Drive r ........................... 104
F ron t passenger .. ............. .... 105
How to ad just the front seats . ... .. .. 105
Incorrect seat position ... .... ... .. .. 107
•
•

274 Index
Occupants . ...... ..... ... .. .. .... . 104
Rear passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Seats Number of seats ....... .. .. .. .. .. . 113
Selector lever pos it ions
Automatic transm ission . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Service and disposal Safety belt pretensioner ... .. .. .... . 120
Service interval d isp lay .... .. .. .. .. .. . . 30
Service pos ition for w indshie ld w ipers ... 57
Set menu ..... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 28
Sett ing
D ate display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Di gita l clock ........... .. .. .. .. .. .. 11
Side airbags Descr ipt ion . ..... ......... ... .. .. . 137
H ow they work ........... .. .. .... . 139
Side curta in a irbags ........ .. .. .... . 140
Descr ipt ion .............. .. .. .. .. . 140
H ow they work ............ ... .. ... 141
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Side marker lights ........... .. .... .. 47
Ski sack . .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .. 70
Snow chains ........... .... ... .. .. . 228
Sockets ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 75
Sound system Rep lacing .... ........... .. .. .. .. . 262
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sources of in format ion about child re -
straints and their use .. ... .. .. .. .... . 160
Spare tire .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. . 234
Spare wheel
refer to Spare t ire .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 234
Speedometer . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 12
Speed rat ing letter code . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 224
Speed warn ing system ...... .. .. .. .. . . 31
S tart ing assistance ......... .. .. .... . 249
Starting on hills Hill hold assist ............ ... .. .. .. 92
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 90
What should I do if the eng ine does not
start? . .. ... ... .... ..... .. .. .. .. .. 90
Steel wheels .. .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 182 Stee
ring . ... .... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. . 88
Locking the steering . .. ..... ... .. .. . 89
also refer to Electro-mechan ica l power
ass ist .... .... .. ............. 17,165
Stee ring wheel col umn
Adjusting ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 88
Steps for determin ing correct load limit. 221
Stopping the eng ine ............. .... . 91
Storage .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. . 7S
Compartments in the door trims ... .. . 77
C up ho lder rear center armrest ... .. .. . 74
G love compartment .... ..... ... .. .. . 76
Small objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Storage comp artment
Increas ing s ize ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. . 67
S tronic ...... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... .. . 96
Driving Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
E mergen cy prog ram ........... .... 101
Ki ck-down . .. .. .. ............. .. .. 101
Launch Control Program ..... ... .. .. 101
Se lector lever lock . .... ..... ... .. .. . 97
Se lector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tiptronic .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. 100
Tiptronic controls on the steering
wheel .... .... ................... 100
Su n blind ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 53
Sun roof
refer to pano ram ic sliding s unroof .. .. . 45
Sun visors .. .... .. ............. .... . 53
Switches Emergency flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Switching the a ir condit ioner (automatic)
on/off .. .. .... .. ............. .... . 81
Symbols Red symbo ls in the center display ..... . 13
Yellow symbols in the ce nter display 14
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
T ailgate
refer to Rear lid . .... .. ..... ... .. .. . 40
T echnical modifications .......... .... 262
Temperature Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Setting for the dr iver's and front pas-
senger's s ide . ... ... .. .. ... ..... .. . 82