2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET winter tires

256 Tires and wheels
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sona l injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- 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
l east.
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
q 0 . 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.
@ 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 cer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly . .,..

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -
even if it
i s the same mode l
Qpage 284.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
control, a collision and ser ious personal in­
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled,
even if tightened to the spec ified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bo lts that belong to the
rim being ins talled.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque fo r the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tigh teni ng tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving . If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel ca n be­
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi­
b le with a torque wrench -prefe rably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
Tire s an d wheel s 257
and handling under a variety o f driving condi ­
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspec t ratio of these tires is ind icate d
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage.
Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularl y sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tir es are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and ma intain ed . Tire pr es­
s ure s should be checked at lea st on ce a
month and alway s bef ore a long trip
~ page 240 , Checking tire pressure .
A Word about Low Aspect Ratio and High
Performance Ti res
Hig h pe rformance tires are des igned for bet­
ter performance and handling in warm cli­
mates. When driving in cold, snowy or icy
weather, you sho uld equ ip your vehicle w it h
four all-season or winter tires, which
offer
better traction under those condit ions. We
suggest you use the Audi recommended win­
te r or a ll-season tires specified for you r Audi.
High performance tires a lso have a lower as ­
pect ratio that aids performance and han­
dling . Driving over rough or damaged road
surfaces, as well as debr is, cu rbs and other
obstacles can cause serious damage to
whee ls, tires, vehicle body, and suspens ion
parts . B e carefu l to avo id road hazards and re­
du ce your speed , espec ia lly if your vehicle is
equipped wi th low prof ile tires .
Please a lso remember when making your se­
lection that, wh ile these tires deliver respon­
s ive handling, t hey m ay ride less comfo rtably
and make more noise than o thers . Finally,
these tires may wear more quickly than other
c h oices.
IJJ>
•
•
•

258 Tires and wheels
It is important that the inflation pressu re is
regularly checked and maintained at recom­
mended levels .
Fo r more informat ion please ask your A udi
dealer for more details .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
L ow aspect ratio tires can be damaged more
easi ly by impact with potho les, curbs, gu llies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated.
I n o rder to minim ize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom­
mend that you observe the following precau­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation
pressures. Check your tire 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
through 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 Audi dealer . Replace a damaged
t ir e as soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires 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 believe that a
t ir e may have been damaged, replace the
tire as soon as possible.
- T hese tires may wea r more quickly than oth­
ers.
- Please a lso remember that, while these tires
deliver respons ive handling, they may ride
less comfortably and make more noise than
other choices.
Reduced performance in winter/cold
season conditions
All tires are designed for certain purposes.
The low aspect ratio, ultra high performance ti
res or iginally installed on your vehicle are in­
tended for maximum dry and wet road per­
formance and handling. They are not suitable
for cold, snowy or icy weather conditions. If
you drive under those circumstances, you
should equ ip your vehicle with all-season or
winter tires, which offer better traction unde r
those conditions. We suggest you use the rec­
ommended snow o r all-season tires specified
for your vehicle, or thei r equivalent.
Refer to~ page
255 for more detailed infor­
mation regarding winter tires.
Tire pressure
monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when co ld and in­
flated to the inflat ion pressure recommended
by the vehicle man ufactur er on the veh icle
placard or tire inflation pressure labe l. (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire in ­
flation pressure label, you should determine
the proper t ire inflation pressure for those
t i res).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
t ir es is signif icantly under-inflated. According­
ly, when the low tire pressure telltale illumi­
nates, you shou ld stop and check you r tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper p ressure. Driving on a sign ificantly un ­
der -inflated tire causes the tire to overheat
and can lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation al­
so reduces fuel eff iciency 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 maintenance, and it is the driv­
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not

260 Tire s and wheel s
& WARNING
-If the tire pressure warning light ti] in
the instrument cluster turns on, the
pressure in one or more tires is too low.
Reduce the vehicle speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers . Stop as soon as possible,
check the t ire and inflate the tire to the
correct pressure, which is specified on
the tire pressu re labe l on the veh icle
<:?page 235. Driving with a t ire with low
pressure causes the tire to overheat and
can res ult in failure of the tire . Low pres ­
sure can a lso have a negat ive effect on
the driving and braking behavior of the
vehicle.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the t ire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i­
cator may be de layed .
- Ask your author ized dealer if r un-flat
t ires may be used on your vehicle.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can
also stop work ing when there is an ESC
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or
"RO" ¢ page 248 have been matched
with your A udi tire pressure monitoring
system. We recommend that you use
these tires.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can
on ly mon itor the t ire pressure of the
driving tires . Check the tire pressu re of
the spa re wheel in the luggage com part­
ment so tha t if ne cessary i t is ready for
u se.
-
Storing tire pressures
Applies to vehicles: wit h tire press ure mo nitor ing system
A change in tire pressure or a change in tires
must be stored in the system.
The tire pressure is stored in the MMI.
.. Ma ke s ure before storing that the ti re pres ­
sures of a ll four tires meet the specified va l­
ues and are adapted to the load. Otherwise
the system could malfunction
¢ page 235.
.. Switch t he ignit ion on.
.. Select: the
I MENU I button > Car > Systems *
contro l butto n > Service & control > Tire
pre ssure monitor > Store tire pre ssure >
Yes , st ore n ow .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow
cha ins a re i nstalled. O therw ise the system
could m alfun ction.

the tire chain before mounting the wheel
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident.
Never store the inf latab le spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
ment.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
Removing the subwoofer
A pp lies to vehicles: with s ubwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed.
Fig. 182 Spare wheel well: subwoofer
Removing the subwoofer
• Lift the cargo floor c:, page 262, fig. 180.
• Pull the latch (D c:> fig. 182 toward the ca­
ble.
• Press the locking tab @down .
• Remove the connector @ and set the re-
moved cable aside.
• Remove the bolt@.
• Carefully remove the subwoofer.
Installing the subwoofer
• Carefully place the subwoofer n the rim
well. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
must face forward .
• Insert the connector that was removed .
• Secure the subwoofer with the bolt.
~ • Fold the cargo floor cover back into place.
r--. > co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
What do I do now? 263
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop c:> _&..
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
c:> _&..
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> _&. .
• Move selector lever to position P c:> ,&..
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack c:, page 261 and the spare tire
r:> page 262 out of the luggage compart­
ment .
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
-If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
-

28 6 Index
A
A/C (a utomatic cl imate control system) .. 72
A/C (manual cl imate control system) .. . . 71
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 284
Active la ne ass ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Ac tiv ating vibrat ion warning .. .. .. ... 101
Adjusting steering time ... ... .. .... . 101
C leaning the camera area .. .. .. .... . 205
Driver messages .. ......... ... .... . 100
Indicator light .................... 100
switch ing on and off ............... 100
Active ro llover protection system .. ... . 135
Retracting ro llover protection ... .. .. . 136
Adapt ive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Automatic transm ission ... .. .. .... .. 91
C lean ing the sensor ................ 205
D river messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Request for driver intervention . . . . . . . . 93
Stop-and-go traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Adapt ive dampers .......... .. .. .... . 107
I ndicator light . .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 25
Adapt ive light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO, 107
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Adding W indshield washer fluid ..... .. .... . 227
Adj usting ai r distribution (Climate control
system) ..... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 73
Adjusting a ir vents ................... 74
Adjusting air vents (manual climate con-
trol system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Adj usting automatic headlights ... ... .. 51
Adjusting the center conso le lighting .... 53
Adjusting the temperat ure
manual climate control system .. .. .. . . 71
advanced key
refer to Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
A irbag .. .. .. ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 146
I ndicator ligh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A irbag system ................ ... .. . 167
Advanced Airbag System ............ 150
Advanced Airbag System components . 154
Ca re ... .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. . 162
C hi ldren . .... ........... .... .... . 17 1
C hi ld restra ints .................... 171
Components (front airbags) . ... .. .. . 154 Danger of fitting a ch
ild seat on the front
passenger seat ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 148
Disposa l .. .. .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 162
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150, 152
How do the front airbags work? ...... 156
How many a irbags does my vehicle
have? ...... .. .. .. ... ....... ... .. 154
How the Advanced Airbag System com-
ponents work togethe r ............. 156
Important safe ty instru ct ions on the
knee airbag system .. .. ..... ... .. .. 165
Impo rtant things to know .. ... ... . .. 146
Knee airbags ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 163
Monitoring .... .. ............. .... 158
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ... .... 159
Repairs ... .... .. ............. .... 162
Safety instructions ................ . 161
S ide a irbags ... .. .. ... ....... ... .. 165
Warning/Indicato r lights ....... .. .. 158
When must the system be inspected? . 158
Alarm system
refer to Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . 31
Alignment pin (changing the whee l) . ... 261
All-weather lights ( LED headlights) . .. .. . 49
All-wheel drive Winter tires . ... . ... ... .... ... .. .. 255
All wheel d rive .... ... .. ..... .... . .. 192
Alternato r
refer to Alternator (indicator light) ... . 20
Alternator (indicator light) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Amb ient lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Anti-freeze
refer to E ng ine coolant ............. 220
Anti- lock braking system ............. 188
Indicator light ................... .. 21
Anti-slip reg ulation . .... ..... ... .. .. 188
Indicator light ... ... .. ..... .... . .. . 21
An ti-theft a la rm system .......... .. .. . 31
Anti-theft protection Electronic immob ilizer .. ....... ... .. . 36
Audi active lane assist
refer to Active lane ass ist ..... .. .. .. . 99
Audi drive selec t .. .. ................ 10 7
Ind icator light . .. ... .......... .... . 25
Audi magnet ic r ide
refer to Adapt ive dampe rs .. .. .. .. .. 107

298 Index
What should I do after replacing wheels? 242
Wheel bo lts
Torque . .. .... ........... ........ . 256
Wheels . .. ................. .. .... . 228
All wheel drive .............. ... .. .
192
Check ing tire pressure .......... .... 240
C leaning . .. ................ ... ... 205
Cold t ire in flat ion pressu re ... .. .. .. . 235
General notes . ............... .... . 228
Glossary of t ire and load ing te rm ino lo-
gy .. .... .. ............ ... .. .... . 230
New tires and wheels .... .. .. .... .. . 248
Tires and vehicle load limits . ....... . 243
Wheel wrench ........... .. .. .. .. .. .
261
When must a safety belt be replaced? .. 141
When must the airbag system be inspect-
ed? ... .. .... .. .. ...... ... ... ..... . 158
When should I ad just the tire p ressu res? 242
When should I check the tire pressures? . 242
Where are lower anchorages located? . ..
184
Where can I find the tire pressures for my
car? ...... ....... ........... ... .. . 240
Why safety belts? ...................
139
Wind deflector .. ... .... ... .. .. .... .. 44
W indows
C leaning/remov ing ice ...... ... .. ... 206
W indshield
cleaning ... ............. .. .. .. ... . 53
defrost ing (automatic climate control
system) .. ................. ...... .. 73
defrost ing (manual climate cont ro l sys-
tem) .. .. .. .. ... ........ .. .. .. .. .. 7 1
also refer to Windshie ld ... .. .. .. .. . . 53
W indshield washer system ............ 53
Reservoir capacity ............ .. ...
280
Washer rese rvoir .......... .... .... 227
Windshield wipers Cleaning wiper blades ..... .... ...... 54
Folding up ............... ..... .. .. 54
Ind icator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
Replacing w indshield w iper blades ... . . 54
Sw itching on and off ................ 53
W inter operation
Battery .... ...................... 223
Cooling system ................ .... 220
Winter tires .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 255
A ll-wheel drive .................... 255 Winter use
Car washes . ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 204
defrosting the windsh ie ld (automatic cli­
mate control system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Removing ice from windows ..... .... 206
Seat heating ..... ................ .. 74
X
Xenon-Lights .... ............... .... 272
Xenon headlig hts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
49 , 52