2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning

Tires and wheels 239
technically referred to as the not be able to stop the vehi-
vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight cle within a safe distance.
Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross -Tires on a vehicle that has
Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is been overloaded can fail
the maximum load that can be suddenly causing loss of
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applied at each of the vehicle's control and a crash.
two axles. The Gross Vehicle -Always make sure that the
Weight Rating and the Gross total load being transported
Axle Weight Rating are listed -including the weight of a
on the safety compliance stick- trailer hitch and the tongue
er label located on the driver's weight of a loaded trailer -
side B-pillar. The tire pressure does not make the vehicle
label on your Audi lists the heavier than the vehicles
maximum combined weight of Gross Vehicle Weight Rat-
all of the occupants and lug- 1ng.
gage or other cargo that the ve-
A WARNING hicle can carry. For the location
of the tire pressure label -Incorrect tire pressures
¢ fig
. 172. and/or underinflation can
lead to a serious or fatal ac-
A WARNING
-cident.
Overloading a vehicle can -Incorrect tire pressures
cause loss of vehicle control, and/or underinflation cause
a crash or other accident, se- increased tire wear and can
rious personal injury, and affect the handling of the
even death. vehicle.
-Carrying more weight than -Incorrect tire pressures
your vehicle was designed and/or underinflation can
to carry will prevent the ve- also lead to sudden tire fail-
hicle from handling properly ure, including a blowout
and increase the risk of a and sudden deflation, caus-
' • M loss of vehicle control.
ing loss of vehicle control. N
" >
-The brakes on a vehicle that co ...... \!)
has been overloaded may
1.1'1
...... 1.1'1 ......

242 Tires and wheels
forget to check the tire pres-ure, including a blowout
sure for the spare wheel and sudden deflation, caus-
¢page 262 .
ing loss of vehicle control.
When should I adjust the -The driver is responsible for
tire pressures? the correct tire pressures for
Adjust the tire pressure to the all tires on the vehicle
. The
applicable pressure values
load you are carry ing. After
are located on a sticker on
changing a wheel
or replacing
the driver's side B-pillar .
wheels you have to adjust the
-Only when all tires on the
tire pressures on all wheels. In
vehicle are filled to the car-
addition , you must then store
rect pressure, the tire pres-
the new tire pressures in the
sure monitoring system can
tire pressure monitoring sys-
work correctly.
tern ¢
page 258.
-The use of incorrect tire
A WARNING
-pressure values can lead to
Incorrect tire pressures and/
accidents or other damage.
or underinflation can lead Therefore it is essential that
sudden tire failure, loss of the driver observe the speci-
control, collision, serious per -
fied tire pressure values for
sonal injury or even death. the tires and the correct
-When the warning symbol pressures for the function of
[IJ appears in the instru-
the tire pressure monitoring
ment cluster, stop and in-
system.
spect the tires. -Always inflate tires to the
-Incorrect tire pressure and/ recommended and correct
or underinflation can cause tire pressure before driving
increased tire wear and can off.
affect the handling of the -Driving with underinflated
vehicle and stopping ability. tires bend more, letting
-Incorrect tire pressures them get too hot resulting
and/or underinflation can in tread separation, sudden
..
also lead to sudden tire fail-

244 Tires and wheels
load. The maximum load in­
cludes the number of passen­
gers that the vehicle is intend­
ed to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of
150 lbs (68 kg) for each pas­
senger at a designated seating
position and the total weight of
any luggage in the vehicle. If
you tow a trailer, the weight of
the trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of the loaded trailer
must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of
the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­ ing and the Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety
compliance sticker label locat­
ed on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Your Audi has 5 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for total seating capacity
of 5. Each seating position has
a safety belt
¢ page 138, Safe­
ty belts.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve­
hicle Weight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is
being carried in the vehicle (in­
cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer) is limited.
The more passengers in the ve­
hicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
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
¢page 235, fig. 172.
A WARNING -
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle 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 ve­
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of the
loss of vehicle control.

248 Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
-Worn tires are a safety haz­
ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
-Always keep chemicals that
can cause tire damage, such
as grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
-Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be used in an emergency and
then with special care and at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
-failure and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to
be broken in.
Fig. 176 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
® Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
@ Radial
® Rim diameter code

M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Sustained high tem perature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure <=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of per form­
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_&. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
c o rnering, hydrop lan ing o r peak tr actio n
character istics .
_&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es­
tablished for a ti re that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
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, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel
d rive*, this will improve tract ion during winte r
d riving, eve n w it h the standard t ires. Howev­
e r, we strong ly recommend t hat you a lways
eq uip a ll four wheels on yo ur vehicle wi th cor­
rectly fitted win ter t ires or a ll-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected .
Tires an d wheel s 255
This also improves the veh icle's b rak ing per ­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r ti res prov ide les s gr ip on i ce and
snow.
Winter t ires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur whee ls.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted winter tire sizes. Use
o nl y rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con­
dit ions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
whee l¢
page 248.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating t han the tires o rigi­
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease see¢
page 251,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a listing of the
speed rating le tter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d rive n.
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 233) is
o n the side wall of the tire ¢
page 248.
_&. WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may b e lower than yo ur vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur spe cific
win ter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
_&. WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause t ire fail ure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden d eflation,
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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>
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M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indica te when
the system is not operating properly . The
TPMS malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure tellta le . When the sys­
tem detects a malfunct ion, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then
remain cont inuous ly illuminated. This se ­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
sig nal low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installa tio n of replace­
ment or a lternate tires or whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ion ing
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
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 . 177 In strum ent clus te r: indica tor l igh t w ith mes ­
sage
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the t ire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires . If the pressure changes in one
Tire s an d wheel s 259
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay with an indicator light
ti] and a message c:::> fig . 177. If only one tire
is affected, the locat ion of that tire will be in­
dicated. The message turns off after a few mi­
nutes . You can d isplay the message aga in
c:::> page 2 8 .
The tire pressures must be stored in the menu
display again each time the pressures change
(sw itching between partial and full load pres ­
sure) or after chang ing or replacing a t ire on
your vehicle
c:::> page 260 . The t ire press ure
monitori ng system only monito rs the tire
pressure yo u have stored . Yo u can find the rec ­
ommended t ire press ures for your vehicle on
the labe l on the driver 's doo r pillar
c:::> page235 .
Tire t read circumference and vib rat ion charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressu re
warning if :
- I f the tire pressure in one or mo re tires is
t oo low,
- the t ire has structural damage,
-The tire was replaced or the t ire p ressure
changed and it was not stored again
c:::> page 260 .
-The spare tire is installed .
Indicator light s
ti]-Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:::> &.
Check the tires and replace or repair if neces­
sary. Check/correct the pressures of all four
tires . Then store the t ire pressures in the MMI
c:::> page 2 60 .
DI (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) T ir e
press ure: S ystem malfunct ion!. If Ill ap­
pears afte r switching the ignition on or while
driv ing and the
ti] indicator l ight in the in­
str ume nt cluster b links for app rox imately one
minute and then stays on , the re is system
malfunction. Try to s to re the co rrec t ti re pres­
s u res
c:::> page 260. If the indicator light does
turn off or tu rns on again after a short period
of time, drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler
or qualified repa ir facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunction corrected. .,..
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