2015 AUDI Q3 tire size

104 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safe ty bel ts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts are nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se­
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci­
dents . For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving .
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns m ust also use safety
belts . Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . 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 wea ring safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases the risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe ­
ty belt or child restra int.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger to remind you
abou t the impor tance of buckling-up.
F ig. 106 Safety bel t warni ng lig ht in the instr ument
cl uster -en la rged
Before dr iving off, always :
.. Fas ten yo ur safe ty belt and make s ure you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure that your passenge rs also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect your children wit h a child restraint
system appropriate for the size and age of
the ch ildren .
The warn ing light . in the instrument clus­
ter lights up when the ign ition is switched on
as a reminder to fasten the safety belts . In ad­
dition, you will hear a warning tone fo r a cer­
ta in period of time .
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure
that your pa ssengers also prop erly put on
their safety belts .
A WARNING .....=-
-Safety b elts are the s ingle most eff ect ive
means available to reduce t he ris k of se­
rio us inju ry and de ath in au tomobile acci­
dents. Fo r you r protection and that of
your passengers, a lways correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving .

154 Intellig ent technolog y
Anti-slip r egulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the o ther d rive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive* . This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h).
I n extreme cases , ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
El ectron ic inte ra xle diff ere ntial lock */
se lec tive wheel t orque contr ol*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
wheel drive) or the select ive wheel torque
control (all-wheel drive) operates when driv­
ing through curves. The front wheel on the in·
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked select ively as needed .
This minimizes s lid ing in the front wheels a nd
allows for more p rec ise driving through
curves. The app licab le system may not acti­
vate when driving in wet or snowy conditions .
A WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, the electronic inter­
axle differentia l lock* /selective whee l
torque control* and the hill descent as­
sist cannot overcome the laws of physics.
Th is is especially important on slippery
o r wet roads . If the systems begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks .
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast , espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys­
tem, ASR, EDL and the electronic inter­
axle d ifferential lock*/selective wheel
torque control* cannot prevent colli­
sions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems t hat cannot al­
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only wo rk correct ly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D ifferent tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working .
-If the ind icator light DJ or Ell (USA
mode ls)/ lCO)J there may be a malfunction~
page 16.

with all-wheel drive¢ page 211, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /tire s
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive mus t always
h ave tires o f the same size. Also avoid t ires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c::> page 206, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is limited by t ire traction . You
should therefore not dr ive at excess ive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
c ou ld beg in to s lide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this sho uld oc cur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­ crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds which are suited to the road con ­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time , the bat­
tery is discharged by idling cu rrent consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
M avai lab le to start the engine . N
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Intelligent energy management in your veh i­
cle handles the d istribution of elec trical ener­
gy . Starting abi lity is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Intellig ent technolog y 159
Basica lly, energy management consists of
b att ery diag nosis , id lin g cur rent man age­
ment
and dyn amic en ergy m anag ement.
Batte ry diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery . Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the batte ry .
Idlin g current manag ement
Id ling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ig nition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­ nents. Data from battery diagnosis is cons id­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge ,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the batte ry
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynamic energy manag ement
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en­
ergy management distributes the energy gen ­
erated according to the needs of the individ u­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for the battery .
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) ;ippears
c::> page 15.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability .
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driving , in ci ty traff ic and during the cold time
of year . Abundant electrical energy is .,.
•
•

164 Driving and en vironm ent
The amount of oil used is related to eng ine
load and speed.
I t is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest val ue after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3 ,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess o il cons umption .
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en­
g ine output .
0 Note
-Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your War ranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as imp roper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not a lter or remove any component of
the Emi ssion Contro l System unless ap­
proved
by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
va lves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emiss ion Control System
and other important veh icle compo­
nents .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
• Try to avo id driving sho rt distances with a
cold eng ine.
The engine and catalytic converter have to reach their optimal
ope rating tempe ratu re to
reduce fuel con sumption and noxious emis­
sions effect ively.
Just after starting, a cold engine in a mid-size car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 miles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km) . After about a
half a m ile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2. 5 miles (4 km), the engine is at its proper operating tempera
­
ture and fuel economy has reached a normal
l evel. So you can see that you should avo id
short trips whenever possible.
T he
out sid e tempe rature is also critical in this
regard . Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter than in the s ummer.
Driving offroad
General information
When driving off road, the functions fo r the
electron ic stabiliza tion control ( ESC) are ex­
panded . The ESC-Offroad-Mode can be activat­
ed in driving situations in which a wheel lock
or a differential lock function is needed
c> page 155.
Your Audi i s howev er, n ot an offroad vehicle.
Ne ver dri ve the vehicle in te rrain wh ich i s n ot
suitable for the vehicle , o r w hich ex ceeds
y ou r driv ing skill s. Ne ver tak e an y u nneces ­
s ar y risk s!
Aft er d riving offroad
-After driving offroad, remove branches and
other debris from the radiator gri lle, under ­
body, and wheels. Look especially for objects
(stones) that have been caught in the tire
tread.
- Clean the body and the vehicle underbody
and inspect the vehicle for possible damag­
es.
- Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate .
- Pe rform a brake test (especially after driving
through water).
A WARNING
- Be especially aware and attent ive when
driving under difficult condit ions . Dam­
ages to the vehicle and injur ies may oc­
cur when driv ing at an excessively high
speed or with incor rect driving maneu­
vers.
- Always adjust you r speed and hand ling
to the roads, terrain, t raff ic and weather
~

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Tires and wheels 197
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR") Ply
means the maximum total loaded weight of
the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ri bs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry for a given inflat ion pressure . You
may not find this informat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not requ ired by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a t ire at the max i­
mum permissible inflation pressure for that
tire .
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accesso ry weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production opt ions we ight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum co ld inf lation pressure
to which a tire may be inflated . Also called
"maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs . (68 kilograms) times the
number of occupants seated in the vehicle up
to the tota l seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants in a veh icle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an inflated 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. means a layer of
rubber-coated parallel cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed
regular production opt ions we ighing over 5
lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standa rd items
which they replace, not previously considered
in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and spec ial trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords
that extend to the beads are laid at substan­
tially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread.
Recommended inflation pressure
see r::!;> page 196, Cold tire inflation pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standard tire. Reinforced tires
may be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD",
or "RF" on the sidewal l.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a t ire and
tube assembly upo n which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diamete r
means nominal diameter of the bead seat. If
you change your wheel s ize, you wi ll 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 t ire between the
tread and bead .
•
•

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Tires and wheels 199
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity, Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
number of occupants of occupants mally loaded vehicle
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire pressure affects the overall handling, performance and safety of a vehicle.
Fig. 152 Tire press ure label: located on driver 's s ide B·
p ill ar
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 kilopasca ls (kPa), the interna­
tional measuring unit and in pounds pe r
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 safe ly and the t ire size . The prop­
er tire pressure is frequent ly 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 pressu re is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the
in flat ion pressure i n a "cold " tire that counts.
Therefo re, you shou ld neve r let air out of a
warm tire to ma tch "cold tire inflat ion pres­
sure" recommendations. The tires would then
be underinflated and could fail suddenly .
Maintaining proper tir e pressure is one of the
most impor tant things you can do to help
avoid sudden tire failure. Underinflated tires
are a ma jor cause of s udden tire failure . Keep·
ing tires at the right pressure is also impor­
tant for safe and responsive vehicle handling,
-tD
-
---------------------.. ,;
•(==.: I :::; I :,,. I)@ gi n. ............ .,_____, .... -.ito._.. ____ .... _ ...
&..p0idit,101111-~--.,...,....-- ..... ~ .... ..
-··-­.....
-
-Dlst<:OURS
- KPA.. a PSI
- KPA..
a PS I
- KPA.. a PSI
Fig. 153 Tire pressu re labe l
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.
The recommended tire pressures for your Audi
depend on the kind of tires on your ve hicle
and the number of passengers and/o r amount
of luggage you w ill be transporti ng.
The tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B -pillar . The tire pressure labe l lists
the recommended cold tire inflat io n pressures
for the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and tires that were on your veh icle at
t he 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 monitoring
system * can only monitor the tire pressures
II>

200 Tires and wheels
you have stored. The system does not recog­
nize the load condition of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monito r­
ing system* will be impaired if you store nor­
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi ­
cle at its maximum load¢.&. .
See the illustration¢
fig. 152 for the location
of the label on driver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l label and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi ll vary slightly).
Note that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
Model Tire designation
Engine
Q3: 235/50
Rl8 97H
2.0 liter All Season
4 -cylinder
235/50 Rl8 97V
All Season
255/40 Rl9 96Y
High Performan ce
255/35 R20 97Y xl
High performance
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tir e
pressure label is located on the driver's side 8-
pillar always takes precedence.
T he table below lists the recommended cold
ti re inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi­
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal­
l ed on the respective models as original
equipment, or as a factory option.
Tire pressure
normal load condition full load condition (up to 3 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
33 220 33 220 34 230 36 250
33 220 33 220 34 230 36 250
34 230 34
230 44
300 47
320
34 230 34 230 44 300 47 320
xl= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as XL, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
located on a label on the driver's side 8 -pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
vehi cle equipment dur ing the model year, al­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle with the
tires on your vehicle . Make sure that the tire
size information on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the t ires on the vehicle.
This is especially 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 mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in- eludes
everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load limits are technically refer­
red to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight
Rat ing ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle We ight 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 on the
dr ive r's side 8-pillar. The tire pressure labe l on
you r Audi lists the max imum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
other cargo that the ve hicle can carry. For the
location of the tire pressure label
~fig . 152. .,..

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Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 154 Tire tread: tread wea r in dica tors (TWI)
Fig. 155 Rotating t ires for more even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
r::!;> fig. 154 run ning across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the tire . Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different figures may apply in other countries
r::!) &.
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tir e blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
r::!;> page 201.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Tires and wheels 205
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota­
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls o utlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all w heel drive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
r::!;> fig. 155.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
r::!;> page 223 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi­
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details
see r::!) page 158. 111>