2015 AUDI Q3 tire type

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Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on eac h tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, you r vehicle and the road.
Ma intaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspec ting t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irreg ular wear and ove ra ll
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
Avoiding damage If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 195
New tires
New tires h ave to be broken in ¢ & .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat io n or the
vehicle p ulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
t horized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢page 223.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
also be b roken-in. To reduce the risk of
losing control , a collision and serious
pe rsonal injuries, drive w it h special care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, c ras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are no t being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
spee ds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
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196 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u 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 t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age.
(D Note
- Please note that summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
a re typ ica l in those seasons. Aud i recom-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items wh ich may be rep lace d)
of automa tic transmission, power s teering ,
power brakes, power wi ndows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that thes e
items are availab le as factory-installed equip­
ment (whether ins talled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio o f the height to the width of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
d icate a low sidewall for improved steer ing re ­
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means t he pa rt of the tire that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separat ion
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire. mends using winter tires during the w
in ­
ter months. Low temperatures signifi­
cantly decrease the elastic ity o f summe r
tires, which affects traction and braking ability . If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks ca n form o n
the tread bars, resu lting in permanent
tire damage that can cause lo ud driving
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is no t
responsib le for this type of d amage .
- Burn ished , polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter road condi ­
tions. The s urface of the rims does not
have s uff ic ient corrosion protection for
this and could be permanently damaged
by road sa lt o r similar substances .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire p ress ure recommended by the
vehicle m anufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ign ated
s ize that has not been d riven for more than a
coup le of miles (ki lometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire p ress ure
is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicl e w ith
standard equipment including the maximum
capac ity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi­
tion ing and additional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor ­
responding standa rd tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l" , "E X TRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load-carrying capa city of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
terfaces.
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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>

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-All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
t ir es that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winte r tires -o nl y use
the spare tire for a short period of time and dr ive wi th extra care. Refit the nor­
ma l road whee l as soon as safely possi ­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maxim um
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
der inflated .
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
poss ible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel tr im 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 ca us­
ing a collision.
- Run flat t ires may on ly be used on
vehicles that we re equ ipped w ith them
at the facto ry. The vehicle must have a
chassis des igned for run flat t ires and a
facto ry-installed tire p ress ure monito r­
ing system* that indicates a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dea ler or
t ire spec ia list to see if your vehicle can be
equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat
t ir es a re used, they must be insta lled on
all four wheels. M ixing tire types is not
permitted.
Tire s an d wheel s 209
@ Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth­
er veh icles. Th is can hold tr ue for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is d ifferent from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profi le tires), then use the spare tire for a
short per iod of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w ith the
tire matching the othe rs on your vehicle
as soon as possib le.
- Never d rive without the valve stem cap .
T he va lves co uld get d amaged.
(® For the sake of the environment
D ispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wea r
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
o n the t ire s ide wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
c:> page 206,
fig. 156 .
For e xample : Tread wear 200 , Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car t ires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread w ear
T he tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under contro lled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 1S0 wo uld wear
one and one ha lf (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
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210 Tire s and wheel s
The relat ive performance of tires depends
upon the actua l conditions of their use, how ­
ever, and may depart sign ificantly from the
norm due to va riat ions in dr iving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character­
istics and climate.
Tr action
The traction grades , from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those g rades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled cond itions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ¢.&, .
Temperature
The tempera ture grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, represen ting the tire's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its abi lity to dissi ­
pate heat when tested under controlled cond i­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden ti re fa il ur e~ .&, .
The grade
C corresponds to a level of perform ­
ance which all passenger ca r tires must meet
u nder the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
a rd No.
1 09. Grades Band A represent higher
l eve ls of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law .
A WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering , hydroplan ing 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, eithe r
-
separately or in combination, can ca use
heat bui ldup and possib le tire failure .
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 winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread . These tires should
only be used in pairs and be installed on all
four wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
tires that are the same s ize and construction
type as the othe r tires on your vehicle .
Your vehicle is equipped with all wheel drive,
th is will improve traction during winter driv ­
i ng, even with the standa rd t ires. However, we
strong ly recommend that you always equip all
four wheels on you r vehicle wi th cor rectly fit­
ted win ter tires o r all -season tires, when win­
te r road cond itions are expected . This also im­
proves the vehicle's braking performance and
reduces stopping distances.
Summe r tires provide less grip on i ce and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all four whee ls .
Ask your author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted
winter tir e siz es. Use
on ly rad ial winter t ires .
Winter tires lose their effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of
O .15 7 inch
(4 mm).
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under winter con ­
ditions. 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 ti re, see notes on spare
whee l¢
page 206 .
Please always remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi-
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it .,.

218 What do I do no w?
checked as soon as possible and, if necessary,
replaced by an Audi dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
P lease no te the following restr ictions when
using the spare tire . The spa re tire is designed
specifica lly for this model. For t his reason, do
not use a spare tire from a different type of
vehicle.
Re moving the spare tire
.. Take out the floor pane l.
.. Remove the wing screw ¢
fig. 161 and take
out the retainer underneath .
.. Remove the bass box* ¢
page 217.
.. Take out the spare tire.
Snow cha in s
For technica l reasons, snow chains must not
be used on the spare tire .
Should you have a flat tire on one of the front
wheels when using snow chains, fit the spare
tire in place of one o f the rear whee ls. You can
then attach the snow chains to the whee l tak­
en from the rear and use this wheel to replace
the flat front twheel.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in­
dicato rs .
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex­
t reme caution and careful d riving .
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possib le w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressu re must be checke d as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
c om pac t spa re tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident .
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (8 0 km/
h). You risk having an acc iden t.
- Avoid full-throttle acce le rat ion, heavy
braking, and fast corner ing . Yo u r isk hav­
ing an ac ciden t. -
Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
m ust then be installed in place of the
rea r whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain be fore mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart ­
ment can cause se rious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident. Never store the spare tire or jack and
too ls in t he passenger compartment.
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 experie nce a t ire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop
¢ page 216, ¢,& .
.. All passengers should leave th e car and
move to a safe location ( for ins tance, behind
the guardrail) ¢&, .
.. Engage the
pa rking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally
c> &, .
.. Move the
selector lever to the P posit ion .
.. If you are towing a trailer : unhitch the trail­
er from your vehicle.
.. Take the
jack ¢ page 216 and the spare tir e
¢page 217 out of the luggage compart-
ment. .,.