2015 AUDI Q3 wheel bolts

208 Tires and wheels
S up to 110 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)ll
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)
1
l
Your veh icle is normally factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum d riving
comfort . An electronic speed limiter
c::> page 27 will normally prevent your vehicle
from going faster than the tire speed rating
¢ &. .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the tire's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example, the numbers 2214 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd wee k of
2014. The other numbers are mar keting co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . This information is used to con­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the identification "AO" or "RO" have
been specia lly matched with your Audi . We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly. Your authorized Audi dealer will
gladly provide you with more information.
Tire ply composit ion and materials used
The number of plies indicates the number of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire. In
ll For tir es w it h a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity ove r
1 4 9 mp h (2 40 k m/h) , tire man ufact urers somet imes
u se the lette rs "ZR. "
genera l, the greater the number of plies, the
more weight a tire can support. Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
t ir e, which include steel, nylon, po lyester, and
others.
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear,
traction , and temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades
c::> page 209.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Th is number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder normal driving conditions.
.&, WARNING ~ -
-Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
comb inat ions can lead to loss of control,
coll is ion and serious personal injury.
-Always use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of original
factory- installed tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- 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 emergen cy
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 dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
was manufactured. Please see ¢ page 207,
Speed rating (letter code) for a listing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 198) is
on the side wall of the tire
c::> page 206.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the maximum
speed before driving off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an ac cident and serious
pe rsonal inj ury to you and yo ur passen­
gers .
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can ca use tire fai lure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflat ion,
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sonal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
rep laced immed iate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rat ing
that may be lower than your veh icle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
w hich the winter or other tires installed
on your veh icle are rated .
A WARNING
Always adjust your d rivi ng to the road and
traffic conditions. Neve r let the good ac­
c eleration of the w inte r ti res and all whee l
drive temp t you in to taking extra r is k s . A l­
ways remember:
- When bra king, an a ll whee l dr ive vehicle
hand les in the s ame way as a front drive
vehicle.
- Drive carefu lly and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot he lp under blac k ice conditions.
Tire s an d wheel s 211
'
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and o nly to certain tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i deale r on which tire sizes
snow cha ins can be used .
The snow chains must have low-prof ile links
and must not be th icker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm) , includ ing the lock .
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putt ing snow cha ins on your vehicle
c::> Q) . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are ava il­
able from autho rized Aud i dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chai ns for your vehi­
cle o r insta lling them incorrect ly can in­
crease the risk of loss of cont ro l leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes. A lways make sure to follow the in­
structions p rov ided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specif ic snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations .
(D Note
-Remove snow chains before dr iv ing o n
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wea ring the snow
chains down unnecessarily.
- Snow chains, which come into direct con ­
tact with the whee l rim , can scratch or
damage it . Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the pos ition of the snow chains after
•
•

212 Tire s and wheel s
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so.
(D Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer ­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design o f whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit ­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are f itted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model¢
page 239.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
cont ro l, a co llision and serious p ersona l in­
Jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in t he wheel hubs clea n so the
wheel bolts can tu rn easily and be prop­
erly tigh tened.
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel h ubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- O nly use wheel bo lts that be long to the
rim being installed.
- N ever use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Alw ays mai nta in the co rrec t tighte ning
tor que fo r the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the veh i- cle is moving.
If the tig
hte ning torq ue is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
105 ft lbs. (140 Nm) with a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lbs. (± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally . After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as poss i­
ble with a to rque wrenc h - preferab ly by an
a uthorized Aud i dea le r or qualified wor k­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is factory -eq uipped w it h low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been thoroughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and handling under a variety of driving condi­
t ions . Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
The low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation . The numeral represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewall height in relation to its
t read width exp ressed in percentage. Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more.
The performanc e of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
pa rticularly sen sitive to improp er inflation
pre ssure. It i s therefor e important that low
a spe ct ratio tir es are inflated to the spe cified
pre ssure and that the inflation pre ssure i s
regula rly checked and mainta ined. Tire pre s­
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
month and always befo re a long trip
¢ page 201, Checking tire pressure.
What you can do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, gul lies
or ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is
underinflated . ..,.

216 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
General information
.. Park the vehicle as far as possible from mov­
ing traffic in the event of a flat tire. In the
event of a flat tire, park the vehicle on a lev­
el surface . It you are on a steep incline, be
especially careful.
.. Set the parking brake .
.. Switch the emergency flashers on .
.. Put on a reflective vest, if ava ilable .
.. Set up the warning triang le, if available .
.. Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
should move to a safe place, for example
behind a guard rai l.
A WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above. They are
for your protection and the for the safety
of other drivers.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-suppl ied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy vehicles or other loads; you risk in­
jur ing yourself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potential risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your
Audi on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one . The jack is only suitable for
use on the vehicle it came with .
Vehicle tool kit with
lifting jack
Fig. 158 Under the cargo floo r cover : Too l kit , auxiliary
too l and jack
The veh icle tool kit is stored under the cargo
floor cover behind the seat backrest
Q fig . 158 .
The vehicle tool kit includes :
- Hook for removing wheel covers
- Alig nment pin for changing the wheel
- Screwdriver with reversible blade
- Reversible bit (reversible Torx bit for chang-
ing light bulbs)
- Jack
- Auxil iary tool for selector lever emergency
release
- Lug wrench
-Towing eye
Some of the vehicle items listed above are
provided on certain models only or are option­
al extras.
Before returning the jack to its place , retract
the jack arm fully .
A WARNING
-Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no cir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in-
-
juring yourself. ~

M N
M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
A WARNING 1=
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 emergency 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 with the fold­
ing chocks or other objects. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 100.
(D Note
If you are changing the wheel on a steep
incline, use the folding chock¢
page 217
to block the opposite wheel to prevent the
vehicle from moving.
(!) Tips
Obey all laws.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exactly that order .
-
1. Remove the decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps*. For more details see
also
¢ page 220.
2. Loosen the wheel bolts<=:> page 220 .
What do I do now? 219
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢ page 221.
Lift the car with the jack ¢ page 221.
Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then install the
spare tire <=:>page 222.
Tighten all wheel bolts lightly.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly
tighten all wheel bolts in a crisscross pat­
tern ¢
page 220.
9. Replace the decorative wheel cover* or
the
wheel bolt caps*.
A WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and information<=:>
A in Raising the vehicle on
page 221
and <=:> page 223.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack4
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment
¢ page 100.
.,. Check the tire pressure of the spare tire as
soon as possible .
.,. As soon as possible, have the
tightening
torques
on all wheel bolts checked with a
torque wrench. The correct tightening tor­
que is 105 ft lbs. (140 Nm).
.,. Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi­
ble.
(D Tips
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be replaced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked.
•
•

220 What do I do now?
Removing the wheel covers/bolt caps
Fig. 162 Cha ng in g a w hee l: re mov ing the w heel cover
Fig. 163 Chan gin g a w hee l: re mov ing the w heel bo lt
c aps
Wheel cover*
• Insert the hook provided with the vehicle
tool kit in the hole in the hub
¢ fig. 162 .
• Pull off the decorative wheel cover .
Wheel bolt caps*
• Push the plastic clip provided with the vehi­
cle tool kit over the wheel bolt cap until it
engages
¢ fig. 163 .
• Pull on the plastic clip to remove the cap.
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
The wheel bolts must be loosened before rais­
ing the vehicle.
Fig. 164 Chan ging a whee l: loosening th e wh eel b olts
Loosening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wheel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go .
.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn the wheel bolts
counter­
clockwise
about one single turn in the direc­
tion of arrow
¢ fig . 164.
Tightening
• Install the wheel bolt wrench over the
wh eel bolt and push it down as far as it will
go.
• Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
handle and turn each wheel bolt
clockwise
until it is seated .
.&_ WARNING
=
-Do not use force or hurry when changing
a wheel - you can cause the vehicle to slip
off the jack and cause serious personal
injuries.
- Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the vehicle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
(D Tips
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
-If a wheel bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully pushing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your balance
and take care not to slip.

222 What do I do now?
-If work has to be done under the vehi ­
cle , ensure that it is safely supported
on suitable stands -risk of injury!
- Never start the engine when the vehi­
cle is on the jack -risk of accident!
CD Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the si ll. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift­
ing points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi­
cle will be damaged.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fig. 167 Changing a whee l: u sing the hexago nal socket
(w ith the blade removed) to turn the bolts
Fig. 168 Changing a w hee l: a lignm en t pi n inside the
top hole
After you have loosened a ll wheel bolts and
ra ised the veh icle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
> Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
with the
hexagonal socket in the screwdriv­
er handle (vehicle tool kit)
r=;; fig. 167 and
set it as ide on a
clean su rface. >
Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole
¢ fig. 168 .
... Then remove the other whee l bolts as de­
scribed above.
> Takeoff the whee l leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole
r=;; (D.
Putting on the spare tire
... Push the spare tire over the alignment pin
¢ CD.
... Screw on the wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly using the hexagonal socket .
> Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest.
... Turn the jack handle counter -clockwise to
lower the veh icle until the jack is fully re­
leased .
... Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts firm ly. Tighten them
in a criss­
cross pattern,
from one bolt to the (approx i­
mately) oppos ite one, to keep the wheel
centered.
> Perform the steps required after changing
the wheel
¢ page 219, After changing a
wheel.
A WARNING
-
Do not use the hexagonal socket in the
screwdriver hand le to tighten the whee l
bolts. It is not possible to tighten the bolts
to the required torque using the hexagonal
socket - risk of accident!
CD Note
When removing or installing the whee l,
the rim cou ld hit the brake rotor and dam­
age the rotor. Work carefu lly and have a
second person to help you.
(D Tips
-When mount ing tires with unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat­
tern is po inted the right way
r=;;page223.
- The wheel bolts shou ld be clean and easy
to turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
th e mat ing s urfaces o f both the whee l
and t he hub . R emove a ll dirt f rom these
su rfaces before remo untin g t he wheel.
Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with uni directional tread design 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
W hen using a spa re tire w it h a t read patte rn
intended fo r use in a specific direction, p lease
note t he followi ng:
- The di rection of rotation is ma rked by an
ar­
row on the side of the t ire.
- If the s pare tire has to be inst alled in the in ­
correct di rection, use the spare tire only
temporarily since the t ire wi ll not be a ble to
achieve its optimum pe rformance character­
ist ics with regard t o aquaplani ng, noise and
wea r.
- We recommend that you pay particular at­
tent io n to this fact during wet weather and
t h at y ou adjust y our speed to matc h road
co ndi tions .
- Rep lace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your ve hicle as soon as
poss ible to restore the handling a dvan tages
of a uni direct io na l ti re.
Notes on wheel changing
Please re ad the inform ation ~ p age 206 , New
tires and repl acing tires and wheels
if you are
goi ng to use a s pare t ire which is different
from the tires on your ve hicle .
A ft er you ch ange a tire:
- Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
diately after installation .
- Have the wheel bolt tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as possible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. What do I do now? 223
- With steel and alloy wheel r ims, the wheel
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm).
- If you notice that the wheel bolts are cor­
roded and difficult to turn while changing
a tire, they should be replaced before you
check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible. Remount the wheel cover .
Until then , drive with extra care and at re­
duced speeds.
_& WARNING
- If you are goin g to e quip your ve hicle
wit h tires o r rims which differ from th ose
which were facto ry installed, then be
sure to r ead th e information
~ pag e 206,
N ew tir es and replacing tir es and
w heels.
- Always make sur e the d amag ed wh eel o r
ev en a fl at ti re a nd the j ack and t ool kit
a re pr operly se c u red in the lugg age co m­
partment and are not loose in the pas­
sen ger c omp artment.
- In an accide nt or su dde n maneuver they
co uld fly forw ard, in ju ring anyone in the
ve hicl e.
- Always s tore dama ged wheel, j ack and
to ols se curely in the lugg age comp art­
ment . Othe rwise, in an accident o r su d ­
den maneuver the y co uld fly forwa rd,
causing inju ry to passengers in the ve hi­
cle.
([) Note
Do not use comme rcially ava ila bl e tire
sea lants. Ot herwise , th e e lectr ica l compo­
nents of the tire pressu re monitoring sys­
tem* wi ll no l onge r wor k properly an d the
se nsor fo r th e tire pressur e mo nitor ing
syste m* will have to be replaced by quali­
fied wor kshop. •
•