2015 AUDI S3 flat tire

Tires and wheels 241
Tire pressure generally refers to tant things you can do to help
the amount of air in a tire that avoid sudden tire failure. Un-it needs it to do its job and derinflated tires are a major
safely carry the combined load cause of sudden tire failure. of the entire vehicle and its con- Keeping tires at the right pres-
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tents. Tire pressure is measured sure is also important for safe
in kilopascals (kPa), the inter- and responsive vehicle han-
national measuring unit and in dling, traction, braking and
pounds per square inch (PSI) . load carrying.
Tire pressures
Tire pressure is based in part on are particularly important
the vehicles design and load when the vehicle is being driv-
limit - the greatest amount of en at higher speeds, and then
weight that the vehicle can car -especially when heavily loaded
ry safely and the tire size. The even within the permissible
proper tire pressure is frequent-load-carrying capacities ap-
ly referred to as the "recom-proved for your vehicle.
mended cold tire inflation pres-
The recommended tire pres-
sure." Air in the tires expands sures for your Audi depend on
when the tire heats up because the kind of tires on your vehicle
of internal friction when it flex- and the number of passengers
es in use. The tire pressure is and/or amount of luggage you
higher when the tire has will be transporting.
warmed up than when it is The tire pressure label is locat-
"cold." It is the inflation pres-
ed on the driver's side B-pillar.
sure in a "cold" tire that counts.
Therefore, you should never let The tire pressure label lists the
recommended cold tire infla-
air out of a warm tire to match
"cold tire inflation pressure" tion pressures for the vehicle at
its maximum capacity weight
recommendations. The tires
would then be underinflated and tires that were on your ve
-
and could fail suddenly. hicle at the time it was manu-
' M factured
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sure is one of the most impor-1.1'1
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242 Tires and wheel s
If you wish to improve comfort See the illustration c::;, fig. 168
when operating the vehicle at for the locati on of the labe l on
normal load (up to 3 occu -driver's side B-pillar (color of
pants), you can adjust tire the actual label and exact loca-
pressures to those specified tion on the vehic le will vary
for normal vehicle load. Before slight ly) .
operat ing the vehicle at maxi -Note that the following table is
mum load , you must increase accurate at the time of going to
the ti re pressu res to those press and is subject to change .
specified for maximum vehicle In the event of discrepancies,
load c::;, &. the tire pressure labe l is locat-
Bear in mind that the tire pres- ed on the driver's side 8-pi llar
sure monitoring system can on -always takes precedence .
ly monitor the tire pressures The table below lists the rec-
you have stored . The system
ommended cold tire inflation
does not recogn ize the load
pressures for the Audi model
condition of your vehic le.
covered by your Owner's Litera-
T he effectiveness of the tire ture at the vehicle's capacity
pressure monitoring system weight and the tire sizes instal -
will be impaired if you store led on the respective mode ls as
normal load pressures but then original equipment, or as a fac-
operate the vehicle at its maxi- tory option.
...
mum load c::;, & .

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-Always make sure that the total load being transported - including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle heavier than the vehicles
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing.
_& WARNING
- Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
lead to a serious or fatal ac­
cident.
- Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation cause
increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the
vehicle.
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinflation can
also lead to sudden tire fail­ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus­ ing loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 245
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the
tires originally installed on
your vehicle is listed on the tire pressure label located on driv­ er's side 8-pillar.
The recommended tire pres­
sures are on the tire pressure label and in the table
¢ page 240~ Cold tire inflation
pressure.
This means that the
pressure must be checked and
adjusted when the tire has not
been driven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous
three hours. Air in the tires ex­ pands when the tire heats up as
a result of internal friction as it
flexes in use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire has
warmed up than when it is "cold ."
It is the inflation pressure in a
"cold" tire that counts. There­
fore, you should never let air
out of a warm tire to match
"Cold tire inflation pressure" recommendations ¢
page 240.
The tires would then be under­
inflated and could fail sudden­
ly .
...
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246 Tires and wheels
The tire pressure label on your sures. Check all of the tires and
Audi lists the recommended be sure not to forget the spare cold tire inflation pressures at tire. If the pressure in any tire is
maximum capacity for the new, too high when the tire is "cold,"
original equipment tires that let air out of the tire slowly
were on your vehicle at the time with the edge of the tire gauge
it was manufactured. For the and keep checking the pressure
location of the label until you reach the pressure
¢ page 240, fig. 168. that is correct for the load (pas-
Most tires lose air naturally sengers and luggage) and
kind
over time. They can also lose of driving you plan to do.
some air if you drive over a pot- If the pressure in any tire is too
hole or hit a curb while parking. low, note the difference be-
It is usually not possible to see tween the pressure in the cold
whether the radial tires used tire and the pressure you need
today are underinflated just by and add the air that you need to
looking at them. reach the correct pressure for
Therefore, be sure to check tire the vehicle
load (passengers
pressures at least once a month and luggage) for the tires on
and always before going on a your vehicle as listed on the on
long trip. Make sure to take the your vehicle and in this manual
number of people and the and the kind of driving you plan
amount of luggage into ac- to do.
count when adjusting tire pres-
Never exceed the maximum in-
sure for a trip -even one that flation pressure listed on the
you would not consider to be tire sidewall for any reason.
"long." See ¢page 249, Tires Remember that the vehicle
and vehicle load limits for more
manufacturer, not the tire man-
important information. ufacturer, determines the cor-
Always use an accurate tire rect tire pressure for the tires pressure gauge when checking on your vehicle.
..
and adjusting inflation pres-

Tires and wheels 24 7
It is important to check the tire sure for the spare wheel
pressure when the tires are
¢page 268.
cold.
When should I adjust the
-Read the required tire pres-tire pressures?
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sure from the tire pressure la-
Adjust the tire pressure to the •
•
bel. The tire pressure label is load you are carrying. After
located on the driver's side B- changing a wheel
or replacing
pillar. wheels you have to adjust the
-Turn the valve stem cap coun- tire pressures on all wheels. In
ter-clockwise to remove it addition, you must then store
from the tire valve. the new tire pressures in the
-Place the air pressure gauge tire pressure monitoring sys-
on the valve. tern
¢ page 264.
-The tire pressures should only
A WARNING
be checked and adjusted when
Incorrect tire pressures and/
the tires are cold . The slightly
or underinflation can lead
raised pressures of warm tires
sudden tire failure, loss of
must not be reduced.
control, collision, serious per-
-Adjust the tire pressure to the
sonal injury or even death.
load you are carrying.
-When the warning symbol
-Reinstall the valve stem cap
RI] appears in the instru-
on the valve.
ment cluster, stop and in-
When should I check the tire spect the tires.
pressure? -Incorrect tire pressure and/
The correct tire pressure is es- or underinflation can cause
pecially important at high increased tire wear and can
speeds. The pressure should affect the handling of the
therefore be checked at least vehicle and stopping ability.
once a month and always be- -Incorrect tire pressures
fore start ing a journey. Do not
and/or underinflation can
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248 Tires and wheels
also lead to sudden tire fail­ure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, caus­ ing loss of vehicle control.
-The driver is responsible for the correct tire pressures for
all tires on the vehicle. The
applicable pressure values
are located on a sticker on
the driver's side B-pillar.
-Only when all tires on the vehicle are filled to the cor­
rect pressure, the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can
work correctly.
-The use of incorrect tire
pressure values can lead to
accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that
the driver observe the speci­
fied tire pressure values for
the tires and the correct
pressures for the function of
the tire pressure monitoring
system.
-Always inflate tires to the recommended and correct
tire pressure before driving off.
- Driving with underinflated
tires bend more, letting
them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure and loss of con­
trol.
-Excessive speed and/over­
loading can cause heat
build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
-If the tire pressure is too
low or too high, the tires
will wear prematurely and the vehicle will not handle
well.
-If the tire is not flat and you
do not have to change a
wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the near­
est service station to check
the tire pressure and add air
as required.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem
caps can cause damage to
the tire valves . To prevent
this, always make sure that
factory installed valve stem caps on all wheels are secure­ly mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also
increase the fuel consump­
tion .

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Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehi­
cle and any tire can carry. Ave­
hicle that is overloaded will not
handle well and is more diffi­
cult to stop. Overloading can
not only lead to loss of vehicle
control, but can also damage
important parts of the vehicle
and can lead to sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and
sudden deflation that can cause
the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your
passengers also depends on
making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and every­
thing in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical­
ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the
weight of the basic vehicle, all
factory installed accessories, a
full tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus maximum
load. The maximum load in­
cludes the number of passen­
gers that the vehicle is intend-
Tires and wheels 249
ed to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of 1
SO 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 135, 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 ""
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250 Tires and wheels
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
q page 240, fig. 168 .
_& 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 ve­hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of the
loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may
not be able to stop the vehi­
cle within a safe distance . -Tires
on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail
suddenly, including a blow­
out and sudden deflation,
causing loss of control and a
crash.
-Always make sure that the
total load being transported
- including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicles
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing .
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to cal ­
culate the total weight of the
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­ port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX .,..