2015 AUDI S3 ESP

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~ Clamp the charger terminal clamps as in ­
structed on the
b atter y ter min al (+ ) and on­
ly on the
body ground point (·).
~ Only now plug the mains lead for the charg­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on
c:> ,.&. .
~ Mak e sure the charging rate i s not o ver
30 amp s / 14.8 Volt .
~ When the batte ry is fully charged: Turn the
c harging equ ipment off a nd remove the
mains lead from the wall outle t.
~ Now remove the clamps for the charging
equipment.
~ Close the red cover on the positive po le.
~ Close the hood <=> page 219.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of on ly 32 F
0 (0 °C). A llow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempt ing to
charge it
c:> &. . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery cas ing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid.
B atter y ch arging (Ma ximum charging rate
of
30 amps / 14.8 Volt)
When cha rging at low voltages (e .g. w ith a
tric kle charger ), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first. The batte ry
caps sho uld
not be opened when charging a
battery .
It is not necessary to remove the batte ry from
the luggage compa rtment, and it is also not
necessa ry to disconnec t the cables.
Fa st charging the b attery (charging rate
above
14.8 Volts )
For technica l reasons do not use a battery
charger that uses voltage g reate r than
14.8 Volts to charge your veh icle's battery.
WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Always fo llow the oper ating instructions
provided by the battery charge r manu­
fact urer when charging your battery.
Checking and Fillin g 231
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze.
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explos ive.
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is ope rat ing.
- Fast charging a batte ry is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent techn ic ian with the prope r equip­
ment.
- Battery acid that may spi ll dur ing cha rg­
ing should be washed off wi th a solut io n
of wa rm w ater and baking soda to neu­
trali ze the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast cha rger as a boost er to
star t the engine. This w ill ser iously dam­
age sens it ive e lectronic componen ts, su ch
as cont ro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip ­
ment battery.
Inte lligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e is responsible for dist ributing the elect ri­
ca l energy throughout yo ur vehicle
<=> page 194 . The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem . To make sure the additional electrical en­
ergy is ava ilab le once again after you have
changed the batte ry, we recommend that you
insta ll batteries of the same type and manu-
factu re on ly (the same as those installed at
IJI,,
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234 Tires and wheels
and make of tire and the tread
pattern.
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is of­
ten not readily visible. If you
notice unusual vibration or the
vehicle pulls to one side, this may indicate that one of the
tires has been damaged . The
tires must be checked immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the
sidewall, that point in the direc­
tion the tire is designed to ro­
tate. You must follow the speci­
fied direction of rotation. This is
necessary so that these tires
can develop their optimum
characteristics regarding grip,
road noise, wear and hydro­
planing resistance. For more in­
formation
¢page 274.
&_ WARNING
New tires or tires that are
old, worn or damaged cannot provide maximum control
and braking ability. -New
tires tend to be slip­
pery and must also be bro­
ken-in. To reduce the risk of
losing control, a collision
and serious personal inju­
ries, drive with special care
for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or dam­ aged tires can lead to loss of
control, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and
sudden deflation, crashes
and serious personal inju­ries. Have worn or damaged
tires replaced immediately.
-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 low speed.
-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.
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-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 de­
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea­
sons. Audi recommends us­ing winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem­ peratures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 235
If summer tires are used in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in perma­
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi­
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi­
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma­
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
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Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­ matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac­
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indi­
cate a low sidewall for im­ proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.
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236 Tires a nd whee ls
Bead Extra load tire
means the part of the tire that means a tire design to operate
is made of steel wires, wrapped at higher loads and at higher
or reinforced by p ly cords and inflation pressures than the
that is shaped to fit the rim . corresponding standard tire .
Bead separation Extra load tires may be identi-
fied as "XL", "xl", " EXTRA
means a breakdown of the bond LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
between components in the
bead .
Gross A xle Weight Rating
(" GAWR ")
Cord
means the load-carrying capaci-
means the strands forming the ty of a single axle system,
p lies in the tire .
measured at the tire-ground in-
Cold tire inflation pressure terfaces.
means the tire pressure recom-
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
mended by the vehicle manu-( "GVWR ")
facturer for a t ire of a designat-
means the maximum total
ed size that has not been driven loaded weight of the vehicle.
for more than a couple of miles
Groove
(kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before means the space between two
the tire pressure is measured or adjacent tread ribs.
adjusted.
Load rating (code )
Curb weight
means the max imum load that
means the weight of a motor a tire
is rated to carry for a giv-
vehicle with standard equip -en inflation pressure
. You may
ment including the maximum not find th
is information on all
capacity of fuel, oil, and cool- tires because it is not required
ant, air condit ioning and addi- by law.
...
tional weight of optional equip-
ment.

238 Tires a nd whee ls
Recommended inflation
pressure
see c:::> page 236, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure.
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate
at higher loads and at higher
inflation pressures than the
corresponding standard t ire .
Reinforced tires may be identi ­
fied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Rim
means a meta l support for a
tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are
seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If yo u change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new t ires to ma tch the
new rim d iameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance be­
tween rim flanges.
Sidewall
means that por tion of a tire be­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at wh ich a tire
is designed to be driven for ex­
tended periods of time . The rat­
ings range from 93 mph
( 1 50 km/h) to 186 mph
( 2 98 km/h)
c:::> page 257 . You
may not find th is informat ion
on all tires because it is not re­
quired by law.
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the ti re sidewall and ind icates
the maximum permissible road
speeds
c:::> & in Winter tires on
page 261.
Tire pressure monitoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehic le's
tires a re underinflated an d ill u­
m inates a low tire press ure
warn ing telltale.
Tread
means that por tion of a tire
that comes into contact with
the road.

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
. • N
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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::;, & .

244 Tires and wheels
The correct tire pressure for the
spare wheel is located on a la­
bel on the driver's side 8-pillar .
Because technical changes may
be made to vehicle equipment
during the model year, always
compare the tire size designa­
tion on the tire pressure label
on your vehicle with the tires on
your vehicle. Make sure that the
tire size information on the ve­
hicle label is the same as the
size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if
the vehicle belongs to someone else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ­
ously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and
that of your passengers also de­
pends on making sure that load
limits are not exceeded. Vehicle
load includes everybody and ev­
erything in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical­
ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR"). The Gross Axle
Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can be ap­
plied 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 stick­
er label located on the driver's
side 8-pillar.
The tire pressure
label on your Audi lists the
maximum combined weight of
all of the occupants and lug­ gage or other cargo that the ve­
hicle can carry. For the location
of the tire pressure label
~fig. 168.
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 a
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 causing loss of
control and a crash.