2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN flat tire

"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" , , ,
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim di ameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur­
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size de signation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges.
Side wall
means that portion of a tire be ­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at which a t ire is
designed to be driven for extend ­
ed periods of time . The ratings
range from 93 mph ( 150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)¢
table
on page 215.
You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Tires and wheels
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum permissible road
speeds
¢ .& in Winter tires on
page 229 .
Tire pressure mon itoring
system *
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi ­
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale .
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI )
means the projections w ithin the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 223, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur­
ing tire wear .
219
...

Occupant loading and distri­
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating
capacities
Refer to the tire inflation pressure
labe l
c:::> page 224, fig. 171 for
the number of seating positions .
Refer to the table
c:::> table on
page 226
for the number of peo ­
ple that correspond to the vehicle
normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work on tires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dea ler or au ­
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper knowledge and are equ ipped with
the required tools and replace­
ment parts .
.,,. New tires do not yet have the
opt imum adhesion properties .
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 350 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
.,,. Use tires of the same construc­
tion, size (rolling circumference)
and as close to the same tread pattern as possible on all four
wheels .
Tires a nd whe els
.,,. Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace both tires on the same axle at the same time .
.,,. Audi recommends that you use
Audi Original equipment tires. If
you would like to use different
tires, please note that the tires
may perform different ly even if
they are the same size
c:::> ,& .
.,,. If you would like to equip your
vehicle with a tire/rim combina­
tion that is different from what
was installed at the factory, con­ sult with an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before making a pur­
chase
c:::> ..1,. .
The spare tire* is different from
the regular tires installed on the
vehicle -for example, if winter
tires or wide tires are installed -
then only use the spare tire* tem­
porarily in case of emergency and
drive carefully while it is in use. It
should be replaced with a regular
tire as soon as possible.
On
all wheel d riv e vehicles, all
four wheels must be equipped
with tires that are the same brand
and have the same construction
and tread pattern so that the drive system is not damaged by
22 1

Tires and wheels
different tire speeds. For this rea­
son, in case of emergency, only
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular tires.
.&,. WARNING -
-Only use tire/rim combina­
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not
possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles - in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size . If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso-
222
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when not permitted can lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 169 Tire profil e: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
..

.&_ WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire pressure ¢
page 224 and load
limits¢
page 227.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry . A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop .
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­ ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­ cle's
Gro ss Vehicle We ight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
Tires and wheels
plus maximum load . The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in ­
tended to carry ("seating capac i­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion 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 includ­ ed as part of the vehicle load.
The
Gross Ax le Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two ax les.
T he fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi ­
cle Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehic le (inc luding
the weight of a trai ler hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard we ights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as luggage.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
and the Gross Axle Weight Rating .,..
227

Tires and wheels
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B-pillar
¢ page 224,
fig. 170 .
& WAR NING
-
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other acc ident, serious per­
sonal injury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and in­ crease the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance .
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­ tal load being transported -
inc luding the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
228
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload ­
ed.
Step s for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WE IGHT OF OCCU ­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
L BS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 224, fig . 170 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the drive r and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehic le.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers
from "XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 224, fig . 170 .
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity . For ex­
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs . and there will ...

Tires and wheel s
-Always adapt your driving to the road and
traff ic conditions. Dr ive carefully and red uce
yo ur speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter tires can lose tract io n on black ice .
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinstall summer tires at the appropriate
time, because they provide better handling
when roads are free of snow a nd ice. Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fuel
consumptio n.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
w inte r tires. Please note that in some coun­
t ries w here winter tires are requ ired, on ly win­
t er tire s wi th the .& symbol may be pe rm it­
t ed.
Snow chains
Snow chains improve traction in the snow .
.,. Only install snow chains on the front wheels.
Th is applies also to veh icles with all wheel
drive* .
.,. Ch eck and correct the seating of th e snow
c h ains if necessa ry afte r dri ving a few feet. Fo l­
l ow the ins tructions from the manuf acturer.
.,. Note t he max imum permit ted speed w hen driv ­
ing with snow chains . Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h).
Snow chains not only improve the
driving in win ­
ter road conditions, but a lso t he
braking .
Use of s now chai ns is o nly pe rm itted with certa in
r im/t ire comb ina tion s due to techn ica l reason s.
Chec k w ith an au thori zed A udi d ealer or au tho r­
ized A udi Service Facility to see if yo u may use
snow cha ins.
Use
fine -mesh snow chain s. They mus t not add
mo re th an 0 .5 3 inch ( 13.S mm) in height, in clu d­
ing the chain lock.
You must remove the chai ns when dr iv ing on
roads tha t are
free of snow. W hen r oads are free
of snow, snow chains can imp air handling an d
230
'
damage the tires, and the chains wi ll quick ly be
dest royed.
A WARNING
Using incorrect snow chains o r insta lling snow
cha ins incor rectly can res ult in loss of veh icle
c o ntrol, which increases the risk of an acc i­
dent.
(D Note
- Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
cove rs* if the c hains come into direct c on­
tact with them. Remove the wheel covers*
first . Use coa ted snow cha ins.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is fac to ry-eq uipped w ith low aspect ra­
t io t ires. These t ires have been thoroug hly tes ted
a nd been sele cted specifi ca lly f or your mode l for
the ir su perb pe rformance, r oad fee l and h andlin g
u nder a var iety of dr iv ing con ditions. As k your au ­
t h orized Aud i dea le r fo r more details .
The low aspe ct ratio of these tires is ind icated by
a n umer al of
55 or less in the t ire's s ize design a­
tion . The nume ral represents the ratio of the
ti re's si dewall height in relatio n to its tread width
expressed i n pe rcentage. Conventional tires have
a height/width rat io o f 60 o r more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tire s is par­
ticularly sensitive to imprope r inflation pres­
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should be checked at least once a month and always
b efor e a long trip
Q page 224 .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect rat io tires can be damaged mo re eas i­
l y by impact w ith potho les, c urbs , g ull ies o r
r idges on t he road, pa rti cularly if th e tire is un ­
der i nflated.

M N
0 > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1
1.1'1
1.1'1
,....,
In o rder to m inim ize the occu rrence o f impac t
damage to the t ires of your vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following precau ­
tions :
- Always maintain recommended in flat ion p res ­
s ur es . Check yo ur tire p ress ure every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary.
- Drive carefu lly on roa ds with potholes, deep
gul lies or ridges. The impact from driving
th ro ugh or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may also cause damage to your tires.
- After any impact, immediately inspect your
tires or have them inspected by the nearest a u­
thorized Aud i dea ler . Replace a damaged tire as
soon as poss ible .
- Inspect your t ires every 2,000 miles (3 ,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always
easy to see. Damage can lead to loss of a ir and
underinflation, which cou ld eventually cause
t ir e fa il ur e.
If yo u be lieve that a ti re may h ave
been d amaged, rep lace the tire as soon as pos­
s ible.
= T hese tires m ay we ar m ore q uic kly than ot hers.
- Please a lso remember that, wh ile thes e tir es
deliver respons ive handling, t hey may ride less
c o m fort ably and m ake more noise t han other
cho ices .
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
All t ires are des igned for cert ain purposes. The
l ow aspec t ratio, u ltra high per formance tires
originally insta lled on yo ur vehicle a re intended
for maximum dry and wet road perfo rmance an d
h andling. They are not suitable for cold, snowy or
icy weather cond it ions . If you drive under those
circumstances , you should equip your vehicle
w ith a ll-season or winter tires , which offer better
traction under those cond itions . We suggest you
use the re commended snow o r a ll-s eason t ires
specified fo r you r vehicle , or the ir eq uivalent.
Refe r to ¢
page 229 for mo re deta iled informa ­
tion regard ing winter tires .
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
Tires and wheels
- Traction AA A B C
- Temper ature A BC
Quali ty g rades can be found where applicab le on
t h e tire side wa ll between tread shoulder a nd
max imum sec tion wid th
~ page 214, fig . 168.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem ­
perature
A.
All passenger car t ires must conform to Federa l
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear g rade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
u nder contro lled c onditions on a specified gov­
ernment test course.
F or example, a tire gra ded 15 0 wo uld wear one
and one half (1 1/2) times as we ll on the govern­
ment course as a t ire g raded 100.
T he re lative per forman ce of tires depends upon
t h e actual cond itions of thei r use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driv ing habits, service p ract ices and
differences in road c haracteristics and climate.
Traction
T he traction gra des, from highest to lowest, are
AA , A , Ban d
C. Those g rades represent t he tire's
ability to stop on wet pavement as meas ured un­
der contro lled conditions on specified govern­
ment test s urfaces of asphalt a nd c oncrete . A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
~ A .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the t ire's resistance to the
generation of heat a nd its ability to diss ipate
heat when tested u nder cont ro lled conditions on
a spec ified indoor labora to ry test wheel.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the mate­
ria l of the tire to degenerate and reduce ti re life,
and excess ive temperature can lead to s udden
t ir e fail ure¢ ,&. . .,,.
231

Tires and wheels
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un­
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher levels
of pe rformance 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, cor­
nering, hydroplaning or peak traction charac­
teristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab­
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separate ly or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
A WARNING
Temperature grades apply to tires that are properly inflated and not over or underinflat ­
ed .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
CD General notes
Applies to veh icles: w ith tire pressure monitoring system
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat ­
ed to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or
tire inflation pressure label.
(If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure la­
bel, you should determine the proper tire infla­
tion pressure for those tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant ­
ly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
232
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a signifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over­
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop ­
ping ability .
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low t ire
pressure tel ltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start -ups as long as the ma l­
function exists .
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more t ires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly .