2016 AUDI A3 run flat

,..., N 0 > 00 ,..., \D Ln ,..., \D ....
Tires and wheels
Wheels
General information
... Check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob­
jects from the tire tread.
.,. If driving over c urbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap ­
proach the curb at an angle.
.,.Have faulty tires or rims re­
placed immediately.
... Protect your tires from oil,
grease and fuel.
.,.Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
... Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry location
with as little exposure to light as possible.
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons. Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ ­
er tires, which affects traction
Tires and wheels
and braking ab ility. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, result ing in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi­
tions. The surface of the rims does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­
aged by road salt or sim ilar
substances.
Ti re designations
Fig. 202 Tire specification codes on the
sidewall of a tire .,.
253

be happy to provide more infor­
mation.
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5 " or "M+S" indicates the tire
has character istics that make it
suitable for driving on mud and
snow .
& indicates a winter tire .
@Composition of the tire cord
and materials
The number of plies indicates the
number of rubberized fabric lay­
ers in the tire. In general: the
more layers , the more weight a
tire can carry . Tire manufacturers
must also specify the materials
used in the tire. These include
steel, nylon, polyester and other
materials.
@ Maximum permitted load
This number indicates the maxi­
mum load in kilograms and
pounds that the tire can carry.
@ Uniform tire quality grade
standards for treadwear ,
traction and temperature
resistance
Tread wear, traction and temper ­
ature ranges
¢ page 271.
~ @ Running direction
g
~ ...
'° V, ....
'° ....
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirect ional tires .
Tires and wheels
You must always follow the speci­
fied runn ing d irection
¢ page 288 .
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressure
This number ind icates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated unde r normal operat ­
ing conditions.
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 steer­
ing , power brakes, power win­
dows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
i tems are available as facto ry-in­
stalled equipment (whether in ­
stalled or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent .
Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewa ll for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement. .,.
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different tire speeds. For this rea­son, 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.
Tires and wheels
-Only use tires that are more
than 6 years old when abso­ 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 al­low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 203 Tire profile: tread wear 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. ..
261

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., Indicator lights
IE-Loss of pressure in at least one tire c::> ,&.
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires. Then
store the tire pressures in the MMI
c::> page 2 73 .
mm (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure: System malfunction!.
If m appears
after switching the ignition on or whi le driving
and the
IE indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks for approximately one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
store the correct tire pressures
c::> page 2 73. If
the indicator light does not turn off or turns on
again after a short period of time, drive to an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor­
rected.
A WARNING
- If the tire pressure warning light IE in the
instrument cluster turns on, the pressure in
one or more tires is too low . Reduce the ve­
hicle speed immediately and avoid any hard
steering or braking maneuvers. Stop as soon
as possible, check the tire and inflate the
t ir e to the correct pressure, which is speci­
fied on the tire pressure label on the veh icle
c::> page 263. Driving with a ti re with low
pressure causes the tire to overheat and can
result in failure of the tire. Low pressure can
also have a negative effect on the driving
and braking behavior of the vehicle .
- Th e driver is responsible for maintaining the
correct tire pressures. You must check the
tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driv ing style, winter conditions or unpaved
roads), the pressure monitor indicator may
be delayed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle . Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
vehicle damage or accidents.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system can al ­
so stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
Tires and wheels
-Using snow chains may result in a system
ma lfunction.
- The tires with the identification "AO" or
"RO"
c::> page 260 have been matched with
your Audi tire pressure monitoring system .
We recommend that you use these tires.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can on­
ly monitor the tire pressure of the driving
tires. Check the tire pressure of the spare
wheel in the luggage compartment so that if necessary it is ready for use.
Storing tire pressures
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure mon itor ing system
A change in tire pressure or a change in tires
must be stored in the system.
The tire pressure is stored in the MMI.
.,. Make sure befo re storing that the tire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified va lues and
are adapted to the load. Otherwise the system
could malfunction
c::> page 263.
.. Switch on the ign ition.
.,.. Select: the I MENU I button> Car> Systems "
control button > Service & control > Tire pres­
sure monitor > Store tire pressure > Yes, store
now .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow chains
a re installed . Otherwise the system could
malfunction.
273

Emerg ency assis ta nce
Emergency assistance
Trunk escape latch
Applies to veh icles: with trunk escape latch
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk escape
latch.
Fig. 207 luggage compartment: Trunk escape latch
.,. Push the latch in the direction of the arrow un­
ti l the lock releases.
The trunk escape latch inside the rear lid is made
of fluo rescent mater ial to g low in the dark.
_& WARNING
The trunk escape latch is to be used only in an
emergency .
General information
.,. Park the vehicle as far as poss ible from moving
t raff ic in the event of a flat tire. In the event of
a f lat t ire, park the vehicle on a level surface. It
you are on a steep incline, be especia lly careful.
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. Place the selector lever in the P pos ition .
.,. Switch the emergency flashers on.
.,. Put on a reflective vest, if available .
.,. Set up the warn ing triangle, if available .
.,. Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
should move to a safe place, for example be­
hind a guard rail.
_& WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above. They a re for
your protection and the for the safety of other
drivers.
280
Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to vehicles: with vehicle tool kit
Fig. 208 luggage compartment (example): vehicle tool kit,
t ire mobility kit and vehicle jack* placement
Fig. 209 luggage compartment: cargo floor fo lded up (A3
Spo rtback top, A3 sedan bottom)
Plug-in hybrid drive*: the placement var ies
<>page 107 .
The vehicle tool kit, tire mobility kit* and the
compressor* are located in the luggage compart­
ment. Part of it is sto red in the s ide tr im pan­
el @ * or @ and another part is under the cargo
floor cover ©¢
fig. 208.
C argo floor cove r
.,. A3 Sportback: lift up the cargo floor with the
plastic handle © until it is clamped behind

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., 9. In the veh icle that is being jump started,
switch the heater fan and rear window de­
froster on to reduce any voltage peaks that
may occur when disconnecting the jumper
cab les. The he adlights must be switched off.
10 . With the engines running, remove the cables
i n
reverse order of the way they were instal­
l ed . Make sure the cables do not get caught
in mov ing engine components.
11. Sw itch the heater fan and rear w indow de-
froster off.
12. Close the battery cover .
The battery is vented to the o utside so that not
gases enter the passenger compartment. Make
sure that the connected positive terminal clamps
on the jump start cab le have sufficient contact
with m etal.
.&_ WARNING
Follow the warnings and instructions from
the jump start cable manufacturer to reduce
the risk of serious injuries and vehicle dam­
age. If you are unsure about anything, call
roads ide assistance.
- The jump start cables must be long enough
so that the veh icles do not touch .
-
-Route the jump start cables so they cannot
get caught in the moving parts in the engine
compartment .
- Always read and follow the warnings before
check ing anything in the engine compart­
me nt ¢
page 236.
Connecting jump start cables incorrectly can
destroy the alternator .
- Always connect the positive terminal(+) to
the positive term inal( +) and the negative
term inal(-) to the negat ive termi nal( -) on
the body ground po int, but not the negative
te rminal on t he battery.
- Make sure the screw plugs on the battery
ce lls are installed securely .
If not, tighten
the p lugs before connecting the clamps to
the negat ive termina l on the battery.
- Please note that the connecting p rocess de­
scribed below for the j ump start cables is in-
Emergency s ituatio ns
tended for when your vehicle is be ing j ump
started.
If you are jump starting another ve­
hicle, do not connect the negat ive cab le to
the negative term inal( -) on the dra ined
battery, but rather connect it to a large
metal component that is bolted secure ly to
the engine block, or to the engi ne b lock it­
self . If the batte ry in the veh icle being jump
s tarted is not ven ted to the outside, there is
a risk of explos ion due to hyd rogen gas .
- Make sure that the connected pos itive ter­
m inal clamps have suff ic ien t conta ct with
metal.
- Do not use the battery negative terminal for
jump starting or a m alfunction co ul d o ccur
in the vehicle e lectrica l system.
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for towing.
T he following information is to be used by com ­
mercial tow truck operators who know how to op­
e rate th eir equipment safely.
- Ne ver tow your Audi. Towing will caus e dam­
age to the engine and tr ansmi ssion.
- Neve r wrap th e safety ch ains or win ch c able s
a round the brake lin es.
- To pr event unn ecess ary damag e, your Audi
must be tran sport ed with a flat bed tru ck.
- To load th e ve hicl e on to the flat bed, use the
towin g loop found in the v ehicle tools and at ­
t ac h t o the front o r rea r anchorage
¢ page 298 and ¢ page 298 .
.&_ WARNING ~
A vehicle being towed is not safe for passen-
gers. Never allow anyone to ride in a vehicle
being towed, for any reason.
297