2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN flat tire

Driving sa fety
,.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
,.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
,.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
sure or whe n you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety inc reases the risk of
ser ious persona l inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver sea ting po sition is impor tan t
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 217 Correc t seat ing posit ion
F or your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver 's seat to the following
position :
,.. Adjust the dr iver's seat so tha t you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor whi le
keeping your knee(s) s light ly
bent ¢ ,A.
,.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive.
,.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm ) between the
stee ring wheel and your breast bone
<=;> fig . 217 .
If not possib le, see you r autho rized Aud i dea l­
ersh ip about adaptive equipment .
250
,.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wh eel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face.
,.. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
,.. F or ad justab le head rest raints: Adjust the head
restraint so t he upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head . If that is not pos­
sible, t ry to adjust the head restraint so tha t it
is a s close to this pos it ion as poss ible . M ove the
he ad restraint so tha t it is as close to the back
o f the head as possible.
,.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
q page264 .
,.. Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at all times .
Fo r detail ed information on how to adjust the
dr iver's seat,
see ¢ page 59.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted , out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it unfo lds . To help re-
duce the risk of serio us pe rsonal i njury:
-Always adjust the driver's seat and the steer ing whee l so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between you r breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always ad just the driver's seat and the
steer ing whee l so that the re are at least
4 inch es (10 cm) between the knees a nd the
lower part of the ins trumen t panel.
-Always hold t he s teering wheel on the out­
side of t he steering wheel r im with yo ur
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the dr iver 's airbag inflates.
-Never hold the stee ring wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with you r hands at
other positions inside the steer ing whee l
rim o r on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
-
if the driver's airbag inflates . .,_

Drivin g saf ety
- After closing the rear lid, a lways make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave yo ur vehicle unattended espe­
c ia lly w ith the rear lid left open. A ch ild
could crawl into the ve hicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing t rapped in a veh icle can lead to se rious
persona l injury.
- Never let children play in or around the veh i­
cle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Ve hicle occupants m ust al­
ways be prope rly rest ra ined in one of the ve­
hicle's seating posi tions.
(D Tips
- A ir c irculat io n helps to reduce window fog­
g ing . Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents i n the t rim panel. Be s ure to
k eep these slots free and open.
- The t ire pressu re must correspond to the
l oad. The tire p ressure is shown on the tire
p ressure labe l. Th e tire pressu re labe l is lo ­
ca ted on t he driver 's s ide B-p illar. The tir e
p ressure labe l lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its max imum capacity weig ht and the t ires t hat
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond itions, please see chap­
ter
¢ page 341.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie -downs to secure luggage and other items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo proper ly
¢ page 255, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a col lision, the laws of p hysics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in­
jury. Items in t he ve hicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing o n a 10-lb
256
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item . This means that the weight
of the item would s udden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imag ine the in juries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
l is ion like t his.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or imp roper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fa il dur ing hard
b raking or in a coll is ion and cause ser io us pe r­
sona l injury .
- Always use s uitable mo unt ing st raps and
p roper ly sec ure i tems to the t ie -downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to help preven t
items from shifting or flying forward as dan ­
ge rous missi les .
- W hen the rear seat backrest is fo lded down,
a lways use s uitable mo unting straps and
properly sec ure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying forward as dangerous
m iss iles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a t ie-down.
-

Wheels
Wheels
Wheels and T ires
General information
~check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts, cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob ­
jects from the tire tread.
~ If driving over curbs 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.
_&. WARNING -
-Never drive faster than the maximum permitted speed
for your tires. This could cause
the tires to heat up too much.
This increases the risk of an
accident because it can cause
the tire to burst .
-Always adapt your driving to the road and traffic condi-
330
tions . Drive carefully and re­
duce your speed on icy or slip­
pery roads . Even winter tires
can lose traction on black ice.
(@ Note
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the conditions that are typical
i n those seasons . Aud i recom­
mends using winter tires dur­
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form
on the tread bars, resulting 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
t ions. The surface of the r ims
does not have sufficient corro­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam ­
aged by road salt or similar
substances.

Wheel s
0 US DOT number (TIN) and
manufacture date
T he manufacture date is listed on
the tire sidewall (it may only ap­
pear on the inner side of the tire) :
DOT ... 2217 ...
means, for example, that the tire
was produced in the 22nd week of
the year 2017.
@ Audi Original Tires
Audi Original equipment tires
with the designation
"AO" have
been specially matched to your
Audi. When used correctly, these
tires meet the highest standards
for safety and handling. An au ­
thorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility will be
able to provide you with more in­
formation.
® Mud and snow capability
"M/5" or "M+S" indicates the tire
is suitable for driving on mud and
snow.
& indicates a winter tire.
@ Composition of the tire cord
and materials
T he 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
332
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 t ire quality grade
standards for treadwear ,
traction and temperature resistance
Treadwear, traction and tempera­
ture ranges
q page 347 .
@ Running d ir e ction
The arrows indicate the running
direction of unidirectional tires.
You must always follow the speci­
fied running direction
q page 368 .
@ Maximum permitted
inflation pressu re
This number indicates the maxi­
mum pressure to which a tire can
be inflated under normal operat ­
ing condit ions.

u. a, ... N
" N ... 0 N > a:,
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
items a re available as factory- in­
stalled equipment (whether i n­
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 s idewall for improved steer­
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Wheel s
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom­
mended by the vehicle manufac ­
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilo­
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted .
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve­
hicle with standard equipment in­
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil , and coolant, air condi­
tioning and additional weight of
optional eq uipm ent .
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at highe r in­
flation pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire . Extra load
tires may be identified as "X L",
"xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on
the sidewall.
.,.
333

Wheel s
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR ")
means the load -carrying capacity
of a single axle system, measured
at the tire -ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(" GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded
weight of the vehicle .
Groove
means the space between two ad­
jacent tread ribs .
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a given in ­
flation pressure. You may not find
this information on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law .
Max imum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible infla­
tion pressure for that tire.
Ma ximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
33 4
Maximum (permissible)
inflation pressu re
means the maximum cold infla ­
tion pressure to which a t ire may
be inflated. A lso called "maxi­
mum inflat ion pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the number of occupants seated in the vehicle up to the to­
tal seating capacity of your vehi­
cle.
Occupant distribution
means distribution of occupants
in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an
inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance be­
tween the exteriors o f the side­
walls of an inflated tire , includ ing
elevations due to labeling, deco­ rations, or protective bands or
ribs .
Ply
means a layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords .

u. a, ... N
" N ... 0 N > a:,
Production options weight
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs.
(2.3 kg) in excess of those stand­
ard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb
weight or accessory we ight, in­
c luding heavy duty brakes, ride
levelers, roof rack, heavy duty
battery, and special trim .
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.
Recommended inflation
pressure
see ¢ page 333, Cold tire infla­
tion pressure .
Reinforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at h igher in ­
flat ion pressures than the corre­
sponding standard tire. Rein­
forced t ires may be identified as
"XL " "xl" "EXT RA LOA D" or "RF" , , ,
on the sidewall.
Wheels
Rim
means a metal 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 you change your
whee l size, you will have to pur ­
chase new tires to match the new
rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width .
Rim width
means nominal distance between
rim flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a ti re be ­
tween the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend­
ed periods of time . The rat ings
range from
93 mph (150 km/h)
to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢ table
on page 331.
You may no t find
this info rmat ion on all tires be­
cause it is not required by law.
T he speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates t he
11>
335

Wheels
maximum permissible road
speeds . See also ¢
A in General
information on page 330 .
Tire pressure monitoring
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 co ntact with the road.
Tread separat ion
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
pr incipal grooves designed to g ive
a vis ual indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 339, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measu r­
ing tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel ­
oped by the United States Nat ion­
a l Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration ( NHTSA) tha t is designed
to he lp buyers make relative com-
33 6
parisons among tires . The UTQG
is not a safety rat ing and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of miles (kilo meters) or perform in acer ­
t ain way . It simply g ives tire buy ­
ers add itiona l information to
combine with other considera ­
tions , such as price, brand loyalty
and dealer recommendations. U n­
de r UT QG, tires a re graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas: treadwear, tract ion, and tempera ­
ture res istance. The UTQG info r­
mation on the tires , molded into
the si dewalls .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number".
It beg ins with the letters
"DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets
all federal s tandards. The next
two numbers or le tters indicate
the plant whe re it was ma nufac ­
tured, and t he last four num bers
represent the week and year of
manufacture. Fo r example,
DOT ... 2217 .. .
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week o f 2017. The
other numbers are ma rketing co­
des that may or may not be used
~