AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owners Manual

Active rollover protection system
Function
The active rollover protection system helps
protect vehicle occupants in the event of a
rollover.
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Fig . 106 Rollbar deployment range
Fig. 107 Rollbar deployed
The active rollover protection system cons ists
of:
- two rollbars
- the safety belts with belt tens ioners
- the windshield frame
- the rollover sensors .
The active rollover protection system provides
additional safety in the event of a rollover.
W ith in mill iseconds, sensors deploy two roll­
bars located behind the headrests
¢fig . 107.
The rollbars, reinforced windshield frame and
belt tensioners help protect vehicle occupants
in the event of a rollover.
The rollover protection system functions
when the convertible top is both open and
closed.
Dr ivin g Sa fely 99
A WARNING
Do not use the area behind the headrests
¢ fig. 106 as a storage area . This is the
area where the rollbars deploy .
If the roll­
over protection system is triggered, ob­
jects placed there can be prope lled
through the vehicle and make it more diffi­
cult for the rollbars to dep loy. This inc reas­
es the risk for serious or life -threatening
i njuries.
When is rollover protection deployed?
Rollover protection deploys in a collision or
rollover .
Depending on the colli sion, sensors through­
out the vehicle a nd the contro l module trigge r
the rollover system to deploy.
For safety reasons, rollover protection also de­
ploys during front, side a nd rear co llisions
above a certa in level of sever ity.
Retracting rollover protection
Fig . 1 08 Dep loyed rollbar with release loop
Fig. 109 Deployed rollbar with convert ible top frame
facing upward
If t he ro llbars deployed but the vehicle was
not involved in a collision or rollover, you can
Ill-

100 Driving Saf ely
retract them without specia l tools . The sys­
tem is ready for use again once they are re­
tracted.
"" Remove the w ind deflector, if necessary
¢ page 42.
"" Lower the rear window, if necessary
¢page 43.
"" Pull the loop upward in the direction of the
arrow and hold it in place
(D ¢ fig. 108.
"" Slide the rollbar down@¢&, .
"" Release the loop just before the rollbar
reaches its end position 1-2 in. (3-5 cm) .
"" Press the rollbar dow n firm ly until it stops.
"" Make sure the rollbar is secure before re­
leasing it .
"" Close the cover@¢
fig. 109.
"" Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar.
A WARNING
-
- Make sure your head or other parts of
your body are not located in the area above the rollbar when pressing the roll­
bar down. If the rollbar is not secured
co rrectly, it could dep loy again as soon as
yo u r elease it and ca use i nju ries.
- Have the rollover protection system
checked by your au thorized Audi dealer if
i t malfunct ions. Otherwise the system
may not deploy co rrec tly in a co llision.
- Modifying the ro llover p rotection system
o r individ ua l components is not permi t­
ted.
- Work on t he rollover pro tect io n sys tem
sho uld only be performed by your au­
thori zed Aud i dea le r. Othe rwise the sys ­
tem may not function correct ly in a colli­
sion or it could dep loy unexpected ly .
- Have the system inspected at service in ­
tervals. This ens ures the system will a l­
ways be ready for use. Have yo ur autho r­
ized Audi dea ler check the rollover pro­
tection system every two years at the lat­
est.
If the rollbars dep loy when the convert ib le
top is closed, do not open the top. Doing so cou
ld result in damage to the vehicle.
P lease see your authorized A udi dealer for
ass istance.

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapte r exp lains why safety be lts a re nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se­
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci­
de nts . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
imp aired perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi R8 has two seating posit ions in the
front. Each seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
im proper ly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in ju ry and death.
- Never st rap more than one person, in­
clu ding small ch ild ren, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- Never let mo re people ride in t he ve hicle
t h an t he re are safety be lts ava ilable.
Sa fety belts 1 O 1
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fe­
ty belt or child restra int.
4 Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling up .
Fig. 1 10 Safety be lt warn ing lig ht in the instr ume nt
cl uster -enla rged
Before driv ing off, always :
~ Fasten your safe ty be lt and make su re you
wear it p roperly.
~ Ma ke s ure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and wear their safety belts properly.
~ Protect children w it h a child restraint sys-
tem app ropriate for the size and age .
The wa rning light . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up w hen t he ig nit ion is switched on as a
rem inder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion , you will hear a warning tone for a certa in
per iod of t ime .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also put on the ir safety
belts properly .
A WARNING
-Safety belts are the s ingle most effect ive
means ava ilable to reduce t he risk of se­
rio us i nju ry and death in au tomobile a cci­
dents. Fo r yo ur pro tection and tha t of
your passen gers, a lways wear safety
be lts cor rectly when the vehicle is mov­
ing . •
•

102 Safety belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that comes on could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 111 Driver is properly restrained in a sudden brak ­
i ng maneuve r.
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down more gently or "softly " through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron ­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­ ed . Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions . The front a ir­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be properly posi­ tioned across the strongest bones of your
body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter .
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
_&. WARNING
Not wear ing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the r isk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are properly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on
the body.
- Never strap more than one person, in­ cluding small children, into any single
safety belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a chi ld sit­
ting on your lap.

-Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­ hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi­
t ion .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce their effectiveness .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt. Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
correct use of some chi ld restraint sys­
tems.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web ­
bing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop . Replacement may be necessa ­
ry even if damage cannot be clearly seen.
Anchorages that were loaded must also
be inspected .
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
Safety belts 103
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c:> page 162, Safety belts .
Illustrating the
principle of an accident
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes creat e very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 112 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a
wa ll
Fig. 113 The ve hicle c rashes in to the wal l.
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which vari es with vehicle speed and body
weight. Eng ineers cal l this energy "k inetic en­
ergy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the occupants in this vehicle are not
using safety belts
c:> fig. 112, they will keep
moving at the same speed the veh icle was .,,_

104 Safet y belt s
moving just before the crash, unti l something
stops them· here, the wall
r::!;> fig. 113.
The same pr inc iples apply to people sitting in
a veh icle that is involved in a fronta l co llision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs., or 1,000 kg) or
more. At higher speeds, these forces are even
greater .
People who do not use safety be lts are a lso
not attached to their vehicle. In a fronta l co lli ­
sion they will also keep mov ing forward at the
speed their vehicle was trave lling just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal coll is io ns, they determ ine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col·
lisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes, unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 114 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is violently
t h rown forward
Unbe lted occupants are not able to res ist the
tremendous fo rces of impact by holding tight
or brac ing themselves. Without the benef it of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc·
cupant w ill slam vio lent ly into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, winds hield, or what­
eve r else is in the way¢
fig. 114. This impac t
with the veh icle inter ior has all the energy
they had just befo re the crash.
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotection.
E ven when they deploy, airbags provide only
a d dit ional p rotec tion. A irbags are no t sup- posed to deploy
in all k inds of accidents . Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, includ ing the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags will dep loy only
o nce and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to dep loy or
when they have already dep loyed. Unbelted
occupa nts can a lso be th rown out of the veh i­
cl e where even more severe or fatal injuries
ca n occ ur.
How are safety belts
worn correctly?
Fastening safety belts
Seat first · everybody buckle up!
Fig . 115 Head restraint adjustment and belt position
Fig. 116 Be lt buck le an d tongue on the dri ver's seat
To p rov ide max imum protect ion, safety belts
mus t always be posi tioned co rrec tly on the
wea rer's body.
.. Adjust the fro nt seat and head rest raint
p rope rly
r::!;> page 59, Seats and storage.

.. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
¢ _&..
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢fig. 116.
.. Pu ll on the be lt to make sure that it is se -
curely latched in t he buckle .
Automatic safety belt retractor s
Every safety belt is eq uipped with an automat­
ic belt retractor on the shoulder belt . This fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident .
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve .
Du ring normal driving the belt let s you move
freely.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equ ipped w ith a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used w hen the safety belt is
used to atta ch a child sea t. B e s ure to read the
i mportant information abo ut this fea ture
¢ page 138.
A WARNING
Imprope rly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
Q page 105, Safety belt position .
-Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
-
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat. Attach ing the belt to
the wrong buckle w ill reduce safety belt
effect iveness and can cause serious per­
sonal inj ury .
- A passenger who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously in jured by the safety
belt itself whe n it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into c ritical a reas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convert ible lock ing re­
tra ctor when yo u are secur ing a chi ld
sea t in the vehicle¢
page 140 .
Safety belts 105
@ Tips
Depending on veh icle equipment, micro­
phones * are located on the safety be lt to
i mprove hands-free call quality. For addi­
tional information about safety belt m icro­
phones, refer to the infotainment system
owner's manual.
Safety belt position
Correct bel t position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 117 Safety belt posit ion
Standard features o n your ve hicle help yo u ad­
j ust the pos ition o f the safety belt to ma tc h
your body size.
- he ight-adjustable front seats.
A WARNING
I mproperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n
cause ser ious perso na l injury in an a cci­
dent .
-
-The shou lde r belt should lie as close to
the center o f the ca lla r bone as possible
a nd should fit well on the body. Hold the
be lt above the latc h tongue and pull it
even ly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelv is and there is
no pressure on the abdomen. The belt
should always fit snug Ly
Q fig. 117. Pull
on the belt to t ighten if necessary.
- The lap be lt portion of the safety belt
must be posit ioned as low as possible
across pelv is and never over the abdo­
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug
¢ fig. 117. Pull on the belt to tight-
en if necessary. .,..

106 Safety belts
-A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri­
ous injuries by shifting its position on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 102.
Pregnant women must also be properly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fig. 118 Safe ty belt pos it io n durin g pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
c::> page 1 OS.
.. Adjust the front sea t and head restraint cor­
rectly
¢ pag e 59, Seats and storage.
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the che st so tha t it sits as low
as possible on the pelvis and there is no
pressure on the abdomen
c::> fig . 118 c::> .&_ .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 104, fig . 116.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent. -
Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> & in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 1 OS.
· Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
bu tton only after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 119 Re leas ing the tong ue from the bu ckle
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
c::> fig. 119 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle
c::> .&_ .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
-Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi-
cle is moving . Doing so will increase your
risk of being injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­ rious injury or death . Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will
even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety belt to crit ical areas of the
body . Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death

when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu­pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chil­
dren. Therefore:
~ Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
s itting position in the vehicle while traveling
c:>& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c:> page 102.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions and in a
rollover above a particular severity , safety
belts in use are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts for the front seating positions are equipped with safety belt pretensioners.
T he system is activated by sensors in front,
side and rear-end collisions and in a rollover of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes
up belt slack
c:> &. in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 107.
Taking
up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision .
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once .
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions and in accidents in­
volving very little impact force, the safe­
ty belt pretensioners are not activated.
Safety belts 107
-When the safety belt pretensioner is ac­
tivated, a fine dust is released. This is
normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. An au­
thorized Audi dealer is familiar with
these regulations and will be pleased to
pass on the information to you .
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and other regulations if the vehi­
cle or individual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this
service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi . Installing, remov ­
ing, servicing or repairing of belt pretension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a colli­
s ion.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment .
A WARNING r----
Improper care, servicing and repair proce-
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly :
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti­
vated only once. If belt pretensioners have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety belt system.
1)1,,
•
•

108 Safety belts
-Safety belt systems includ ing safety be lt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Spe­
c ial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system .
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
yo ur authorized Aud i dealer or qualified
technician who has an A udi approved re­
pair manual, t raining and specia l equip­
me nt neces sary .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten ­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Mate rial -specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/ha za rdo uswas te/per­
chlora te. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules,
safety belts w ith pretens ioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
m ust be observed . Yo ur autho rized Aud i
dea ler is familiar with these requ irements
and we recommend that you have your
dea le r perfo rm this serv ice for you.