AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Manual PDF

an authorized Audi dealer when there is an
operating prob lem.
Using the climate controls economically
Economical use of the climate controls helps
to save fuel.
When climate con trol is wor king in cool ing
mode, engine performance is red uced and
fuel consumption is affected. To keep the time
the air conditioning is on as short as possib le,
you shou ld do the fo llow ing:
.,. If you wo uld like to save f uel, sw itch the air
conditioning off .
.. If you open the windows whi le driving,
switch the air conditioning off.
.,. If the vehicle is extremely hot due to the
heat of the sun, briefly open doors and win­
dows.
@ For the sake of the environment
When you save fuel, you reduce em iss ions
from the vehicle.
Rear window defogger
The rear window defogger clears the rear win­
dow of condensation .
.. Press the Iii button <=> page 65, fig. 79 to
turn the rear window defogger on and off.
The rear window defogger wor ks only when
the eng ine is r unning. The indicator light in
the button illuminates when the rear window
defogger is turned on.
The rear window defogger is switched off au ­
tomatically after approx . 10 minutes .
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the rear window is clear, yo u
should switc h the rea r window de fogger
off . The reduced power consumption has a
beneficial effect on f uel consumption.
Warm and c old 69
Heated seats
Applies to vehicles: with heated seats
The seat cushion and the seatback of the
front seats can be heated electrically.
.. Press the heated seats button I-J + I
<=> page 65, fig . 79 to set the leve l of heating
desired.
The range of cont ro ls goes from 1 to 3. The
heat setting selected is shown by LEDs above
the button.
A WARNING
--=
Indiv iduals wit h reduced sens itiv ity to pa in
or temperature could deve lop burns when
using the seat heat ing funct ion. To reduce
the r isk of injury, these ind ividuals should
not use seat heating.
@ Note
To avoid damage to the heat ing e lements
i n the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads o n a small area of the
seat.

70 On the road
On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continu­
ously adjusted in height and distance .
Fig. 81 Lever under the steering column
~ Push the lever¢ fig. 81 down ¢ .&_.
~ Move the s teer ing whee l to the desired po­
sition.
~ Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steer­
ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steer ing wheel.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l co lumn only
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
- Adjust the dr iver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel ¢
page 92, fig. 104. If
you cannot maintain this minimum dis­
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you properly .
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is
available.
- If the steer ing whee l is aligned with your
face, the supplemental dr iver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the
steer ing whee l is al igned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury if the dr iver's airbag dep loys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with you r hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Ho lding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock/Ignition
switch
Ignition lock
The ignition key starts or stops the engine.
Fig . 82 Ignit ion lock positions
Ig niti on off ©
In position ¢ fig. 82 (D both the ignition and
engine are
off, and the steering is locked .
T o
loc k t he steerin g after you have removed
the ignition key, turn the steering wheel in ei­
ther direction unt il you hear it lock into place.
You should a lways lock the steering whenever
you leave your vehicle. This makes vehicle
theft even more difficult¢&. .

Ignition on @
Afte r switch ing the ignition on, the needles
move all the way up and then down .
I f it is difficult to turn the key afte r you have
i nse rted it into the ignit ion lo ck, tur n the
steer ing whee l back and forth. This will take
the load off the steering lock mechanism and
you will be able to turn the key freely and start the engine .
Starting the engin e@
In th is position the engine starts. While the
engine is start ing, the power s upply to the
headlights and other e lectrica l consumers is
temporari ly interrupted to conserve battery
pow er. Aft er the engine has started, release
the key and it will return to posit ion @.
Before the starter can be operated again the
key must be turned back to position@. The
non -repe at lock prevents you from damaging
the starter when the engine is runn ing .
A WARNING
-Never remove the key from the ign ition
lock whi le the vehicle is moving. The
steering wheel will lock causing loss of control.
- If you have to leave your veh icle -even
for just a m in ute - always remove the ig­
nition key and take it with you. This is es­
pecially important if you a re going to
leave c hildren behind in the vehicle. The
children co uld start the engine or use
other vehicle controls . Unsupervised use
of vehicle controls (for example, power
windows) can cause serious personal in­
jur ies .
If the vehicle battery has been disconnect­
ed and then reconnected, then you m ust
leave the key in pos ition @for abo ut 5
seconds before you can start the engine.
On th e ro ad 71
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your orig­
inal Audi key.
On vehicles with R tronic *, the engine can be
start ed in the ne utra l position N and in each
gea r (1 - 6 and R).
.. Set the park ing brake ¢,&. .
.. On vehicles with man ua l transmission *,
fu lly depress the clutch pedal.
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Turn the ignition key to pos it ion ®
¢ page 70, fig. 82 - do not depress the gas
pedal when starting the engine .
.. Let go of the key as soon as the engine
starts - the sta rter must not cont inue to
r u n. On ve hicles w ith R t ro ni c, selec t gea r
posi tion N .
A cold engine may at first be loud afte r it has
been sta rted. This is due to the hydraulic
valves bu ild ing up the oil press ure . Thi s is nor­
mal and no need for concern.
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
tryi ng after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine abou t 30 seconds later.
A WARNING
- Never start or let the eng ine run in a con­
fined or enclosed area . Exha ust fumes
from the engine contain carbon monox­
ide, a co lor less and odorless gas. Carbon
mo nox ide ca n be fatal if inhaled.
- Never leave the engine idling unattend­
ed. An unattended veh icle with a runn ing
engine poses a danger of personal injury
or theft .
- With the engine r unning and a gear en­
gaged, you have to hold the veh icle w ith
the foot brake .
(D Note
- Avoid h igh engine speeds, fast accelera­
tion or heavy engine loads while the en­
gine is still cold. This could damage the
eng ine .

7 2 On the road
-The eng ine cann ot be started by pushing
or towing the vehicle.
@ For the sake of the env ironment
To avo id unnecessary engine wea r and to
red uce exhaust emissions, do not let your
vehicle stand and warm up . Be ready to
drive off immediately after starting your
veh icle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicles with R tronic*, the engine can be
turned off in the neutral position N and in
each gear (1 -6 and R).
.,. Turn the ign ition key to position ©
¢ page 70, fig. 82.
A WARNING
-Never turn off the eng ine unti l the vehi­
cle has come to a complete stop.
- The brake booster and servotronic on ly
work when the engine is running. With
the ignition turned off, you have to apply
more force when stee ring or braking.
S ince you cannot steer and stop no rma l­
ly, this can lead t o acciden ts and ser io us
injuries.
- If the engine has bee n under heavy load
fo r an ext ended period of time, heat
builds up i n the engi ne compa rtme nt af­
ter the eng ine is sw itched off -there is a
risk of damaging the engine . Allow the
engine to continue to run at idle for a
sho rt time or drive until it has cooled
down before you turn it off¢
page 151.
- If the engine has been under heavy load
for an extended pe riod of time, it can be­
come extreme ly hot. You should not park
your vehicle over easily combustible ob­
j ects o r areas (e.g. g rass or leaves). There
i s a r isk of start ing a f ire.
(D Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the
radiator fan can continue to run for up to
10 minutes -even with the ignition switch­
ed off. It can also sw itch on again after
some time if the coolant tempe rature rises
as the result of heat b uild up or if the en­
g ine compartment is heated by the sun 's
r ays and the eng ine is hot.
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the
vehicle from rolling away unintentionally .
Fig. 83 Center console: Pa rk in g brake set
Setting the parking brake
.,. Pull the parking brake lever a ll the way up.
Releasing the park ing brake
.,. Pull the pa rking brake lever up slight ly and
press the release button at the same time
¢ fig . 83 -arrow- .
.,. Keep the release button pressed and lower
the parking brake¢&_.
If you s hou ld drive off with the parking b rake
st ill set, a warning tone will sound and the
following message wi ll appear in the instru­
ment cluster to remind you to release the
parking brake:
Parking brake is applied
T he p arking brake war ning comes on only af­
ter yo u have dr iven for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) . .,.

The parking brake warning light_
(USA)/ . (CON) ill uminates when the parking
brake is set and you switch on the ignition .
A WARNING
-
Always release the parking brake com­
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce the ir ef­
fectiveness and cause excess ive wear. This
cou ld lead to brake failure and an accident .
(D Note
Only after the ve hicle has come to com­
plete stop, should you f irm ly set the park­
ing brake and move the gearsh ift lever into
a gear .
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling
away, there are a few things you should do.
.,. Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
.,. Set the parking brake firmly .
.,. Switc h off the engine .
" Engage a gear
~ &.-
What else you should do when parking
your v ehicle on an incline or decline
T u rn the steering wheel so that if the vehicle
should sta rt to ro ll, it will roll into the curb .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can reduce the risk of in­
jury when le aving your veh icle.
- Never par k the vehicle whe re it ca n come
in contac t wi th dry grass, s pilled f uel or
any other flammable mater ials .
- Neve r allow anyone - especially small
ch ildren - to rem ain in the vehicle whe n
it is locked. Locked doors ma ke it mo re
difficult for rescuers to access the pas ­
senger compartment in the event of an
emergency. Danger to life!
- Never leave c hildren unsupervised in the
vehicle. Children co uld re lease the park­
ing brake or move the gea rshift lever out
-
On th e ro ad 73
of gear . The vehicle cou ld sta rt to ro ll
away and cause an acc ident.
- No matte r what the season is, the tem­
peratu re in a parked veh icle can reach
dangerous leve ls .
Starting on hills
App lies to vehicles : wit h hill ho ld assist
Hill ho ld assist makes it eas ier to start on
hills .
The system is activated when the brake peda l
is depressed
for a few seconds .
After releasing the brake pedal, the brake
power is held for a
brief moment to prevent
the ve hicle from rolling back when starting .
D uring this t ime, you can easily begin to move
your vehicle.
A WARNING
- If you did not begin moving immed iate ly
after rel easing the brake pedal, the vehi­
cle could b eg in to roll bac kward unde r
cer ta in c ircu mstances . Dep ress the brake
pe dal imme diate ly or eng age the p arking
bra ke.
- If the engine sta lls, de pre ss the bra ke
pe dal imme diate ly or engage the pa rking
brake .
- T o prevent the vehicle from ro lling b ack
un intent iona lly when st arting in stop ­
an d-go tra ffic, keep the brake pedal de ­
pressed for a few seconds before d riving
off.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is eq uipped
wi th "hi ll hol d assist" at an a uthorized Au ­
di dealer.

7 4 On the road
Cruise control
Introduction
The cruise control system keeps the speed
constant.
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed over 20 mph (US
model) or 30 km/h (Canadian model) . This is
true only to the extent that engine power or
engine braking effect allow . Using the system
takes the strain off the "gas pedal foot" - es­
pecially on long trips.
In the control mode, the indicator light in the
instrument cluster is lit
aijj(1)~1~ (US model);II
(Canadian model).
The cruise control system automatically
switches itself off immediately under the fol­
lowing conditions:
- Pressing the brake pedal.
- Pressing the clutch pedal.
A WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control system is switched on.
You are always responsible for your speed and the distance between your ve­
hicle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise control sys­
tem should not be used in the city, in
stop-and-go traffic, on twisting roads
and when road conditions are poor (such
as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of accident.
- Turn off the cruise control system tem­
porarily when entering turn lanes, high­
way exit lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise control system not to brake.
This is because the cruise control system
is overridden by the driver's acceleration.
(D Note
On manual transmission vehicles: If you
shift into neutral with the cruise control system switched on, always depress the
clutch
pedal! Otherwise the engine will
race and could be damaged as a result.
(D Tips
When driving on steep downward grades,
the cruise control system cannot keep the
speed constant. The vehicle's own weight increases the speed. Shift into a lower gear
in plenty of time or brake the vehicle with
the foot brake.
Saving the speed
The desired speed must be saved.
®-
Fig. 84 Cruise control system cont rols
.,. Drive at the speed you wish to set.
.,. Pull the lever to position@¢
fig. 84 to
switch the system on.
.,. Briefly press button @.
After the button @is released, the current ve­
hicle speed is stored and maintained,
i. e. you
are driving in control mode .
Changing speed
The desired speed can be changed.
Faster
.,. Press lever up towards the 0 ¢ page 7 4,
fig . 84 .
.,. Release the lever to store the current speed .
Slower
.. Press lever down towards the O ¢ page 74,
fig . 84.
.,. Release the lever to store the current speed. IJ,,,

You can also increase your speed by pressing
the accelerator pedal. After you release the
accelerator peda l, the system automat ically
adjusts back down to the speed you previously
set .
However, if you exceed this speed by 5 mph
(10 km/h) for longer than 5 m inutes, the stor­
ed speed will be deleted. You will have to re­
save it.
Briefly p ressing lever
The desired speed is increased by about 2 mph
(2 km/h) by briefly pressing the lever upwards
towards
c:::> page 74, fig. 84 0 -
The desired speed is decreased by about 2
mph (2 km/h) by briefly pressing the lever
downwards towards
c:::> page 7 4, fig. 84 0-
Switching control mode off temporarily
.. Step on the brake pedal, or
.. Depress the clutch pedal all the way, or
.. Press the lever towards @ (not latched)
c::>page 74, fig . 84 .
When the system is turned off temporarily,
the speed stored at the time is retained.
To resume the stored speed, release the brake
or clutch pedal and pull the lever to pos ition
(D .
If no desired speed was stored when the sys­
tem was temporari ly switched off, you can
store a new desired speed as follows: Drive at
the desired speed and briefly press button
c::> page 74, fig. 84@ (SET) .
A WARNING
You should only return to the saved speed
if it is not too fast for the current traffic
conditions -risk of an accident!
Deactivating
.. Press lever into position @(latched)
c::>page 74, fig. 84.
On the road 75
The saved speed value is de leted when the ig­
nition is switched off.
a) Tips
Sw itch the cruise control system off com­
pletely at the end of each trip. When you
start the next trip, the desired speed can
be set simply from the basic setting
c::>page 74.
Audi magnetic ride
Damping can be adjusted to the driver's pref­
erence and it adapts automatically to the cur­
rent driving situation .
Fig. 85 Center console: Switch for Aud i magnetic ride
.. To turn sport setting on/off, press the
switch
c:::> fig. 85.
Audi magnet ic r ide is an elect ronically con­
trolled damping system. This chassis system
ass ists the driver by adapting to the particular
situation through imperceptible control proc­
esses. The damping provides individual modu­
lation of damp ing forces . For examp le, with
damping characteristics set to provide greater
comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for
a brief period on ly as required, when rounding
a curve and when braking.
Standard setting
Select the standard setting if you prefer a sus­
pension setting emphasizing comfort .
Sport setting
Select the sport sett ing if you prefer a spo rty
suspension setting. The LED in the button[!]
comes on to indicate sport setting .

76 On the road
(D Tips
The warning/indicator light Bin the instru­
ment cluster comes on in the event of a malfunct ion. Dr ive to the closest author­
ized Audi dealer as soon as possible and
have the malfunction repaired.

Transmission Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
App lies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine.
T he manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears . Do not hold the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de­
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage .
@ Tips
- Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you sh ift
into Reverse w ith the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with 6-speed manual transmission
Fig. 86 Gearshift pattern : 6 -speed manual tran smi s­
sio n
Drive in 6th gear for optim um fuel economy
when cruising . However, if more acceleration
is required (when passing, for example), shift
down.
Transmission 77
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down, then push it backward.
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehi­
cle completely, sh ift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever br iefly in Neutra l before shift ing in­
to
Reverse .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with VlO eng ine and manual t ra ns·
miss ion
The Launch Control Program enables maxi­
mum acceleration .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
• With the engine running, press the button
Im one time. The ESC indicator light 1B in the
Driver Informat ion System display illumi­
nates and the message
ESP sport - Warn­
ing! Restricted stability
appears.
• Press the clutch and hold it down.
• Engage the first gear.
• Press the accelerator pedal all the way
down until the engine speed remains steady
at 6500 RPM .
• Release the clutch carefu lly <=> .& ..
A WARNING
- Always adapt your dr iving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and
traffic conditions allow it and other dr iv­
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and the vehicle's accelera­
tion.
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ESC is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you sho uld
sw itch the ESC back on by pressing the
button
[fil .

78 Transmission
@ Tips
-When accelerating using the Launch
Control program, all vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. This can result in
increased wear.
- The Launch Control Program only func­ tions when the parking brake is released
and the vehicle speed is less than 3 mph
(5 km/h).
R tronic
Description
Applies to vehicles: with R tro nic
Fig. 87 Shi ft pattern
Fig. 88 Disp lay: Gea rs engaged
R tronic is an automated manual transmission
in which the function of the clutch and shift­
ing is controlled by an electron ic system .
The gears are engaged manually, sim ilarly to
a manual transmission . The gears can also be
shifted automatically . The engine can be
started and switched off in all gears.
The selected mode of operation, the gear en­
gaged and the sport function are shown in the
Driver Information System display
Q fig . 88 .
M -Manual operation
In this operat ing mode, you shift the forward
gears using the selector lever
Q fig. 87 or the
shift paddles on the mu ltifunction steering
whee l
Q page 81.
A - Automatic operation
In this opera ting mode, the forward gears are
shifted up or down depending on engine load
and vehicle speed
Q page 80.
R -Reverse gear
Reverse gear must only be engaged when the
vehicle is
stationary and the eng ine is running
at idle speed
¢ ,&. .
To engage reverse gear, you have to press the
brake pedal,
move the selector lever to the
right and tip it to wards R . In reverse gear, the
backup lights illuminate when the ignit ion is
on .
N -Neutral
To engage neutral, you have to move these­
lector lever to the left or to the right.
If re­
verse gear is engaged,
move the selector lever
to the left.
If a forward gear is engaged , move
the selector lever to the right.
Sport function
The sport function is sw itched on by pressing
the
I SPOR T I button. The engine's power re­
serves can be used fully by upshifts later. Shift
time is decreased and accelerator pedal re­
sponse is improved. In addition, in manual op­
eration the engine does
not shift automatica l­
ly into the next gear before it has reached the
maximum permissible engine speed. In auto­
matic operation, upsh ifting cont inues auto­
matically.
A WARNING
-- If a gear is engaged when the vehicle is
stationary, the accelerato r must not be
p ressed inadvertently under any circum­
stances. Otherwise the vehicle w ill im­
mediately star t to
move -sometimes