suspension AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2011 Owners Manual

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Audi drive select
Driving settings
Applies to veh icles : with Aud i driv e select
Introduction
Audi dr ive select makes it possible to exper ience d ifferent types of
vehicle set tings in one vehi cle. For ins tance, using the three
COMFORT, AUTO and DYNAMIC modes, the driver can switch from a
sporty to a com fortab le dr iv ing mode with the p ress of a bu tton .
Add itionally, in ve hicles with MMI*, the veh icle se tup for I NDI­
VIDUAL * mode can be customized by you. This makes it poss ib le to
combi ne sett ings such as a sporty engi ne tuning w it h light stee ring.
& WARNING
• Improper use of the Audi drive select can cause collisions,
other accident s and serious personal injury.
• Never drive at speeds that are too high for traffic , road and
weather conditions. •
Applies to veh icles: wit h Aud i dri ve select
Description
Depending on the mode, the engine and automatic transmission
respond more quickly or in a more balanced ma nner to a ccelera tor
peda l movements.
The
Ser votron ic (power steering assistance)=> page 246 can also be
adapted to d riving situat ions.
Dynamic steering changes the steering rat io as a function of the
driv ing speed in order to op tim ize t he d river's required steer ing
effort . This sets the steer ing to be less sensitive at highe r sp eeds in
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
orde
r to provid e greate r contro l over the ve hicle. At r educ ed spe eds,
howeve r, steering is mo re direct in order to keep the stee ring effort
as minimal as possible whe n the drive r is maneuve ring the vehi cle. At
low and average speeds, dynamic steering add itiona lly p rovides more
responsive steer ing perfo rm ance. The driver can set the basi c
steering rat io characteristics.
Th e
adaptive damper s use sensors to recor d informat ion regar ding
stee rin g movements, b raking and accele ration ope ra tions by the
dr iver, road sur face , d riving speed, and load. This makes it possib le to
adapt damp ing to t he d riving situat ion virt ua lly in rea l time . Audi
dr ive select a lso makes it poss ible to satisfy the desire for sporty
s us pension (DY NAM IC) and comfort able suspension ( COMFOR T)
without giving up balanced tun ing (AUTO).
Th e followi ng chart prov ides an overv iew of t he char acteristics of
each driving mode .
Systems COMFORT AUTO DYNAMIC
Engine/gearbox bala nce d b ala nce d sporty
comfortable balanced sporty
Dynamic steering comfort- bal- sporty/d irect
ab le/indirect
anced/direc t
comfortable balanced sporty
Th e Servo tro nic sett in gs are a djusted und er the
Dyn. steering menu
item .
[I] Tips
• Spo rty sh ifting character istics can be se t by select ing the
DYNAMIC mo de. The S se lector lever posit io n is not avai lab le.
• The dynamic steer ing may make no ise when start ing or stopp ing
t he e ngine. This does no t indic ate a p roblem. •
Vehicle care Technical data

llffl..__A_ u_d_ i _d _r_ i_v _e _ s_e _ l_ e _ c_ t _______________________________________________ _
Applie s to veh icl es : w ith A udi d riv e se lect
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between COMFORT, AUTO, DYNAMIC and
INDIVIDUAL* modes.
en • 2 ,;
~- =========::::: LP
Fig. 149 Shift gate:
Control for Audi drive
select
Fig . 1S0 Ce nter
console: Control for
Audi drive select
The control is located on the shift gate~ fig. 149 in vehicles
with a radio, and in vehicles with MMI, it is located in the
center console~ fig. 150.
- Turn on the ignition .
- Press the left or right arrow button u ntil the desired mode
appears in red.
You can change the driving mode when the vehicle is stationary or
whil e driving. If traffic permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently selected mode
is also activated for the eng ine and transmission .
COMFORT
The COMFORT mode provides a comfo rtable vehicle se tting. The
engine and automatic t ransm ission* react in a balanced manner to
movements of the acce leration pedal. Steering is light and indirect,
and adaptive dampe rs provide a soft s uspension . The setting is ideal
for driving on long stretches, such as on freeways .
AUTO
Full use of AUTO provides a comfortable, yet dynamic feel. The
sett ing is perfect for daily use .
DYNAMIC
DYNAMIC gives the vehicle a sporty feeling. The eng ine responds
quickly to accelerator pedal movements, and steering is sporty and
more direct. The adaptive dampers are adjusted to provide a stiffer
suspension, and the automatic transmission* shift points are set at
higher engine speed ranges. The setting is ideal for sporty driving.
INDIVIDUAL*
You can adapt this mode to your personal needs in the MMI.
& WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating Audi drive select to
prevent potential risk of an accident .
(I] Tips
If you remove the ignition key, AUTO mode is set the next time you
start the ignition. •

-Airbag system ------=-~-----------------------------------
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Always make sure that the side a irbag can inflate without
interference :
- Never in stall seat covers or replacement uphol stery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use addit ional se at cushions that cover the areas
where the side ai rbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an author ized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only on ce. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the techni cal information, t raining
and special equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy stem can be deploy ed only once. After an airbag
has been dep loyed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved e specially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or a irbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops onl y.
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the vehicle battery
separates the alternator and the starter from the vehicle electrical
system for safety reason s with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupte r.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is sc rapped , all appli ­
cable safety precautions must be followed.
W For the sake of the environment
Un deployed ai rbag modu les and p retensione rs might be class ified as
Perch lorate Materia l -special handling may ap ply, see
www.dts c.ca.gov/ha za rdouswas te/pe rchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing a irbag modu les safety belts
w it h pretensioners are s crapped, all appli cable laws and regula tions
must be observed. Your author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uiremen ts and we recommen d that you have your dealer perfo rm
this serv ice for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that
t h e Advan ced Airbag System pe rforms in a cr ash . For e xamp le, usi ng
tire-rim combinations not app roved by Audi, lowering the vehicle,
c hang ing the stiffness o f th e suspension, incl uding the sp rings,
suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the forces that
are meas ure d by the a irba g sensors and sent to the ele ct ronic contro l
unit . Some suspension changes can, fo r exam ple, increase the force
levels measured by the senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which i t would not deploy if the changes had no t been
ma de . Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels meas ured
by the sensors and p revent the airbag from dep loying when it should.
T he sensors in the safety belt b uckle for the drive r and front
p as senge r se at tell the e lectroni c cont rol mo dule if the sa fe ty belt is
latched or not . If the safety belt is being used, t he front a irbag w ill
dep loy a t a s lightly h igher r ate o f vehicle decele ration t han if t he
safety belt is not be ing used . Therefo re, in a par ticular collis io n, it is
possible that an a irba g w ill not dep loy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but w ill inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not be ing use d. It is im portant that nothing interfere
w it h t he safety belt bu ckles so that the sensors can se nd the co rrect
info rmation about safety be lt use to the electronic contro l unit.
~

& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's susp ension including use of unapproved
tire -rim combination s can change Advan ced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspension component s that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Ne ver use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electronic control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they a re not obstructed .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be class ified as
P erch lo rate Mate rial -special handling m ay app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts o f th e re st ra int system includin g airb ag modu les s afety belts
with pretens io ners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
must be observed . Your authorized Aud i dealer is fam iliar with these
req uirements and we recommend that you have your dealer perform
this service for yo u.•
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
Knee airbags
App lies to ve hi cle s: w ith K nee air b ags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provid e su pplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants .
....
! 00 m
Fig . 2 00 Driv er' s knee
a ir bag
T he kne e airbag fo r the driver is located in the instrument panel
undernea th the s teer ing whee l~ fig. 20 0, the knee airbag for the
passenge r is at about the same height in the instr ument pane l u n de r­
neath the g love compa rtment.
Th e knee air bag offers ad diti onal protec tion t o th e driver's and
passenger 's knees and upper and lower thigh areas as a supplement
t o the sa fety belts .
If the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags also deploy i n frontal
co llisions above a certain severity ~
pag e 208, "M ore important
things to know about front airbags" .
Bes ides the ir no rmal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep
t he drive r o r fro nt pa ssenger i n posi tion in cas e o f a fr ontal coll isio n
so that the airbags can prov ide p rotect io n.
Th e a irbag system is not a substitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is
part o f the ove rall occ upant rest rai nt system in your veh icle . Always
r emember t hat the airbag system can only help to protect you if you •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Driving and environment
----------------------------------------------'
New brake pads
- -
Remem ber th at new brake pads do not have a full braking
e ffe ct du ring the first 250 mi les (400 ki lo mete rs) afte r they
are in sta lle d .
N ew br ake pads have to be " burnishe d in" before they have op tim al
grab~ &-
Dur ing the break-in period, you sho uld avoid putting severe loads on
the brakes . Severe loads include, for example, sudden ha rd bra king,
in part icu lar at very high s peeds o r, for example, on mountain passes .
& WARNING
New brake pads don't have the best stopping power and must be
" broken-in " during the in itial 100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilo ­
meters) of normal city driving. You can compensate for this by
pressing the brake pedal mor e firmly . This also applies later when
new pads are installed. n
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When yo u are driving on poor roads, or over c urbs, steep ramps, etc.,
ma ke ce rtain that low-lying pa rts su ch as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
This is es peciall y tr ue for veh icle s wi th low-slung chass is (sports
chassis)" and fully loaded vehicles. •
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage w hen drivi ng through
water, fo r examp le on floode d roa ds:
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
The wate r must not be any higher than the bottom of the vehicle
body .
• Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
& WARNING
After driving through water , mud , slush , etc ., the brakes may be
slow to take effect because of wet brake rotors and pads . Dry the
brakes first by braking carefully to resto re the full braking effect.
0 Note
Vehicle components such as the engine, transmiss ion, suspension or
ele ct ric al sy stem can be severe ly d amaged by driv ing thro ugh wa ter.
[ i ] Tips
• C heck the de pth o f th e wate r before driving thr oug h it.
• Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or switch the engine off
w he n dr iving throug h wate r.
• Keep in m ind that oncoming vehicles may c reate waves t hat raise
t he water leve l and make it too deep fo r yo ur vehicle t o drive thr oug h
safely.
• Avoid drivi ng through sal t wa ter because it can cause corros io n.
Catalytic converter
It is very important th at your emission control s ystem
( c a ta lytic co n verter) is functionin g proper ly to e nsure
th at y our ve hicl e is ru nn in g in an en vir onm entally sound
m ann er.
- Alwa ys use lead- free g asoline=> p ag e 274, "Fuel sup ply".
- Never ru n the tan k down a ll the way to empty . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data