suspension AUDI A5 COUPE 2011 Owners Manual

ffl..__A_ u_d_ i _d _r_ i_v _e _ s_e _ l_ e _ c_ t _______________________________________________ _
(I) Tips
• Sporty sh ifting characteristics can be set by selecting the
DYNAMIC mode. The S selector lev er position is not available.
• The dynamic steering may make noise when starting or stopp ing
the engine. This does not indicate a problem .•
Ap plies to ve hicles : with drive se lect
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between COMFORT, AUTO, DYNAMIC and
INDIVIDUAL* modes.
__, __ . -
.,,
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Fig. 142 Shift gate:
Control for Audi drive
select
Fig. 143 Center
console: Co ntrol for
Audi drive select
The control is located on the shift gate:::::, fig. 142 in vehic les
with a radio, and in vehicles with
MMI*, it is located in the
center console :::::, fig . 143 .
- Turn on the ignition.
- Press the left or right arrow button until the desired mode
appears in red.
You can change the driv ing mode when the vehicle is stationary or
w hil e driving. If traffic permits, after chan ging 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 prov ides a comfo rtable vehi cle se tting . The
engine and automatic t ransm ission * respond in a balanced manner
when the accelerator pedal is pressed or released. Steering is light
and ind irect*, and adaptive dampers* provide a soft suspension . 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 steer ing is sporty and
more direct. The adap tive dampers* are adjus ted to provide a stiffer
suspension and the automatic t ransmission* sh ifts at higher RPMs.
The setting is ideal for sporty driving .
INDIVIDUAL*
You can adap t this mode to your personal needs in the
MMI* =>
page 149.

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without
interference:
-Never install se at covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate .
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• The airbag sy stem can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy st e m can be deployed only onc e. After an airbag
has been deployed, it must be replaced w ith new replacement
parts de signed and approved es pecially for your Audi model
version . Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only.
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 interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circu it interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an a ccident!
- If the vehicle or the circu it interrupter is scrapped, all appli­
cable safety precautions must be followed .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
'£' For the sake of the environment
U
ndeployed airbag modules and pretens io ners mig ht be classified as
Perch lorate Material -special handling may app ly, see
www.d ts c. ca.gov/ha za rdouswaste/pe rchlorate . W he n t he vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includi ng a irbag modules safety belts
w ith pretens io ners are s crappe d, all ap plic abl e laws and reg ulat ion s
must be observed. Your author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uir ements and we recommen d that yo u have yo ur dea le r pe rform
this service for you .•
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the ve hicle's suspension system can change the way that
t he Adv anced Airbag System pe rforms in a crash . For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i, lower ing the veh icle,
c hang ing the st iffness o f the suspe nsio n, incl uding the s prings,
s u spension str uts, shoc k absorbe rs etc. can change the forces that
are meas ured by the airb ag sensors and sen t to the ele ctron ic con trol
uni t. Some suspension changes ca n, for examp le, increase the force
levels measu red by t he sensors and ma ke the airbag system dep loy in
crashes in which it wou ld not deploy if the changes had not bee n
made . Other kin ds of changes may re duce the force levels meas ured
by the senso rs and p revent the airbag from dep loyi ng when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the d river and front
p assenger se at tell the e le ct ro nic co ntro l mo dule if the sa fe ty belt is
latc hed or not . If the safety be lt is be ing used, the fron t airbag w ill
dep loy at a s ligh tly hig her ra te o f ve hicl e decelerat io n t han if the
safety belt is not be ing used. T he refo re, in a part icular collis io n, it is
poss ible that an a irbag wi ll not deploy at a seating posit ion where the
safety belt is being used but wi ll inflate at the posi tion whe re the
safety belt is not bei ng used. It is important that not hing interfere
w ith the s afe ty be lt bu ckles so t hat th e sensor s can sen d the correct
information about safety belt use to the electronic contro l unit. ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

..,. Airbag system
PAWi-- --=------------------------------
& WARNING
Changing th e vehicle 's su sp en sion including use of unappro ved
tire -rim c ombination s can change Advan ced Airbag performan ce
and increas e the risk of serious personal injury in a cra sh .
• Never install suspension component s that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components or iginally
installed on your veh icle.
• Never u se tir e-rim combinations that have not been approved
b y Audi.
& WARNING
Item s stored b etween the safety belt buckl e and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the ele ctroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from w orking properl y.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they a re not obstru cted .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be class ified as
Perch lorate Mate rial -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/pe rchlorate . When the vehicle or
p arts of t he rest raint sys tem including a irbag mod ules safe ty belts
w ith pretens ioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with these
requ irements and we recommend that you have your dealer perform
this se rvice for yo u.•
Knee airbags
Applies to veh icles: w ith knee a irbags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
....
! 00 m
Fig. 181 D riv er's kn ee
a ir ba g
The knee airbag for the driver is located in the instrume nt panel
unde rneath the steering whee l:::> fig. 181, the knee airbag for the
passenge r is at about the same he ight in the instrument panel u nder­
neath the g love compartment .
Th e knee airbag offers addit ional protec tion to the dr ive r's and
passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas as a supplement
t o the sa fety bel ts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee airbags a lso deploy i n frontal
co llisions above a certain severity=>
page 199, "More importan t
things to know about front airbags" .
Besides the ir normal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep
t he drive r o r front passenger in po sit ion in c ase o f a frontal collision
so that the a irbags can provide protection .
Th e airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rather, it is
part of the overall occ upant restra int system in your veh icle . Always
remember t hat the airbag system can on ly help to protect you if you
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-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wea r a nd can cause sudden
t ire blow-out. For this reason, ti re p ressure must be checked at least
once a month ~
page 297.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acce le ra tion and hard brak ing
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your veh icle to have the same service life, we
re commend that the fron t and re a r tires are rotate d according to the
tire manufact urer's suggested tire rotation interva ls . Please
remember the fo llow ing:
• Tir e rotat ion inte rvals may differ from t he ve hicl e service intervals
outlined in your Maintenance and War ranty Booklet .
• T he longer one tire is used in one location on the veh icle, the more
it wears at certa in points; therefore, we recommend that you follow
t he t ire m anufac ture r's suggested tire rotation in terva ls.
• V ehicles with front-whee l drive expe rience mo re tread wea r on t he
fron t wheels compa red to all-whee l drive (quattro
® ).
• Please rotate tires as s hown ~fig. 215.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating d irection-specific tires
~ page 321.
Wheel balancing
The w heels on new vehicles are balanced. Howeve r, va rious sit uat io ns
dur ing eve ryday dr iv ing can cause them to become unbalanced,
re su lt ing in v ibr ations yo u can usually fee l throug h the steering
wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wea r on
steeri ng, suspension and t ires . A wheel must also be rebalanced
w hen a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrec t whee l alignment can ca use excessive tire wear, impai ring
t he sa fety of the veh icle . If tires show excess ive wear, have the wheel
alignment checked by an authorized A udi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop .
All wheel drive
Vehicles w ith q uattro ® must always have ti res of the same size,
const ructio n and trea d type. For details see~
page 242 .
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control , a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wea r ind icato rs.
• Worn tire s are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and in crease your risk of "hydroplaning" and lo ss of control.
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as
grease , oil , gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •