brake AUDI A5 COUPE 2014 Service Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2014, Model line: A5 COUPE, Model: AUDI A5 COUPE 2014Pages: 286, PDF Size: 70.99 MB
Page 183 of 286

ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif
ferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and electronic i nteraxle differential lock* /selective
wheel torque control* . ESC is switched on all
the t ime. I n certain s ituations when you need
less traction, you can switch
off ASR by press
i ng the button~~
page 182, fig. 153 or
~ page 182, fig. 154. Be sure to sw itch ASR
on again when you no longer need less trac
tion.
Anti-lock b ra king s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even d uring hard brak ing . Apply ste ady p res
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
a l. A pulsing in the brake peda l indicates t hat
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease bra king
d istance. It increases braking power when the
d river presses the brake pedal quick ly in emer
gency situations . You must press and hold the
brake peda l until the situation is over. In
veh icles w ith adaptive cru ise contro l*, the
brake assist system is more sensit ive if the
d istance detected to the veh icle ahead is too
small.
Anti- slip regulati on (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
Elect ronic diffe renti al lo ck (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL automatica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on again au-
Intellig ent technolog y 181
tomat ica lly when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC helps
stab il ize the s teer ing in crit ica l sit uat io ns.
Electronic interaxle differential lock* /
selective wheel torque control*
T he electronic i nteraxle differential lock (front
whee l dr ive) or the se lective whee l to rque
control (all-wheel dr ive) opera tes when dr iv
ing thro ugh curves. The front wheel on the in
side of the c urve or both whee ls on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
This min imizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more precise driving through
cu rves . The applicable system may not acti
vate when dr iv ing in wet or snowy conditions.
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS , ASR, EDL dynam ic steering*
a nd the elect ronic interaxle differential
loc k* /se lective wheel torque control*
cannot overcome the laws of physics .
This is especially important on slippery
or wet roads. If the systems begin acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traff ic conditions. Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle contro l, col lision and ser ious per
sonal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffi c
and wea ther conditions. The risk of los
ing contro l of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys
tem, ASR, EDL dynam ic steering* and the
electronic interaxle differentia l lock*/se
lective whee l torque control* cannot p re-
vent co llisions . ..,.
•
•
Page 185 of 286

Intelligent technology 183
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC /ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stalbilization f unct ion T he fu ll stabilization f unc-
tion funct ions are lim ited is not available¢ .&,.. ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ .&,. .
and ASR are switched off . available agai n.
Operation Press the I~ OFF I button Press and ho ld the I~ OFFI Press t he I~ OF FI button
briefly. bu
tton lo nger than 3 sec-
again.
onds .
Indicator II turns on. II and 1/1 turn on. II tur ns off or fl and II
lights tur n off.
Driv er mes -Stab ilization control Stabilization control Stabilization control
sages (ESC ): Sport. Warning! (ESC ): off. Warning! Re- (ESC) : On
Restricted stability stricted stability
It is only possible to t urn off the ASR up to 30
mph (SO km/h) for vehicles with front whee l
d rive . At abou t
45 mph (70 km/h) it a utomat i
cally turns on aga in .
It is poss ible to turn off
the ASR a t any speed for veh icles with all
wheel drive.
_& WARNING
f--------- -
You should o nly sw itch sport mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR off if you r drivin g abili ties
and road conditions pe rm it .
- The s tabilization func tion is lim ited
w hen sport mode is sw itche d on. T he
dr iv ing whee ls co uld spin an d the vehicle
cou ld
swe rve, especially on slick or slip
pery road surfaces.
- The re is n o vehicle stabilization when
ESC/ASR a re switc hed off.
(D Tips
ES C/ASR cannot be sw itche d off or sport
mo de cannot be switc hed on when adap
t ive c ruise control * is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the firs t 250 miles (40 0 km), new
b ra ke pads do not possess their f ull braking
effect, they have to be "broke n in" first ¢.&,. .
You can compensate for th is slightly reduced
brak ing power by push ing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy brak
ing loads dur ing the
break -in period .
Operating conditions and driving habits
The bra kes o n today's a utomo biles a re still
s u bject to wear, depend ing largely on operat
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&,. . On
vehicles that are either driven m ost ly in stop
and-g o city traff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should b e chec ked by your au tho r
iz ed Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet . Failure
to h ave yo ur bra ke pads insp ect ed ca n result
in reduced brake pe rfo rmance .
On steep slop es, you sho uld use the b raking
effe ct o f the e ngine. This way, you prevent un
ne ce ss ary wear on the br ake sys tem.
If you
mus t use your brakes, do not hold the b ra kes
down cont in uou sly. Pump the brakes at inter
vals.
Operating noise
N ois es m ay o ccur when br akin g depend ing on
th e speed, brak ing fo rce and o uts ide condi
ti ons such as tem pera ture and hum idity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certa in situa tions, for examp le afte r dr iv ing
t hr ough wa ter, in heavy rain, after overnight
c on den sat ion or after w ashin g your car , the
braking e ffec t ca n be reduce d by mois ture o r
ice on the b rake ro to rs and brake pads . The
brakes m ust be dr ied first with a few careful
brake ap plications .
•
•
Page 186 of 286

184 Intelligent technology
At higher speeds and with the windshield wip
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time .
This occurs at regular intervals without the
driver noticing and provides for better brake
response time under wet condit ions .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Likew ise,
you clean
off accumulated sa lt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caut ious ap
plications of the brake¢&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with l ittle use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently , or if cor
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by brak ing
firm ly a few times from a moderately high
speed ¢,& .
Fa ults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed¢&. .
Low brake fluid le vel
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
leve l is monitored electronically .
Brake boost er
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate w ith the brake pedal. It works
only when the eng ine is running .¢ &.
Brake lining w ear status
Brake lining wea r may be checked by vis ual in
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces
sary, the whee l may be removed for this in
spection
¢ page 244, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop
ping power and must be "broken -in" dur
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal c ity driving .
You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly . T his also
applies later when new pads are instal led.
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake system only if road conditions permit .
Othe r road users must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long o r too often . This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing you r
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, p remature wear and increased
s topping distance.
- Unde r ce rtain cl imatic and ope rat ing
conditions such as passing thro ugh wa
ter, dr iving in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumu late on the brake pads, linings,
d iscs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat
ings will be cleaned
off after a few care
fu l brake applicat ions .
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without using your brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
b rake discs and pads wi th a few ca reful
b rake applications.
- I f you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the a ir
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct-
ed . Otherwise the brake system could
~
Page 187 of 286

overhea t red ucin g the e ffec tiveness of
t h e ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the bra king capability resulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
wor kshop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed considera
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator light s and messages
• Steering defecti ve! Do not drive vehicle!
If th is ind icator light tu rns on and stays on
and th is message appears, t he power s teeri ng
may have f ailed.
Do
not co ntin u e d riving . See yo ur autho rized
Aud i dea ler o r a qua lifi ed r epai r fac ility for as
sis tance .
':rj Dynam ic steering: Sy stem fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steer ing wheel may also be at an angle whe n
d riving st raight .
Drive s low ly to your au thor ized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
'y.ij Dynam ic steering : initializing
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
If this drive r message appea rs and the indica
tor lig ht is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steer ing * is being rein itia lized. After
starting the engine, the steering wheel will move s light ly. Re- initiali zation might be nec
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . Th e display goes out as soo n as ini ti
ali zation is comple te .
A WARNING
H ave the dy namic s tee ring * system mal
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop - risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
- If the . or l;rj indic ator l ight only st ays
on fo r a short time, you may continue
dr iving.
- T he dynamic s teering* s tabilit y systems
are not availab le in the even t of a system
ma lfunction.
- F or ad ditiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to ¢page 104 .
-
Driving with your
quattro
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en .
General informati on
With a ll-wheel d rive, power is distrib uted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time. See also¢ page 180 .
A center d ifferential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear ax le. It
wor ks together with selective wheel torque
control, wh ich activates when dr iv ing t hrough
curves Qpage 181. With the sport differen
t ia l*, power d istr ibut io n to the rea r wheels is
var iable a nd can be adjusted w ith dr ive se lect
¢ page 10 4.
IJII>
•
•
Page 190 of 286

188 Driving and environment
Driving and
environment
The first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
For the fir st 600 miles (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
... Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers):
.,. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
max imum pe rm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
... Do not rev the eng ine up to high speeds
when it is cold. Th is app lies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutra l) or in gear.
After the break- in period
... Do not exceed max imum engine speed un
der any circumstances .
... Upshift into the next higher gear before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale¢ page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine's inter na l friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
i n. How well this break- in process is done de
pends to a conside rable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome ters).
(D Note
E xtremely high engi ne speeds are auto
mat ica lly r educ ed. However, t hese rpm
lim its are programme d for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new eng ine.
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not d rive with unnecessarily high en
g ine speeds - upshifting ear ly saves fuel,
reduces no ise and protects the environ
ment.
, New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo
meters) after fitting.
_& WARNING
N ew tires tend to be slip pery a nd mus t al
so be "b roken -in" . Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing the fi rst 350 mi les ( 500 kilo
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llow ing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
braking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you a re d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, ste ep ramps, etc., ma ke certai n that
low- ly ing parts s uch as spoile rs and ex ha ust
s ystem parts do not bot tom o ut and get dam
aged.
T his is espec ially true for veh icles with low
s lu ng chassis (s por ts chassis)* and fully load
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note th e following to avoi d ve hicle damage
whe n driving through water, for examp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any hig he r th an the
bottom of the vehicle bo dy.
- Do not dr ive faste r than wal king speed.
Page 191 of 286

A WARNING 1= ~
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 re
store the full brak ing effect.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for you r vehi
cle to drive th rough safely.
- Avoid dr iving through sa lt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
11-Always use lead -free gaso line¢ page 201,
Fuel supply .
"'"Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
11-Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 211, ~ Adding engine oil .
11-Never try to push -or tow -start your veh icle .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere .
Drivin g and en vironm ent 18 9
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert
er and proper f unct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop
ping the eng ine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, br ush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
ru stp roof ing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con
ve rter or heat shield s. Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill already ser iously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
¢ page 211.
-Do not drive until the f ue l t ank becomes
comple tely empty . The engine co uld m is
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System: ..,. •
•
Page 192 of 286

190 Driving and en vironm ent
- Have your vehicle main tained properly
and in accordance with the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair
the function of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w it h lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wou ld like your veh icle to remain inop
e rat ive for a longer period of time, con tact an
Aud i or other specialized dealer. They can ad
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro
sion prevention, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to add itiona l information con
cerning the battery. Refer to
c:> page 217.
Operate your vehicle
economically and minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors:
- yo ur persona l dr iving style
- operating conditions
- tec hnic al lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
d rive economically, you can eas ily cut your
f u el cons umption by 10 -15 pe rcen t. T his sec- t
ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the environment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The cons umption estima tes as published
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will va ry depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating .
.. Avo id u nnecessary accelerating and brak ing.
Vehicles use the most fue l when they are ac
ce lerat ing. If you ant icipate what is going to
happen next, you wi ll need to brake less and,
t h us, acce lerate less . Let the veh icle coast
whenever possible -for example when you see
that the next t raff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently red uces fue l cons ump
t ion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and en
gine noise increase disproportionate ly at h igh
speeds. If you drive at approximately three quarters of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weathe r con
ditions pe rm it.
Page 195 of 286

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 193
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trailer has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the lo ad in the traile r is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 19 4.
Engine cooling system
Towing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•
Page 196 of 286

194 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do no t tow a lo aded tra ile r when your car it
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly carefu l when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed lim its .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i
ble, transfer some ca rgo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rv ing
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
co nsiderations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n goi ng downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
imm ediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try t o sto p th e swaying by a ccelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the b rakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air condi tioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by A udi.
-
Page 197 of 286

Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Yo ur veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, perform
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 264.
Trailer towin g 195
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l choc ks absorb the
load .
.. Tu rn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.. Place an a utomatic transm ission* in P, re
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly th e foot br ake .
.. Start t he en gine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S, respect ively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gea r.
.. Release the parking bra ke and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
l ater to move the le ver out of the P posi
tion.
•
•