four wheel drive AUDI A6 2011 Owners Manual

On the road Ill
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• Please also exercise exceptional care when you drive up or down
steep ramps or drive over cu rbs or other obstacles, for which the
vehicle is not designed, because components of the vehicle close to
the ground, such as bumper covers, spoilers and suspension and
exhaust system components , may become damaged. •
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an incline, do
the following:
- Keep the switch pulled and depress the accelerator . The
parking brake stays applied and prevents the vehicle from
rolling bac kward .
- You can re lease the switch once you are sure tha t you are
deve loping enoug h forward momentum at the wheels as
you depress the accelerator.
Depend ing on the we ight of the rig (vehicle and trailer) and the
sever ity of the incline, you may roll backwards as you start. You can
prevent ro llin g backwards by holding the park ing bra ke sw itch pulled
out and accelera ting - just as you would when starting on a hill with a
conventional hand brake. •
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake system fails or
locks.
- Pull the switch and cont inue to pull it to slow your ve hicle
w ith the parking brake in an emerge ncy.
- As soon as you re lease the sw itch or acce lerate, the
braking process stops .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
If you pull the switch and hold it above a speed of about 5 mph (8
km/h),
the eme rgency brak ing f unct io n is ini tia ted. The vehicle is
braked at all four wheels by activat ing the hydraulic brake system .
Brake performance is similar to making an emergency stop=>& .
So that emergency b raking is not act ivated by mistake, an aud ible
warning tone (buzzer) sounds when the switch is pulled. As soon as
the swi tch is released, or the accelerator pedal is depressed, eme r­
gency braking stops.
& WARNING
Emergency braking should only be u sed in an emergen cy, when
the normal foot brake ha s failed or th e brake pedal i s ob structed.
Us ing the park ing b rake to perf orm emergency braking will slow
your v ehicl e as if you had made a full brak e app lic ation . Th e law s
of physics cannot be suspen ded even w ith ESP and it s associated
c omponent s (AB S, ASR , EDS ). In corn ers and when road or
weather condit ion s are bad , a full brake application can cause the
v eh icle t o skid or the rear end to bre ak awa y- r isking an a ccident. •
Driver messages in the instrument cluster
Caution : V ehi cle park ed too steep
Th is message appears whe n the parking brake is applied on an incline
that exceeds abo ut 30%.
I n this case the b raking power of the parking brake may
not be
adequate
to prevent the vehicle from rolling unintentionally.
Plea se re leas e park ing brak e
This message appears , when a gear is se lected and the accelerator
peda l is dep ressed - release the parking brake . .,
Vehicle care Technical data

Intelligent technology
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The ASR should normally be activated all the time . Only in certain
except ional situations when some slip is desirable does it make sense
to deactivate the ASR. Examples:
• when driving with tire chains
• when driving in deep snow or on loose ground and
• when rocking the vehicle loose after it has become stuck.
When the abnormal s ituation is over, you should activate the ASR
again .
& WARNING
The increased safety afforded by ASR does not mean that you can
take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
[I] Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all four whee ls must be fitted
with ident ical tires . Any differences in rolling radius of the tir es can
cause the system to reduce engine power when this is not desired.
See also=>
page 307, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels". •
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automob iles are still subject to wear ,
depending largely on operating conditions and driving habits=>& .
On vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traffic or
are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your authorized
Aud i dealer more often than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte-
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation nance booklet.
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing effect of the engine . This
way, you prevent unnecessary wear on the brake system. If you must
use your brakes, do not hold the brakes down continuously. Pump the
brakes at intervals.
Noises may occur when brak ing depending on the speed , braking
force and outside cond it ions such as temperature and humidity.
Moisture or road salt
If you are driving faster than 50 mph (80 km/h) and the windshield
wipers are on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in
regular intervals so as to improve reaction t ime when braking on wet
surfaces. You, the driver, will not notice anything.
Under certain cond it ions, for example , when driving through water or
very heavy rain, or even after washing your vehicle, the braking effect
can be reduced due to moisture (or in freezing conditions ice) on the
brake pads. A few careful brake applications should dry off the brake
pads or remove any ice coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced when the vehicle is driven on a sa lt-covered road and the brakes are not used. Here too,
you should clean off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and
pads with a few careful applications of the brake=>& .
Corrosion
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 little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corrosion has formed on
the discs, it is advisable to clean off the pads and discs by braking
fi rm ly a few times from a moderately high speed=>& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake pedal travel, then one
of the two brake circuits may have failed=>& . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technologyL ______________________________________ _
steering support force that is no longer proportionate to the vehicle
speed. This is most noticeable when turning the steering wheel at low
speeds (for example when parking), - more effort will be required
than usual.
• Be aware of the different than usual steering response and adjust
your steering force accordingly.
• Have the prob lem checked and set right by an Audi dealer as soon
as possible.
[ i ] Tips
• When the engine is running, never hold the steering wheel turned
all the way to the right or to the left for longer than 15 seconds . The
power steering pump will overheat the hydraul ic fluid if you keep
holding the steering wheel turned all the way . This is likely to damage
the power steering system.
• If the power steering system should fail entirely, or if the engine
is not running (for examp le, while be ing towed), you will still be able
to steer the vehicle. However,
considerably more effort will be
required to do so.
• If the power steering system should have a leak, or is not func­
tioning properly, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately.
• The power steering system requires a specially formulated
hydra ulic fluid. The power steering reservoir is the one located most
forward on the left side of the engine compartment=>
page 280. The
correct fluid level in the reservoir is important for proper functioning
of the power steering . •
A pp lies to veh icles: with All W heel Dr ive
Driving with your quattro®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driven.
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is distributed to all four wheels . This
happens automatically depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See also=:>
page 243, "Electronic different ial
lock ( EDL)".
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with A ll Wheel Drive has an
advantage , even w ith regular t ires . In winter road condit ions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-season tires) fo r improved
dr iveability and braking: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels.
See also =:> page 311, "Winter tires".
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this normally also
applies to vehicles with A ll Whee l Drive=:>
page 312, "Snow chains".
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with All Wheel Drive must always have tires of the same size .
Also avoid tires with different tread depths . For details see page
=:>
page 307, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels ".
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an
off-road vehicle . It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and uneven
terrain as much as possible. Also refer to=>
page 252.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
9),

___ T_ i_ r _e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Tire service Life
The servi ce life of tires depends on a lot of different
things including proper installation and balancing,
correct tir e pressure and driving style.
l 1.. ______ Jj
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
Fig. 2 18 Tire tread:
t rea d w ear in di cato rs
(TW I)
Fig . 21 9 R otati ng
tires f or m ore e ven
w ea r
The original t ires o n your veh icle have 1/16 inch ( 1.6 mm) h igh "wear
ind icators"~ fig. 218 running across the tread . Depending on the
ma ke, there w ill be six to eight of them even Ly placed around the ti re.
Marks on the t ire sidewall (for examp le "TWI " or other symbols) indi­
cate the positions of the tread wea r indicators . Worn t ires must be
replaced. Differe nt figu res may apply in other countries ~ & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wea r and can cause sudden
tire blow-o ut. Fo r th is reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
once a mont h
~ page 302.
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acceleration and hard b raking
increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires o n your ve hicle to have the same se rvice life, we
recommend that the fron t and rear t ires are rot ated according to the
tire manufact urer's suggested tire rotat ion intervals . Please
remember the fo llow ing :
• Tir e ro tat ion inte rvals may d iffe r from the vehicle serv ice intervals
out lined in your Maintenance and Warranty Booklet .
• The longer one tire is used in one locat ion on the vehicle, the more
it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you follow
the t ire manufacture r's sugges ted tire rotation interva ls .
• Vehicles with front-whee l drive experience more tread wea r on the
front wheels compa red to a ll-wheel dr ive (quattro ®).
• Please ro ta te tires as shown~ fig. 219 .
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific t ires
~ page 325 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, var ious si tuatio ns
dur ing everyday driving can cause them to become unbalanced,
resu lting in v ibr ations yo u can us ua lly fee l throug h the stee rin g
w heel.
Unbalanced whee ls mus t be rebalanced to avoid excessive wea r on
steeri ng, suspension and tires . A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
~

-~_T_ i_ re _ s_ a_n _ d_ w_ h _e_ e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Alway s use tire s, rim s and wheel bolts that meet the specifica­
tions of original factory-installed tires or other combinat ions that
have been specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer .
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speed s. 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 tir es on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used t ires m ay have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• All four wheels must be fitted with radial tires of the same
type , size (rolling circumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tire s reduces vehicle handling and can lead
to a loss of control.
• If the spare tire is not the same as the tires that are mounted
on the vehicle - for example w ith winter tires - only use the spare
tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care. Refit the
normal road wheel as soon as safely possible.
• Never drive fa ster than the maximum speed for which the tires
on your vehicle are rated because ti re s that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail suddenly.
• Overloading tire s cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure,
including a blowout and sudden deflation and loss of control.
• Temperature grades apply to tires that are properl y inflated
and not over or underinflated.
• For technical reasons it is not always possible to u se wheels
from other veh icles- in some cases not even wheels from the same
vehicle model.
• If you install wheel tr im discs on the vehicle wheels , make sure
that the air flow to the brakes i s not blocked . Reduced airflow to
the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances
and cau sing a collision.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Run flat ti res may only be used on vehicles that were equipped
with them at the factory. The vehicle must have a chassi s designed
fo r run flat tires. Inco rrect use of run flat tires can lead to vehicle
damage or accidents. Che ck with an author ized Audi dealer or tire
specialist to see if your vehicle can be equipped with run flat tires .
If run flat tire s are u sed, they must be installed on all four wheels.
M ixing t ire types is not permitted.
0 Note
• For tech nica l reasons, it is not generally poss ible to use the wheel
r ims from o ther veh icles . T his ca n hold t rue for w heels of the same
veh icle type.
• If the sp are tire is different fr om the tires t hat yo u have mo unted
on your vehicle (for example w inter t ires or wide profile tires), then
use the s pare tire for a shor t perio d of tim e on ly and drive wi th ext ra
care. Replace t he flat tire w ith the tire matching the others on your
vehicle as soon as possible.
• Never dr ive witho ut the valve stem cap . The valves could get
damage d.
~ For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accor dance with the loca l req uiremen ts .•
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tr ead we ar
• Tract ion AA A B C
• T emperat ure A B C
Quality g rades can be fo und where applicable on the tire s ide wall
between t re ad sho ulder and m aximum se ct io n w idth =>
page 30 7,
fig.220 . ~

Tires and wheels Ill
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For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Requirements
in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course .
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (1 1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, Band C. Those
grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor trac­
tion performance ~& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing
the tire's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure~&.
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 109 . Grades Band A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum
required by law .
Safety first
& WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire failure. •
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on snow and
ice . At temperatures below 45 °F (7 °C) we recommend
changing to winter tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local governments may require true
winter or "snow" tires, those with very deeply cut tread. These tires
should only be used in pairs and be installed on all four wheels. Make
sure you purchase snow tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive*, this will improve
traction during winter driving,
even with the standard tires. However,
we strongly recommend that you always equip all four wheels on your
vehicle with correctly fitted winter tires or all-season tires, when
winter road conditions are expected. This also improves the vehicle's
braking performance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and snow .
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all four wheels .
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop for permitted
winter tire sizes. Use only radial winter tires. ..,_
Vehicle care Technical data

IIIIL_T.:...:..: i r~ e:.: s~ a:::. n:..:..:: d:.....: w..:...:. h::e:.: e::.:: ls::::._ ______________________________________________ _
The tire pressure monitoring must be reset via MMI each t ime the
pressures are adjus ted (e.g. w hen swi tching between p art ial an d full
load pressure) or after chang ing o r replacing a tire o n your veh icle
~ page 31 6. Yo u can fi nd the recommended tire press ures for yo ur
veh icle on the label on the driver 's door pillar~ page
299 .
Tire tread circ umference and vibrat ion characteristics can change and
c a u se a tir e pressure war ning if:
• the t ire pressure in one o r more tires is too low,
• t he tire ha s structur al dam age,
• the tire press ure was changed, wheels rotated or rep laced but the
TPM S was no t reset~ page
316.
Warning symbols
1..1' Loss of press ure in at least one tire~ &. Check the tire or tires
and replace or repair if necessary. The indicator light (• in the instru­
me nt clust er also illuminates~ page
12. Check/correct th e p res­
sures o f all four tires and reset TPMS via MMI.
rr :; (T ire Pressu re M on itor ing System) Tire pres sure! System
malfunction.
If T ,.;> appears a fter switching the ignition on or w hile
dr iv ing ~ page
315, fig . 2 22 a nd t he indica to r lig ht 'in th e instr u­
me nt clus ter b links for approx ima tely one m inute and the n stays on,
there is a system ma lf u nct io n. See your authorized Audi dealer as
soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the tir e pres sure indicator appears in the instrument cluster
display, one or more of your tires i s significantly under-inflated.
Reduce your speed immediately and avoid any hard steering or
braking maneuvers. Stop as soon a s possible and check the tires
and their pressures . Inflate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle 's tire pressure label~
page 299.
Driving on a significantly under -inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under -inflation also is likely
to impair the vehicle's handling and stopping ability.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• The driver is re sponsible for maintaining the correct tire pres­
sures . You must check the tire pres sures regularly .
• Under certain conditions (such as a sporty driving style , winter
conditions or unpaved roads) , the pressure monitor indicator may
be delayed.
• Ask your authorized Audi dealer if run-flat tires may be used on
your vehicle . Your vehicle registration becomes invalid if you u se
the se tires when not permitted. Damage to your vehicle or acci­
dents could also result.
[ i ] Tips
• T he tire pressure monito ring system stops wor king when there is
an ES P/ABS malf u nctio n.
• Using snow cha ins may res ult in a system ma lf u n ct ion .
• The tire pressure mon itor ing system on your Au di was calibrated
using t ires with the "AO" or "RO " id ent ificat ion . We re comme nd
using these tires. •
Applies to vehicles: with tire p ressure monito ring system
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
I f the tire pressure is adjus ted, wheels are rotated or
changed, th e TPfvf S must b e re set via
fv1fv1 I.
-Turn on the ign it ion .
- Sele ct : Fu nct ion butt on
[C AR ]> Systems* > Tire pressure
monitoring
> Store now.
[ i ] Tips
Before resett ing the TPMS, the current pressures of all four t ires
mus t co rrespo nd to the specifie d val ues. A djust the tire pre ssure and
~