engine AUDI A8 2011 Owner's Guide

106 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
e nce diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttings in o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
C o mfort ,
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, steering and adapt ive a ir s uspension/
sport* are always involved. The dynamic steer­
ing*, sport differential* and cornering lig ht"
can also be ad justed . The revers ible safety
belt tensioners ¢ page
188 are adap ted to
the dynamic mode.
Depending on the mode, the
Engine /Trans ­
mission
respond more quickly or i n a more
balanced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts.
The power
Steer ing (servotronic) ¢ page 194
can also be adapted to driving situations .
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air sus ­
pension sport *
(Air suspension in the MMI) is
an electronically contro lled air suspension and
dampi ng system . They are adjusted depend ­
ing on the selected dr iving mode , the dr ive r's
ste ering, braking and acceleration input and
the r oad s urfa ce, ve hicle speed and load . A
spor ty se tti ng i s generally use d in vehicl es
with a dap tive air s usp ension spo rt *. T he vehi­
cle clea rance varies depending on the selected
mode and the speed .
Th e highway set ting is activ ated au to ma tically
when yo u drive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
Systems Comfort
Engine /
bala nced
Transmission
Air suspension
comfortabl e
Steering comfortable
Auto and Dynamic modes in the MMI to
switch between a spo rty and a comfo rtable
driv ing mode.
You can also adjus t the se tt ing accord ing to
yo ur prefe rences in the
ind ividual mode. For
example , you can combine settings such as a
spo rty engine tuning w it h light stee ring .
more than 30 seconds in the
auto or dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below 44 mph
(70 km/h) f or more than 120 seco nds.
Dynamic steering* changes the stee ring ratio
as a function of the dr iving speed in o rder to
optimize the driver's req uired steering effort.
This sets the steering to be less sensit ive at
highe r speeds in order to provide improved ve­
hicle control. At reduced speeds, steer ing is
more direct in or der to keep the s teer ing ef­
fo rt as minima l as poss ible wh en th e drive r is
maneuveri ng the vehicle . At low and average
speeds, dynam ic stee rin g* addition ally pro­
vides more responsive steering performance .
T he driver can set the basic steering ratio
c h aracteristics i n the Audi dr ive se lect .
A s a c ompone nt o f the all whee l dr ive sys te m
(quat tro ®) ¢ page
19 4, th e Sport differen·
tial*
di stributes the driving powe r to t he rear
axle depending on the situation . The distri bu­
tion o f power varies depending on the mode
selected. The goal is a high level of agi lity and
ability t o accelerate on curves . The ve hicle is
very respons ive to steering .
The following table provides an ove rv iew of
the characterist ics of each d riving mode.
Auto Dynamic
balance d sp orty
bala nced sporty
ba lanced sp orty
Dynamic steering* comfor table/indirec t balanced/direc t sporty/direct

Systems Comfort
Spo rt different ial*
balanced
Belt tensioner Standard
If your vehicle is equipped with Dynam ic
steer ing*, steering settings can also be ad ­
justed under the
Dynamic steering* menu
item.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the vehicle when park­
i ng. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load condi­
tions and changes to the driving modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When transporting the veh icle on a car
carr ier, train, ship or by other means, on­
ly tie the vehicle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
circumference . Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, suspension struts
or towing eyes is not permit ted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The vehicle
may not be secured sufficient ly if this
happens.
- If you a re going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
~ page 202.
@ Tips
-Se lecting the dynamic mode results in
sporty sh ifting character istics . The
S
gear position engages automatically .
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*, operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the engine. This does not indi­
cate a problem.
- In vehicles with the sport d ifferential*,
the
dynamic mode is deactivated when
tow ing a trailer.
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
Audi drive select 107
Auto Dynamic
agile sporty
Standard Deployment time
adapted
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto , Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fig. 109 MMI : Dr ive select
.,. To select the mode, select the following in
the MMI:
ICARI function button > Comfort,
Auto , Dynamic or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile 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 engine.
Comfort
The Comfort mode prov ides a comfortable ve­
hicle setting . The engine, transmission* and
sport differential* respond in a balanced man­
ner when the accelerator pedal is pressed or
released. The steering moves easily and is less
direct* and the air suspension and cornering
light react comfortably. The setting is ideal
for driv ing on long stretches, such as on free­
ways .
Auto
Auto
provides a comfortable yet dynamic feel.
T he setting is perfect fo r daily use.
Dynamic
Dynamic
gives the vehicle a sporty feeling.
The engine responds quickly to accelerator

~ You may need to release the selector lever
lock depending on which se lector lever posi­
t ion is selected and which one you would
like to select ¢
page 113, Selector lever
lock .
~ To engage the nearest selector lever posi ­
t ion, move the selector lever forward/back
until you feel the first pressure po int. The
selector lever will return to its original posi ­
tion.
~ T o skip over one (or two) se lector lever posi­
tions, move the se lector lever past the first
(and second) pressure point into the desired
pos it ion. The selector lever will return to its
original position.
F or example, to move directly from the
D se­
lector lever position to
P when stopping the
vehicle, you can shift past the
N and R selec­
tor lever positions.
Selector lever lock
The selector lever lock prevents you from se­
lecting a position unintentionally, causing the
vehicle to roll. When engaging some selector
lever positions, you must press the button on
the selector lever¢
fig. 119 and/or press the
brake pedal.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a
selector lever position when the engine is run­
ning while the vehicle is stationary. The ar­
rows ¢
fig. 120 indicate when you need to
press the button on the selector lever.
The selector lever does not lock if you shift from
D to R within one second. This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is
stuck .
P- Park
The whee ls are locked in this position. Only
shift into park when the vehicle is stationary
¢ & .To engage the
P selector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the
P position .
You can only shift out of park when the eng ine
is running and you are pressing the brake ped­
al. Press the button on the selector lever to
Automatic Transmission 113
release the parking lock and select the desired
selector lever position.
P engages automatically when you switch the
engine off while
D, Sor R is engaged or in
manua l mode .
If you switch the eng ine off whe n N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in
N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
You must use the emergency release proce­
dure to release the parking lock before towing
the vehi cle ¢
page 116.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this pos it ion .
Only select reverse when the vehicle is sta­
tionary and the engine is running at id le speed
¢ & -To engage the
R selector leve r position,
press the button on the selector lever, press
the brake pedal and move the selector lever
into the
R position.
T he back-up lights turn on when you select
the
R selector lever position while the engine
' ' 1s ru nning .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in idle in this pos it ion. To
engage the
N selector lever position, press
the button on the selector lever and shift int o
the
N posi tion.
If you switch the engine off whe n N is engag­
ed, the transmission remains in
N for approxi­
mately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
The vehicle cannot be locked when the selec ­
tor lever is in the
N position .
When dr iving through an automat ic car wash,
first select the
N position and then switch the
engine off¢
page 207.
D - Drive
In this position, the transmission shifts up
and down automatically depending on engine load, veh icle speed and the dynamic shift pro-
gram (DSP) .
IJJ,,

114 Automatic Tran sm iss io n
To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds
be low S km/h, press the brake pedal and se­
lect the
D se lector lever posit ion ¢ & .
Under certain condi tions such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer , it may be
he lpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to sh ift
manually to adapt to the driv ing con­
d itions
¢ page 115.
S · Sport
The S pos it ion can be selected for sporty driv­
ing . Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use
of the engine's power .
You can on ly select the
S se lector lever posi ­
tion when Dis engaged. Move the selector
l ever back to engage the
S se lector lever posi­
tion . To select the
D selector lever position
again when
S is engaged , move the selector
lever back¢ &.
The
S selector lever position engages auto ­
matica lly when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive select .
A WARNING
-Never engage R or P while driving. It
cou ld cause a crash.
-
- Power is st ill transmitted to the whee ls
when the eng ine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the b rake in all
selector lever positions except
P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the veh icle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly . T his cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activated.
- Before opening the hood, select the
P se­
lector lever position and set the parking
brake. Th is reduces the risk of a crash . Al­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings¢
page 216, Engine compart­
ment .
-Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is runn ing . -
If you must get out of the vehicle, move
the selector lever secure ly into the P po­
sition and apply the parking brake firmly.
@ Tips
- If you unintentionally shift into the N se­
lector lever position whi le driving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wa it for the engine to slow down until it
is idling before you sh ift into Dor
S.
Driving tips
The gears shif t au toma tically.
Sta rting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake peda l.
.. Start the engine ¢
page 79.
.. Press the b utton on the selector lever and
select the
D , Sor R selector lever position
¢page 112.
.. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
.. Release t he b rake peda l and press the acce l­
erator pedal ¢,& .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle, for
example at a traffic l ight . Do not press the
accelerator peda l when do ing th is .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
s tart dr iving, set the par kin g b rake when
s topping on la rge incl ines ¢
A_.
.. The parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Parking
.. Press and hold the bra ke peda l¢ ,& .
.. Set the parking brake .
.. To engage the
P selector leve r position,
press the button on the selector leve r and
shift into the
P position ¢ page 112.
When park ing on a level su rface, simp ly place
the se lector lever in the
P position. On slopes,
activate the par king brake first and then move
Iii>

the selector lever to the P position. This p re­
vents too much stress from being placed on
the locking mechanism .
.&_ WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS c> .&. in Se­
lecting a selector lever position on
page
114 .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary and the
engine is running . This could result in a
crash .
- Never engage
R or P while dr iving . It
cou ld cause a crash .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels when the eng ine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creep ing", you
must keep your foo t on the b rake in all
selector lever positions ex cept
P and N
when the engine is running . Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the vehicle is stationary. Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate ­
ly, even if the parking brake is set. This
cou ld result in a crash .
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down
beyond the resistance point, the automatic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, d e­
pending on vehicle speed and engine RPM. It
shift s up into the next higher gear once the
maximum specified engine RPM is reached .
.&_ WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is
act ive .
Autom atic Tra nsmi ssi on 115
Shifting manually
T he shift paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig . 1 21 Steer ing w hee l: s hifting man ually
... To shift to a higher or lowe r gear temporari­
ly , tap the
0 or O shift padd le c> fig. 121 .
... To switch manua l mode on, press the~
button .
M and the gear that is current ly en­
gaged @appears in the instrument cluste r
display
c> page 112, fig. 118.
... To shift up one gear, tap the righ t shift pad­
dle
0 c> fig . 121 .
... To sh ift down one gear, tap the left shift
paddle Q .
... To swi tch manua l mode off, press the~
button aga in , or
... Move the selector lever back and release it .
When you accelerate o r reduce the speed, the
transmission automa tical ly shifts into the cor ­
rect gear sho rtly before reaching the RPM lim­
it. If you select a lower gear than the one c ur­
rently shown in the display, the automatic
transmiss ion will on ly shift down once there is
no danger of exceeding the maximum RPM .
T he engine braking effect increases when yo u
downshift when going downhill.
Transmission malfunction
[G) Transmiss ion : please press the brake ped ­
a l and select the po sit ion again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then
continue driving.
[G] Tran smi ssion h ot: plea se m odify driving
~le
~

116 Automatic Transmission
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner.
Drive in a less sporty manne r until the tem­
perat ure returns to the norma l range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Gearbo x malfunction: you can continue
driving
T here is a sys tem m alfu nction in the tr ansmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have t he mal function corrected .
[o]tli] Gearbox malfunction: you can contin­
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a sy stem ma lf u nction in t he transmis ­
sion . T he tra nsmi ssion i s sw itch ing t o emer­
gency mo de. If yo u t urn t he eng ine off, you
will not be a ble to se lect any other se lector
leve r positions after starting the engine again .
Drive to yo ur autho rized Audi dealer o r quali ­
f ied repair fac ility immediately to have the
malfunction cor rected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving (limited fun ction ality )
There is a sys tem m alfu nction in the tr ansmis­
sion. The transmission is sw itching to emer ­
gency mo de. Th is mode only shifts into cer ­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all . The
engine may sta ll. Drive to your authori zed Au­
d i dea ler or qualified repa ir facility immed i­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
[ojtli] Gea rbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a sys tem ma lf u nction in t he transmis ­
sion. The transm issi on is sw itchi ng to emer­
gency mode. Th is mode only sh ifts into cer­
tain gea rs or will not longer sh ift at a ll. You
cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to y our
author ized Audi dealer immed iately to have
the m alfu nct ion co rrected .
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot sh ift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The pa rking lock was released using t he
eme rgency release
c:> page 116. Or -
The parking b rake canno t engage au toma ti­
cally . Drive to yo ur a uth o rize d Audi deale r or
qua lified repair fac ility immediately to have
the ma lfu nction corrected .
[O] Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not con tinue dr iving . S e lect the P sele ctor
l ever p osition and see your auth o riz ed A udi
de aler or qua lifi ed rep air fac ility for ass is ­
tance .
Parking lock emergency release
The p ark ing lock mu st be relea sed using the
emerge ncy release before towing the vehicle .
@)
Fig. 122 Driver 's s ide footwell: releas ing t he pa rk in g
l ock u sin g the eme rge ncy re lease
Fig . 1 2 3 Drive r's side foo twell: rese tt in g t he park ing
l ock
T he eme rgency release is located under the
floor mat on t he driver's side . You operate the
emergency release from t he d river 's seat.
Releasing the parking lock us ing the
emergency release
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake(®)
c:> page 81
or press t he brake pedal.
.. There are two slits on the cover. Posit io n the
scr ewdrive r from the vehicle too l kit i n one
IJI,

124 Homelink®
Homelink®
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Home link® universal remote
control
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand -held transmitters
from existing equipment.
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can operate equipment such as garage
doors, property gates and house lights from
ins ide your vehicle .
Using the Homelink universal remote control,
you can replace up to three separate hand­
held transmitters for equipment on your
property with just one universal remote con­
trol. Most of these transmitters are used to
ope rate ga rage doo rs and property gates. The
individual transmitters are programmed at
the front bumper. That is where the control
module is located.
The transmitters must be programmed first in
order to operate systems using the Homelink
universal remote control.
.&_ WARNING
-
-Never use the Homelink ® transmitter
with any garage door opener that does have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as required by federal safety stand­
ards . This includes any garage door open­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signa ling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Using a garage door
opener witho ut these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the Homelink
® remote control is being pro­
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, this can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components - an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avoid possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certain that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated.
(D Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Homelink ® Universal Transceiver,
Homelink compatible products, or to
purchase other accessories such as the
Homelink ® Light ing Package, please
contact Homelink at 1-800 -355-3515 o r
on the Internet at www.homelink .com.
- For Declaration of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions ¢
page 286.

138 Safet y belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
F ig. 1 39 Unbelt e d occ upants in a ve hicle h eading for a
wall
Fig. 1 40 The vehicle c rash es into t he wall
The physical principles are simp le. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
g reater the vehicle's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy inc reases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of this veh icle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 139, they will keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the c rash, unt il something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 140 .
The same principles apply to people s itting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs , or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are even
highe r.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not at tached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli­
s io n they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was t ravell ing just before
the crash . Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens i n all kinds of a cciden ts and col­
li sions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
F ig . 14 1 A driver not wea ring a safety b elt is viol en tly
thrown fo rwa rd
F ig . 14 2 A re ar passe nge r no t wea ring a sa fety be lt
w ill fl y forward a nd strike the dr iver
Un belted oc cupants a re not able to resist the
t remendous forces o f impac t by ho lding tight
o r bracing themse lves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems , the unrestrained
ll-

occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield , or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 141. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers
c::> fig. 142. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas ­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
Fig. 143 Driver is correct ly res trained in a sudden brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts 139
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also su bsta ntia l­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

190 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facture rs for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
cond ition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic stabilization
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steer ing assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
liJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered w ith water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle unde r con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .