AUDI R8 COUPE 2020 Owners Manual

451012721BA
Safe driving

If the rollbars deploy when the power top is
closed, do not open the top. Doing so could
result in damage to the vehicle. Please see an
authorized Audi dealer for assistance.
179

Safety belts

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces-
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
> Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.

ZA\ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
— Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen-
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
— Pregnant women, injured, or physically im-
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear Safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the entire pregnancy.
NT tet)
Your vehicle has two seating positions. Each seat-
ing position has a safety belt.


ZA\ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
— Never strap more than one person, including
small children, into any belt. It is especially
dangerous to place a safety belt over a child
sitting on your lap.
— Never let more people ride in the vehicle

than there are safety belts available.

180

— Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
yr ae Caen Chi
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.



BFV-0297


Fig. 148 Safety belt warning light in the instrument clus-
ter - enlarged
Before driving off, always:
> Fasten your safety belt and make sure you wear
it properly.
> Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
> Protect children with a child restraint system
appropriate for the size and age.
The warning light in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a re-
minder to fasten the safety belts. In addition,
you will hear a warning tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.

Z\ WARNING
— Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen-
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
— Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.

4S1012721BA
Safety belts

Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo-
ple riding in vehicles.

BFV-0184





BFV-0185



(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more. At higher
speeds, these forces are even greater.
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens
in all kinds of accidents and collisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
liam llieya
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in-
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!

Fig. 150 The vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi-
cle and the passengers possess energy which var-
ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi-
neers call this energy “kinetic energy.”
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be “absorbed” in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor. If the
speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us-
ing
safety belts > fig. 149, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall > fig. 150.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton

Fig. 151 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown forward
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tre-
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. Without the benefit of safe-
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel, in-
strument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the way > fig. 151. This impact with the vehi-
cle 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 supposed to deploy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, in-
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor-
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in-
jury or death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once
and that your safety belts are always there to
181

>

Safety belts

offer protection in those accidents in which air-
bags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown out of the vehicle where even
more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
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!
Ss
S d z a

Fig. 152 Driver is correctly restrained in a sudden braking
maneuver.
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ-
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri-
ous 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 engi-
neered 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 frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re-
duce 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 statistics show that vehi-
cle occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Properly using
182
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supplemental airbags to do their job in a col-
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le-
gally required 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 provided. Front
airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not acti-
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col-
lisions, in rollovers 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!
ee Celia Llaly
Praha)
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
> Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de-
scribed in this chapter.
> Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.

ZX WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death. Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
— Always fasten your safety belts correctly be-
fore driving off and make sure all passen-
gers are correctly restrained.
— For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
— Never strap more than one person, including
small children, into any belt.
— Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
— Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
— Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.

4S1012721BA
Safety belts



— Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving. Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
— Never wear belts twisted.
— Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
— Never allow safety belts to become dam-
aged by being caught in door or seat hard-
ware.
— Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
— Several layers of heavy clothing may inter-
fere with correct positioning of belts and re-
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
— Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely.
— Never use comfort clips or devices that cre-
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe-
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
— Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci-
dent. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
— Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au-
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary even if damage cannot be clearly
seen. Anchorages that were loaded must al-
so be inspected.
— Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself.
— Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func-
tion of the inertia reel > table Interior
cleaning on page 267.

Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first - everybody buckle up!

|
B4H-0462



Fig. 153 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear-
er's body.
> Adjust the front seat properly > page 50, Front
seats.
> Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis > fig. 153, > A\.
> Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
> Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv-
ing the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
Safety belts with pretensioners help to tighten
the safety belt and remove slack when the pre-
tensioners are activated > page 185. The func-
tion of the pretensioner is monitored by a warn-
ing light > page 17.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac-
tor that must be used when the safety belt is
183
>

Safety belts

used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
=> page 220.

ZA\ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious injury in an accident > page 184,
Safety belt position.
— Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
— Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effec-
tiveness and can cause serious personal in-
jury.
— A passenger who is not properly restrained
can be seriously injured by the safety belt it-
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo-
men.
— Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child seat in the ve-
hicle > page 221.
G@) Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to > page 185.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi-
mum protection from safety belts.


B4H-0751

Fig. 154 Safety belt position

Z\ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause



serious personal injury in an accident.

184

— The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos-
sible on the pelvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snugly > fig. 154. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
—A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
injuries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information > page 182.
cer aU aM Le Co lel acral a
ee Xe)
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly - throughout the pregnancy.

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hs
Fig. 155 Safety belt position during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear-
er's body > page 184.
> Adjust the front seat properly > page 50, Front
seats.
> Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest so
that it sits as low as possible on the pelvis and
there is no pressure on the abdomen
> fig. 155,> /\.
> Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
=> page 183, fig. 153.
> Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.

4S1012721BA

Safety belts


ZA\ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
— Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos-
sible across the pelvis and below the round-
ing of the abdomen.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information > A\ in Fasten-
ing safety belts on page 184.
eet Lime
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.



B4H-0270

Fig. 156 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
> Push the red release button on the buckle
> fig. 156. The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle > /A\.
> Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.

ZA WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving. Doing so will increase your risk of be-
ing injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se-
vere injuries.


Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri-
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effective-
ness of safety belts and will even increase the risk
of injury and death by moving the safety belt to
critical areas of the body. Improper seating posi-
tions also increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag deploys and strikes an oc-
cupant who is not in the correct seating position.
A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
> Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit-
ting position in the vehicle while traveling
>.
ZA WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
— Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be-
ing used.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information > page 182.



Safety belt tensioner
How safety belt pretensioners work
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
Seat belts with pyrotechnic safety belt preten-
sioners are tensioned automatically in severe col-
lisions, depending on the circumstances. This
helps to reduce the forward motion of the occu-
pants.

Z\ WARNING
—It is possible for the pretensioners to deploy
incorrectly.
— Any work on the tensioner system or remov-
al and installation of system components
for other repairs must be performed by a
qualified workshop.
— The pyrotechnic system can only provide
protection for one collision. If the pyrotech-
nic pretensioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced. >


185

Safety belts

@ Tips
—A fine dust is released when the pyrotechnic
safety belt pretensioners deploy. This is nor-
mal and is not caused by a fire in the vehi-
eles
— The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. A qualified
dealership is familiar with these regulations
and will be pleased to pass on the informa-
tion to you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten-
Serie
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Installing, removing,
servicing or repairing of belt pretensioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from working correctly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.

ZA\ WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce-
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing a safety belt preten-
sioner from activating when needed or acti-
vating it unexpectedly:
— The belt pretensioner system can be activat-
ed only once. If belt pretensioners have
been activated, the system must be re-
placed.
— Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the safety belt system.
— Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Special
procedures are required for removal, instal-
lation and disposal of this system.
— For any work on the safety belt system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au-
thorized Audi dealer or qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual,
training and special equipment necessary.


186

4S1012721BA
Airbag system

Airbag system
Important information
area e eo MIT a a Lee)
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop-
er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen-
gers, before driving off, always:
> Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly > page 174,
> Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
=>page 175,
> Wear safety belts properly > page 182,
> Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children > page 211.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink
of an eye and with considerable force. The sup-
plemental airbags can cause injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper-
ly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a driver and as a pas-
senger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions > page 174, Correct
passenger seating positions. For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
=> page 50.
It's especially important that children are proper-
ly restrained > page 211.
There is a lot that the driver and the passenger
can and must do to help the individual safety fea-
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that
prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of the Ad-
vanced Airbag System, please contact your au-
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov-
ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im-
mediately after deployment so that the front oc-
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be
in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move-
ment. Together they help to prevent the driver
and passenger from hitting parts of the inside
the vehicle while reducing the forces acting on
the occupant during the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and
upper body in the crash. Airbags do not protect
the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The triggering of the airbag system de-
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con-
trol unit. If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehi-
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi-
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably
between one collision and another, it is not possi-
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind and angle of impact
that will always trigger the airbags. Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags will >
187

Airbag system

also not inflate in side or rear collisions, or in roll-
overs.
Always remember: Airbags will deploy only once,
and only in certain kinds of collisions. Your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
example, when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another vehicle after the first collision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supplementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
=> page 180.

ZA WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in-
strument panel will decrease the effective-
ness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
— Never sit closer than 10 in (25 cm) to the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
— If you cannot sit more than 10 in (25 cm)
from the steering wheel, investigate wheth-
er adaptive equipment may be available to
held you reach the pedals and increase your
seating distance from the steering wheel.
— If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit-
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
— You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
— To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
=> page 183, Safety belts.
— If children are not properly restrained, they
may be severely injured or killed when an
airbag inflates.
— Never let children ride unrestrained or im-
properly restrained in the vehicle. Adjust the
front seats properly.
— Never ride with the backrest reclined.

188

— Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
=> page 174.
— Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
— Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre-
vent serious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.

ZA WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be
replaced.
— Use only original equipment airbags ap-
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in your vehicle and assure system
effectiveness ina crash.
— Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
aa) ela emaemken ale
> Be sure to read the important information and
head the WARNINGS for important details
about children and Advanced Airbags
> page 211.


The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It can
be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child
in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has
been certified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica-
ble at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
According to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certified for “suppression” for infants of about >