weight AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owner's Guide

190 Tire s and wheel s
wheels you have to adjust t he tire pressures
on all w heels .
A WARNING
Incorrec t tire pressures and/or underinfla ­
t ion can lea d sudden tire failure, loss of
contro l, collision, ser ious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbo l
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
t io n can cause increased t ire wear and
can affect the handling of the ve hicle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­ fla tion can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, incl uding a blowo ut and sudden de­
fla tion, causing loss of vehicle control.
- T he d river is responsible for the cor rect
t ire pressures fo r all tires on the vehicle .
T he ap plic a b le p ress ure v alues are locat­
ed on a st ic ker on the drive r's side 8-pil­
lar.
- O nly when all t ires on the vehi cle ar e fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres ­
sure monitoring system can wor k co r­
rect ly .
- Th e use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specif ied tire pressure va lues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the funct ion of the tire pressure mo nitor­
ing system .
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure befo re drivi ng
off .
- Driv ing with under inflated tires bend
more, lett ing them get too ho t res ulting
in t read separation, sudden t ire fail ure
and loss of control.
- Excess ive speed and/ove rloading can
cause heat bui ld-up, sudden t ire fa ilu re
and loss of control.
- If the t ire pressur e is too low or too high,
the ti res w ill wea r pre matu rely a nd the
vehicle will not h and le we ll. -
If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
red uced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire pressure and add
air as req uired.
(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can ca use
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
a lways make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps o n all whee ls are sec urely
mounted o n the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires w ill also increase the
fuel consum ptio n.
Tires and vehicle load limits
T he re a re lim its to the amount of load o r
weight tha t any veh icle a nd any tire can ca rry .
A vehi cle that is overloaded will no t handle
well and is mo re d iff icu lt to stop . Ove rloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
clud ing a b lowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to cras h.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the veh icle . These
load lim its are technically referred to as the
vehicle 's
Gro ss Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all facto ry installed accessor ies, a full
tank of fuel, o il, coolant and other fluids plus
max imum load . T he max imum load includes
t h e nu mbe r of p assenge rs t hat the vehicle is
i n tended to c arry ("seat ing c apac ity") wi th an
ass umed we ight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve -
hicle. ..,_

The Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker labe l located on the
driver's side B-pi llar . Your Audi has 2 seating
positions in the front for total seat ing capac i­
ty of 2. Each seating posit ion has a safety belt
c::> page 101, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
ve hicle's Gross Veh icle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the veh icle is limited . The more passen­
gers in the veh icle or passengers who a re
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The t ire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
occupants and luggage o r othe r cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the
la be l c::>page 187, fig. 148.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se­
r ious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more weight than yo ur vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of veh icle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a veh icle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, includ ing a b lowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the
Tires and wheels 191
passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be
overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation
pressure label)
¢ page 187,
fig. 148.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers from
"XXX" kilo­
grams or
"XXX" pounds
shown on the sticker
¢ page 187, fig. 148.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­
go and luggage load capaci-
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehi­
c le, the amount of available .,..
•
•

192 Tires and wheels
cargo and lugg age load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs . (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lb s.)
5. De termine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the a vailable cargo
and luggage lo ad capacity
c alcul ated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a tr ailer , load from your trail­
er w ill be tran sferred to your
vehi cle . Consult this manual
to determine how thi s re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 193 , fig. 151) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
diff erent things i ncluding prop er installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv ·
ing s tyle.
Fig. 150 T ire tread: trea d wea r ind icators (TWI)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI )
The orig inal tires on yo ur vehi cle ha ve
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wear indic ators"
¢ fig . 150 ru nning acro ss the tread . Depend·
ing on the ma ke , t here will be six to e ight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire . Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the pos itions of the tread
wea r indica to rs. Wor n tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in othe r countries
¢ .&_ .
Tire pressure
Incor rect t ire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
o nce a month
¢ page 189 .
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy accele rat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
However, va rious s ituations dur ing eve ryday
driv ing can cause them to become unbal·
anced, resulting in vib rations you can usually
feel th rough the steer ing whee l.
Un balanced w hee ls m ust be rebalance d to
avo id excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
whe n a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
s ive tire wear , impa iring the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle.
If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment chec ked by an authoriz ed
Audi deal er or qualified wo rksh op.
All-wheel drive
Only the wheel/ti re sizes specif ied by the
manufacture r may be used on veh icles with
all-wheel d rive. For details see
c::> page 147.

General information Explanation of
technical data
Som e of t he technical data listed in this man ­
ual require further explanation.
The technical data for your vehicle are listed in
the charts starting on
Q page 217. This chap­
t e r p rovides general informa tion, notes and
r estr ictions wh ich app ly to these data .
Vehicle identification
The key data are given on the vehicle identifi­
cat io n number
(V IN) pla te and the vehicle da­
ta sticker.
Fig. 1 65 Vehicle I dent ificat ion Num ber {VlN) p la te: lo ­
cation o n driver's side dash pa nel
Fi g. 16 6 The ve hicle identi fication label -in the foot­
well on the passenger's side
The Vehicle Identification Number (VlN)
is located on the d river's side so tha t it is v is i­
b le from the outsi de throug h the windshield -
see
c!) fig. 165. You can also disp lay the Vehi ­
cle Ident ificat ion Number of your vehicle in
the Driver Information display
Q page 25.
General inform ation 215
The vehicle identification label
is lo cated wi th the fuses in t he footwe ll on the
passenger 's side
Q page 213 .
The label c!) fig. 166 shows th e fo llow ing vehi­
cl e data :
(D Product ion cont ro l No .
@ Vehicle identific ation No.
@ Type code number
© Type designat ion/engine o utput in K ilo-
wat ts
® Engine and transm ission code letter
® Pa int No./lnterior
0 Option al eq uipment No.'s
Vehicle data are al so fo und in your Wa rranty
& Ma intenance boo klet .
The safety compliance sticker is your assurance that your new vehicle com­
plies with all applicable Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards which were in effect at the
time the ve hicle was manufactur ed . You can
find this sticke r o n the left doo r jamb.
It
sh ows the month an d ye ar of pro duction and
t he ve hicl e ident ifi cat io n number of yo ur vehi ­
cle (perforation) as well as the G ross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVW R) and the Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR).
The high voltage warning label
i s lo cate d on the lock ca rrie r.
The spark ignition system complies with
the Canadian standard ICES-002.
Weights
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
T he Gro ss Vehicle Weigh t Rat ing (GVWR), and
t he Gross Axle We igh t Rati ng (GAWR) for
fron t and rear are listed on a sticker on the
l eft door jamb .
T he Gro ss Vehicle Weigh t Rat ing incl udes the
weight of the bas ic vehicle plus f ull fuel t ank,
oi l and coo lant, plus maximum load, which in­
cludes passen ger we ight (150 lbs./68 kg per .,..

216 Genera l inform ation
designated seating position) and luggage
w eight .
Gross Axle W eight Rating
The Gross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle
q _& .
Vehicle capacit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max . load) is list­
ed either on the dr iver's side B-pillar.
A WARNING
- T he actual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles shou ld not ex­
ceed the permissible weights, and thei r
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing.
- Exceeding permissib le weight ratings can
result in vehicle damage , accidents and
personal injury .
(D Note
-The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is distributed evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage) . When
transporting a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as possible so that the vehi­
cle's handling is not impa ired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axle loads or the max imum gross vehicle
weight . Always remember that the vehi ­
cle's handling will be affected by the ex­
tra load . Therefore, adjust your speed ac­
cord ingly.
- Always observe loca l regu lations .
Dimensions
.
The specifications refer to the basic model.
Differences may occur depending on the mod­
e l type and options ordered, for example, tire
si zes.
Note
When driving up steep ramps, on rough
roads , ove r curbs, etc. it is important to re -member that some pa
rts of your vehicle,
such as spoi lers or exhaust system compo­
nents, may be close to the ground. Be
careful not to damage them .

A
A/C operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Accessories .. ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 221
Active ro llover protection system . . . . . . . 99
Retract ing ro llover protection . .. .. .. .. 99
Add ing
Engine coolant . ....... ... .. .. .. ... 177
Engine oi l .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 174
Addit io nal accesso ries ...... .. .. .. .. . 22 1
Addit ives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Ad justab le steer ing column . ... .. .. .... 70
Adj usti ng front seats ....... .. .. .. .. .. 59
Advanced Airbag System Ch ildren . .. ............. .... .. .. . 131
Components .. ........... .. .. .. ... 116
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
H ow the components work together . . 117
M oni toring . ................ ... ... 120
Weight-se nsing mat ...... .. .. .. .. . 13 1
Airbag War ning/ indicator lights . .. .. .. .. .. .. 14
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109, 128
Care ... .. .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 122
Child restra ints ........... .... .. ... 132
Components (front airbags) .. .. .. .. . 116
Danger of fitting a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1
Disposal . ................ ... ... .. 122
Fr ont airbags ............ .... .. ... 1 13
H ow do the front a irbags work? . .. .. . 118
H ow many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 116
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system ....... .. .. .. .. . 126
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Indicator light ........... .. .. .. ... 120
Knee airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Mo nitor ing . ................ ... ... 120
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight .. ... .. 120
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2
Side airbags .. ........... .. .. .. ... 12 7
When mus t the system be inspected? . 120
Ai r cond itioni ng
A/C operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
A ir dist ribution ........... .. .. .. .... 67
A ir r eci rcula tion mode ..... .. .. .. .. .. 68
Automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Inde x 223
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Defrost ... .. .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 68
Econom ica l use . ... . .. ..... ... .. .. . 69
Fan ........ .. .. .................. 67
Rear window defogger . ............. . 69
Switching on and off ................ 67
T emperature ... .. .. . .. .... .... .. .. . 66
Air distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
A ir recircu lation mode
Air condi tioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
All -wheel drive .. .. .. ..... .......... 147
Winter tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
A lternator
refer to Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolan t sys tem ... .. .. 175
Anti- lock b rake system
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 16
Anti- lock braking system ......... .... 142
Anti -slip reg ulation . .. ... .... ... .. .. 142
Anti-theft ala rm system ......... .... .. 38
Anti-theft whee l bolts ........... .... 206
Ashtray .. .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. . 62
Asterisk ...... .. .... .. ........ ...... . 5
Audi magnet ic r ide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 75
Description . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. . 75
Ind icator light . .. ................. . 19
Audi Se rv ice Repair Manuals and Lit era-
ture .. ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 219
Automated manual t ransmission
refer to R tronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Automat ic be lt retractor ......... .. .. 104
A utomat ic car wash
refer to Washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Automat ic head light . .............. .. 49
Auto Safety Hot line .................. 97
Ave rage fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
B
Battery .... .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. 178
Charg ing .. .... .. ................. 180
Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Disconnecting ... .. . .. .... .... .. .. 178
Low .... .. .. .. .. .. ............... 14 7
replacing .. .. .. .. .... ............. 181
•
•

Fuses
Assignment . ......... ......... ... 213
Replacing .. ..... ........ .. .. .. .. . 213
G
Garage door opener (HomeLink ®) ... .. .. 88
Gearshift lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Generator Warning/indicator lights ..... .. .. .. .. 14
Glossary of tire and loading termino logy 184
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Gross Veh icle Weight Rating (GVWR) .. . 215
H
Headlight
Defective .. .. .............. ... .... 18
H eadlig ht flasher .......... .. .. .. .. .. 51
Headlights .. .. ........... .. .. .. .... 49
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61, 94
Ad justing .. .. ............ ... .. .... 94
H eated
Exterior mirrors ............ .. .. .. .. 57
Rear window defogger ..... .. .. .. .. .. 69
Seats . ..... .. .............. ... .... 69
Washer jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
H eating ... .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. .... 65
High beam. .. ............. .... .. 49, 51
H igh voltage warning label ........... 215
H ill hold ass ist
Starting on hills ............. .... ... 73
Homelink ® universal remote control . . . . 88
Horn ... .. .. .. ............... .. .. .. . 6
H ow many airbags does my vehicle have? 116
How often shou ld I check my tire pres-
sures? .... .. .. .. ......... .. .. .. ... 189
H ow safe ty belt pretensioners work ... . 107
Hydroplaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
I
Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
I mmobilizer . .... ......... .... .. .. .. 10
Important things to do before driving . .. 91
Improperly worn safety belts . . . . . . . . . . 106
Index 227
Indicator light
Airbag system ... .. ............... 120
Audi magnet ic r ide . .. ............... 19
Clutch overheating ................. . 19
Convertible top .. .... ............. . 15
No reverse gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ... .... .... 120
Se lector lever defective .............. 19
Indicator lights .. .. .... ........... .. . 11
Red symbols in the center display ... .. . 11
Yellow symbols in the center display .. . 12
also refer to Warning/indicator lights .. 11
Infant seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Installing child safety seats
Safety belts ... .. ................. 138
Instrument cluster and controls ......... 8
Instrument panel illumination ........ . S2
Instruments and controls
General illustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Intermittent wiping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
]
Jump -starting ... .... ............... 209
K
Key ...... .. .. .. .. .. ............... . 32
Battery replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Emergency key ..... ................ 32
Key replacement ... .............. .. 32
Remote master key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Kick-down R tronic ..... .. .. ............... .. . 80
Knee a irbags ...... .. ............... 124
Description .. .. .. .. . .. .... ........ 124
How they work ....... ........... .. 125
Important safety instructions .... .. .. 126
L
Lap timer
Deleting total results ........... .. .. . 29
Displaying split time ........... .... . 28
Ending timing ... .. .............. .. 29
Evaluating times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Interrupting timing ...... ...... ..... 28
•
•

232 Index
Warranty coverages ..... ... .. .. .... . 219
Washing .. .. ................ ... ... 153
F o ld in g top cleaning ...... .. .. .... . 156
M atte fin is h pa int ...... .. .. .. .. .. . 155
Wax ing . .. .. ... . ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 153
Wear ind icator .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 192
Weights ..... .. ........ ...... ... .. . 215
What happens if you wear yo ur safety belt
too loose? . .... ............. ...... . 105
Wha t happens to unbelted occupants? .. 104
What impairs driving safety? . . . . . . . . . . . 92
What should I do after chang ing a
wheel? .. .. .. ............. .. .. .. ... 189
Wheel bo lts
Torq ue ... .. .. . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 199
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158, 183
Che ckin g tire pressu re ... ...... .. .. . 189
Cold t ire in fla tion pressu re . .. .. .. .. . 187
General notes ... ...... ... .. .. .... . 183
Glossary of tire and load ing termino lo -
gy . ... .... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 184
N ew tires and wheels ...... .. .. .... . 193
Tires and vehicle load lim its .. .. ..... 190
When mus t the airbag system be inspect -
ed? ... .. .... .. .. ...... ... .. .. .... . 120
When shou ld I ad just the tire p ressu res? 189
When sho uld I check the tire pressures? . 189
Where can I find the ti re pressu res for my
car? . .. ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 189
Why safety belts? .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 102
W ind deflector ............ .. .. .. .. .. 42
C leaning . .. .. . .......... .. .. .... . 156
W indows
C leaning ... ... .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 157
Defrost .... .. . .. ..... ... .. .. .... .. 68
De icing ...... ........... .... .... . 157
W indshield was her fl uid .... .. .. .. .. . . 18
W indshield w ipers .... ..... .. .. .. .. . 182
Install ing new w iper blades .. .. .. .... 55
Service pos it io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
W inter operation
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178, 179
Coolant system . ...... ... .... .. .. . 175
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
H eated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
W indows .. ... .......... .. .. .. .. . 157
W indshie ld w ipers ........ .... .... . 18 2 Winter tires
..... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. 197
All-wheel drive ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 197
Wiper and washer system ........ .... . 53
Wiper b lades
refer to W indshield wipers ...... .. .. . 55