wheel AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2013 Owner's Guide

152 Airbag system
dealer is familiar with these re quirements
and we recommend that you have your
dea ler perform this serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combinations not app roved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, incl uding the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors a nd make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle fo r the
d river and front passe nger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not.
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is poss ible that an a irbag
will not deploy at a seating position whe re the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position whe re the safety belt is not bei ng
used. It is important tha t noth ing inte rfe re
with the safety belt buckles so t hat the sen­
sors can send the correct information a bout
safety belt use to the electronic contro l unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim c ombina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of ser ious
personal i njur y in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characterist
ics as the components origi­
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim com binations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety be lt
b uckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from wo rking prope rly.
- Always make s ure that nothing can inter­
fe re with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 56 Dr iver 's k nee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 156, the knee a irbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the inst rument
pane l underneath the g love compar tme nt.
The knee airbag offers additional p rotection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lowe r th igh a reas and suppleme nts
the p rotec tion provided by t he safety be lts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in fron tal coll is io ns w hen the de­
ployment th reshol d sto red in the control un it ..,,

154 Airbag sys te m
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger dep loy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
I f the front air bags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When t he system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and i nflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and t he
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the front passenger
q page 146 ,
fig . 154.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
A ll 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 a irbags also
inflate wit h a great deal of force and it is im­
po rtant for occupant safety that not hing
should be in their way when they dep loy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly wor n safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forwa rd moveme nt and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: wit h kn ee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al ­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenge rs
m ust know and do to help the safety be lts and
air bags to provide supp lemental protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used. -
The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal inj ury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you a re
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk in­
creases even more should the a irbag de­
ploy.
- Always ma ke sure that th e knee airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rea se
the risk of injury in an ac cident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the air bag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. I f the airbag de­
ploys, th is can resul t in serious o r fa tal
injur ies.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell are a in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop ­
ping bags, fo r example) can inte rfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the a irbag. Small ob jects can be
thrown thro ugh the veh icle if the air­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
b ags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
q page 158, Child Safety.

-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rearward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer.
,& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
@ Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured .
Child Safety 159
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size . The airbag on the pas ­
senger 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 for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the ..,. •
•

176 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers fo r 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 examp le, 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 very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate 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
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC 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 steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC 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 with water,
slush or snow, ESC 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), ESC 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, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC 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. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during ex treme 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 ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.

ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys ­
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , e lectronic dif­
ferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and se­ lective wheel torque control*. ESC is switched
on all the time. In certa in situations when you
need less t raction, you can sw itch off ASR by
p ress ing the button
ij] Q page 178, fig . 169
or ~ page 178, fig. 170. Be sure to sw itch
ASR on again when you no longer need less
traction.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The veh icle can still be steered
even du ring ha rd b raking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle .
Brake ass ist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance.
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal qu ic kl y in eme r­
gency situations . You must p ress and ho ld the
brake peda l until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensit ive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti- slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
El ectronic diffe rential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels .
This function is available up to about 60 mph
(100 km/h).
I n extreme cases, ED L automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating.
EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Int ellig ent technolog y 177
Dynamic steering *
On vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC he lps
stabilize the steering in crit ica l sit uations.
Select ive wheel torque control*
The select ive wheel torque control operates
when d riving through curves. The front wheel
on the inside of the curve o r both wheels on
the ins ide of the c urve a re bra ked select ively
as needed. This minimizes sliding in the front
whee ls and allows for more precise driv ing
through curves. The app licable system may
not act ivate when dr iving in wet or snowy con­
ditions.
A WARNING -
- ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL dynam ic steering*
and the select ive wheel torque control*
cannot ove rcome the laws of physics.
This is especially important on slippery
or wet roads.
If t h e systems beg in acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions . Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle contro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
a nd weather conditions. The risk of Los-
ing contro l of the vehicle i ncreases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys ­
tem, ASR, ED L dynamic steering * and the
selective whee l torque control * cannot
prevent coll is ions.
- Always accelerate with spec ial care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that can not al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
•
•

178 Intelligent technolog y
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wheels are eq uipped w ith identi­
ca l tires . Different tire s iz es can lead to a
r educt io n in engine power .
- You may hear no ises w hen the systems
described are wo rking.
- If the indicato r light
DJ or 11:11 (U SA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malf unct io n ¢
page 19,
c> page 19.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on au toma tically when you s tart
the engine.
Fig . 16 9 Ver sio n A : low er c ente r co nso le,~ OFF bu t·
to n
Fig . 17 0 Ve rsio n B: u ppe r ce nter conso le, ~ OFF but ­
to n
Switching sport mode on
Press the I;; OF F I button ¢ fig. 169 o r
c::> fig. 170 quickly. The act ions taken by the
E SC and ASR stabilize the vehicle a re limited .
T he
IJ ES C in dicator light tu rns on and the
me ssage
Stabilization control (ESC) : Sport .
Warning! Restricted stability
appe ars in the
d river info rmation disp lay
c::> A .
The following e xamp les are unusual situa­
t io ns whe re it may ma ke sense to switch s port
mode on in order to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Ro cking the vehicle to free i t when i t is s tuck
- Dr iv ing in deep snow o r on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode can be sw itched on at a ny speed .
Switching ESC/ASR off
Press a nd ho ld the I~ OFF I but ton for three
secon ds. The
lfil•)H and fl indicator lights
turn on and the message
Stabilization con­
trol (ESC) : off. Warni ng! Restricted stability
appears in the driver information display.
AS R is also switched off when ESC is switched
off . The stabilizat ion function is not ava ilable
c> A .
Switching on
Press the !.i, O FF I button ag ain to sw itch the
ESC back on . The
I indicator lig ht tu rns off
and the message
Stabilization control (ESC ):
On appears in the display.
A WARNING ,-
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of t he vehicle mo re eas ily w hen
ASR and ESC are in sport mode , especial­
ly whe n the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic an d weather condi ­
tions per mit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is w ork in g.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
D uring the first 250 mi les (400 km), new
brake pad s do not possess the ir full b rak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢ &.
The break- in period can be considerably lon-
-
ger for ve hicles w ith ceram ic b rake rotors* . ll>

You can compensate for th is sligh tly re duced
brak ing power by push ing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads d uring the
break-in per iod.
Operating condit ion s and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today's automobi les are st ill
subject to wear, depend ing largely on operat ­
ing 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 author­
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified i n
the
Warranty & Maint enan ce booklet . Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced b rake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine . Th is way, you prevent un­
necessary wea r on the brake system. If you
must use you r brakes, do not hold the brakes
down continuously. P ump the b rakes a t inter ­
va ls.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braki ng force and outside condi­
tions such a s tempe ratu re a nd h umidity .
Due to the nature of the materials used i n ce ­
ramic brake rotors*, nois es may become more
apparent at low speeds.
Effect of w ater and ro ad s alt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, i n heavy ra in, after over night
condensation or after washing your car, the
b rak ing effect can be reduced by moistu re or
i ce on the bra ke roto rs and b rake pads . The
b ra kes must be dried fi rs t w it h a few caref ul
b ra ke app lications.
At h igher speeds and with the w indshield w ip­
e rs turned on, the brake pads p ress against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time.
This occurs a t reg ular in tervals wi tho ut the
d river noticing and provides for better brake
response time un der wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehi cle is dr iven o n a salt -cove re d
Int ellig ent technolog y 179
road and the b ra kes are no t used. Likewise ,
you clean off acc umulated salt coating from
brake d iscs and pads with a few cautio us ap ­
plications of the brake
9 ,&. .
Due to the ir sur face character istics, ceramic
brake rotors* absorb moisture i n such condi­
tions. T his can cause a tempo rary reduction in
braking force compared to dry brakes. Yo u can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal harder .
Corrosio n
There may be a tendency for dirt to b uild up
on the brake pads and corros ion to form on
the d iscs if the car is not driven regularly or
o nly for short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­
ros ion has formed on the discs, i t is adv isable
to clean off the pads a nd d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
9 &. .
Fault s in the brake sy stem
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two b rake
c ircui ts may have failed ¢&. .
Lo w brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occ ur in the brake system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
level is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he br ake booster inc reases the pressure tha t
yo u gene rate with t he brake peda l. It works
o nl y when t he engine is running .¢
&
Brake lining wear status
B ra ke lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spe ction o f the condition of the bra ke pads
th rough the open ings in the wheel. If neces ­
sary, the wheel may be removed for t his in ­
spection ¢
page 245, Changing a wheel.
•
•

180 Intelligent technology
8_ WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken -in" dur ­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal city driving .
The break-in period can be considerably
longer for vehicles with ceramic brake ro­
tors*. You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly.
This also applies later when new pads are
installed.
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct- ed
. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving . See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
''!'Y Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected. .,..

';'ij Dynamic stee ring : initi alizing
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flash ing on the inst rument pane l,
dynamic steering* is be ing reinitialized. Once
you start the engine after this is finished, the
steering whee l wi ll be easy to move. Re-initi­
alization m ight be necessary if the steering
wheel was moved hard to the left and r ight
while the veh icle was not moving. The display
goes out as soon as initialization is complete .
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authori zed Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
@ Tips
- If the . or 1~ ij indicator light only stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring*, refer to
c::> page 104.
Driving with your
quattro ®
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
G ene ral inform ation
W ith all -whee l dr ive, power is distributed to
all fo ur wheels. This happens automatica lly
depending on your driving sty le and the road
conditions at the time . See also
c::> page 176.
A center diffe rent ial distr ibutes the dr iv ing
power variably to the front and rear axle.
It
works together with se lective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving through
curves
c::> page 177. W ith the sport d ifferen ­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive select
<=:> page 104 .
Intellig ent technolog y 181
The all -whee l drive concept is designed for
high engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerfu l and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driv ing cond itions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precaut ions
c::> ,&. .
Winter t ires
When driving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
a ll-wheel drive has an advantage, even w ith
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak ­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
a ll fou r
wheels. See also c::> page 23 7, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to veh icles
with all -wheel drive
c::> page 238, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls / tires
Vehicles with a ll-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page
~ page 233, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
~ page 184.
A WARNING
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and t raf­
fi c condi tions. Do no t let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive temp t you into
taking extra risks.
- Al tho ugh t he all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire traction . You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
•
•

182 Intelligent technology
-On wet road surfaces , be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
c rease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways d rive at
s peeds w hich a re suited to the road con­
di tions -ris k of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availabili ty of elec trical energy for s tarting
t he engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
te ry is d ischarged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer) . In certain ci rcumstances it
can result i n there bei ng ins ufficient ene rgy
ava ilab le to start th e engi ne .
Intell igen t energy management in y our veh i­
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener­
gy. Starting ab ility is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnos is , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic en ergy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, ba tte ry current and battery
temperature . This dete rm ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
W ith the igni tion switched off, it cont ro ls the
energy s upply to the va rious e lectr ica l compo ­
n ents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
e red. D
epend ing on the ba tte ry's state o f cha rge ,
indivi dual cons umers a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of t he battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehi cle is being d riven, dynami c en ­
ergy management distr ibutes the energy gen ­
erated accord ing to t he needs of the indivi du­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
t h at more electrical energy is not being used
t h an is be ing generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge fo r the battery .
(D Tips
-But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
t ha t the powe r and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is t hreatened , the indi­
cator light(•) appears ~
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-d istance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of yea r. Ab undant electrical e nergy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
c rit ical if th e engi ne is no t ru nning and e lectri­
ca l c ompone nts are t urned on . In this in ­
sta nce ene rgy is be ing consumed but none i s
being gene ra ted .
It is in prec isely these s ituations that you will
not ice ene rgy management a ct ive ly reg ulat­
in g t he di stribu tion of ene rgy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of seve ral days or weeks , e lectr ica l compo­
n ents a re g radually cut bac k or sw itched off.
T h is reduces energy consump tion and ma in­
ta in s start ing c apabili ty over a longer pe riod .
Some of the convenience func tions may not
opera te, such as t he interio r lights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
ll-