trailer AUDI S4 2014 User Guide

202 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "balanced" rig is easier
to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
provided by Audi.
-

Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, perform ­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve­
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang­
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 275.
Trailer towin g 203
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­ lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l chocks absorb the
load .
.. Tu rn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.. Place an a utomatic transm ission* in P, re ­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly th e foot br ake .
.. Start the en gine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S, respect ively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gea r.
.. Release the parking bra ke and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto­
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
l ater to move the le ver out of the P posi­
tion.
•
•

236 Tires and wheels
Model Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine normal load condition full load condition
(up to 3 occupants)
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
S4 Sedan : 245/40 Rl8 93H
36 250 32 220 41
280 41
280 3.0 liter All Sea son
6-cylinder 245/40 Rl8 93V
High Performance
39 270 3 5 24 0 41 28 0 41 280
255/35 Rl9 96V XL
39 270
33 230 41
280 41 280 High Perfo rmance
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may al so appear a s xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel i s
l o cated on a label on the dr ive r's side B-p illa r.
Because tec hnical cha nges may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compa re the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l o n you r ve hicl e w it h the
tires on your vehicle. M ake s ure that the t ire
size info rmation on the veh icle label is the
same as the size of the t ire s on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be ­
l ongs to someone else or you bought the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you boug ht the
ve hicle as a p reviously owned vehicle.
Remembe r, your safety and that of your pas ­
sengers also depends on mak ing s ure that
load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
ve hicle . These load lim its are technically refer­
red to as th e vehicle's G ross Vehicle We ight
Rati ng ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
i ng ("GA WR") is the ma ximum load tha t can
be applied at each o f the veh icle's two axles.
T he G ross Vehicle We ig ht Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating a re listed on the
safety compliance st ic k er labe l located on the
driver's side B-p illar. The tire pressure label on
your Aud i lists the maximum combined
weight of all of the occupants and luggage or
o ther cargo tha t the vehicl e can carry. For the
l ocat io n of the ti re pressu re labe l~
fig . 189 .
A WARNING
Overloadin g a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hi cle cont ro l, a c rash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Ca rrying more we ight tha n your ve hicle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con ­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
ve hicle w ith in a safe distanc e.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail s uddenly ca us ing loss of con­
trol and a crash.
- Always make sure that the total load be­
i n g transported -including t he weight of
a trailer hitch and t he tongue we igh t of a
loaded tr ail er -does not ma ke t he ve hi­
cle he avier th an the vehicle' s Gro ss V ehi­
cle Weigh t Ra tin g.
.8_ WARNING
- In co rrec t tire pressure s and /or u nderin­
fl ation can lead to a serio us or fatal acci ­
dent .
- I nco rrec t tire pressures an d/or un derin­
fla tion ca use increased ti re wear an d can
affect the handling of the vehicle. .,.

not exceeded . Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle. These
l oad limits are techn ica lly referred to as the
ve hicle's
Gross Veh icle We ight Rat ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
veh icle, all factory insta lled accessories, a full
tank of fu el, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
i n tended to carry ("seating capacity") with a n
assumed weight of 150 lbs . (68 kg) for each
passenger at a des igna ted sea ting pos ition
and the tota l we ight of any l uggage in the ve­
h icle. If you tow a trailer, the weight o f the
trailer hitch and the tong ue weight of the
l oaded trailer must be included as part of the
veh icle load.
The
Gro ss A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two ax les.
The G ross Vehicle We ight 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 5 seating
positions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for
tota l seating capacity of 5. Each seating posi­
tion has a seat belt¢
page 138, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
veh icle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the tota l weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle (including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the
loaded trailer) is limited. The more passen­
ge rs in the veh icle or passengers who are
h eav ier than the standa rd weights assumed
mean that less weight can be ca rr ied as l ug­
gage.
The tire pressure labe l on you r Audi also lists
the maximum combined we ight of all of the
oc cu pants and luggage o r othe r ca rgo that
the vehicle can carry . For the location o f the
l abe l
¢page 234, fig. 189.
Tires an d wheel s 239
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious pe rsonal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was des igned to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, incl uding a blowout
and sudden defla tion, causing loss of
contro l and a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the total load be­
ing transpor ted - incl uding the weight of
a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a loaded trailer -does not ma ke the vehi­
cle heavier than the vehicle's Gross Vehi­
cle We ight Rating.
Determining correct load limit
U se th e example below to ca l­
culate the total weight of the
pa ssengers and lu ggage or oth­
e r thing s that you pl an t o tran s­
po rt so that you can make sur e
that your vehicle will not be
o verloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1 . Lo cate th e statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF O C­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NE VER E XCE ED XXX
KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi-
c le 's pla card (tire inflation ..,
•
•

240 Tires and wheels
pressure label) ¢ page 234,
fig. 189.
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 234, fig. 189.
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
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your vehicle
. Consult this manual
to determine how this re­ duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
... check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 242, fig. 193) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 191 T ire tread: tread wear ind icato rs (TWI)
____ Jj
Fig. 192 Rotating tires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on you r vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
cf> fig. 191 running across the tread. Depend-
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other ..,.

Index 283
-----------------------------------.......
Daytime running lights... ... .. .. .. 47, 48
Declaration of compliance Adapt ive cruise control .... .. .. .. .. . 278
Aud i side assist .......... .. .. .. ... 278
Cell phone pa ckage ....... .. .. .. .. . 278
Conve nience key ... .... ... .. .. .. ... 278
Elect ronic immobilizer .. ... .. .. .. .. . 278
Homelink universa l remote contro l .. . 278
Remote control key ....... .. .. .. .. . 278
D ecora tive parts/ trim
C lean ing ... .... ...... ... .. .. .. ... 206
Defective light bulb warning . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1
Defrosting (windows) ....... .. .. .. .. .. 78
D etermi ning correct load limi t ... .. .. . 239
Dig ita l clock ........... ...... .... ... 12
Dig ita l compass . .. ..... ... .. .. .. .... 56
D imensions .. ............. .... .. ... 273
Dimming the rearview mirror .. .. .. .. .. 51
D isp lays
C leaning ... .. .... .... ... .. .. .. ... 206
D oors
C hi ld safe ty loc ks ......... .. .. .. .. .. 4 2
emergency loc king ........ .. .. .. .. .. 38
Driver information system Enhanced sh ift indicato r .... ... ... ... 28
Open doo r or front lid warning . . . . . . . . 24
Outside temperat ure display .. .. .. .. .. 24
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Driver seat
refer to Seat ing pos ition 129
Driving off road ... ...... ... .. .. .. ... 199
D riving safe ly ............. .... .. ... 128
Driving through water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
D riving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Dust filter
refer to Po llutant filte r (automatic AC
sys tem) .. .. ............. .... .. .. .. 76
Dynamic steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 ,191
E
E85 (Fue l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
E ffi ciency program ......... .. .. .. .. .. 2 7
Fu el economy messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
M emory leve ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Othe r equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Shift indicator ........... .. .. .. .... 28 E
lectro -mechan ica l power ass ist ... .. .. 191
E lectromechanica l pa rk ing brake
E mergency bra king ................ . 87
Ind icator lig ht . .. .... ........... .. . 85
P arking ... .. .. .. ................. . 86
Re leas ing and closing ... .... ... .. .. . 85
Starting assist ...... .. .. ..... ... .. . 86
Starting from rest . ... .. .... ... .. .. . 86
Starting off w ith a trailer ........ .. .. . 87
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 16
El ectronic differential lock
Warning/indicator lights ..... ... .. .. . 18
El ectronic d ifferential lock ( EDL) ... .. .. 186
Wa rning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 19
E lectronic immob ilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 38
E lectronic power con trol
(EPC) warning/indicator light . . . . . . . . . 20
El ectronic speed limi ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
E lectronic stab ilizat ion contro l
offroad mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Sport mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
E lectronic Stabilization Cont ro l (ESC) ... 186
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 18
Emergency ac tua tion
Doors . ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 38
Ignition key ..... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 35
Rea r lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 42
Slid ing/ti lting s unroof .............. . 45
E merge ncy br aking . .... ......... .. .. . 87
Emergency flasher ................. .. 49
w . /' d' l' h arnmg m 1cator 1g ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Emergency key .. ...... ............. . 33
Starting engine .. ............. .. .. . 82
Emergency operation Emergency bra king funct ion (parking
brake) . ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 87
E mergency starti ng ............. .... 266
Emergency towing . ................. 268
Energy management .. .. ..... ... .. .. 193
Battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Driver notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
En gine
Compartment .. ...... ........... .. 216
Coolant ... .. .. .... .. ... ..... ... .. 221
Data ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 274
Hood ... .. .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 214
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 83
•
•

290 Index
Selector lever ..... ........ .. .. .... .. 92
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Selector leve r eme rgency release . . . . . . . 98
Service and disposal Safety belt pretens ioner . .. .. .. .. .. . 145
Service interval display ................ 29
Service position
refer to Replac ing wiper blades . .... .. 55
SET button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Shift indicator (eff iciency p rog ram) . ... .. 28
Shutting down vehicle .......... .. ... 197
Side airbags Descript ion .............. .. .. .. .. . 161
H ow they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
side assist Adjusting the brightness ............ 111
Sensor range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Side assist Activating and deactivating .......... 111
C leaning the sensors .............. . 205
Description .... ........ ...... .... . 109
Side curta in airbags ........ .... .... . 164
Description . ........... .. .. .. .. .. . 164
Ho w they work ............ ... .... . 165
Safety instructions ................. 166
Side marker lights ............. .. ... . 47
Ski sack ... ............... ........ .. 73
Sliding/tilting sunroof Convenience opening/closing ..... .. .. 43
Emergency closing ............ .... .. 45
Opening and closing ....... ... .. ... . 44
Sunshade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Snow chains ............ .. .. .. .. .. . 247
Socket 12-volt .. .. ... .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. 64
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Sources of information about child re-
straints and their use ......... .. .... . 185
Spare tire .. .. ................ ... ... 252
Speedometer .............. ... .... .. 12
Speed rating letter code ..... .... .... . 243
Speed warning system ........ .. .... .. 87
Sport differential ................... 113
Ind icator lamp ............ ... .... .. 22
START ENGINE STOP button (convenience
key) .. .. .. .... ........... .. .. .. .. .. 84 START ENGINE STOP
button (Convenience
key) ............................... 83
Starting from rest ............... .... . 86
Starting
off with a trailer ......... .... . 87
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 83
Steering Locking the steering ............ ... . 80
also refer to Electro-mechanical power
ass ist .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... .. .. 191
Steering wheel Adjusting steering column ...... .. .. . 80
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 191
Steps for determining correct load limit . 239
Stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 84
Storage ........ .. .. ........ ...... .. 64
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 74
S tronic .. .. .. .. . .............. .. .. . 91
Selector lever .... ... .......... .. .. . 92
S tronic transmission Emergency release ....... ...... .. .. . 98
Launch Control Program ........... .. 97
Sunroof .... .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 44
also refer to Sliding/tilting sunroof 44, 45
Sun shades
Rear doors . ..... .............. 52,53
Rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Sun visors .. .. .. .. .... ......... .... . 52
Symbols
refer to Warning/indicator lights ...... 13
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
T ail lights
Cleaning .. .... .. ................ . 205
Tec hnical modifications .............. 278
Tether anchors .... ............. .... 183
T ether strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Textiles Cleaning .. .. .. .. .. ..... ...... .. .. 207
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and after-
wards ...... .... .. .. ........... .... 195
T ie-downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72, 135
t ip tron ic .... ... .. .. ........ ...... .. 91
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Driving ..... .. .. .. ........... .... . 93
Emergency mode .............. .. .. . 97