air suspension AUDI S8 2008 User Guide

Adaptiv e Air Su spension 11!11
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Ad apt iv e Air Suspension
Adaptive Air Suspension and
Damping
Description
Adaptive Air Suspension and damping can be regulated
and they adapt automatically to a request from the driver
and the driving situation at the time.
Adaptive Air Suspension is an electronica lly contro lled springing
and damping system. T his chassis system makes it eas ier on the
driver by adapting to the particu lar situation through imperceptible
control processes.
The
Ad apti ve Air Suspen sion component regu lates ground c lear­
ance depending on vehicle speed, load condition and driver input .
Acce lerat ing to a speed above a predetermined limit wil l make the
vehic le lower i tself. On the other hand, driving more slowly results
in the vehic le rais ing again at specific speeds .
T he
d amp in g component provides individual contro l of the
damping forces. For examp le, with damping characteristics set to
provide greater comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for a brief
period only as required, for example, when going around a curve or
over rough road surfaces as well as when brak ing.
S ett ing s
Adaptive Air Suspension provides the driver with the opportunity to
set the chassis characteristics a lso to their individua l preference .
With the driving modes
standard, automatic and dynamic the driver
has three chassis settings availab le, ranging from comfort to sporty.
In addition,
lift provides a fourth mode wh ich can be selecting for
driving over poor stretches of
road~ page 186, "Chassis Contro ls" .
The modes are se t in MMI
~ page 188.
Controls and equip­ ment
On vehicles equipped with the sport su sp en sion Adaptive Air
Suspension -Sport *, there is genera lly more emphasis on a sporty
chassis sett ing. Settings range from comfortable to firm
~ page 187, "Sport Chassis Contro ls".
0 Note
• Whenever you park your vehicle, always make sure there is
adequate c learance above and be low the vehicle . The height of the
parked vehicle can change as the result of temperature fluctuations,
changes in l oad condition and c hanges in the driv ing m ode (ground
c learance).
• Mount the tie -down cha ins/cab les over the running surface
(circumference) of the tires . Never secure the vehicle by the axle, the
suspens ion stru ts or the front or rear towline eye . For tec hn ica l
reasons , the pressure in the suspension struts may change during
the transport and this wil l adversely affect vehicle handling.
• To prevent damage to the vehic le underbody, remember that
your vehicle is not a n off -road vehicle, even in the lift mode . The
ground clearance is insufficient for this type of operation .
• If you are going to tow a tra iler, you mus t activate the trailer oper ­
ation
mode~ page 189 .
[ i ] Tip s
Before you can raise your vehic le using the vehicle jack (for
examp le, when changing a flat tire) you must activate the jacking
mode
~ page 188 . •

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Ap plies to vehi cles: wit h Adapti ve Air S uspension -Sp ort
Sport Chassis Controls
Four different driving modes can be set by the driver.
The au tomat ic contro l processes are speed -and time -dependent .
For example, it is not possib le to raise the suspension to the lift
mode above certa in speeds.
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/hl is exceeded for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is automatica lly lowered approximately 0.2
inc h (5 mm) to a level suitab le for highway speeds, except in the
standard mode.
L ev el a dju stm ent
lift
standard
a utomatic
d ynamic
a utom ati c Gr
ound clea ra nce
about 4 .9 inches (125 mm)
abou t 3.9 inches (100 mml
about 3.9 inches (100 mm)
abou t 3.9 inches (100 mm)
Se lect the automatic mode if you pre fer a sporty suspension
setting. Sporty damping characteristics are se lected in this mode.
• Lowering : When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded
for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is automatically lowered by about 0 .2 inch (5
mml.
• Rais ing : The vehic le is automa tically raised again if the speed
falls be low about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a period of 120 seconds. The
vehicle is raised immediately when speed fa lls below about 22 mph
(35 km/h).
d yn ami c
Select the dynamic mode if you prefer a firm suspe nsion sett ing and
damping characterist ics.
Controls and equip­
ment •
Loweri ng:
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded
for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is automatica lly lowered by an
additional 0 .2 in (5
mml.
• Raising: The vehicle is a utomatically ra ised again if the speed
fa lls below about 44 mph (70 km/hl for a period of 120 seconds . The
veh ic le is raised immediately when speed fal ls below about 22 mph
(35 km/h) .
standard
Select the standard mode if you want a comfortab le suspension
sett ing. In the standard mode t here is
n o lowering of the suspen ­
sion . Even at high speeds, the veh ic le stays at the same level.
Comfo rtab le but firm damping characteristics are selected in t his
mode .
lift
Select the lift mod e when you hav e to travel over poor sections of
road (e .g. trai ls) . In the l ift mode, the vehicle is raised by 1 inch (25
mml compared to norma l leve l and the setting goes to sporty
damping characteristics.
The lift mode can be activated only at speeds be low 50 mp h (80
km/h). When a speed of about 62 mph (100 km/h) is exceeded, the
system automat ical ly leaves lif t mode and the mode se t previously
(standard , automatic , dynamic) is activated again .•

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Setting the Driving Modes
The driving modes are set in MM/.
F ig . 2 10 MM I d is pl ay:
Setti ngs
The ignition must be switched on to set the driving modes .
- Press the (CAR] f unction button . The main menu
Ad aptive Air Suspension appears ~ fig. 2 10.
- Select the desired mode with the c ontrol k nob .
Please note that not every driving mode can be selected in every
driving situation. For examp le, it is not possible to switch to lift
mode at speeds above 50 mph (80 km/h). This mode is shown
greyed
out in the MMI disp lay .
For additional information on the driving
modes ~ page 186,
"Chassis Controls". •
Jacking Mode When Changing a Flat Tire
This mode must be activated before raising the vehicle
with a vehicle jack .
Fig. 21 1 MMI displ ay:
Ac tivat e ja ckin g m od e
Switching jacking mod e on and off
- Press the
I CAR ) fu nct io n bu tton. The main me nu
Adaptive Air Su spen sion appea rs .
- Press the
[SETUP] f unct io n button . The main menu
Adaptive Air Su spen sion appea rs ~ fig. 211 .
- Turn the co ntrol knob to
Vehicle jack mode and select on
or off as des ired .
The vehicle jack mode must be activated before changing a wheel
so that the automatic control processes fo r the air suspension do
not make lifting with the vehicle jack more difficult.
In the vehic le jack mode the indicator light in the instrument cluster
illuminates.
& WARNING
T he height of the p arked vehic le c an change du e to te mpera ture
fluctu ation s or change s in lo ad.
~

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[ i ] Tips
The veh ic le jack mode is switched off automatica lly at speeds above
9 mph (15 km/h) .•
Towing a Trailer
Automatic lowering is not desirable when towing a trailer.
Fig . 212 MMI displ ay:
Activate towing opera·
tion
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must activate the trailer
towing mode .
Switching the trailer towing mode on and off
manually
-Pressthe(CAR] function button. The main menu
Adaptive Air Suspension appears .
-Press the I SETUP] function button. The menu Adaptive
Air Suspension
appears => fig. 212.
-Select Trailer towing mode on or off as desired.
Level Adjustment when Towing a Trailer
The following applies to veh ic les wi th Adaptive Air Suspension:
Controls and equip­
ment
• Before hitching up the trai ler and before adjusting the tongue
weight at the trailer, the automat ic or standard mode
must be
selected, so that the vehicle is at normal leve l
~ page 188, "Setting
the Driving Modes".
• If driving in dynamic mode is desired, this mode
must be
se lected before hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue weight . However, note that your vehic le is lowered and
ground c learance is reduced.
• If you have to drive under difficult road conditions, you can
select lift mode after hitching up the trailer or after adjusting the
tongue weight .
The following applies to vehicles with
sport suspension Adaptive Air
Suspension
· Sport*:
• Before hitching up the trai ler
and before adjusting the tongue
weight at the trailer, the automatic, standard or dynamic mode
must
be selected, so that the vehic le is at normal level~ page 188,
"Setting the Driving Modes".
• If you have to drive under difficult road conditions, you can
select lift mode after hitching up the trailer or after adjusting the
tongue weight .
Restrictions when Operating with a Trailer
When operating with a trailer, the lift mode can on ly be se lected up
to about 25 mph (40 km/h). The system automatical ly goes out of lift
mode when speed exceeds about 31 mph (50 km/h).
I f the vehic le is in automatic, standard or lift mode before the trai ler
towing mode is activated, the dynamic mode cannot be activated ·
except on vehicles with
sport suspension Adaptive Air Suspension -
Sport*.
If the vehic le is in dynamic mode before towing operation is acti·
vated, it can be driven in this mode. If the suspension is shifted from
this mode to automatic mode, dynamic mode cannot be
re-selected .~

Airbag system -
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& WARNING (continued )
-Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inflated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary .
• The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag
has been deployed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version . Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• For safety reasons in severe accidents , the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer
-risk of an accident!
- If the vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all appli ­
cable safety precautions must be followed .
For the sake of the environment
Undeployed ai rbag mod ule s and pr etensione rs mi ght b e cla ssi fied
as Perchlorate Material -sp ecial handling may ap ply, s ee
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
parts of th
e restraint syst em incl uding airbag modules saf ety be lts
w ith preten sio ne rs a re sc rapped, a ll a pp lic ab le laws a nd re g ul a­
tions must be observ ed. Your authorized Audi deale r is fam iliar with
t hese req uir e m ents a nd we rec ommend tha t yo u have yo ur dea ler
perfor m this service for you .•
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
C han ging the vehic le 's suspens ion system can change the way that
t h e Ad va n ce d Ai rbag Sys tem perfo rm s in a crash. F or e xam ple,
using ti re -r im comb inations not app rov ed by Audi, lower ing the
ve hic le , ch angi ng th e st iff ne ss of the su sp en sion , in cludin g the
springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc . can cha nge the
forc es that are measu re d b y th e a irbag sens ors a nd sen t to the e lec ­
t ronic con trol un it. Some suspens ion chan ges can, for exa mple,
i nc rea se the force le v e ls mea sured by the sen so rs and make the
a irb ag sys tem de plo y i n cras hes in whi ch it wo uld not de plo y if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of changes may reduce
t h e force leve ls m easured by t he se nso rs a nd p reve nt t he a irba g
from deploy ing when it should .
T he se nsor s in th e safe ty bel t buc kle for th e dr ive r a nd fr ont
passen ger seat te ll th e electron ic control module if t he safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If t he safety belt is b ein g use d, th e fr ont ai rbag will
dep loy at a s lig htly h igher rate of veh ic le dece lerat ion t han if t he
safety belt is not being use d. Therefore, in a partic ular collision, it is
poss ible t hat an airba g w ill not deplo y at a s eat ing pos itio n where
the safety be lt is being used but wi ll inflate at the position where t he
sa fe ty be lt is no t bein g used. It i s im por ta nt th at n othi ng i nterfe re
with t he safety belt buc kles so that the sensors can send the correct
info rm ati on abou t sa fet y bel t use to th e ele ctr on ic co ntrol unit.
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