2008 AUDI S8 height

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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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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___ D_ r
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Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter conta ins important informat ion, tips, instructions and
warnings that you need to read and observe for your own safety, the safety of your passenge rs and othe rs. We have summarized here
what you need to know about safety be lts, airbags, child restraints
as wel l as chi ld safety . Y o ur safety is for us
priority number 1 . Always
observe the information and warnings in this section
-for your own
safety as we ll as that of your passengers .
The information in this sect ion appl ies to al l model vers ions of your
vehic le. Some of the features described in this sections may be
standard equ ipmen t on some mode ls, or may be op tiona l equip ­
ment on others. If you are not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
• Always mak e sure that you follo w the instru ctions and heed
the WARNINGS in this Manual. It is in your interest and in the interest of your passengers .
• Alway s keep the complete Owner' s Liter ature in your Audi
when you lend or sell your vehi cle so that th is important informa­
tion will always be available to the driver and pas seng ers.
• Always keep the Owner's literature handy so that you can find
it e asily if you have question s. •
Safety equipment
The s afe ty featur es are par t of the occu pant restraint
system an d wor k together t o help red uce the risk of injury
in a wide variety of accident situati ons.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers should not be left to
chance . Advances in technology have made a variety of features
avai lable to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident. The
fo llo w ing is a l ist of just a few of the sa fe ty feat ures in your A udi :
• sophisticated safety belts for driver and a ll passenger seating
posit ions,
• safety be lt pretensioners,
• safety be lt force l imiters for the fr ont seats,
• safety be lt height adjustment systems for the front seats,
• front airbags,
• knee airbags for the front seats
• side airbags in the front seats and outer rear seats,
• side curtain a irbags (SIDEGUARD),
• special LATCH anchorages for chi ld restra ints,
• head restraints for each seating position,
• adjus table steer ing colum n.
T hese individua l safety features, can work together as a system to
help protect you and you r passengers in a wide ra nge of acc idents .
T hese features cannot work as a system if they are not always
correctly adjusted and correct ly used .
Safety i s everybody' s responsibility! •

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Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant safety
always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving always:
- Make sure that all lights and signals are operat ing
correctly.
- Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
- Make sure that all windows are clean and afford good
visibility to the outside.
- Secure all luggage and other items
carefully => page 109.
-Make sure that nothing can interfere with the pedals.
- Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors correctly for your height .
- Instruct passengers to adjust the head restraints
according to their height.
- Make sure to use the right child restraint correctly to
protect
children => page 243, "Child Safety".
- Sit properly in your seat and make sure that your passen ­
gers do the
same => page 86, "General recommenda ­
tions".
- Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Also instruct
your passengers to fasten their safety belts properly
=> page 209. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the
vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's ability to concen­
trate on the road without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and all
of its occupants. If your ability to drive is impaired, safety
risks for everybody in the vehicle increase and you also
become a hazard to everyone else on the road
=>& .There ­
fore:
Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers or by
using a cellular telephone .
NEVER drive when your driving ability is impaired (by
medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
- Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and speed limits
and plain common sense .
- ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and weather
conditions.
- Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive for more
than two hours at a stretch.
- Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pressure or when
you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Safety belts
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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 driving the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pretensioner that helps to
tighten the safety belt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning
light=> page 19.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with
a switchable locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt
is used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the important informa­
tion about this
feature => page 253.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious injury in an
accident=> page 214, "Safety belt position" .
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat back
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
effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child seat in the vehicle
=> page 255. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maximum
protection from safety belts.
., N
8
~
Fig . 226 Head restraint
and safety belt
posi­
tion as seen from the
side
Use the height adjustment to change the position of the shoulder
belt of the front safety belts.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident .
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body
=> fig. 226. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug
=> fig. 226. 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 vulner-
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
...

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Adjusting safety belt height Use the safety belt height adjustment to change belt posi­
tion on the shoulder.
Fig . 229 Adjusting
shoulder belt height
The safety belt height adjustors for the front seats can be
used to adjust the height of the shoulder portion of the
safety belt so that it is positioned correctly.
- Push the
latch ~ fig. 229 up or down so that the shoulder
portion of the safety belt is positioned nearly midway
over the
shoulder ~ & in "Safety belt position" on
page 214.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important informa­
tion
~ page 212. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating
positions reduce
the effectiveness 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 positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant 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 sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while
traveling ~& .
& 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 being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
~ page 212. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners . The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rea r-end collisions
of great severity . This tightens the belt and takes up belt
slack ~ &
in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner" on page 217.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupan t movement
during a collision.
•

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& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's su spension includ ing use of un approved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the ris k of serious pe rsonal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspen sion components that do not have the
same performance chara cteristi cs as the components or iginally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-r im combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
c onsole can cause the sensors in the buc kle to send the wrong
information to the electroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly .
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
W For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be c lassified
as Pe rchlora te Mat erial -s pecia l handling may a pply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
par ts o f the res train t syst em inclu ding airbag mod ules sa fety be lts
with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regu la ­
tions must be o bse rved. You r au thor ize d A udi d ealer is fami liar wi th
these requirements and we recommend that you have you r dea ler
perfo rm this service for you. •
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Th e a irba g sys tem ca n prov id e suppl emen tal prot ect ion
t o pro perly res tra ined front s eat occ upa nts.
0
Fig . 2 34 Dri ver' s
airba g
The airbag for the driver is located in the instrument panel under ­
neath the steering
whee l=> fig . 234 , the airbag for the passenger is
at about the same height in th e instrument panel und erneath the
glove compartment.
T he k nee air bag offer s addi tio nal pr otec tion to the driver 's a nd
passenger 's knees and upper and lower thi gh areas as a supple ­
me nt to t he safet y belts.
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags also deploy in frontal
collisions above a certain
se verity => page 227, "M ore important
thi ngs to know about fron t a irba gs" .
B esides their normal safety function, safety be lts wor k to help keep
th e drive r o r fr on t pas seng er in pos itio n in case of a fro ntal co llis io n
so that the airbags can provide protection .
T he airbag system is not a su bstitute for your safety belt . Rathe r, it
i s part o f the overa ll occupa nt res traint system i n yo ur veh icl e.
A lwa ys re member that the airbag system can on ly help to protect
you if you a re weari ng your safe ty belt and wea ring it p roperly . T hi s
liJ,,

___ C_h _i_ld _ S_a _f_e _t ~y ____________________________________________ _
0 Note
On vehicles with power individual rear seats* some criteria must be
observed when attaching the child restraint using the
LATCH
system:
• To attach the child restraint securely, the seat must be moved to
the farthest rear position, the seat height set to the lowest position and the head restraint must be adjusted to the vertical position
=> page 97.
• If a child safety seat is attached to one of the rear seats, this seat
must not be adjusted using the power controls under any circum­
stances. The easy entry function for this seat must also be deacti ­
vated in the
MMI => page 100 . The child safety seat as well as the
rear seat can be damaged by the adjustment process .•
Mounting and releasing the anchorage hook
If you use a child restraint system with hooks or other
latches attached to adjustable straps.
Mounting
- Press the anchorage hook with the spring catch release
onto the lower anchorage so that the anchorage hook
locks into place .
- Pull on the anchorage hook to make sure that it has
securely engaged the lower anchorage.
- Tighten the strap following the child restraint manufac­
turer's instructions.
Releasing
-Loosen the tension on the strap following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions .
- Depress the spring catch on the hook. -
Hold the spring catch in depressed position.
-Move the hook in the direction of the vehicle floor so that
there is enough space to release the anchorage hook
from the lower anchorage.
& WARNING
• Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injuries in a crash.
• Always refer to the child restraints manufacturer's instructions
for proper installation of the child restraint and proper use of the
lower anchorages or safety belts in your vehicle.
•
Tether anchors
Fig . 251 Tether
anchors: recess flaps
behind the rear seat­
backs
Beginning with model year 2000 , the rear seating positions are
equipped with three tether anchors .
The tether anchors for the three rear seating positions are located
in recesses in the rear window
shelf=> fig. 251 . Vehicles with power
individual rear seats* are equipped with two tether anchors.
.,