2008 AUDI S8 Owners Manual

& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the r is k of
injury and death in a crash .
• Improper use of child restraint an chors (tether anchors ) could
lead to injury in a collision. The anchor s are designed to withstand
only tho se loads imposed by correctly fitted child restraints .
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchor point .
• Never attach two child restraint sy stems to one tether strap or
tether anchorage .
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of
the child restraint you intend to install in your Audi .
• Never use child restraint tether anchorages to secure safety
belts or other kinds of occupant restraints.
• Never atta ch a tether strap to a tie -down hook in the luggage
compartment.
• Never secure or atta ch any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether anchors .
• If a tether or other strap is used to atta ch a child restraint to the
front passenger seat , make sure that it is not so tight , that it
c auses the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
• The heavier weight registered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag
when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to
the child. •
Child Safety
Tether strap
A tethe r is a st raight or V-s hape d s trap t hat atta ch es the
to p pa rt of a chil d re st ra int to s peci al a ncho rag e poin ts in
t h e vehicle.
Fig . 252 Tether strap:
prope r routing and
mounting
The p urpose of the tether is to reduce the forward movement of the
c hi ld restraint in a crash, in o rde r to he lp reduce th e risk o f head
injury that could be caused by striking the vehicle interior.
F o rward facing c hild res train ts manufact ure d after Sep tember 1 ,
1999, are required by U.S . federal r egulations to comply with child
head m ovement perfor mance requ iremen ts . T h ese new pe rfo r­
mance requirements make a tether necessary on most new child
safety seats .
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury in a crash .
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie -down hook
in the luggage compartment .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether .
• If a tether or other strap is used to attach a child restraint to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight , that it
._
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Vehicle care I • irechnical data

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& WARNING (continued)
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
• The heavier weight registered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag
when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to
the child .•
Using tethers on rear-facing child restraint
systems
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems come with a tether.
Please read and heed the child restraint system manufacturer's
instructions carefully to determine how to properly install the
tether.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest, or door .
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
& WARNING (continued)
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
•
Securing the upper tether strap to the anchor
bracket
Fig . 253 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
Securing the child restraint tether strap to the
tether anchor
- Release or deploy the tether strap on the child restraint
according to the child restraint manufacturer's usage instructions.
- Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear head
restraint => fig. 253 (raise the head restraint if necessary).
- Tilt the recess flap -detail
view-~ fig. 253 up to expose
the anchor bracket.
- Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor bracket.
- Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring catch of
the hook engages. _.

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-Tighten the tether strap firmly following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
-Loosen the tension following the ch ild restra int manufac ­
turer 's instructions.
-Depress the spring catch on the hook and release it from
the tether anchor .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS .
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firmly installed
for several days, this could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where the tether strap was
installed. The upholstery would also be permanently stretched
around the tether strap . This applies especially to leather seats .•
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Vehicle operation

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Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDRl,
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieval after an accident or crash event . EDR's
are sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieva l or downloading of data stored
by EDR's that were insta lled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or cras h event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped
with a number of electronic control modules for various vehicle systems such as, for example, engine function, emission contro l, as
we ll
as for the a irbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehic le-related data
dur ing norma l ve hicle opera tion for diagnost ic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic control modules is limited
t o data (no sound is recorded) and only a small amount of data is
actua lly recorded over a very limited period 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 vehic le speed, d irection,
braking as we ll as restraint system use and performance in the
event of a crash o r other condition . Stored data can only be read and
downloaded with special equipment. •
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP)
General information
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
I~
" "'
( ~ 1~ IA I 3-)
Fi g. 25 4 Cen ter
co nso le w it h ES P
sw itch
ESP is designed to he lp you maintain vehic le control in situations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especia lly when
acce lerating and cornering . ESP reduces the risk of skidding and
improves stabil ity under al l road conditions.
T he system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system. If the Ant i-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc­
tions, the ESP wi ll also shut down .
How the syste m w ork s
The Anti -Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDU
and the Anti-Sl ip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the e lec­
tronic stabi lization program. In addition to the data provided by
t hese functions, the ESP control unit requires additional measure ­
ment data provided by high performance sensors . The rotational
speed of the veh ic le about its vertica l axis, the lateral acce lerat ion
acting on the vehicle, the brake pressure and the steering angle are
a ll measured . _,,,,

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T he direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
t he aid of the steering angle and vehicle speed and is con tinua lly
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, for example, when the vehic le starts hydrop laning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appropriate whee l to correct
the prob lem.
The vehicle is then stabi lized by the forces act ing on the whee l
during braking. If the vehicle is
oversteering (rear tends to skid out
of the turn), the brakes are mainly app lied on the whee l that is on
the outside of the curve. In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to s lide out of the curve), t he brakes are applied a t the
rear wheel that is on the inside of the curve. An acoustic signal indi ­
cates when ESP brake app lication cuts in
=> & .
The system operates across t he entire speed range in comb inat ion
with the ABS system
=> page 272 . If the Anti -Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP wi ll be out of act ion as well.
Ac tivation
When you turn on the eng ine, ESP will automatically be activated
and wil l perform a self -test.
The system can be activated or deactivated by pressing the but ton
=> page 268, fig. 254 . The warning light comes on when the system
is switched off
=> page 18.
Normally, the ESP s hould always be on, however, it may be advanta­
geous to turn off the system in certain special cases when some
degree of wheel spin is des ired such as:
• when driving with snow chains
• whe n driving in deep snow or on a loose surface (to allow the
whee ls to dig in to reach firm ground)
• whe n trying to
"rock" the vehicle free whe n it has become stuck.
T he system should be reactivated once you are no longer in such
situations .
Both the ABS and EDS systems are still functioning even if the ESP
is switched off .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
The Ele
ctron ic Stabiliz ation Pr ogram i s ne verthele ss subje ct to the
laws of phy sic s. It is p articularl y important to pay attention to this
fa ct on wet and slipper y ro ad s. It i s therefore important th at you
alway s adapt your dr iving to the condit ion of the road and traffic
c ondition s. Do not allo w the in crea sed safety pro vided by the Ele c­
tronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into a ccepting
a ddition al safety ri sk s.
•
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The elec tronic d ifferen tial lock moni tors the rotation al
s p eed of the drive wheels.
G en era l not es
The elect ronic d ifferential lock (EDU helps the ca r to start mov ing,
accelerate and c limb a grad ient on surfaces providing poor or
a lmost no grip . Without EDL, this would be difficult, if not impos ­
s ib le.
How the syst em works
The EDL operates automatical ly. It monitors the rotationa l speed of
t he drive wheels on an ax le with the he lp of the ABS senso rs
=> page 272. If a not iceable difference in rotational speed between
the drive wheels on one axle is detected (e.g. on slippery ground
on
one side),
the spinning w heel is bra ked, thereby transferring power
to the other drive wheel or wheels (a ll -whee l drive) . This is done up
t o a speed of ab out 60 mph (100 km/h). N oises from the brake
system signal that wheel spin is being control led .
Dri ving off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road conditions in mind as
you accelerate. I f one drive wheel spins because it is on a sur face
with less grip, gradual ly increase the pressure on the accelerator
pedal unt il the car star ts to move . The whee l less able to t ra nsfer
power spins.
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Overheating of brakes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel from overheating if
subjected to excessive loads, the EDL cuts out temporarily . The
vehicle remains operational and behaves in the same way as a
vehicle without EDL.
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL switches on again auto ­
matically.
& WARNING
• When accelerating on slippery surfaces, such as on ice or snow,
always be careful when depressing the accelerator pedal. Even
with the EDL working, the drive wheels can spin and reduce your ability to control your car. Risk of crash!
• The increased safety afforded by
EDL does not mean that you
can take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
[ i] Tips
If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also not functioning. This is
indicated by the ABS warning
light => page 21. •
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the driven
wheels from spinning when the car is accelerating.
General notes
The Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) is integrated in the electronic
stabili zation program (ESP) . When the vehicle starts up and acceler­
ates, the wheels are prevented from spinning by adjusting the
engine power to match the amount of grip available from the road
surface.
How the system works
ASR performs automatically, i.e. without the driver's intervention.
With the aid of the ABS
sensors=> page 272, ASR monitors the
speed of the driven wheels. If the wheels start to spin, the engine
power is reduced automatically until the tires find enough grip to
lock onto the road surface . The system is active across the entire
speed range.
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If a malfunction should
occur in the ABS, the ASR will also be out of action.
& WARNING
The increased safety afforded by ASR does not mean that you can
take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
[ i] Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all four wheels must be fitted
with identical tires Any differences in rolling radius of the tires can
cause the system to reduce engine power when this is not desired.
See
also=> page 336, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels ".•
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still subject to wear,
depending largely on operating conditions and driving
habits=:,& .
On vehicles which are driven mostly in stop-and-go city traffic or
which are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your
authorized Audi dealer more often than specified in the
Warranty &
Maintenance booklet. _,,,