2008 AUDI S8 ground clearance

Adaptive Air Suspension c.::i
The c.::i symbol illuminates for a few seconds after you have
switched on the ignition to indicate
redu ced ground clea ranc e when
the dynamic mode is activated and when the ignition is switched on
with a vehicle which was parked in dynamic
mode ~ page 186,
"Chassis Controls" . On vehicles which are equipped with the s port
s u spen sio n
Adapt ive Air Suspension -Spor t*, the check light does
not come on in this instance since ground clearance is general ly
reduced.
This warning/indicator light has the following functions:
• It illuminates for a few seconds after the ignition is turned on as
function check and then goes out .
• If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the
<::'.p
warning/ indicator l ight, you should not drive the veh icle immedi­
ate ly in order to prevent damage to the underbody . The two
warning/indicator lights flash ing toget her po ints to an extreme Low
level. A very
pronounced lowering of the vehicle (extreme Low level)
can resu lt, for example, from a heavy load. As soon as t he level has
returned to normal, the warning/ind icator lights stop flashing, and
you can drive away .
0 Note
If the warning/indicator light flashes in conjunction with the~
warning/ indicator l ight, you should not drive the veh icle because
low -lying vehicle parts can bottom out as you drive over uneven
ground and be damaged as a resu lt .•
Cruise control
CRUISE (USA models) / pJ' (Canada models)
The warning/indicator light i lluminates when the cruise control is
activated. •
Controls and equip­
ment
Instrum ents and w arnin g/indi cator li ght s
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS (USA models)
/0 (Canada models)
T his warning/indicator light monit ors the ABS and the
electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light wi ll come on for a few seconds when the
ignition is switched on. The light will go out after an automatic
check sequence is comp leted .
The re is a malf un cti on in the ABS wh en:
• The warn ing/ indicator l ight does not i lluminate w hen you switch
on the ignition .
• The warn ing/indicator light does not go out after a few seco nds.
• The warning/indicator light illuminates while driving.
The ESP indicator light also illuminates if there is a ma lfunction in
the ABS. The message
E S P / AB S fau lt ! See ow ner 's manu al also
appears in the inst rument c luster display and a wa rn ing tone
sounds.
The br ake system will still r espond even without the assis ta nce of
the ABS s ystem. See your authori zed Audi dealer a s soon a s
pos sib le t o re stor e full br aking perf orm an ce.
For more information
regard ing the
ABS ~ page 272 .
The ABS warning l ight and the br ake w arning light come on
to geth er. The AB S will not work and you will notic e a ch ange in
br ak ing re spon se and p erf orm ance .
Mal function in the brak e system
If the brake warning light~ page 22 and the ABS warning i lluminate
together t h ere may be a malfunct ion in t he ABS, and t here may a lso
be a malfunction in the brake system
itself~ .&..
In the event of a malfun ctio n i n th e bra ke syst em the warning/indi ­
cator light
BRAKE (USA mode ls)/ (Ci)) (Canada models) in the instru ment
c luster flashes. By pressing the
I CHECK] button, you can bring up a
driver message wh ich expla ins the ma lfunc tion in more detail.
Please note
~ page 30 . .,_

___ A_ d_a_ p
:.,_ t_iv _ e_ C_r_ u _ i_ s _e _ C_ o
_ n_ t_ r_ o _ l _____________________________________________ _
Applies to veh ic les: with Ad apt ive Cruise Co ntro l
Vehicles offset to one side
Fig . 165 Motor cycle
traveling ahead
outside the detection
range of the radar
sensor
Vehicles traveling ahead and to one side cannot be detected by the
radar sensor until they are within the detection range of the sensor .
This applies in particular to narrow vehicles, such as motorcycles .
Narrow vehicles which are not in the radar sensor's detection range
cannot be identified . •
App lies to ve hicles: w ith Ad apt ive Cruise Contro l
Lane changes by other vehicles
D
Fig. 166 A vehicle
changes lanes
Vehicles which move into your lane a short distance ahead cannot
be identified by the radar sensor until they are in the sensor's detec ­
tion range. •
Applies to veh ic les: with Adaptive Cru ise Contro l
Vehicles that are difficult to detect
Fig. 167 Two-wheeled
vehicle driving ahead
Vehicles that are difficult to detect, e.g. two -wheeled vehicles
ahead, vehicles with high ground clearance, protruding load, are
frequently detected late or not at all, under some circumstances. •

Adaptiv e Air Su spension 11!11
-------------------------------------=------=-------
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 . •

___ A_ d_a_ p_ ti_v _ e_ A_ ir_ S_u_ s_ p_e _n_ s_ io_n ___________________________________________ _
Chassis Controls
Four different driving modes can be set by the driver.
The automatic control processes are speed -and time -dependent.
For example, it is not possible to raise the suspension to the lift
mode above certain speeds .
When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is automatically lowered approximate ly 1
inch (25 mm) to a level suitable for highway speeds, except in the
standard mode . Road holding is optim ized as a result of the lower
center of gravity and fuel consumption is reduced as a result of
reduced wind resistance .
Level adjustment
lift
standard
automatic
dynam ic
automatic Ground
clearan ce
about 5 .7 inches (145 mm)
a bout 4.7 inches ( 120 m m)
about 4 .7 inches (120 mm)
about 3.9 inches (100 mm)
Se lect the automatic mode if you prefer a suspension setting
e m phas izing comfort . Damping characterist ics emphasiz ing
comfort are selected in this mode.
• Lowering : When a speed of abou t 75 mph ( 120 km/h) is excee ded
for more than 30 seconds, the vehic le is automatically lowered by
about 1 inch (25 mm) .
• Raising : The vehic le is automat ical ly raised again if the speed
fa lls bel ow about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a per iod of 120 seconds. The
vehic le is raised immediate ly when speed fa lls below about 22 mph
(35 km/h) .
dynami c
Select the sport mode if you prefer a sporty suspensio n setting . In
this mode, the veh ic le is lowered whi le it is still stationary and sporty damping characteristics are selected
. The warning
light ~
in the instrument cluster will c ome on for a few seconds just to
remind you of the reduced ground clearance .
I f you switch off the engine while the vehic le is in the dynamic mode
and then switc h on the ign it ion once aga in,
t h e ~ warning lig ht
wi ll also come on again for a few seconds.
• Lowering : When a speed of abou t 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded
for more than 30 seconds , the vehicle is automatica lly lowered by an
addi tiona l 0 .2 in (5 mm).
• Raising : The vehic le is automatically raised again if the speed
f alls below ab out 44 mph (70 km/ h) for a per iod of 120 seconds . The
vehic le is raised immediate ly when speed fa lls below about 22 mph
(35 km/h) .
sta nd ard
Se lect the s tandard mode if you desire a suspensi on se tt ing with a
special emphasis on comfort . In the standard mode there is
n o
lo wer ing of t he suspension . Even at high speeds, the vehicle stays
at the same level. Damping characteristics with a decided emphasis
on com fort are selected in this mode.
lift
Se lec t t he lif t mode when you have to travel over poor secti ons of
road (e .g . trails). In the lift mode, the vehic le is raised by 1 inch (25
mm ) compared to norma l level wh ile it is st ill stati onary a nd
damping characteristics are ad justed to emphasize comfort.
T he lift mode can be act ivated on ly at speeds below 50 mph (80
k m/h). When a speed of about 62 mph (100 km/h) is exceeded, the
system automatical ly leaves lift mode and the mode set previously
(standard, au tomat ic, dynamic) is activated aga in. •

lllffl.___l_n _t _e _ll _ig=- e_n _ t_ te_ c_h _n_ o_ lo...;g'"'-=- y ___________________________________________ _
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain roads, this normally
also applies to vehicles with All Wheel
Drive:::::, page 342, "Snow
chains".
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with All Wheel Drive must always have tires of the same
size . Also avoid tires with different tread depths. For details see
page :::::, page 336, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels".
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an
off-road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and
uneven terrain as much as possible. Also refer
to:::::, page 279.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
• Although the All Wheel Drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheels could begin to slide on top of the water (aqua­ planing).
If this should occur, you will have no warning from a
sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-wheel drive
vehicle. Always drive at speeds which are suited to the road condi­
tions -risk of crash. •
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution of electrical
energy and thus optimizes the availability of electrical
energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system is not driven for a
long period of time, the battery is discharged by idling current
consumers (e.g . immobilizer) . In certain circumstances it can result
in there being insufficient energy available to start the engine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehicle handles the distribu­
tion of electrical energy. Starting ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended.
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis, idling
current management
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines the state of the battery.
Sensors determine battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current state of charge and the
power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy consumption while the
vehicle is standing. With the ignition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical components . Data from
battery diagnosis is considered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge, individual consumers
are gradually turned off to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven , dynamic energy management
distributes the energy generated according to the needs of the indi -_,,,