
_1--_l_ n _t _ e _ll _,ig ,_,_ e_n _t _ t_ e_ c_ h_n _o_ l_ o ~g""- y.e- __________________________________________ _
Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
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 retrieval or downloading of data stored
by EDR's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event w ithout 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 control, as
well as for the airbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehic le-related data
during norma l vehicle opera tion for diagnostic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic control modules is limited
to data (no sound is recorded) and only a small amount of data is
actually 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, direction,
braking as well as restraint system use and performance in the
even t of a crash or other condition . Stored data can only be read and
downloaded with special equipment.
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP)
Genel'61
The Electronic Stability Program increases driving
sta bility.
Fig . 142 Cente r
cons ole with ESP
sw itch
With ESP, control over the veh icle is increased in situations when
the vehicle is close to the limits of grip, such as during acce leration
and in curves. ESP reduces the risk of skidding a nd improves vehicle
stability under all road conditions . It operates at all speeds .
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), E lec tronic Differentia l Lock (EDS)
and Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec
tronic Stability Program .
H ow ESP work s
The ESP control unit processes the following data from high-sensi
tive sensors: the rotational speed of the vehicle about its vertica l
axis, fore -and -aft and lateral acceleration forces, brake pressure and
steering angle.
Using steering ang le and vehicle speed, the direction the driver
wishes to travel is determined and continuously compared with
actual vehicle behavior . If the two do not match, for example when

the vehicle begins to skid, ESP brakes the appropriate wheel automatical ly .
The vehicle is stabilized again by the forces acting on the wheel during braking. With an oversteering vehicle (tendency for the rear
end to skid out of the curve), the brake application is mainly at the
front wheel on the outside of the curve, with an understeering
vehicle (tendency to run wide in the curve) at the rear wheel on the
inside of the curve or additionally at the other wheels as needed .
This brake application is accompanied by noises.
ESP works in conjunction with ABS=:>
page 189. If there is ma lfunc
tion in the ABS, ESP is also inoperative .
Activa ting
The ESP is automatica lly activated when the engine is started, and
it performs a self-test. As soon as the test is completed, the system
is in normal operating mode . With ASR deactivated, or with ESP/ASR
deactivated, pressing the button=>
page 184, fig. 142 returns the
system to normal operation.
D eac tiva ting
ESP should norma lly be activated at all times because this ensures
optimum vehicle stability . Only in certain exceptional cases it does
make sense to deactivate Anti -Slip Regulation (ASR) or the Elec
tronic Stability Program !ESP) by pressing the button =:>
page 184,
fig. 142. Both deactivation stages can only be activated from normal
mode.
Dea cti vat ing ASR
Tap the switch . Deactivation is indicated by s low flashing of the ESP
lamp in the instrument c luster. In certain situations (e.g. driving
with snow chains, in deep snow or on loose ground, or when rocking the car free), it may be necessary to deactivate ASR. Deacti
vation is effective only up to a speed of about 45 mph (70 km/h). At higher speeds, ASR is switched on again automatical ly in front
whee l drive vehicles, deactivation is possible only up to about 30
mph (50 km/h). With a ll -whee l drive vehicles, ASR is active above
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
In
te llig ent tec hn olo gy
about 45 mph (70 km/h) and deactivated automatical ly below this
speed.
D eac tiva tin g ES P/ASR
Press the button for more than 3 seconds . Deactivation is indicated
by the ESP lamp in the instrument c luster staying on permanently .
This deactivates the E lectronic Stabi lity Program (ESP) in addition to
ASR . No Electronic Stability System operation and no Anti-Slip
Regu lation is availab le across the entire speed range; ASR and ESP
are activated only when the brakes are used for the duration of the
braking action and remain active until a stab le vehicle condition has
been reached. There is no driving situation which requires ESP to be
deactivated, so this should only be done if the driver's skill and the
traff ic situation permit .
& WARNING
• The limi ts of ph ysics ca nnot be suspe nd ed by E SP. E ven in vehi
cles w ith ESP, you should always adapt your dr iving to road and
tr affi c co ndition s. Thi s is part icul ar ly tr ue on a s lippe ry and wet
road . Do not be te mpt ed b y th e incre as ed safet y prov ided t o ta ke
ri sks - dang er of an accident !
• Plea se note that when ASR or ESP /ASR i s deactivated , the drive
w heel s can spin on icy and slipper y ro ad s and the vehi cle can
break away - da nger of skiddin g!
Ii ] Tip s
In the event of a defect in the rear spoiler system or in Audi
magnetic ride, it can happen that ASR and ASR/ESP cannot be deac
tivated, or they are activated automatica lly in the deactivated
state. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

--~ln~t~ e~ l~ li ~g ~e~ n~ t~ te ~ c~h ~n ~ o~ l'..!: o ~g~ yL ________________________________________ _
(ABS control range). In order for ABS to be ab le to operate optima lly
in th is range, you m ust keep the brake pe dal depressed -do not
"pump the brakes" .
Brake ass istant
T he brake power assist unit increases the pressure that you
ge nera te wi th the brake pedal. I t wo rks only whe n the e ngine is
running .
Automatic full braking
This function al lows fu ll braking in spite of high brake pedal forces
(e .g. whe n the b rakes are seve rely s tresse d beca use the veh ic le is
ful ly loaded). The driver notices this function through a reduction of
pedal force a nd i ncrease d pe dal trave l. W hen the brake peda l is
released, fu ll braking assist switches off again automatically .
If there is an ABS fail ure , the brake assistant and automatic fu ll
brak in g ass ist are not ava ilable.
& WARNING
• ABS cannot suspend the la ws of physics . You should keep this
in mind in particular on an icy or wet road . If ABS control of braking
intervenes , you should adjust your speed immediately to road and
traffic condit ions. Do not be tempted by the increased safety
provided to t ake risks -danger of an accident.
• Please keep in mind that the risk of an accident is increased by
dri ving too fast, pa rticularly in bends and on icy or wet roads , and
by driving too close to the vehicle ahead . The increased risk of an
accident cannot be reduced by the brake as sistant - danger of an
accident .
[ i ] Tips
If a ma lfunction occurs in the ABS, this is signa lled by an indicator
lig ht, see
=> page 20. •
Electro-mechanical power assist
-----
The e lec tro -m ec han ical pow er as sis t h el ps th e dri ver
w he n steering.
T he degree of power assist is electronically matched to vehic le
sp eed .
Th e power steering system ass ists the driver so that he can steer the
ve hicle wi th re duced phy sica l eff ort .
P ower steer ing w ill not wo rk if the engine is o ff. As a result, the
steering wheel wi ll be hard to turn.
& WARNING
If the system develops a problem, you must seek qualified profes
sional assistance .
0 Note
If there is an electronic ma lfunction , servotronic will still funct ion
l ike a conventional power stee ring system, providing a constant
steer in g suppo rt fo rce t hat is no lon ge r proportionate to t he veh icle
speed . This is most noticeable when turning the steering wheel at
lo w spe eds (fo r examp le w hen park ing), -mo re effor t will be
required than usual.
• B e awa re of the d iffer ent than usua l ste ering response and
adjust your steering force accordingly.
• H ave the problem chec ked and set ri ght by an authorized Audi
dea ler as soon as possible .
• I f a steering ma lfunct ion occurs, this is signaled with the~ or.
@ in d ica to r ligh ts and a war ning tone, see . ._
![AUDI TT ROADSTER 2008 Owners Manual [ i ] Tips
• If the pow er st eering sy stem sho uld fa il, or if the e ng ine is not
running (for examp le , whi le being towed), you will stil l be able to
st eer the ve hicl AUDI TT ROADSTER 2008 Owners Manual [ i ] Tips
• If the pow er st eering sy stem sho uld fa il, or if the e ng ine is not
running (for examp le , whi le being towed), you will stil l be able to
st eer the ve hicl](/manual-img/6/57671/w960_57671-192.png)
[ i ] Tips
• If the pow er st eering sy stem sho uld fa il, or if the e ng ine is not
running (for examp le , whi le being towed), you will stil l be able to
st eer the ve hicle . How eve r, more e ffort w ill be required to do so.
• I f the powe r steering system is not f unctioning pr ope rly, contact
your authorized Audi dea ler immediate ly.
Ap plies to vehicles : wit h A ll Wheel Driv e
Driving w ith your quattro®
With All Wheel Drive, all four w heels ar e dri ven.
General information
With All W hee l Dr ive, power is d is tr ibute d to all fou r whee ls . T his
happens automat ica lly depending on your driving style and the
r oad cond itio ns at the time. See also =>
page 186, "E lec tronic diffe r
entia l lock ( EDU" .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehic le with All Wheel Drive has an
advantage, even wi th regula r t ir es . In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -season tires) for improved
driveabi lit y an d braking : these tires m ust be mounted on
all four
wheels .
See also=> page 254 , "Win ter t ires" .
Snow chains
Where tire cha ins are mandatory on certain roads, this normally
a lso a pplies t o vehic le s wi th Al l Wheel Drive =>
page 255, "Sn ow
chains".
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with A ll Wheel Drive must always have tires of the same
s iz e. Also av oid t ires w it h d iff eren t tr ead dep ths. For details see
page=>
page 249, " New tires and replacing tires and whee ls " .
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Intelligent technology
Off
-Road driving?
Your Audi d oes not have en ough gr ound clea rance to be use d as a n
off -road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid roug h tracks and
u neven terrain as much as possible. A lso refer to=>
page 194.
& 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 e xcessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road su rfaces , be careful not to dr ive 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 d rive at speeds which are suited to the road condi
tions. -risk of cra sh. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

________________________________________________ T_ i _r_e _s_ a_n_ d_ w_ h_ e_e _ l_s __ l'III
•
& W ARNING (continu ed )
crashes and serious personal in jur ies . Have worn or da maged t ires
replaced immediately .
• Tires age even if they are not being u sed and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds. T ires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then w ith special care and at
low speed.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the co mbined we ig ht ( in excess o f those sta nda rd items
which may be rep laced) of automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power w indows, powe r seats, rad io, a nd heater, to
the extent that these items are avai lab le as factory-installed equip
m ent (w hether insta lled or not).
Aspect ratio means t he ratio o f th e height to t he w idt h of the tire in perce nt.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved
steer ing respo nse and b ette r overall ha ndl ing on dry pave ment.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is made of stee l wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdow n of the bond be tween co mponents i n the bead.
Cord
m eans the strands fo rmi ng the plies in the ti re.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history. " Old used t ire s may ha ve been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you noti ce unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side
when driving , always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage . •
Cold tire inflation pressure
mea ns t he ti re pressure reco mm ended by the ve hicle ma nufacturer
for a tire of a designated size that has not been d riven for more tha n
a cou ple o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in t he t hre e ho ur per iod
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed .
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehic le with standard equipment
i nc lud ing the max imu m capac ity o f fue l, o il, and coola nt, a ir c ond i
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to ope rate at higher loads and at higher infla
tion pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Extra load tires
my be identified as "XL", "xi", "EX TRA LOAD", or "RF" on the side
wa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load -carrying capacity of a sing le ax le system, measured
at the ti re -ground interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR "l
mea ns the ma ximum tot al l oade d weigh t of the vehicle.
Vehicle care
I t •

___ T_ i_ r_e _s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_ e_ e _ ls _________________________________________________ _
Check the tire sidewall (=> page 249,
fig. 164) to determine the designated
load rating for a specific ti re. •
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of different things
including proper installation and balancing, correct tire
pressure and driving style.
Tread Wear Indicator (TWll
"' M
J
Fig. 162 Tir e tread:
tre ad we ar indi cator s
(TWll
Fig . 163 Rotating tires
for more even wear
The original tires on your veh icle have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear
indicators" => fig . 162 running across the tread. Depending on the make, there will be six to eight of them evenly p
laced around the
t ire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other symbols)
indicate the positions of the tread wear indicators. Worn tires must
be rep laced. Different figures may apply in other countries =>& .
Tire p ressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out . Forth is reason, tire pressure must be checked
at least once a month
==> page 244.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration and hard braking
increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the same service life, we
recommend that the front and rear tires are rotated according to the
tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rotation intervals. Please
remember the following:
• Tire rotation interva ls may differ from the vehicle service inter
vals outlined in your Maintenance and Warranty Booklet .
• The longer one tire is used in one location on the vehicle, the
more it wears at certain points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation intervals.
• Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience more tread wear on
the front wheels compared to a ll-wheel drive (quattro®l .
• Please rotate tires as shown ;;:;:, fig. 163.
• Extra care must be taken when rotating direction -specific tires
==> page 272.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various situa
tions during everyday driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usual ly feel through the
steering wheel. ...

__________________________________________________ T_ ir_e _ s_ a_ n _ d_ w_ h_ e_ e_ls _ ____. 111111
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorr ect wheel alignment can cause excessive tire wear, impairing
the safety of the vehicle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must always have tires of the same size,
construction and tread type. For details see
=> page 191.
& WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control, a crash and serious
personal injury!
• Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators .
• Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of control .
• Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage, such as
grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires .
• Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds.
• Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in.
Fig. 164 Tire specification codes on the sidewall of a tire
No.
©
0
©
©
©
©
Description
Passenger car tire (where app licable)
Nominal width of tire in mi llimeters
Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
Radial
ii Rim diameter code
Load index and speed rating
Vehic le care
I I irechnical data

-Tires and wheels
---------------------------------------------
& WARNING
Improper use of run-flat tires can cause vehicle damage that can
lead to loss of vehicle control, a crash and serious personal injury.
• Run-flat tires can only be used with special rims.
• Run -flat tires must always be monitored with a properly
programmed Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
• Always inspect a tire that has lost air to make sure it is safe to
drive with the tire in the run-flat mode .
• Never drive with run-flat tires that have been damaged in a
collision.
• Never drive with run-flat tires if heat build-up causes the tire to
give off smoke.
• Never drive with run-flat tires if the vehicle shakes or vibrates
severely.
• Never drive with a run-flat tire that develops sidewall cracks or
other damage while in use.
0 Note
Run -flat tires have special characteristics and requirements, that are
very different from conventional tires . Run-flat tires require special
rims for run -flat use and cannot be used on conventional wheel
rims .
[ i] Tips
• If you are not able to continue driving with run-flat tires, please
seek professional assistance.
• Please contact your authorized Audi dealer or Audi of America,
Inc. if you have questions about tires and rims. •
Applie s t o vehic le s: wi th Run -flat tires
Driving with run-flat tires
Handling characteristics change when tire pressure is
low.
Driving on tires with low tire pressure changes the way a
vehicle handles, particularl y when cornering and braking.
The handling characteristics of run-flat tires do not seem to
change a lot even when driving on low pressure or in the
run -flat mode . Nevertheless you must still take special
precautions when operating a vehicle on run-flat tires when
tire pressure is low o r the tire(s) is flat:
- The Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) must be
switched on.
- Never drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h)~ &.
- Plan ahead when driving and anticipate what you will
have to do considering traffic and road conditions up
ahead.
- Accelerate carefully.
- Avo id unnecessary and sudden steering and braking
maneuvers .
- Reduce your speed in plenty of time before intersections,
curves and other places where you may have to react
quickly.
P lease see:=:, page 257, "When it is not possible to continue driving,
even with run-flat tires?" ..,_