lfflJ.___A_ d_ a__,__ p_t_ i_v _e _ A_ i_ r_ S _ u_ s__. p ,_ e_n_ s _ io_ n __________________________________________ _
Adaptive Air Suspension
Air suspension and damping
Applies to veh icles : w ith Adap tive Air Suspens ion
Description
Air suspensi on and damping can be regulated as desired
by driver, and they adapt automatically to the driving
situation at the time.
Adaptive Air Suspens ion is an e lectro nically controlled springing and
damping system . This chass is system makes it eas ie r on the d river by
adapting to the particular situation through imperceptible contro l
processes .
The
Adapt ive Air Suspension component regu lates ground clearance
depending on vehi cle speed and driver input .
It fu nc tions in depen
dently from the load cond itio n. Accele rating to a speed above a
predetermined limi t will ma ke the vehicle lower itse lf . On the other
hand, driv ing more slowly res ults in the vehicle ra is ing again at
specific s peeds.
T he
damping component provides individua l control of the damping
forces. For example, with damping characterist ics set to provide
greater comfort, damp ing is se t somewh at harder for a br ief period
only as req uired, for example, whe n going aro und a curve or when
bra king.
Settings
Ad aptive Air Suspension provides the drive r wi th the opportu nity to
set the chass is characterist ics also to their individual preference.
With the driving modes
Comfort, Au tomatic an d Dynamic the dr ive r
has three chassis sett ings available, ranging from comfort to spo rty.
Th e
Offroad mode c an be selected for dr iv ing on poor qu ality
st retches of road . In addition,
Li~ provides a f ifth mode, w hich can be
selecte d when exceptionally high ground clearance is needed
:::;, page 177, "C hass is controls" . The modes are set
in MM I:::;,
page 178.
& WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can change due to temperature
fluctuation s or changes in load .
0 Note
• Whenever you park yo ur vehicle, always make sure there is
adeq uate clearance above and below the ve hicle . T he heig ht of the
parked vehicle can change as the res ult of temperature fluctuations,
changes in load condition and changes in the dr iv ing mode (ground
clearance).
• If the veh icle is be ing transported (e .g. by tow truck, train, ship,
etc.) , mount the tie-down cha ins/cables over the r unning s urface
(c ircumfere nce) of the tires. Never sec ure the vehicle by the ax le, the
suspension struts or the front or rear tow line eye. For technical
reaso ns, the p ressure in t he suspension st ru ts m ay change dur ing the
transport, w hic h could result in the vehicle no longer being secured
pro perly.
• If you are going to tow a trailer w ith a tra iler hitch that was
not
ins talled accor ding t o fac tory spe cifica tion s, you mus t activa te t he
trai ler operation mode manually :::;,
page 180.
[ i ] Tips
• Before you ca n raise your vehicle using the vehicle jack (for
examp le, when changi ng a flat tire) o r a veh icle lift , yo u m us t a ct iv a te
the jacki ng mode:::;,
page 180.
• O n some mo dels, the vehicle can reac h its m aximum spee d on ly in
the
Automatic and Dynamic modes .•
1111....__A_ d_ a_,_ p_t _i_ v _e _ A_i_ r_ S_ u_ s ... p,_ e_n_ s_ io_ n __________________________________________ _
Raising and l owering
If a rrow (Dis solid re d => pag e 179 , fig. 177 or whit e=> pag e 179,
fig . 178, the veh icle is raised .
I f arrow
0 is solid red or white, the vehicle is lowered .
T he respective arrow stays on until the level change is complete . The
time required for a level change can vary, depending on the current
dr iving cond it ions .
Displ aying the vehicle le vel
The current vehicle leve l is show n wit h segments fi lled ou t in the
segment display@. If only the bot tom segment is filled out, the
vehicle is at highway leve l. If all segments a re filled o ut, the vehicle is
at high level 2 and has the greatest amount o f ground clearance
possible.
W hile the vehicle is being ra ised or lowe red, t he target leve l is ind i
cated by an arrow © next to the correspond ing segment . The arrow
disappe ars aga in whe n the vehicle is a t the target level. •
Applies to vehicles: w it h Ad ap tiv e Ai r Suspens ion
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
This mod e must be activated in the MMI bef ore raising
the vehicle with a jack or on a vehicle
li~ .
-Select: Fu nction button [CAR)> function butto n [SETUP ]
> Jacking mode .
The veh icle jack mode must be activated before c hanging a whee l so
that the automatic contro l processes for t he air s uspensio n do not
make lifting w ith the vehicle jack more difficult .
The check lamp in the instr ument cluster display illuminates in
vehicle jac k mode.
W Tips
Th e veh icle ja ck mode is switc hed off automat ica lly at speeds above 9
mph (15 km/h). •
App lies to veh icles: with towing hitch and Adaptive Air Suspe nsion
Towing a trailer
Automatic lowering is not desirable when towing a
trailer.
- Selec t: Fu nct ion button [CARI > fun ction but ton [S ETUP I
> Towing mode .
As long as towing mode is activated, a ve hicl e w ith a t railer appears
in the
adaptive air suspension main menu .
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
• Before h itching up the trailer and befo re adjust ing the tongue
we igh t at the trailer, the automatic or com fort mode mu st be
selected so that the vehicle can be at normal leve l=>
page 178, "MMI
se ttings" .
• If dr iv ing in dynamic mode is desired, this mode
must be selected
befo re hitc hing up the tra iler and before adjus ting the tongue
we ight. However, note that yo ur vehicle is lowered and ground clear
ance is reduced.
• If you have to drive under diff icu lt road conditions, you can selec t
offroad or li ft mode, aft er hitching up the trai le r or after adjust ing
the tongue weight .
• If the vehicle is at
normal level, an d you se lec t offro ad mode wh ile
traveling a t speeds higher than 22 mph (35 km/h), the vehicle will
no t b e raised. O ffroad mode will a ppear as t he active mode in the
MMI D isplay.
• If the veh icle is in o ffro ad mode at
high level 1, it automatic a lly
lowers to
normal level when the vehicle is traveling at speeds
exceeding approximate ly 31 mph ( SO km/h). The vehicle is automat -...
______________________________________________ D_ ri _v _ i_n _,,g ,c.._ S_a_ f_ e_ l..:: y __ l!'II
the driver's s ide B-pillar. The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended co ld tire in flatio n press ures fo r th e ve hicle at its max imum
capacity weight and the tires that were on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured . For recommended tire press ures for normal loa d
conditions, p lease see chapte r=>
page 318. •
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equippe d with four tie
do wns to sec ure lu gga ge a nd oth er items.
Use the t ie-downs to sec ure yo ur cargo properly=> page 195,
"Lo ad ing t he lugg age comp artmen t".
In a co llision, the laws of physics mean that even sma ller it ems that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy missiles that can cause
ser iou s injury. Ite ms i n t he vehi cle pos se ss e ne rgy w hich va ry w it h
vehicle speed and the we ight of the item. Vehicle speed is t he most
s ig nifi ca nt f acto r.
For examp le, in a frontal coll is io n at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 1 0-lb (4. 5 kg) object are a bout 20 times t he
normal weig ht o f the item. T his means that t he weight o f the ite m
wou ld s uddenly be a bo ut 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the inju
r ies tha t a 200 lbs . (9 0 kg) item fly ing free ly throug h the p ass enge r
compartment cou ld cause i n a collision lik e this .
& WARNING
Weak , damaged or improper straps used to secure item s to tie
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
• Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items
to the tie-downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous missiles.
• When the rear seat backre st is folded down, always use suit
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
in the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying
forward as dangerous missiles into the passenger compartment.
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie -down. •
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehi cle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury
or death , you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it find s that a
safety defe cts exist s in a group of vehicles, it
may o rder a recall and remedy campaign.
However , NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you, your dealer,
or Audi of America, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
or write to:
Administrator
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not being used. It is impo rtant that nothing in terfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sensors can send the correct information about safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved
tire-rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electronic 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 classified as
Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswas te/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules and safety
belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regu la
tions mus t be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer
perform th is service for you .•
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 202 Side airbag
location in the driver's
seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
~ fig. 202 and the rear backrest* facing the doors . They are identi
fied by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
• the electronic control module and external side impact se nsors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
• two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
Th e airbag system is monitored elect ronically to make certain that it
is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni
tion, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds
(self d iagnostics).
The side airbag system supp lements the safety belts and can he lp to
reduce the risk of injury to the dr iver 's, front and rear* passenger 's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision.
The airbag deploys on ly in s ide impacts and only when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough. If this rate
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
Cleaning and protection Ill
---------------=---------=----
Under certain circumsta nces, weekly was hing may be necessary .
Und er other c ond it ions, a monthl y w ashi ng and waxing m ay be
adequate.
After the winter, the unders ide of the vehicle s hou ld be t horoughly
w ashe d, p refe rably in a pr ofess ional ca r was h.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~ page 274. •
Automatic car wash
The ve hicle ca n be w ashed in alm ost any mo dern auto
matic car w ash .
Th e ve hicl e p aint is so du ra ble th at t he vehicle c an nor mally be
washed w itho ut problems in an automatic car wash . H owever, the
effe ct on the pai nt de pend s to a large ex ten t on t he desig n of t he
facili ty, th e fil ter ing of the was h water, t he type of wash and care
material, etc . If t he pa int has a du ll appea rance a fter going throu gh
t he ca r wash o r is sc ratched, bri ng this to the a tte ntion of the ope r
ator immediately . If necessa ry, use a different car wash .
B efo re go ing throu gh a c ar wa sh, be sure to ta ke the us ual pr eca u
t ions such as clos ing the windows and the Panoramic s lid in g su nroof.
Fa ctor y in stall ed a ntenn as mu st not be re moved .
If you have ins talled addit ional accessories on the vehicle -su ch as
spoilers, roof rack, etc . - it is best to ask the car wash ope rato r if these
sho uld be removed.
& WARNING
Please take note of the following points before going through an
automatic car wash with your vehicle , so that you can avoid
damage to your vehicle.
Safety first
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Compare the track of your vehicle with the distance between
the guide rails of the facility -there is a risk of damage to the
wheels and tires.
• Compare the height and width of your vehicle with the height
and width of the tunnel at the facility.
• Fold the exterior mirrors flat -there is a risk of damaging the
exterior mirrors . Power folding exterior mirrors* must not be
folded in or out by hand. Use the power function!
• Do not allow the wiper blade to fall onto the windshield after
the vehicle is dried · there is a risk of damaging the paint on the
hood .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
~page 274. •
Washing the vehicle by hand
A lot of wat er is n eeded when washing a v ehicl e by hand.
- Before yo u sta rt wash ing , m ak e sure you have read and
u nd ers tood the WARN IN GS =>
& in "Gener al in forma
t io n" o n page
274.
- F ir s t soa k all dried dir t until it is soft, t hen rinse i t off.
- A s you cle an yo ur vehi cle, sta rt with the roof and work y our
way down to the bottom , us ing a sponge , a sp onge glove
or a cle an bru sh .
- Rin se the sp ong e or the sp o ng e glo ve often, flu shing it
cl ean each t im e.
- U se s pecia l car shampoo on ly for v ery pe rsiste nt dirt .
- R inse the car thoroug hly wi th wate r.
- U se a ch a m ois le ath er to gently w ipe t he ex ter ior dry. •
Vehicle care Technical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least apprec iated and most abused pa rts of a moto r
vehicle. Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
veh icle, parti cularly conside ring the comparative ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assu res that all- important co ntact between
you , your ve hicle and the road .
Ma inta in ing t he correct t ire pressu re, making s ure that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight than they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and reg ula rly inspect ing
tires for damage incl ud ing c uts, s lashes irregular wea r and overall
condi tion are the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoi d
sudden tire fa ilure includ ing t read separation and blowouts .
Avoiding damage
If you have to drive over a curb or sim ilar obstacle, drive very s lowly
and as close as poss ible at a right angle to the cu rb .
Always keep chemicals including grease, oil , gasoline and bra ke fl uid
o ff the t ires .
Inspect the ti res regularly for damage (cuts, crac ks o r bl ist ers, e tc .).
Remove any foreign bodies embed ded in the trea ds.
Storing tires
M ar k tires when yo u remove t hem to indica te the d irect ion of rota
tion . This ens ures yo u to be able to mo unt them co rrectly whe n you
re insta ll them.
Wh en r emoved, t he wheels or tires s hould be sto red in a c ool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace. Sto
re tires in a ver tica l pos it ion if they a re not mounted on rims, in a
hor izonta l position if they are mo unted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be bro ken in~ & .
Th e tread dep th of new tires may v ary, ac cor ding to t he type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern.
Hidden damage
Dama ge to t ires and rims is often not readi ly visible . If yo u notice
unusu al v ib rat ion o r the veh icle pulls to one sid e, t his may i ndicate
that one of the tires has been damaged. The tires must be c hecke d
i m medi ately by an a uthor ized A udi deale r or quali fied w or ksh op .
Unidirectional tires
A u nidirectional tire can be identified by arrows on the sidewall, that
point in the d irect io n the tire is des igned to rotate. Yo u m ust follow
t he s peci fied dire ction of ro tation . T his is nece ssary so th at t hese
tires can develop the ir optimum c haracter istics regarding gr ip, road
noise, we ar and hy dropl aning res istance. For more informa tion
~page 344 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, drive with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km) .
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. .,_
Tires and wheels -________________ fWII
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Tires age even if they are not be ing used and can fail suddenly ,
e specially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weigh t (in excess of those sta ndard items wh ich
may be replaced) of automatic transmission, power steer ing, power
bra kes, powe r win dows, power sea ts, radio, and heate r, to the exte nt
that these items are available as factory-insta lled equipment
(whet her i ns ta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
means the r atio of t he he ight to t he widt h of the t ire in percent.
N umbers of 55 or lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
res ponse and bet ter over all h andling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part of the t ire that is made of stee l wi res, w rapped or
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the ti re.
Safety first
& W ARNING (co ntinued )
• Never mount u sed tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history ." Old u sed tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unusual vibr ation 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
means the t ire pressu re recom mended by the vehicle manufa ctu rer
for a tire of a desig nate d size that has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree hour per io d
before the tire pressu re is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a moto r vehicle wit h standard equipment
incl uding the max imum ca pac it y of fue l, o il, and coo lan t, air condi
tioning and additiona l weig ht of optional eq uipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflat ion
pressures than t he co rresponding sta ndard t ire. Extra load tires may
be identif ied as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewa ll.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the loa d-carrying capac ity of a sing le ax le system, measure d at
the t ire-grou nd interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
mea ns the maximum tota l loaded we ig ht of the vehicle .
Vehicle care Technical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
means the maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given infla
tion pressure. You may not find this information on all tires because
it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating fo r a tir e at the maximum permissible inflation
pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight, and
(d) Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be
inflated. Also called "maximum inflation pressure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the number of occupants seated
in the vehicle up to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
means distr ibution of occupants in a vehicle .
Outer diameter
means the overall diameter of an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of
an inflated tire, including elevations due to labeling, decorations, or
protective bands or ribs.
Ply
means a layer of rubber -coated paralle l cords.
Production options weight
means the combined weight of those installed regular production
options weigh ing over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard
items which they replace, not previously considered in curb weight or
accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof
rack, heavy duty battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tire
means a pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
tread .
Recommended inflation pressure
see=> page 315, "Cold tire inflation pressure".
Reinforced tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation
pressures than the corresponding standard tire. Reinforced t ires may
be identified as "XL ", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon
wh ich the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the bead seat . If you change your wheel
size, you w ill have to purchase new tires to match the new rim diam
eter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nom inal distance between rim flanges.