Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep your driving
speed below a set speed limit.
T he speed warning system warns the driver if he exceeds a previously
s tored maximum spee d. A w arning tone will sound as soon as the
vehicle speed exceeds the set speed by about 3 mph (3 km/h) . A t the
same time, a warning symbol appears in t he disp lay .
Th e spee d wa rn ing system has
two warning threshold s that function
independently of each other and that have somewhat di fferent
purp oses:
Speed warning 1 8 (USA models) /8 (Canada
models)
You can use speed warn ing 1 to set the max imum speed w hile you are
driv ing. This setting will remain in effect until yo u turn off the igni
tion, assum ing that yo u have not changed or reset the setting .
Th e spee d warn ing symbo l
B (USA models)/ 0 (C anad a mode ls) in
t he warning 1 display appears when you exceed the maxim um speed .
It goes out when the speed falls be low the stored maximum speed .
Th e spee d warn ing sy mbo l w ill also go o ut if t he speed
exceeds the
sto red maxim um speed by more than about 25 mph
(40 km/ h) for at
least
10 sec onds . H oweve r, th is doe s not rese t the stored maxim um
speed.
Setting spee d warning 1
=> page 35.
Speed warning 2 0 (USA models) /0 , (Canada
models)
Storing warn ing 2 is recommended if you always want to be reminded
o f a ce rtain speed, fo r example when yo u are traveling in a co untr y
that has a genera l maximum speed lim it, or if you do not want to
exceed a specified speed for winter tires.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first
Driver information display
T
he speed warning 2 symbol, 8 (U SA models)/ 0, (Canada models)
appe ars in t he displ ay whe n you exceed the sto red speed limi t. Un like
warning 1, it will not go out unt il the vehicle speed drops below the
stored speed limit.
Setti ng spee d wa rn ing 2
::::> page 36 .
[I) Tips
Eve n th oug h your veh icle is eq uipped wi th a speed war ning sys tem,
you shou ld st ill watch the speedometer to make sure you are not
dr iv ing fast er than t he spee d lim it. •
Speed warning 1: setting a speed Limit
Warning thr eshold 1 is s et by th e [ C HE CK] button.
:c: HECK •F F ig . 19 CHE CK button
in t he in strume nt
clu st e r
Storing the maximum speed
- Drive at the desired maxi mum s pee d.
- Brie fly pre ss the [C H ECK] butto n:=> fig .19.
Resetting the maximum speed
- Drive the veh icle a t a spee d of a t leas t 3 mph ( 5 km /h)
- Press the [ CHECK] b utton for more t han 1 seco nd.
Vehicle care Technical data
Intelligent technology
'-----------------------------------------------
W inter tires
When d riving in the winter, your vehicle with A ll Whee l Drive has an
advantage, even with reg ula r tir es . In wi nter road cond it ions i t may
be advisab le to mount w inte r tires (or all-season tires) for imp roved
dr iveabili ty and braking: these tires m ust be mounted on
all four
wheels .
See also => page 323, "Winter tires".
Tire chains
Whe re tire chains are mandato ry on certa in roads, this normally also
applies to veh icles with A ll Whee l Drive=>
page 324, "Snow chains ".
Replacing wheels/tires
Veh icles with All Wheel Drive m ust always have t ires of the same size.
Also avoid tires with different trea d de pths . For details see page
=>
page 318, " N ew tires and replac ing tires a nd wheels" .
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as a n
off -road vehi cle. It is the re fore best to avoid ro ug h trac ks and uneven
ter rain as muc h as poss ib le. Also re fer to=>
page 263 .
& WARNING
Always adjust your dri ving to road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking ex tra risks.
• Although the All Wheel Drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is l imited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at exce ssive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfa ce s, 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 m ana gemen t con tr ols the distributi on of elec
trical ener gy an d thu s optimiz es the ava ila bility of elec
t ri cal ene rgy f or starting the en gine.
If a vehicle w ith a convent iona l energy system is not driven for a long
pe riod of time, t he b att ery is di sch arged by idling current con sumers
(e .g. immob ilize r). In certain c ircumstances it can result i n there
be ing insuffi cien t energy avai lab le to s tar t the engine.
I n te lligent e ne rgy management in yo ur vehicle ha ndles the dist ribu
tion of e lectrical energy . Starting ab ility is ma rkedly improved and
t he life of the battery is extended.
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnosis , idling
current management
a nd dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Batte ry diagnosis co nti nu ously deter mi nes the s tate of the batte ry .
Sensors determine battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
t empe rature. This determines the cur rent sta te of charge and the
power of the battery.
Idling current management
Id ling current management red uces energy consumpt ion while the
veh icle is s tanding. W it h t he ignition swi tched off, it con trol s the
energy supply to the var ious electrica l components. Data from
b attery di ag nos is is conside red .
Depe nding on the batte ry 's state of charge, individ ua l consumers a re
gradually t urne d off to prevent excessive discha rge of the batte ry an d
t hus main tain sta rting capabili ty .
Dynamic energy management
W hile the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy management
dis trib utes the energy generated acco rding to the nee ds o f the indi -•
-Cleaning and protection pn,,._____ _ __,____ ____________ _
0 Note
• Never try to remove dirt, mud o r d ust if the s urface of the vehicle
is dry. Never use a dry cloth or sponge, s ince this could scratch your
veh icle's pai nt o r win dows.
• Never was h your car in bright sunlight . D rops of water act as
magnifyi ng lenses and may damage your p aint.
• When you was h yo ur car in the winter: if you rinse your vehicle w ith
a hose , be careful not to a im the stream of wate r d irect ly at locks, or
at doo r or hatch openings -they can freeze s hut.
• N ever use sponges des igned to remove insects, o r any kitchen
sco uring sponges or s imilar pro ducts. They can damage yo ur paint
fi ni sh.
• N ever use a dry cl oth o r sp on ge to clean t he he adlig hts. Only use
wet cloths or sponges to prevent scratches . It is best to use soapy
water .
• You shou ld remove debr is (s uch as insects) from the head light
lenses o n a regu lar b asis, for examp le w hen re fue ling your veh icle.
N ever clean the headlights w ith a dry clot h or sponge . Use a wet cloth
or sponge. It is best to use soapy water.
c£> For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the ve hicl e should on ly be washed
in spe cial wash bays .•
Washing your vehicle with a power washer
C le aning the exterior of y our car wit h a hi gh-pressur e
p ower washe r is s afe as long as you observe a few simple
r ul es .
- Before using t he power washer, make su re yo u have read
and und ers tood th e WARNI NGS =:::>
& in "General in for
mation" o n
page 270. -
Always fo llow t he operat ing inst ructio ns for the power
washer .
- Make su re that t he jet o n th e sp ray hose produces a "fan
s ha ped spr ay".
- Do
not hold the spray nozz le too close to soft ma terials.
W hen cleaning the vehicle with a power washer always fo llow the
operat ing in str uctio ns. T his appli es p art icu larly to t he
operating
pressure
and the spraying distance . Maintain a suffic ient distance to
so ft ma ter ia ls s uch as rubbe r hoses an d so und/v ibration deaden ing
materials (part icular ly on the unde rside o f the engine hood) . Do not
use a jet wh ich sprays water in a
direct stream o r o ne that has a
rotating jet .
Water temperature sho uld not exceed 140
°F (60 °().
& WARNING
Never wash tires with a jet that sprays water in a direct stream .
This could cau se invisible damage to the tires and weaken them,
even if the spray i s from a relatively long distance and for a short
time . Damaged and weakened tires can fail and cause accidents
and personal injury.
0 Note
To avoid damaging your vehicle, always ma ke su re that there is suffi
cien t dista nce between the spr ay head and sof t mate ria ls like r ubber
hoses, p lastic parts and sound-deadening mater ials. Never aim the
spr ay he ad at the s ame po int for a long t ime . This also ap plies to
cleaning headlights and pai nted b umpe rs. Remember : the close r the
noz zle is to the surfa ce of the mate rial, t he greate r the stress on the
material. •
________________________________________________ T_i_re _ s_ a _ n_d_ w_ h_ e_ e_l_s __ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h)=>
page 320. You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law .
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is molded on the tire
sidewall and indicates the max imum permissible road speeds=>
& in
"Winter tires" on
page 323.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
underinflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal grooves designed to give a
visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See=>
page 317,
"Tread Wear Ind icator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tir e information system developed by the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buyers make relative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles (kilometers) or perform in a certain way. It simp ly
gives tire buyers additional information to combine with other
considerations, such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommenda
tions. Under UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three
Safety first
areas: treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance . The UTQG
information on the tires, molded into the sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "serial number" It begins with the letters "DO T" and
indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it was manufac tured, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For example,
DOT ... 2209 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2009 . The
other numbers are ma rket ing codes that may or may not be used by
the tire manufacturer . Th is information is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle's total seating capacity as listed on the label located
either on the driver's side B-pillar or on the inside of the fu e l filler
flap.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib
ut ing to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with tab le below
=> page 310) and dividing by two. ._
Vehicle care Technical data
-Tires and wheels
---------------------------------------------
Tire manufacturing date
The manu fac tu rin g date is also indica ted on the tire sidewa ll
(poss ibly only on the
inner s ide of the w heel):
"DOT . .. 2209 ... "means, fo r example, the t ire was prod uced in the
2 2n d week of 200 9.
Speed rating (letter code )
The speed rat ing lett er code on the w heels ind icates t he maxim um
permissible road speeds => & in "Winter t ires" on
page 323 .
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 99 mph (158 km/h)
R up to 1 06 mph (1 70 km/h)
S up to 110 mp h (1 80 km /h)
T up to 118 mph ( 190 km/ h)
U up to 124 mp h (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
3>
Z over 149 mph ( 240 km/ h)3>
W up to 16 8 mph ( 270 km/h)3
)
Y up to 186 mp h (298 km/h)3>
Your vehicle is normally factory eq uipped with t ires, which possess
ex cellen t dr iv in g ch aract eri sti cs a nd give your Audi op timum driv ing
comfort. A n elect ronic spe ed limiter=>
page 26will normally prevent
your vehicle from goin g faste r tha n the t ire speed rating =>& .
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) and tire
manufacture date
Th is is the t ire's "ser ial nu mber" . It begi ns w ith t he letters "DOT" a nd
ind ic at es that t he tire mee ts all f ed eral stan dards. The nex t two
numbe rs or lette rs i ndicate the p lant where it was ma nufactu red, and
the last four numbers rep resent t he week an d year of manu fact ure.
For example, the numbers 2209 mean the tire was produced in t he
3l For t ire s w ith a m axim um spee d capability ove r 14 9 mph (240 km/h), t ire
man ufac turers somet imes use the l etters "ZR. "
22nd week of 2009 . The other numbers are market ing codes that
m ay o r m ay not be use d by the tire ma nufa cture r. T his inf orm ation is
used to contact cons umers if a ti re de fect requires a recall.
Audi original tire
T ires with t he ident ification "AO" or "RO" have been specially
mat ched w ith yo ur Audi. We recommend using o nly these t ires
b ecause t hey meet the hig hest standards regarding safety a nd
dr iv in g ch arac teris tic s when use d cor rec tly. Yo ur au thor ized Audi
dealer will g lad ly provide you with more info rmation .
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of p lies indicates the number of layers of rubber-coated
f a b ric in the tire. In ge ne ral, the g rea ter the n umbe r of plies, the
more weight a t ire can support. Tire manufacture rs also must indi
c a te the mate rials in the t ire, w hich incl ude stee l, nylo n, polyester,
and others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number indicates the maximum load in kilograms and pounds
th at can be ca rr ied by the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear, traction, and
temperature resistance
Tread wear, traction and temperature grades=> page 322.
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
Thi s number is the greatest amo unt o f air press ure t hat should eve r
be pu t in the tire unde r norm al driv in g cond iti ons.
Replacing tires or rims on vehicles equipped with
tire pressure monitoring system*
T he wheels on yo ur vehicle are eq uipped w ith a senso r which
con stantl y m onitor s the a ir pressure insid e the tire, an d th en tra ns
m its this info rmation to the tire press ure monito ring system *.
If you
a re goi ng to repl ace t he w heel rims on your ve hicle, m ake sur e the
new rims also have these sensors . The sensors m ust be compat ible
w ith the tire pressure mo nitoring sys te m* on you r ve hicl e. ..,_
-Tires and wheels
PW-------------------
0 Note
• For techn ica l reasons, it is not generally poss ible to use the wheel
rims from other vehicles. This can hold true for whee ls of the same
vehicle type.
• If the spare tire is different from the tires that you have mounted
on your vehicle (for example w inter tires or wide profile tires), then
use the spare tire for a short period of time only and drive with extra
care . Replace the flat tire with the tire match ing the others on your
vehicle as soon as possible.
• If you should put different wheels and tires on your vehicle (e.g.
winter wheels and tires), you must be certain that the wheels and
tires are compatib le with the tir e pressure monito ring system*.
Otherwise the system will register a malfunction and a fault message
w ill be displayed . For more info rmation, contact your Audi dealer .
0 Note
• When install ing new tires, be careful not to damage the valves or
tire pressure monitoring system* sensors.
• Never drive without the valve stem cap. The valves could get
damaged .
• If the sensors must be replaced, then the valve must also be
replaced at the same time.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the local requirements. •
Uniform tire quality grading
• Tread wear
• Traction AA A B C
• T emperatu re A B C Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire side wall
between tread sho
ulder and maximum section width =>
page 318,
fig. 256.
Fo r example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Requirements
in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate
of the tir e when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (11/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actua l conditions
of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characte ristics and climate .
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, Band C. Those
grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under con trolled conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor trac
tion performance =>& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing
the tire's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissi
pate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Susta ined high temperature can cause the materia l of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure=>& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Tires and wheels -________________ f!ffl
Safety Standa rd No. 109 . G rades Ba nd A rep resent higher levels of
p erf or ma nce on t he laborato ry tes t w hee l than t he mini mum
r e q uir ed by law .
& WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction characteristics.
& WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire failure. •
Winter tires
Winter tir es co n imp rove ve hi cle ha ndlin g on sno w an d
ice. At temp eratur es be low 45 °F (7 °C) w e rec ommen d
ch angin g to wi nte r tires .
In some heavy snow areas, loca l gover nme nts may requ ire t rue
w inter o r "snow" tires, those with very deep ly cut trea d. These tires
sho uld only be used in pairs and be installed on all four wheels . Make
s ur e you pu rc h ase snow ti res t hat a re the same size and const ruction
type as the ot he r tir es o n your veh icle .
If your ve hicle is equ ipped w ith all-whee l drive* , this will improve
tra ction durin g w inte r dr iving, even wi th th e sta ndard ti re s . Ho wever,
we st rongly recomme nd that you a lways equip all four w heels on your
vehicle wi th co rrec tly fitte d win ter tires o r all- season tires, when
w inter road conditions are expected . T hi s also improves the veh icle 's
bra king perfo rma nce and re duces stop ping distances .
S um mer tir es p rovide less gr ip on ice and s now .
Safety first
Wi nter tires (snow tires) m ust always be fitted on all fo ur whee ls .
Compat ible tire press ure monitor ing sensors * must be installe d on
all four w in te r tir es fo r the tire pr essure mo nitoring sys te m * to func
tion pro per ly ~
page 320.
Ask your a uthor iz e d Audi dealer or qualified wor ksho p fo r per mitt ed
winter tire sizes . Use only rad ia l w inte r tires .
W inter tires lose their effectiveness w he n the trea d is wor n down to
a dep th of0 .1 57 inch (4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inte r tires under w inte r con ditions. S ummer ti res
h and le be tter w he n t here is n o sno w or ic e on t he ro ads and the
temperature is above 45
°F (7 °().
If you have a flat tire, see notes on s pa re w hee l~ page 318 .
Please always re m em ber tha t win ter tires may have a lower speed
rating t han the t ires originally insta lled on yo ur veh icle at t he t ime it
w as manuf act ur ed . P lease see ~
page 320, "Spee d ratin g (le tter
code)" for a listing of the speed rating lette r codes and the maxim um
s peed a t whi ch the tires can b e driven.
T he spe ed rat ing letter code(~
page 309) is on the s ide wall of the
ti re ~
page 318.
& WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limit s that may be lower than
your veh icle's maximum speed. Always know the maximum speed
before driving off. Never drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific winter tires. This will cause damage to the tires
leading to an accident and serious personal injury to you and your
passengers.
& WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires
on your vehicle were designed can cause tire failure including a
blowout and sudden deflation, loss of control, crashes and serious _,,
Vehicle care Technical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
personal injuries. Have worn or dam aged tires replaced immedi
ately .
• Winter tires have ma ximum speed rat ing that may be lower
than your vehicle' s maximum speed .
• Never drive faster than the speed for which the winter or other
tires installed on your vehicle are rated.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and traffic condit ions.
Never let the good acceleration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Always remember:
• When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle handles in the same
way as a front drive vehicle.
• Drive carefully and reduce your speed on icy and slippery road s,
even winter tires cannot help under black ice conditions.
<£> For the sake of the environment
Use s ummer tires when weather condit ions permit. They a re quieter,
do not we ar as qu ickly and redu ce fuel consum ptio n. •
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitte d only to the fro nt w heels, and only to
certain tire sizes. Ask your authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you a re goi ng to use snow c ha ins, then you must insta ll them on the
front wheels at least.
T he snow c hain s m ust have low -profile links and m ust not be thicker
than 0.53 inc h (13 .5 mm), including the lock. Remove wheel center covers a
nd trim d iscs before putting snow
c hains on you r veh icle =>
(D. For sa fe ty reaso ns cove r caps m ust the n
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are available from a uth orized
Audi dealers.
& WARNING
Using the wrong snow chain s for your vehicle or installing them
incorrectly can increase the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
• Snow chains are available in different sizes. Always make sure
to follow the instru ction s provided by the snow chain manufac
tur er.
• When driving with snow chains never drive fa ster than the
speed permitted for your specific snow chains .
• Always observe local regulations.
0 Note
• Remove snow chains before drivi ng on ro ads not covere d wit h
snow to avoid damag ing t ires and wear ing the snow chains down
unnecess aril y.
• Snow chains, which come into direct contact with the wheel rim,
c an scratch o r damage i t. T herefo re, make sure tha t t he s now chains
are suitably covered . Check the pos ition of the snow cha ins afte r
dr iv ing a few yar ds and correct if ne ccess ary. Fo llow the ins truct ion s
from t he snow chai n manufacturer when doing so.
• If the Ad aptive Air Suspe nsio n sho uld ma lf u nct ion, do n ot moun t
or use snow cha ins because the ve hicle wi ll be extremely low. If you
do drive w it h sn ow ch ain s on while the ve hicle i s at t his level , the
snow cha ins m ight severe ly damage the whee lhouse and other pa rts
of the vehi cle.
~