2010 AUDI S8 Owners Manual

________________________________________ __;I:..: n~ t -=-e .=.:.: ll:.:.;igent technology .__==-
On steep s lopes , you shou ld use the brak ing effect of t he e ngine. This
w ay, y ou p revent unne ce ss ary we ar o n t he bra ke sys te m . If you mus t
use your brakes , do not ho ld the brakes down conti nuously . Pump the
bra kes at intervals.
Moisture or road salt
Under cer ta in c on di tions, for ex ample, when drivin g thr ough w at er or
very heavy rain, or e ve n after was hing your veh icle, the braking effect
c an be re duced due to moi st ur e (o r in freezi ng condi tio ns ice) o n the
bra ke pads . A few care ful b rake app lica tions should dry off the bra ke
pads or
remove any ice coatings .
Th e effec tiveness of the bra ke s ca n be re d uced whe n the vehicle is
driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used . He re too,
yo u sh ould clean off a ccumula ted sa lt c oat ing from brake disc s and
pads with a few caref ul app lications of the brake::::;,&.
Corrosion
The re may be a tendency fo r dirt to build up on the bra ke pads and
cor ro si on t o fo rm on the di scs if t he c ar is not driven re gularly or o nly
for short t rips w ith litt le use of the bra kes.
If the bra kes are not used fre quent ly, o r if corrosion ha s fo rme d on
t he d iscs, i t is advisable to clean off t he pads and d is cs by bra king
fi rm ly a few t imes from a mo derately high speed ::::;,& .
Faults in the brake system
If yo u shou ld no tice a sudden in cre ase in b rake ped al t ravel, t hen one
o f t he two brake circ uits may have failed::::;,&.
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occ ur in the brake system if the brake fluid level is
t o o low. The bra ke f lui d level is mon itored e lectroni cally.
Brake lining wear status
Brak e lining we ar may be checked by v isual inspec tio n o f the condi­
tion of the brake pads throug h the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sa ry, t he wheel m ay be re m oved f or this in spection ::::;,
page 335,
"C hanging a w hee l" .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
•
You should perform braking maneuvers for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system only if road condition s permit. Other
road users must not be put at risk -you may cause an accident!
• Before descending a steep grade, reduce speed and shift trans ­
mission into a lower gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often. This could
cause the brakes to get hot and diminish braking efficiency.
• Do not "ride the brakes " by resting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake. This may cause the brakes to overheat,
premature wear and increased stopping di stan ce.
• Under certain climatic and operating conditions such as
passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings, discs and drums .
Carefully apply brakes for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and pads with a few
careful brake applications.
• If you damage the front spoiler, or if you install a different
spoiler, be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwise the brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system .
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an increased stopping di stance . Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

lillill.a._...:I:..: n~ t .::.e::::..::.: ll~igent technology ,_ _______________________________________ _
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure which is created on ly
w hen the eng ine is ru nn ing =>& .
& WARNING
• Nev er let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith the engine shut off.
• If the brake booster is n ot working , for e xample when towing
your vehicle, or because the brake booster has som ehow been
damaged , the brake pedal must be pressed conside rably harder to
make up for the lack of booster assistan ce. •
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
A BS prevents the wheels fr om locking up under braking.
The ABS co ntributes effectively to ve hicle contro l s i nee it preve nts the
w heels from
locking when the brakes a re applied. T his means that the
vehicle remains steerable and is less likely to skid .
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down.
However, do not expect the A BS to shorten brak ing distance under all
circumstances. When driving on grave l o r on newly fa llen snow on top
of icy su rfaces, b raking distance may be even longer, therefore, under
these circumstances, it is especially important that you drive slowly
and w ith great care.
How the ABS system works
An automatic check is made w hen a speed of abo ut 4 mph (6 km/h) is
reached . When this happens, a pumping noise can be heard . If a
n ind iv idua l wheel begins to rotate too slow ly in relat ion to ve hicle
speed and tends to lo ck, the ABS automat ically redu ces bra ke pres ­
su re to p revent t hat wheel from lock ing.
Th is automatic adjustment process wi ll cause a
slight vib ration of
t he bra ke pedal and so me noises to al er t you tha t vehicle s peed mus t
be adapted to existing road and traff ic conditions.
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tir e traction. Always adjust your driving
speed acco rding to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra ri sks .
The ABS cannot ove rcome the laws of physics.
[I) Tips
• If ABS is not funct ioning properly, a warning light will come on.
See=>
page 19.
• If a fa ult occ urs in the ABS, the ED L is also not functioning . This is
ind icated by the A BS warn ing ligh t.•
Brake assistant
T he brake assistant is designed to achi eve the optimum
b ra king effect.
The b rake ass istant helps to i ncrease the effective brak ing power and
thus to achieve a shorter stopping distance. If the driver p resses the
bra ke pedal
very quickly, the brake assistan t automatically boosts t he
brak ing fo rce to the maximum level, up to the po int where the anti­
lo ck bra ke f un ct ion (ABS) intervenes to stop the whee ls from locking.
You shou ld then keep the brake pedal pressed unt il the ve hicle has
bra ked to t he required s peed . T he bra ke ass ist ant sw itches itse lf off
as soon as you re lease the brake pedal. ._

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The brake assistant will not be operative if there is a malfunct io n in
t he ABS.
& WARNING
Plea se remember that the accident ri sk a lwa ys increa se s if you
d riv e too fast , especially in corne rs or on a slippery road , or if you
follow the vehi cle ahead of you too closely . In cre ased ri sk of an
accident cannot be compensated for e ven by the brake ass istant,
so always maintain a safe speed. •
Servotronic® - advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses th e power of the
running engine to allow precise steering with little effort.
Th e advanced Servotronic ® power steeri ng system senses the road
speed and electronically ad justs power assistance to provide
c omfortable and safe s teer ing response exa ctly matched to the
vehicle speed.
Powe r steering will not work if the engi ne is of f. As a resu lt, the
steer ing wheel will be hard to turn .
The power stee ring fluid level is checked during the sched uled main­
t enance se rvi ces.
0 Note
If the re is an ele ct roni c mal func tion, servotroni c will still f unction
like a conventional power steer ing system, prov iding a constant
steeri ng support force tha t is no lo nger propo rt iona te to the ve hicle
speed. This is most not iceab le when turn ing the steer ing wheel at low
speeds (for example when parking), -more effort will be required
than usual.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
Be aware of the d ifferent than usual steering response and adjust
your stee rin g for ce acco rdi ng ly.
• Have the prob lem checked and set r ight by an A udi dea ler as soon
as possib le.
[ i ] Tips
• Whe n the eng ine is runni ng, neve r hold t he steering w hee l turned
all the way to the right or to t he left for longer than 15 seconds. The
powe r stee ring pump wi ll over heat the hydra ulic fluid if yo u keep
holding the steeri ng w heel tur ned all the way. This is likely to damage
the power steering system .
• If the power stee ring system shou ld fa il entire ly, or if the engine
is not r unning (fo r examp le, while being towed), you w ill still be a ble
to steer the vehicle. However,
considerably more effo rt will be
req uired to do so .
• If the power steering system s hou ld have a lea k, or is not func­
tioning properly, contact your authorized Au di dea ler immediate ly .
• The power steering system requ ires a specially formulated
hydra ulic fl uid. The power stee ring re se rvoir is t he one located mos t
forward o n the left side of the eng ine compa rtment=:>
page 290 . The
correct fluid leve l in the reservoir is important fo r proper f unctioning
of t he power steering. •
Dr"ving with your quattro®
With All Whee l Drive, all four wheels are driven .
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is d istributed to all four wheels. This
happens au tom atically depending on you r d rivi ng style a nd the roa d
conditions at the time. See also=>
page 253, "Electronic different ial
lock (ED L)".
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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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 -•

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vidual components. It regulates consumption, so that more electrical
ene rgy is not being used than is being generated and ensures an
optimal state of charge for the battery.
[I] Tips
• But even energy management cannot negate the limits of physics.
Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
• If starting ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
~ page 259, "Driver notification in the instrument cluster display" .•
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining starting capa ­
bility.
Th e battery is severely taxed in short-distance driving, in city tra ffic
and during the cold time of year. Abundant electrical energy is
required, bu t on ly a little is generated .
It is also critical if the engine
is not running and electrical components are turned on. In this
instance energy is being consumed but none is being generated.
It is in prec isely these situations that you will notice energy manage­
ment actively regulating the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off. This
reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability over a
longer period.
Be aware that when you unlock your vehicle, some of the convenience
functions may not operate, such as the Convenience key, the remote
control or the power seat adjustment. The convenience functions will
be available aga in when you turn on the ignition and start the eng ine.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
With the
engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the engine turned off or
use other MMI functions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capab ility is jeopardized due to energy consumption, the
following warning appears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will switch off in 3
minutes.
The warning indicates that the system will be turned off automati­
cally after 3 minutes. If you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when the vehicle is being
driven, the battery can become discharged . This happens mostly
when little energy is being generated and a great dea l consumed and
the battery's state of charge is not optimal.
T o bring the energy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which
require especially large amounts of energy are temporarily cut back
or switched off. Heating systems in particular require a great deal of
energy . If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or the
heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporarily cut
back or switched off . These systems w ill be ava ilable again as soon as
the energy balance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has been increased
slightly. This is normal and not a cause for concern . By increasing
engine idle speed the additional energy required is generated and the
battery is charged. •
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If the battery's state of charge is not in the optimal range, this driver
no tifi cation appears in the instrument cluster display:
Low battery charge: battery will be charged while driving ~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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Th is notification rem inds you that the starting capab ility of the
eng ine may be limited. As soo n as you sta rt driv ing ag ain, the batte ry
w ill be recharged and the notification wi ll go out .
Driver notification appears and goes out again
If this dr iver notification appears after the ignition is turned on or
w hile driving and it goes out ag ain afte r a w hile, the b attery has been
adeq uate ly recharged .
Driver notification appears and does not go out
again
I f thi s dr ive r no tifica tion app ea rs after the ign ition is turned o n or
w hile driving and does not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Start ing ab ili ty is res tric ted. Have the
battery checked as soon as poss ible at a dealership .

Driving and environment
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Driving and environment
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km)
and afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first 1,000 miles
(1,50 0 km) .
For the first 600 miles (1,000 kilometers):
Do not use fu ll thrott le .
- Do not drive fas ter t han 3/ 4 of the top speed marked on
t h e speedometer.
- Avo id high engine speeds .
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1,000 to 1,500
kilometers):
- Spe eds can
gradually be i ncr eas ed to the maxi mu m
perm iss ible road or engin e spee d.
During and after break-in period
- Do not rev the eng ine up to high speeds when it is co ld.
This app lies whether t he tra nsmission is in N ( Neutra l) or
1 n gear.
After the break-in period - Do not exceed maximum engi ne s pee d und er any circum­
stances .
- Up shift i nto t he next hi ghe r g ear
befor e reach in g the red
area at t he end of the tachometer sc al e=>
pa ge 10 .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
During the first few ho
urs of d riving, the engine's interna l fr iction is
highe r than later when all the moving parts have been broken in . How
well th is br eak -in p rocess is done depends to a cons iderab le extent on
the way the veh icle is driven dur ing the f irst 1,000 miles (1,500 kilo­
meters).
0 Note
E x tremely high e ngine speeds a re au tomat ically re duced. However,
these rpm limits are programmed for an engine well run -in, not a new
engine .
~ For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with u nnecessa rily high engine s peeds -upshift ing early
saves f uel, reduces no ise and protec ts the environme nt.
New tires
If your v eh icl e is run ning on new t ires, driv e p arti cul ar ly
c a refu l fo r the first 35 0 miles (50 0 kilometers) af ter fit ting.
& WARNING
New tires tend to be slippery and must al so be "broken-in ". Be
sure to remember this during the first 350 m iles (500 kilome ­
ter s). Brake gently . Avoid following closely behind other vehicles
or other situations that might require sudden, hard braking. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Driving and environment
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a f ull braki ng
e ff e ct during the first 250 miles (400 kilometers) after they
are i nsta lle d.
New bra ke pads have to be "burnished in" before they have opt ima l
grab=> &.
Dur ing the break -in period, you sho uld avoid putting severe loads on
the brakes. Severe loads incl ude, for example, sudden hard braki ng,
in particu lar at very high s peeds or, for examp le, on mountai n passes.
& WARNING
New brake pads don 't have the be st stopping power and must be
" broken -in " during the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilo­
meters ) of normal cit y driving. You can compensate for thi s by
pressing th e brak e pedal more firmly. This also applies lat er wh en
new pad s are installed. n
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emissio n contr ol system
(catalytic converter) is functioning prop erly to ensure
that your vehicle is running in an environmentally sound
manner.
- Always use lead-free gasoline==> page 283, "Fue l su pp ly" .
- Never ru n the tank down a ll th e way to empty .
- Never put too m uch motor oil in your engine==>
page 294,
"Adding engine o il - Never try to push- or tow-start your veh ic le .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean- up" device bu ilt into the
exha ust syste m of the ve hicle. The cat alytic converte r burns many of
the polluta nts in the exhaust gas before they are released into the
atmosphe re.
Th e e xcl usive use of unleaded fuel is cr itic ally important for the life of
the catalytic converter and proper f unction ing of the engine.
& WARNING
• Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas whe re the hot
exhaust sy stem may come in contact with dry grass, brush, fuel
spill or other material which can cause a fire .
• Do not apply additional undercoating or ru stproofing on or
near the exhaust manifold , exhaust pipes, catalytic conve rter or
heat shield s. During driving, the substance used for undercoating
could overheat and cause a fire .
0 Note
• Be aware that just one tank filling wit h leaded fu el wi ll alrea dy
ser iou sly degrade the performan ce of the ca talyt ic co nve rter.
• Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l=>
page 294 .
• Do not dr ive unti l the f uel tank becomes complete ly empty. The
eng ine could misfire . Unburned fuel could a lso get into the exha ust
system and th is could cause the catalytic converter to overheat.
• Do not t urn o ff the igni tion whi le the ve hicle is moving.
• Do not continue to operate your vehicle under these conditions, as
o therwi se fuel c an reach the cat alytic c onve rter. Th is cou ld resu lt in
over heating of t he converte r, requiring its rep lacement.
• T o ass ure eff ic ient operat ion of the Emi ssion Co ntro l System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with
t h e se rvice recommenda tions in your Warranty
& M aintenance
booklet. •