2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

-Always buc kle the c hild safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it.
A loose ch il d safety seat can fly ar ound
dur ing a su dden stop or in a col lisio n.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
<=> page 109, Safety
belts,
c> page 117, Airbag system and
¢ page 138, Child Safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whe never a
child rest rain t is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come o n and stay on the inflating airbag
w ill hit the child safety seat o r infant car­
rier with great fo rce and will smash the
child safety seat and child again st the
backrest, door or roo f. Have the airb ag
system inspected immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dea ler.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
.
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
Fi g. 1 30 Rearward -fac ing infa nt seat , prope rly in sta l­
le d on t he p asse nger seat
Child S afety 143
.. When using the vehicle sa fet y belt to install
a child safety seat , you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing
c> page 146.
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r
full weig ht to get t he safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd o r
sideways mo re tha n one inch ( 2.5 cm).
Infants up to about one year
(20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protec ted in spec ial infant carriers
and ch ild safety seats designed for thei r age
gro up. Ma ny exper ts believe that infants and
sm all chi ld ren s hou ld r ide o nly in speci al re­
stra ints in which the child faces the back of
the ve hicle . These infant seats sup port the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a c rash
c> fig . 130 .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using t he
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a ch ild restrai nt increases the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death in a
crash.
- Never i nstall a rear -fac ing ch ild restrai nt
in the forward-facing d irect ion . Such re­
straints are designed for the special needs of infants and very small chi ldren
and cannot pro te ct them properly if the
seat is forward- facing.
-
- Never install a rearward facing child
safe ty sea t on the fron t passenger sea t
unless t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not
come on and stay on the inf lating a irbag
wi ll hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier w ith great f orce and w ill smash the
child safety seat and child agai nst t he
backrest, door or roof. Hav e the a irbag
sy stem in spected immediately by your
a uthor ized A udi de aler.
- Always rea d and heed all WAR NIN GS
wheneve r us ing a child res traine d in ave­
hicle is be ing used
c> p age 109, Safety
belts, ¢page 117, Airbag system
and
c> page 138, Important things to know .

144 Child Safet y
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig . 13 1 Schematic overv iew: in stallat ion of t he seat
us ing the ve hicle's safety belt system
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the safety belt to prevent the c hild safety seat
from movi ng
Qpage 146.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
Qpage 146.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
Toddlers and c hildren who are o lder than one
year up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
Qfig. 131 .
&_ WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, us ing the
w rong ch ild safety seat or improperly in­
stal ling a child re straint increases the risk
o f se rious persona l injury and de ath in a
co llision or othe r eme rgency s ituation.
- Children on t he front seat of a ny car,
even w ith Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an air -bag inflates. A chi
ld in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be serious ly injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
for ce and will smash the child saf ety seat
and child aga inst the ba ckrest, doo r or
roof.
- Neve r install a rearward facing child
safety sea t on the fron t passenger sea t
un less t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OF F
light does not
come on and stay on have the airbag sys­
tem inspected immediately by your au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used
¢ page 109, Safety
belts,
Q page 117, Airbag system and
Q page 138, Important things to know .
&_ WARNING
--
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a fo rward-facing child restraint on
the front pa ssenger 's sea t, the child's safe­
ty and we ll-bei ng req uire t hat the fo llow­
i ng spec ial precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward- facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its man u­
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer 's in ­
structions p rovided with the chi ld safety
seat or carrie r.
- A lways move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­ ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­b le before installing t he ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger 's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range .

-Always make sure the backrest 1s in an
upr ight position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
c;, page 128, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on have the
airbag system inspected immed iate ly by
your authorized Aud i dealer .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall .
Fig. 132 Passenger seat : child proper ly rest ra in ed in a
booster seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in.
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
e rly over the stronger parts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash .
• Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a child on a booster seat.
• Always position the shou lder portion of the
safety belt midway over the child's shoulder .
• Always make sure that the shoulder portion
of the safety belt never rests against or
across the ch ild's neck.
Child Safety 145
• Always make sure that the chi ld can properly
wear the lap portion of the belt low across
the th ighs or pelvis and
never over the
stomach or abdomen.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40
lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in child safe­
ty seats designed for their age and weight . Ex­
perts say that the skeletal structure , particu­
larly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable ch ild restra int.
It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propr iate booster seats . Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the ch ild's body in the right places . The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
im portant for the child's protect ion, whether
or not a booster seat is used.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle 's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt port ion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restra in any child, regard­
less of how big the chi ld is. A lways remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
poss ible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of th e safety be lt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force . In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect th e occupant
as the occupant moves forwa rd into the air­
bag .
A vehi cle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in t he way of an
inflating airbag. When an occupa nt is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
Ill-

146 Child Safety
will receive serious or possibly even fata l in­
jury.
I n o rder for the airbag to offe r protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especia l­
l y any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
a irbag as poss ible. By keep ing room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions.
_& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos­
ter sea t imprope rly, incorre ct ly ins talling a
booste r seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency s ituation. To help re­
duce the risk of ser ious persona l injury
and/or death:
-Always make sure to position the should­
er port ion of the three-po int belt over
the midd le of ch ild's shou lder .
- Never let the shoulder port ion of the belt
rest against or across the neck, face,
chin , or throat of the child .
- Always make sure the lap belt portion of
the three-po int be lt is worn snug and
passes as low as possib le across the
child's pelvis. Neve r let the belt pass over
the soft abdomen .
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a ch ild 's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an ac ciden t or other emergency
situa tion
9 page 109 .
-Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
o usly injured or even killed when an air­
bag inf lates .
- Never le t a child sta nd or knee l on the
sea t.
- Never let a child ride in the ca rgo a rea of
yo ur vehicle .
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, si tting s ideways or out of posi-
.
tion in any way d uring an accident can be
struck by a dep loying a irbag. This will re­
sult in ser ious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght m ust come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, pe rform
the che cks descr ibed
9 page 128, Moni­
toring the Advan ced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
does not come on and stay on whenever
the igni tion is switched on the infla ting
a ir bag w ill hi t the child sa fety seat or in­
fant car rier with g reat force an d will
smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immed iately
by your Audi dea ler.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used
¢ page 109, Safety
belts, ~page 117, Airbag system
and
~ page 138, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
' Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the front passenger con be
locked with the convertible locking retractor
to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the front passenger's seat safety belt have
a convertible locking retracto r fo r ch ild re­
st ra ints . The safety be lt must be loc ked so
that be lt webb ing ca nnot unree l. The retrac­
tor can be act ivated to lock the safety belt and
prevent the safety be lt webb ing from loosen­
ing up during norma l dr iv ing. A chi ld safety
seat can only be properly insta lled when t he
safety belt is locked so that the child and child
safety seat will stay in place. .,.

Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly restrained for its age and si ze.
_&. WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­ ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
r::;,page 138. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
r::;, page 119, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
_&. WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Child Safety 147
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
r::;, page 128, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on the inflating
airbag will hit the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately
by your Audi dealer.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­ ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
_&. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­ straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position. •
•

148 Child Safety
-Make sure t hat the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
Rearward -fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carri er wit h great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the b ackrest, door or
roof.
- Alway s be espe cially caref ul if you must
ins tall a re arwa rd fa cing child s afety seat
on the front passenge r seat in exception ­
al circumstances .
- A tight tether st rap on a rearward-facing
child rest raint attached to the front pas ­
senger seat can put too much pressu re
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg is­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced A ir­
bag System. The heav ier we ight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Ai rbag when it must
be s uppressed causing ser ious o r even
f a tal inj ury to the child .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the
t ime whe never the ignition i s switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If t he PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rie r with great fo rce and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
au thori zed Au di d ealer .
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cu re a child re strain t.
Always heed the ch ild safety sea t manufactur­
er's instr uctions when installing a child re­
st ra in t in your veh icle . To a ctivate the conve r­
t ible lo cking re tractor:
.,. Place t he ch ild restraint on a seat .
.,. Slowly pu ll the belt
all the way out .
.,. Route i t around or th roug h the child re­
s train t belt pa th
~ .&, .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight.
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back i nto the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and snug o n the child
safety seat.
"" Yo u should hear a "cl icking " noise as the
be lt winds back into the inertia ree l. Test the
convert ible lo cki ng re tr actor by pulling on
t he belt. You s hould no longer be ab le to
pull t he be lt out of the retrac to r. T he con ­
vertible locking retracto r is now activated .
.,. Make s ure that the red release button is fac ­
ing away from the child rest raint so that it
can be unbuckled quick ly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
s e at ca nnot move forwa rd or sideways more
than one inch ( 2.S cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child res traint o r an i m­
pr operly ins talled chi ld restraint can cause
se rious pe rsonal injury or deat h in a c rash.
- Always ma ke sure tha t t he safe ty belt re-
trac to r i s loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An un locke d safety belt re­
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing norma l dr iving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child sa fety seat firmly
-
in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. ~

A loos e chi ld safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
wh ich the child restraint is installed is in
an upr ight position . Otherwise, the seat­
back wi th the child safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an
acc ident or other emergency situat ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
~ page 138. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety sea t on the fron t passenge r sea t
~ page 119, Child restrain ts on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking r etractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically
when the belt is wound all the way back into t he re trac tor.
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buck­
le . T he be lt tongue wi ll pop out of the buck ­
le.
~ Gu ide the sa fe ty belt all the w ay b ack into
its stowed posit ion.
A lw ays let the safety belt ret ract comp lete ly
into its stowed posit ion. The safe ty belt c an
now be used as an ord inary safety bel t wi th­
out the convert ible lock ing retractor for chi ld
restra ints .
If the convert ible locking retractor shou ld be
ac tivated inadver ten tly, the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided completely back in ­
to its stowed position to deactivate th is fea­
ture . If the convertib le locking retractor is not
deactivated, the sa fe ty belt will g radually be­
come tighter and uncomfo rtab le to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child sa fe ty seats in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision.
Child Sa fet y 149
-Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convertible locking retractor for
child restraints while the vehicle is mov ­
ing. You would not be restrained and
could be serious ly inju red in an accide nt.
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
Q page 138 . Special
prec autions app ly when insta lling a child
safety sea t on the fron t pa ssenger seat
Q page 119, Child restraints on the fron t
seat -some important things to know.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T he re a re a number of sources of additiona l
in forma tion abo ut child re st ra in t se lec tion , in­
stalla tion and use:
N HTSA advises that the best ch ild safety seat
i s the one t hat fits you r ch ild and fits in you r
vehicle , and that yo u will use correct ly and
c onsistently.
Try before you buy !
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1 -888 -327 -4236 (TTY: 1 -800 -424 -9153)
www . n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
T el.: (202) 662-0600
www .safek ids .org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE ( English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Span is h)
www .carseat .org
T ransport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-03 71 o r call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
www .tc .gc.ca/ roadsafety
Audi Customer CARE
Tel.: (800) 822-2834 •
•

150 Intelligent te chn olog y
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose o f capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­ loading of data stored by EDR 's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of elect ron­
ic control modules for various v ehicl e systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
sa fety belts .
These electron ic co ntrol modules also record
vehicle-re lated data du ring norma l vehicle op­
er ation for diagno stic and repa ir purposes .
T he recording capacity of the elec tronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re ­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other condition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. Some of
the data t hen stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
syst em use and performanc e in the event of a
c rash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith special equip­
ment .
Electronic Stabilization
Program (ESP)
The Electronic Stabilization Program increas­
es driving stability .
Fig . 1 33 Ce nt er conso le wi th~ bu tto n
Intent and purpose
T he Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Elec tronic
D ifferential Lock (EDL) a nd Anti-Slip Regula ­
tion System (ASR) are integrated i n the Elec­
tronic Stabilization Program (ES P).
It increas ­
es control over the vehicle in handling condi­
tions close to the limit of "grip", such as when
acce lerat ing and cornering .
It reduces the r isk
of skidd ing under all road conditions and at
all speeds and improves vehicle stability .
When road condit ions are poor, ES P makes it
easier to start from a complete stop as well as
acce le rate a nd d rive up hills . E S P s witches o n
automatica lly when you start the engine. It
shou ld normally be activated at a ll t imes be ­
cause this ensures optimum veh icle stability .
Critical driving situations
Wi th an oversteering vehi cle ( the vehicle
tu rns too sharply and the rear wheels slide to­
ward the o utside of a cu rve), ESP primari ly
brakes the o utside front wheel, with an
un­
dersteering vehicle (the vehicle does not turn
sharp ly enough and pushes out of a curve) it
brakes the inside rear whee l or other addition­
al wheels. This brake inte rvent ion is accompa­
nied by noises .
If the speed of a wheel s lows down too m uch
rela tive to vehicle speed while braking and i t
starts to lock, brake pressure to this whee l is
reduced . This adjustment process can be felt ..,.