2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER ABS

-Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­ hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi­
t ion .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce their effectiveness .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt. Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
correct use of some chi ld restraint sys­
tems.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web ­
bing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop . Replacement may be necessa ­
ry even if damage cannot be clearly seen.
Anchorages that were loaded must also
be inspected .
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
Safety belts 111
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c:> page 168, Safety belts .
Illustrating the
principle of an accident
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
p eople riding in vehicles .
Fig. 114 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a
wa ll
Fig. 11S The ve hicle c rashes in to the wal l.
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which vari es with vehicle speed and body
weight. Eng ineers call this energy "k inetic en­
ergy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the occupants in this vehicle are not
using safety belts
c:>fig . 114, they will keep
moving at the same speed the veh icle was .,,_

-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 -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier carefully.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sens ing mat and can
cause injury in a crash .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 122 Location of drive r airbag : in steerin g wheel
Fig. 123 Locat ion of front passenger 's a irbag: in the in­
s trum ent panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
Airbag system 121
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured . The safety belts
for the front seats have "pretensioners" that help to take slack out of the belt system. The
pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash.
The a irbag for the driver is in the steer ing
wheel hub<=)
fig. 122 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
r:::> fig . 123. The general location of the airbags
is marked '' AIRBAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the air­
bags in your vehicle. We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
& WARNING
=
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplementa l protection .
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your
ve­
hicle is properly restrained .
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, es­
pecially infants and small children, will re­
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil­
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
-
-
that deployment under these special 11-

but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OF F light does not
come on).
For example, the a irb ag may depl oy if:
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the chi ld safety seats listed
¢ page 140),
-a ch ild who has outgrown child rest raints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center
of the inst rument panel w il l come on and stay
on.
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front
of the sea t is on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk " deployment criteria to help re­
duce the risk of inj ury through interaction
with the airbag . "Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic control un it
¢ page 128.
Please be sure to read the important informa­
tion in the sections that fo llow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARNINGS.
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inf lates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in-
A irbag system 123
flates - even with an Advanced Ai rbag
¢page 117.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced A irbag System .
-Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn
off the
front airbag when a rearward-facing child restraint has been instal led on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso­ lutely guarantee that dep loymen t is im ­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen during the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- 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.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating a irbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­ rier w ith great force and w ill smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the a irbag
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in except iona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer fo r use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or ve ry near the instru-
ment panel.
~
•
•

132 Airbag system
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys ­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the sp rings, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbe rs etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors a nd sent to the electron ic control
un it. Some suspension changes ca n, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­ ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic con trol module if the safety bel t is
latched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front a irbag will deploy at a slightly high­
e r rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt i s not being used. Therefo re, i n a par­
ticular co llision, it is poss ible that an a irbag
will not deploy at a seati ng position where the
safety be lt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electron ic control unit .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
t ions can change Advan ced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of ser io us
personal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspens io n components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi ­
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire -rim combinat ions that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety be lt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from wo rking properly.
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can inter­
fere wi th the safety belt buckles a nd that
they are not obstruc ted .
@ For the sake of the env ironment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ione rs might be classified as Perchlorate
Ma teria l - specia l hand ling may apply, see
www .d tsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
ch lorate. W hen the vehicle or parts of t he
restraint system including airbag modu les
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicab le laws and regu la­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familia r with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service fo r you.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 26 D river 's ai rb ag
The airbag for the driver is Located in the in­
strument panel underneath the steering
whee l
c::> fig. 126, the airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the inst rument
panel underneath the g love compartment . ..,_

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 ..,.

as a pulsing motion of the brake pedal, ac­
companied by some noises. In order for ABS
to be able to operate optimally in th is range,
you must keep the brake pedal depressed -
never "pump the brakes" . You should not ex­
pect that braking d istances w ill be
shortened
under all circumstances with ABS . Braking dis­
tance may even be slightly
longer, for exam­
p le on gravel or wi th fresh snow on a slippery
surface .
If a sign ificant
speed differential between the
d rive wheels on one axle is determined (for
examp le, on a su rface that is s lippery
on one
side),
the EDS brakes the spinn ing whee l and
transfers power to the other drive whee ls.
This is done up to a speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h) . Noises from the brake system
signal that whee l spin is being controlled.
I f one whee l spins when starting from a com­
p lete stop because o f a different grip (for ex­
ample , one wheel o n ice), keep your foot
hard
on the accelerator until the veh icle starts to
move.
If the wheels spin , ASR wi ll automatically re­
duce engine torque and match power to road
surface conditions .
Switching on Sport mod e
In specific driving situations (e.g. Launch Con ­
trol), you swi tch ASR and ESP to Sport mode
by pressing the
[!I button once . The indicator
light
11 illuminates and ESP sport -Wa rni ng!
Restric ted stab ility
appears . "Slip" is matched
to the speed. You should do this only if your
driving skill and traffic cond it ions permit .
Switching ASR /ESP off
In certain sit uations (e .g . in deep snow, on a
l oose surface, o r when rocking the vehicle
free), switch ASR and ESP off by pressing the
[ill button for more than 3 seconds. The ind ica­
tor light
I) illuminates and ES P sw itc hed off -
Warning! R estricted stability
appears . You
should do th is only if your driving skill and
traffic cond itions pe rmit .
Int ellig ent technolog y 151
Switching ASR /ESP on
Activate ASR/ ESP by p ressing the [!I button
again. The message
ESP on appears in the d is­
play briefly.
Brake overheating
So that the disc b rake on a b raked wheel does
not overheat, the EDS switches off automati­
ca lly if there is un usua lly severe loa ding at
th is wheel. The vehicle is st ill drivable and has
the same properties as a vehicle wit hout EDS .
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDS
swi tches on aga in automatically.
A WARNING
- Even ESP, ABS, EDS and ASR cannot over ­
come the laws of physics . You should
keep this in m ind in particular on an icy
or wet road. If the systems intervene,
you shou ld adjust your speed immediate­
ly to road and traff ic conditions . Do not
be tempted by the increased safety pro­
vided to take risks -you risk having an
accident.
- Please keep in mind that the r isk of an
accident is i ncreased by driving too fast,
pa rti cularly in corners and on icy or wet
ro ads, and by drivi ng too close to the ve­
hicle ahead . Even ES P, ABS, E DS and ASR
cannot eliminate the increased risk of
having an accident.
-Apply the throttle ca re fully when accel ­
erating on a consistently s lippery sur­
face, e.g. on ice and snow . The drive
wheels can spin in spite of the EDS and thereby affect vehicle stability -you risk
having an accident .
- Please note that when ASR or ESP/ASR is
deactivated, the drive wheels can spin on
icy and slippery roads and the veh icle can
break away -the re is a risk of skidd ing!
(D Tips
- In the event of a defect in the rear spoil-
er system or in Audi magnet ic ride, it can
happen that ASR and ASR/ESP cannot be .,.
•
•

166 Cleaning and protection
- Serious injuries can result if plastic parts
come loos e when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the informat ion
¢ page 161.
(D Note
Clean ing agents containing solvents will
attac k the material and can change the
way it behaves .
Carbon-fiber parts
Applies to vehicles: with carbon-fiber parts
The carbon-fiber parts of your vehicle have a
pa inted surface . They do no t requi re any spe·
cial care and a re cleaned like plast ic parts
¢ page 165.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabr ic coverings (e.g . seats, doo r
tr im pane ls, etc.) should be cleaned at reg ular
inte rva ls with a vac uum cle aner . Th is removes
surface dirt particles which could become em·
bedded in the fabric through use. Steam
cleaners shou ld not be used, because th e
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it the re.
Normal cleaning
Gene rally, we recommend usi ng a soft sponge
or a lint -free microfiber cloth to the clean fab ·
ric . Brushes should only be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fabric s urfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
N ormal surface sta ins can be cleaned using a
comm ercia lly available foam cleaner. Spread
the foam on the surface of the fab ric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu·
rate the fabric. Then pat t he foam dry using
absorbent, d ry cloths (e .g . microfibe r cloth)
and vacuum it afte r it has dr ied comp lete ly .
Cleaning stains
Stains ca used by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
ju ice, etc. ) can be treated with a mild deter­
gent solut ion . App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of st ubbor n stains , a dete
rgent paste can be applied directly to
t h e stain and worked i nto the fabric. After·
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to
remove the rema ining detergent. Apply the
water wit h a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabr ic dry with an abso rbent, dry cloth.
Stains from choco late or ma keup sho uld have
detergent paste (e.g. ox-gall soap) rubbed in­
to them. Afterwards, remove the soap with
water (damp sponge) .
Alcohol can be used to treat sta ins from
grease, o il, lipstick o r a ballpoint pen . M elted
grease or dye must be patted
off using ab­
sorbent mater ial. It may be necessary to re ­
t reat the areas with de tergent paste and wa­
te r.
In the case of general soiling of the uphols­
te ry and cover mate rial, we recommend hir ing
a spec ia list t hat has the equipment to clean
the seat cove rs and othe r fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing a nd spray ext ra ction.
A WARNING
A lw ays rea d and heed all W ARNIN GS an d
the info rmation
¢ page 1 61.
@ Tips
Open Velcro fasteners on yo ur cl othing can
damage the sea t cover. Please make s ure
t h at Velc ro fas teners are cl osed.
Natural leather
Appl ies to vehicles: with natural leather
Audi mak es great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of in terior
leather.
General
We offer many d iffe ren t types of leathe r o n
o ur vehicles . Most a re d iffe rent types of nappa
l eat her, which has a smooth s urfa ce a nd
c omes in var ious colo rs.
The intensity of the co lor determi nes the visu ­
al characterist ics and appea rance . If the su r­
f ace of the leather has a typ ica l natural look,
t h en the leather is a napp a le at her that has .,.

168 Cleaning and protection
Cl ean ing spot s
.. Remove fresh w ater-b ased spots (such as
coffee, tea, juices, blood) w ith an absorbent
cloth or paper towel.
.. Remove fresh
grease or oil -b as ed spot s
(such as butter, mayonnaise, chocolate) with
an absorbent cloth or paper towe l, or use
the cleaner from the leather care kit if the
spot has not yet penetrated into the surface
of the leather .
.. Use an oil/grease dissolv ing sp ray, if
o il/
g rea se s pots have d ried on .
.. Remove spec ific kinds of spots (ballpoin t
pen, felt ma rker, fingernai l polish, water ­
based paint, shoe polish, etc .) with a spot
remover specifically formulated for leather.
Leather ca re
.. Every ha lf yea r use an approved leather care
product (available from your authorized Au ­
di dealer) to care for the leather.
.. Apply the prod uct very sparing ly .
.. Wipe it off with a damp cloth.
I f you have any questions abo ut cleaning and
caring for the leather in your vehicle, it is best
to contact your authorized A udi dealer, who
will be glad to he lp you and tell you about our
full range of leather care products, such as:
- Leather cleaning and care kit
- Cremes to care for colored leathe r
- Spot remove rs for ballpo int pe ns, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
- Oil/grease dissolving spray
- New and upcoming products.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~page 161.
@ Note
- Never use chemical solvents (e.g. lighter fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe pol ish or
similar products on the leather surfaces
i n your Audi. - To avoid damage, have stubbo
rn sta ins
removed by a commercial cleaning spe­
cialist .
Cleaning Alcantara ® (synthetic suede)
App lies to vehicles: wit h Alca nta ra upho lste ry
Remo ving dust and dirt
.. Moisten a cloth, squeeze out excess water
and wipe down the seat surfaces.
Removing stain s
.. Moisten a cloth with lukewarm water o r
with di luted
ethyl (rubbi ng) alcohol.
.. Dab at the stain. Start at the outside and
work inwards .
.. Once the sta in is no longer visible, use a soft
dry cloth or tissue to soak up the moisture .
Do not use leather cleaning prod ucts on A l­
cantara.
You may use a suitable shampoo for removing dust and dirt .
D ust and grit in the po res and seams can
scratch and damage the surface.
If the ca r is
left stand ing in the sun for long per iods, the
Alcantara covers should be protected against direct sunlight to prevent it from fading.
Slight co lor variations will develop in normal
use and are not an indication of material dete­
rioration .
([) Note
- Never use chemical so lvents (e.g. lighter
fluid, turpentine), waxes, shoe polish or
simi lar products on A lcantara ® surfaces.
- To avoid damage, have stubborn sta ins
removed by a commercial clean ing spe·
cialist.
- Do not use brushes, stiff sponges or sim·
ilarly abrasive cleaning a ids.
Safety belts
Heavily so iled safety belts may not retract
properly .
.. Keep belts clean.