176 Checking and filling
thick rag over the cap when you open the coolant reservoir .
-If work on the fuel system or the electri
cal system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery .
- Never smoke or work near heaters or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com partment could start a fire .
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im
mediately available.
- To avoid electrical shock and personal in
jury while the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake,
move selector lever of R tronic to "N"
(Neutral); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact
ing hot parts . Tie back hair before
starting, and wear no clothing that will
hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards~&. .
.&_ WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain
or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth de
fects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear con
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
reproduc
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
@ Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container
or filler opening, otherwise serious dam
age to vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If
you see spots from oil or other vehicle flu
ids, have your vehicle inspected by an au
thorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine compartment lid
... Make sure that the rear spoiler is retracted
~page 152.
""Pull the engine compartment lid down until
the pressure from the struts is reduced.
.., Press the engine compartment lid closed
c::>& .
A WARNING ,_
A engine compartment lid that is not com
pletely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
- When you close the engine compartment lid, check it to make sure the safety catch
has properly engaged . The engine com
partment lid should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driving that the en
gine compartment lid is not secured properly, stop at once and close it.
190 Tire s and wheel s
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of R t ron ic, powe r stee ring, powe r brakes,
power w indows , power sea ts, r ad io , a nd hea t
e r, to the extent that these i tems are available
as facto ry -in stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio o f the heigh t to the w idth of
the tire in percen t. Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means t he pa rt of the t ire that is made o f
steel wires, wrapped o r reinforce d by p ly cor ds
and that is shaped to fi t the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the s trands forming the plies in the
tire .
Cold tire inflation pre ssure
means t he tire pressure recommended by the
ve hicle manufacture r for a tire of a designated
si ze that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure i s measu red or adjusted. -
If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment includ ing the max imum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, a ir cond i
ti on ing and addi tional weig ht o f option al
equipmen t.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate at higher
loads and at highe r inflat ion p ress ures tha n
the cor responding standard tire . Extr a load
t ir es my be i dent ified as "XL", "xl", "E X T RA
LO AD", or "RF" on t he sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load-carry ing capacity of a s ingle
axle system , measured at the tire-ground in
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
the vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rat ing (code )
means the maximum load that a tire is rated
to carry fo r a given inflation press ure. Yo u
may not fi nd this information on all tires be
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the lo ad r ati ng for a tire a t the m axi
mum perm issib le inf lation pressure for that
ti re .
196 Tires and wheels
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin flation can also lead to sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
The applicable pressure values are locat
ed on a sticker on the driver's side 8-pil
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres
sure monitoring system can work cor
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the tire pressure monitor
ing system .
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct tire pressure before driving
off .
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the tires will wear prematurely and the
vehicle will not handle well. -
If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta
tion to check the tire pressure and add
air as required .
(D Note
Driving without valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this,
always make sure that factory installed
valve stem caps on all wheels are securely mounted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires will also increase the
fuel consumption .
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry .
A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop. Overloading
can not only lead to loss of vehicle control,
but can also damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden tire failure, in cluding a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits are
not exceeded. Vehicle load includes everybody
and everything in and on the vehicle . These
load limits are technically referred to as the
vehicle 's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is
intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve-
hicle. ..,_
204 Tir es and whe els
eq uip all four wheels on your vehicle with cor
rectly fitted winter tires or all-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected. This a lso improves the vehicle's braking per
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter t ires (snow t ires) must always be fitted
on all four wheels.
Compat ible tire pressure mon itor ing sensors
must be installed on all fou r winter tires for
the tire pressure monitoring system to func
tion proper ly ~
page 201 .
Ask your authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified
wo rkshop for permitted
winter tir e sizes. Use
only radia l winter tires .
W inter t ires lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with winter tires under winter con
d itions . Summer tires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C).
Please always remember that w inte r tires may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi
na lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime i t
was manufactured. Please see
r:!> page 200 ,
Speed roting (letter code) for a list ing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed ra ting letter code
(~ page 191) is
on the s ide wall of the tire
r::!> poge 199.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max
im um speed . Always know the maxim um
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal in ju ry to you and your passen
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your veh icle
were designed can cause t ire failure in
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
l oss of cont ro l, crashes and ser ious per
sonal injuries. Have wo rn o r damaged ti res
r eplaced immediately.
- W inte r ti res have maxim um speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle 's
maximum speed.
- Never drive fas ter than the speed for
which the win ter or othe r ti res installed
on yo ur vehicle are rated.
A WARNING ~
A lways ad just your driving to the road and
traffic condit ions. Never let the good ac
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
veh icle.
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
~ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi
tions permit. They are qu ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
-
S now cha ins may be fitted only to the rea r
whee ls, and o nly to certa in tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i dea le r o n whi ch tire sizes
snow c hains ca n be used.
T he snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be t hicker than 0 .53 inch
(13 .5 mm), in cl ud ing the lock.
Remove wheel center covers before putt ing
snow c ha ins on your vehicle~@ . For safety
reasons cover caps must then be f itted over
Dimensions
!Length (with license plate bracket)
Width
Width (across mirrors)
Height (unloaded)
T urning circle diameter (curb to curb) R8 Sp
yd er 4. 2
quattro
4434 mm (ap prox. 174.6 in)
1904 mm (approx . 75 .0
in)
2029 mm (ap prox. 80.0 in)
1244 mm (ap
prox. 49.3 in)
11.80
m (ap
prox. 3 8. 7
ft)
When driving up steep ramps, on rough roads,
over curbs, etc. it is important to remembe r
that some parts of your vehicle, such as spoil
ers or exhaust system components, may be
close to the ground . Be careful not to damage
them.
This applies especially to vehicles with a low chassis (sports chassis) and when the vehicle
is fully loaded .
Capacities (approx.)
Fuel tank
R8 R8
Spyder Spyder
4 .2 5.2
quattro quat -
tro
Total capacity gal/ 21.1/8 21.1/8
liters 0 0
Reserve (of total gal/ 2.6/10 2 .6/10
capacity) liters
Windshield wa she r sys tem
Windsh ield wash- quarts approx. 4.2/4.0
er fluid /liters
D ata 229
R8 Spyder 5.2
qu attro
4434 mm (ap prox. 174.6 in)
1904 mm (approx. 75.0 in)
2029 mm (approx. 79.9 in)
1
1244 mm (approx. 49.0 in)
11.80 m (approx. 38. 7
ft)
•
•
Energy management .... ... .. .. .. .. . 155
Battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Driver notification ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 156
E ng ine
Coolan t .......................... 181
E ng ine compartment lid ... .. .. .. .. . 175
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 78
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
E ng ine compartmen t ................ 177
Safety ins truc tions ........ .. .. .. .. . 17 5
Eng ine compartment lid
C losing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Release lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
Eng ine coolant system ............... 181
Malfunct io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
T emperature gauge ................. 11
Engine data .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 228
E ng ine oi l ... ............. .... .. ... 178
Adding .. .. ............. .. .. .. ... 180
Addit ives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Chec king the engine oi l level . ... .. .. . 180
D ry s ump lubrication ... ... .. .. .. .. . 157
Indications and cond it ions requ iring ex-
tra check ing ............. .... .. ... 180
Level ............................. 33
O il consumption ................. .. 179
O il grades .. ... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .. . 178
Sensor defective .................... 33
Specification and viscos ity .. .. .. .. .. . 178
Tempe ra tu re d isp lay ................ 10
Eng ine oil pressure
Malfunct io n ... ........... ...... ... 33
Eng ine speed limitat ion .. ... .. .. .... .. 36
E nvi ro nment
Ca tal ytic conve rter ........ .. .. .. .. . 158
Fu el . .... .. .. .... .. .... ... .. .. ... 172
Un leaded fu el .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 170
E PC
refer to E lectronic powe r control ( EPC) . 15
ESP
refer to Electronic Stabilizat io n Pro-
g ram .. .. .. .. ........ ..... ... ... . 150
refer to Electronic stab ilization p rogram
( E SP) ............................. 16
Event Data Recorder (EDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
E xhaust tail pipes
C lea ning ... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 165
Inde x 233
Expansion tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
F
Fan ................................ 74
Fastening Boos ter seats .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . .
Co nvertib le child safety seats ....... .
Infan t seats . .. .. ................ .
Flat bed truck
Flat tire 145
144
1
4 3
222
Changi ng ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 216
Floor mats ...... .. .. ..... .......... 104
Fo ld ing top
Care and cleaning . .... ............. 163
Foot peda ls ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 104
Fo r the sake of the envi ronment
Gasoline fumes and t he env ironme nt .. 172
L etting your eng ine w arm up ......... 78
Ref ueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Front a irbags
Desc ription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
How they wor k ... .... ......... .. .. 126
Frontal coll is io ns and the laws of p hys ics 111
Fron t lid
Emergency re lease . .. .. .. ..... ... .. . 43
li ght . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Power locking system .......... .. .. . 42
Tr unk escape handle ............... 213
Front passenger
refer to Seating position . . . . . . . 100, 101
Fron t seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Child res traints in the fro nt sea t ...... 119
Front towing loop .. .. ........... .... 222
Fuel Additives . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 170
B lended gaso line ... .. ... ..... ... .. 170
C ur rent fuel mileage ................ 23
Filler neck ... .. ...... ............. 171
Fuel supply too low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Gasoline add it ives .. .............. . 171
Octane rat ing .. ... ........... .... . 170
Recommendat ion . ............. .... 170
Ref ueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Rese rve ... .. .. .. ... ............ .. . 12
Tank capacity ....... .. .. ..... ... .. 228
U nl ocking the fuel fi lle r flap by hand .. 173
•
•
Safety belts Cleaning ... ..... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 168
Danger to passengers who do not wear a
sa fety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12
Fastening .. .... ......... .... .. .. . 112
General notes ................. .... 109
Improperly worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Not worn ...................... .. 112
P retens ioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Safety bel t position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Safety instructions ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 110
Securing ch ild safety seats ... .. .. .. . 146
Special consid erations for pregna nt
women .. .. .. ........... .. .. .. .. . 1 14
Unfasten ing ............. .... .. ... 114
Warn ing/ indicator light .... .. .. . 17, 109
Whyyoumustwearthem ....... .... 110
Wo rn properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Safety compliance st icker ... .. .. .. .. . 226
Safety equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Safety features for occupant restraint and protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Safety guide lines
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Safety ins truc tions
F or using chi ld safety seats ... .. .. ... 1 41
F or using safety be lts .. ... .. .. .. .. . 110
Mo nitoring the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem . .. .. .. .. ............. .. .. .. . 130
Safety systems Warn ing/ indicato r light . ... .. .. .. .. .. 17
Seat adjustment Driver's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Fr ont passenge r's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Fr ont se ats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
H ead res traints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Power seats . ... ...... ... .. .. .. .... 67
Safety guideli nes . ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. 66
Seating capacity ...... ..... .... .. .. . 109
Sea ting position
Driver ... .. .. .... .... ..... ... ... . 100
F ront passenge r ............... .... 101
Incorrect seat position ......... ... .. 103
Seats Number of seats 109
Selector lever
D efective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5
Inde x 237
Serv ice
Airbag system 130
Se rv ice and disposa l
Safety be lt p re tensioner ... ..... .. .. 115
Serv ice interval display .... .... ... .. .. . 21
Serv ice position for windsh ield wipers . .. 61
Set me nu .. ... .. .... .......... ...... 25
Setting the time . .. ........ ......... . 11
S ide a irbags
Desc ription . ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 135
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
S ide mar ker lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Snow cha ins .. .. .. .. ............... 204
Socket ... .. .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 69
Sound system display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Sources of information abo ut child re -
stra ints and their use ....... ..... .. .. 149
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Speed rat ing letter code ............. . 200
Speed warning . ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. . 34
Speed warning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Spoi ler ....... .. .. .. . .............. 152
Star ting on h ills
Hill ho ld assist ..... . .. .. ..... ... .. . 80
Starting the e ngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Steering co lumn
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Locking the steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Steps for determining correct load limit . 197
Stopping the eng ine ................. . 79
Storage .... .. .. .. ................. . 70
Sun visors . ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. . 59
Symbols Red symbo ls in the cente r display . .. .. . 30
Ye llow symbo ls in the ce nte r display 30
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
T ank flap
U nlocking the fuel filler flap by hand .. 173
T echnical modifications .. ..... ... .. .. 211
T emperature .. .. .. .. .......... ...... 73
Tire mob ility system . ... .. .... ... .. .. 213
T ire pressu re .. .. .. .... ............. 195
•
•