2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER wheel

84 Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Launch Control
Program
Applies to vehicles: with VlO engi ne and manua l trans­
mission
The Launch Control Program enables maxi­
mum acceleration.
Requirement : The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned.
• With the engine runn ing, press the
[!I but­
ton one time. The ESP indicator light
fi in
the Driver Information System display illu­
minates and the message
ESP sport· Warn­
ing! Restricted stability
appears.
• Press the clutch and hold it down.
• Engage the first gear.
• Press the accelerator peda l all the way down
until the engine speed remains steady at
6500 RPM.
• Release the clutch carefully~.&_ .
.&_ WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and
traffic conditions a llow it and other driv­
ers wi ll not be endangered or annoyed by
your driv ing and the vehicle's accelera­
tion.
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ESP is sw itched off, especially
when the road is slippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you should
switch the ESP back on by pressing the
l:m
button.
(D Tips
- When accelerating using the Launch
Control program, all vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. This can result in
i ncreased wear.
- The Launch Control Program only func­
tions when the parking brake is released and
the vehicle speed is less than 3 mph
(5 km/h).

Automatic operation
Applies to vehicles: with R tronic
The forward gears are shi~ed up or down au­
tomatically.
S tartin g from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Tap the se lector lever towards A.
.. Release the brake pedal and acce lerate
c::, A.
in Manual operation on page 86.
Under certain circumstances (driving in the
mounta ins for example), it can be beneficial
to switch temporarily to the manua l shift pro­
gram
c::> page 86 in order to adjust the gear ra­
tios to driving conditions manually.
Kick-down
Applies to vehicles : with R tronic
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance point, R tronic downshifts
into a lower gear, depending on vehicle speed
and engine rpm . The ups hift into the next
h igher gear takes place once the max imum
specified engine speed is reached. Exception:
You have activated the sport funct ion.
A WARNING
Please note that the d rive whee ls can spin
if kick -down is used on a smooth slippery
road - there is a risk of skidding .
Launch Control
Program
Applies to vehicles : with R tronic
The Launch Control Program enables maxi­
mum acceleration.
Requirement: The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.. With the engine running, press the
[!I but­
ton one t ime. The ESP indicator light
fi in
the Driver Information System display illu­ minates and the message
ESP sp ort -W arn­
in g! Re str icte d s tab ility
appears .
Autom ated manual tr an sm iss ion 8 7
.. Press the brake pedal with your left foot and
hold it down.
.. Engage a gear.
.. Press the
ISPORT I button on the selector lev­
er cover.
.. Press the accelerator pedal w ith your right
foot simultaneously unt il the eng ine has
reached a constant speed .
.,. Remove your left foot from the brake
c::, ,& .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iv ing to the traffic
f low.
- On ly use La unch Control when road and
traffic conditions allow it and other driv­
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and the vehicle's accelera­
tion.
- Please note that t he driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ESP is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery .
- Once the starting procedure is complete,
you should sw itch ESP on again by press­
ing the
[!I switch.
(D Tips
When accelerat ing using the Launch Con­
trol program, all vehicle parts are sub ject
to heavy loads. This can result in increased
wear.
Steering wheel with
shift paddles
Applies to veh icles: with R tronic
The shi~ paddles allow you to select gears
manually at the steering wheel.
F ig . 91 Sport steering wheel: S hift padd les

92 Parking system
Reverse parking
Applies to vehicles: with park ing system advanced
Parking mode 1 con be used when parking in
a garage or into a parking space.
Fig. 98 Navigat ion syste m display : Aiming at a pa rk in g
spot
Fig. 99 Navigation syste m display: Align ing t he ve hicle
> Switch the navigation system and the dis­
play of the navigation system on .
.,. Select the reverse gear .
.,. Turn the steer ing whee l until the orange ori­
entat ion lines (;) appear in the parking spot
¢ fig. 98. Use the markings@to help yo u
estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking represents 3
ft. (1 m). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle 's outline by approximately 16
ft. (5 m)
to the rear.
> While driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering wheel angle to fit the parking spot
with the aid of the orange orientation lines
¢ (}). @ marks the rear bumper. Stop the
vehicle once the red orientation line@
touches an object¢,&. .
A WARNING
-The rearview camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle ¢
page 89,
fig. 95.
Watch out especially for small children and anima
ls. The rear view cam­
era cannot always detect them, posing
risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be farther away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a vehicle or the rear of a
truck) . In th is case, you should not use
the orientation lines to help with park·
ing, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the navigation system display, the direc·
tion of travel of the vehicle rear is rep re­
sented depending on the steering wheel
angle . The vehi cle front swings out more
than the vehicle rear. Maintain plenty of
distance so that your outside mirror or a
corner of your vehicle does not collide with
any obstacles . This can damage to your ve­
hicle.
Parallel parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system advanced
Use parking mode 2 to help you parallel park
along the side of a street.
Fig. 100 Navigat ion sy stem display : B lu e surfac e
alig ned wit h parking spot
Fig. 101 Navigation system display : T h e b lue curved
line contact ing t he curb

The following steps apply only when there is
no obstacle such as a wall near the parking
spot. Otherwise, please read the information
prov ided in the "Parking Next to Obstacles"
section.
~ Activate the turn signal.
~ Position yo ur vehicle parallel to the edge of
the street, approximately 3 ft. (1 m) from a parked vehicle .
~ Switch the navigation system and the nav i­
gat ion system display on.
~ Se lect reverse gear . The parking aid tu rns on
and par king mode 1 appears on the display .
~ Press the control bu tto n 1 on the nav igat io n
system ¢
fig. 100. Parking mode 2 appea rs .
~ Backup and align yo ur vehicle so the b lue
area @ borders on the rear end of the vehi­
cle or on the parking spot line. The bl ue area
represents an extension of the veh icle's out­
line by approximate ly 16 ft (5 meters) to the
rear . The long side of the blue area should
be o n the curb . The entire blue area must fit
i nto the parking spot .
~ With the veh icle s topped, tu rn the s teer ing
whee l to the r ight as far as it w ill go.
~ Back into the park ing spot until the blue
cu rve to uches the curb¢
fig. 101. Stop the
vehicle.
~ With the veh icle stopped, turn the steer ing
wheel to the left as far as it will go .
~ Continue to back into the parking spot un til
the vehicle is parked para llel to the curb .@
marks the rear bumper. Stop the vehicle
when the red orientation line@ borde rs an
object ¢.&, . Keep an eye o n the fron t of
yo ur vehicle while do ing this ¢Ci) .
Parking next to obstacles
When t here is an obstacle (such as a wall)
next to the pa rking spot, choose a spot w it h
mo re space on t he sides. Position the long
side of the b lue a rea so that there is sufficient
space from the curb. The a rea m ust no t be on
the c urb. You w ill also need to start turn ing
the steeri ng wheel much earlie r. T he re should
be a s uffic ient amo unt of space between the
curb and the blue c urve, and the blue c urve
¢
fig. 101 must not touch the curb.
Par king system 93
A WARNING
-The rearview camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle¢
page 89,
fig. 95 . Watch out especially for small
children and anima ls . The rea r view cam­
e ra can no t always de tect t hem, pos ing
ris k of an accident!
- P lease note that objects not touching the
g rou nd can appear to be far ther away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a vehicle or the rea r of a
truck) . In this case , you sho uld not use
the o rientation lines to help with park­
ing, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
In the navigation system disp lay, the direc ­
tion of trave l of the vehicle rear is repre ­
sented depend ing on the stee ring wheel
angle. T he veh icle front swings out more
than the vehicle rear. Ma inta in p lenty of
distance so that you r o utside m irror or a
corner of you r vehicle does no t coll ide with
any obstacles. This can damage to your ve­ hicle.
(0 Tips
The left o r right o rientation lines and su r­
faces will be disp layed, depending on the
turn s ignal being used .
Adjusting the warning tones
Applies to vehicles: wi th parking sys tem adva nced
Fi g. 102 Nav igat io n system d isplay: a djusting t he
park ing s yste m
Req uirement: The parking system m ust be
switched on.

100 Driving S afel y
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly .
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 109.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver 's ability to concentrate on the rood
without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
.&,.
Therefore:
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone .
• NEVER dr ive when your dr iving ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traff ic
and weathe r condit ions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are tired , under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING , .
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 106 Correc t seat ing posit ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
following position:
• Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone ¢
fig. 106 .
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢.&_ .
• Grasp the top o f the steer ing whee l w ith
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible .
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when yo u drive.
• Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
¢ page 110.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle a t all
times .

For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 66, Seats and stor­
age.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­ mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
Driving Safely 101
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 138 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 117.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
"'Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
"'Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
¢ page 102.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
"'Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 112.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 66, Seats
and storage.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it deploys. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
•
•

112 Safet y belt s
movin g ju st before the crash, unti l something
stops them· here, the wall
r::!;> fig. 115.
The same pr inc iples apply to people sitting in
a veh icle that is involved in a fronta l co llision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs., or 1,000 kg) or
more. At higher speeds, these forces are even
greater .
Peop le who do not use safety be lts are a lso
not attached to their vehicle. In a fronta l colli ­
sion they will also keep mov ing forward at the
speed their vehicle was trave lling just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal coll is ions, they determ ine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col·
lisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes, unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 11 6 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is violently
t h rown forward
Unbe lted occupants are not able to res ist the
tremendous fo rces of impact by holding tight
or brac ing themselves. Without the benef it of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc·
cupant w ill slam vio lent ly into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­ eve r else is in the way¢
fig. 116. This impac t
with the veh icle inter ior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotection.
E ven when they deploy, airbags provide only
addit ional p rotec tion. A irbags are no t sup- posed to deploy in all k
inds of accidents . Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, includ ing the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to dep loy or
when they have already dep loyed. Unbelted
occupants can a lso be th rown out of the veh i­
cl e where even more severe or fatal injuries
ca n occ ur.
How are safety belts
worn correctly?
Fastening safety belts
Seat first · everybody buckle up!
Fig . 11 7 Head restraint adjustment and belt position
Fig. 11 8 Belt buck le an d tongue on the dri ver's seat
To p rov ide max imum protect ion, safety belts
must a lways be posi tioned co rrec tly on the
wea rer's body.
.. Adjust the front seat and head rest raint
p rope rly
r::!;> page 66, Seats and storage.

Airbag system Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways wear their safety belts properly and be
in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
"" Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 100,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢ page 101,
""Wear safety be lts properly r::::> page 110,
""Always use the proper child restraint to pro-
tect children properly¢
page 138.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . T herefore in order to help the
airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steer ing whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
r::::> page 100,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or detai ls
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
trols
r::::> page 67.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained
r::::> page 138.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
ge rs can and must do to help the individua l
safety features installed in your Aud i work to­
gether as a system.
P roper seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide ca n do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con-
A irbag system 117
dition that prevents yo u from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reach ing the peda ls, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or
operation of the airbag system, please con­
tact your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop , or call Audi Customer CARE at
1-800-822-2834 for possible modification to
you r vehicle.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener ­
ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steer ing
whee l and the dr ive r and between the instru­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The a ir­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
through the windshield again without inter­ ruption .
A ll of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a great dea l of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc ­
cupant's fo rward movement . T ogethe r they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting pa rts of the inside of the
vehicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant during the crash . In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front airbags wi ll not inf late in all fronta l
collisions . The t riggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
electronic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con ­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the co llision . Ve hicl e damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is not necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inf late or not . .,. •
•