2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER height

66 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection ¢
page 117.
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always heed the informa­
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
¢ page 138, Child Safety .
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen­
gers .
If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident.
If the
airbag infla tes and the seating position
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can­
not protect you properly . In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
must be adjusted to your body height so
that they can give you max imum protec­
tion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r fron t pa s­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus ­
ing sudden loss of vehicle contro l and
personal inj ury . If you ad just yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit io n.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust the seat in fo re and aft direction so
t ha t you can easily p ush the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knee slightly bent
i::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 66 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Posit io n the head restraint according to the
occupant 's height
<=:>page 68 . For maxi­
mum protection, t he top of the head re­
s t raint shou ld be a t least at eye level, pref ­
erab ly higher and idea lly level with the top
of the head
¢ page 102, fig. 107 .
A WARNING "--
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
wo uld not be able to brake or accelerate!

Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position .
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
p loying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the following manner:
.,. Move the front passenger seat into the rear ­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range
c:::> &. in Why is your seat adjustment
so important? on page
66.
.,. Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position.
Do not ride with the seat reclined .
.,. The idea l position for the head restraint is
with the upper edge of the restraint leve l
with the top of your head
c:::> page 68. You
shou ld
not lower the top of the restra int be­
low the level of your eyes .
.,. Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenge r's seat .
Power seats
Adjustment switches
The operating logic for the switches corre­
sponds to the construction and function of
the seat.
Fig . 76 Ad just men t sw itches: locations on driver sea t
The operating log ic for the switches corre­
sponds to the construction, the design and
the function of the seat . Push or pull e ithe r
sw itch in exactly the same direction you want
the corresponding part of the seat to move.
Seats and storage 67
Adjustment switches
CD Adjusting the lumbar support
@ Adjusting seat height and fore-and-aft po­
sit ion
@ Adjusting the angle of the seatback
Power seat adjustment
The switches can be moved in various direc­
tions to allow precise adjustment.
Read and heed all warnings before you adjust
your seat.
c:::> &. .
Adjusting the curvature of the lumbar
support
.,. Push the forward or rear depression on the
sw itch shell
CD c:::> page 67, fig. 76 to in­
crease or decrease the backrest curvature.
Adjusting the height of the lumbar
support
.,. Push the top o r bottom depress ion on the
sw itch shell
CD to raise or lower the support
i n the backrest.
Moving the front seats forward or
backward
.,. Press the switch @forward or backward
hor izont ally.
Adjusting the seat height
.,. Pull or pus h the switch @even ly at both
ends to ra ise or lower the seat .
Angling the seat cushion up and down
(front)
.,. Pull or push the switch @at the front only
to ra ise or lower the seat .
Angling the seat cushion up and down
(rear)
.,. Pull or pus h the switch @at the rear only to
raise or lower the seat.
Adjusting the seatback
... Push or pull the switch ® in the same direc-
tion you want the seatback to tilt . ..,.

68 Seats and st o ra ge
_&. WARNING
- Ne ver adj ust t he d river's or front passen ­
ger seat whi le the vehicle is mov ing . If
you do this while the vehicle is moving,
you will be out of posit ion. Always adjust
the driver's or front passenger seat when
the vehicle is not moving.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
height. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or serious injury could result!
- Because the seats can be electrically ad­
justed with the ignit ion key removed,
never leave children unattended in the
vehicle. Unsupervised use of the e lectr ic
sea t ad justments may cause serious in­
Jury.
- To reduce the r isk of injury in the case of
sudden bra king or accide nt, front pas­
senge rs must never ride in a moving
ve ­
hicle wi th the seatback recl ined. Safety
belts and the airbag system offer maxi­
mum p rotection on ly when the seatback
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
er ly posit ioned on the body . The more
the seatback is recli ned, the greater the
r isk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating pos it ion and improperly posi­
t ioned safety be lts!
- Always make su re the front seatbac ks are
in the up right posit ion when dr iv ing .
Head restraints
Adjusting head restraints
Fig . 77 Ad just ing head rest ra in ts
The head rest raints can be ad justed to p rovide
safe support to head und neck at t he opti­
m um heig ht. When optimally ad justed, the top o
f th e restraint should be leve l w ith the
top of the head. If that is not possible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it is as close
to this position as possible
c::> page 102.
.. Grasp the s ides of the head restraint wi th
both hands and slide it upward/downward
until you fee l it click into place ¢
fig. 77 .
A WARNING
--
-Driving without head restraints or with
head restra ints that a re not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
tal nec k inju ry dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNI NGS
¢page 102.
(D Tips
Correct ly adjusted head restraints and
safety be lts are an ext reme ly effect ive
combination of safety features.
Cup holder
F ig . 7 8 Cup ho lder
A WARNING
--
Spilled hot liqu id can cause an accident
and personal injury.
- Never carry any beverage conta iners with
hot liq uids, such as hot coffee o r hot tea,
i n the vehicle while it is moving. In case
of an acc ident, sudden braking or other
veh icle movement, hot liquid could spill,
causing scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid
can also cau se an a cciden t and personal
i njur y.

On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continu­
ously adjusted in height and distance.
Fig. 84 Lever under the stee ring column
• Push the lever ¢ fig. 84 down ¢ &.
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi­
tion.
• Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steer­
ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering wheel.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury .
- Adjust the steering whee l column only
when the veh icle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
-Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
¢ page 100, fig. 106. If
you cannot maintain this minimum dis ­
tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you properly.
- If physica l limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
On the road 77
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is available.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental driver's airbag cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the
steer ing wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steer ing wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of personal injury
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock and ignition switch
Ignition lock
The ignition key starts or stops the engine.
Fig. 85 Igniti on lock posit ions
Ignition off©
In position ¢ fig. 85@ both the ignition and
engine are
off, and the steering is locked .
To
lock the steering after you have removed
the ignition key, turn the steer ing wheel in ei­
ther direction until you hear it lock into place.
You should always lock the steering whenever
you leave your vehicle. This makes vehicle
theft even more difficult
c::> .&. .

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc­
tions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete owner's litera­
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations .
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
Driving Safely 99
accident. The following is a listing of just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- safety belt pretensioners ,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags,
- side airbags in the seats
- adjustable head restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always properly adjusted and
properly used!
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
~ Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
~ Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
~ Make sure that all windows are clean and af­
ford good visibility to the outside.
~ Secure all luggage and other items carefully
r=:> page 70.
~ Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
~ Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
~ Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height .
~ Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children¢
page 138,
Child Safety.
~ Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 66,
Seats and storage. .,..
•
•

.. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it even ­
l y across the chest and pelvis
c::> &_.
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c::>fig. 118.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
c u rely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retracto rs
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat­
ic belt retractor on the shoulder belt. This fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt let s you move
freely.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equ ipped w ith a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used w hen the safety belt is
used to atta ch a chi ld seat. Be sure to read the
i mportant information about this fea ture
c::> page 146.
A WARNING
Imprope rly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
c::> page 113, Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
-
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat. Attach ing the belt to
the wrong buckle w ill reduce safety belt
effect iveness and can cause serious per­
sonal inj ury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously in jured by the safety
belt itself whe n it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into c ritical a reas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convert ible lock ing re­
tra ctor when yo u are secur ing a chi ld
sea t in the vehicle
c::> page 148.
Safety belts 113
@ Tips
Depending on veh icle equipment, micro­
phones * are located on the safety be lt to
i mprove hands-free call quality. For addi­
tional information about safety belt m icro­
phones, refer to the infotainment system
owner's manual.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fi g. 119 Head restraint and safety belt position as
seen from the side
"' ra q
"' ., m
Use the height adjustment to change the posi­
tion of the shoulder straps of the front seat
safety belts.
A WARNING
Imp roperly posit ioned safety belts can
cause ser ious persona l inju ry in an acci-
dent.
- The s houlder belt portion of the safety
be lt must be positioned over the midd le
of the occupant's shoulder and never
across the neck o r throat.
- The safe ty be lt mus t lie flat and snug on
the occupant's upper body
c::>fig. 119.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
-
- The lap be lt po rtion of the safety belt
m ust be posit ioned as low as possib le
across pelvis and never over the abdo ­
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug
r:!) fig. 119. Pu ll on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
- A loose-f itting safety belt can ca use seri­
ous injuries by shifting its posit ion on
your body from the strong bones to more
~

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 . ..,_

A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you 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.
Tires and wheels 199
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 153 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal w idth of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Origina l tire
® Severe snow conditions
@ T ire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•