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Adaptive Air Suspension
Adaptive Air Suspension and
Damping
Ap plies to veh icles: w ith Ad aptive Ai r Suspens ion
Description
Adaptive Air Suspension and damping can be regula ted
and they adapt automatically to a request from the
driver and the driving situation at the time .
Adaptive Air Suspension is an e lectron ically controlled springing and
damping system . This chass is system makes it eas ie r on the driver by
adapting to the particular situation th rough impe rceptible contro l
processes .
The
Adaptive Air Suspension component regu lates ground clearance
depending on ve hicl e speed, load cond ition and driver input.
W hen the system is in a utomatic mode, accelerat ing to a speed above
a predete rm ined limit will make the vehicle lower itsel f. On t he othe r
hand, driv ing more slowly res ults in the vehicle ra is ing again at
specific speeds.
Th e
damping component provides individua l control of the damping
forces. For example, with damp ing characterist ics set to provide
greater com fort, damp ing is se t somewhat harder for a br ief period
only as required, for example, whe n going around a curve or over
rough road sur faces as we ll as when braking .
Settings
Adaptive Air Suspension prov ides the drive r wi th t he opportu nity to
set the chass is characterist ics also to their individual preference.
W ith the driving modes
Comfort, Automatic an d Dynamic the dr ive r
has three chassis sett ings available, ranging from comfort to sporty.
In addit ion,
Lift p rovides a fourth mode which can be selecting fo r
dr iving over poor stretches of road =>
page 169, "Chass is controls" . The modes are set
in MM I =>
page 169.
& WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can change due to temperature
fluctuation s or changes in load .
0 Note
• Whenever you park yo ur vehicle, always make sure there is
adeq uate clearance above and below the ve hicle . T he heig ht of the
parked vehicle can change as the res ult of temperature fluctuations,
chang es in load condition and changes in the dr iv ing mode (ground
clearance).
• If the veh icle is be ing transported (e .g. by tow truck, train, ship,
etc.) , mount the tie-down cha ins/cables over the r unning s urface
(c ircumfere nce) of the tir es. Never sec ure the ve hicle by the ax le, the
suspension struts or the front or rea r tow line eye. For technical
reaso ns, the p ressure in t he suspension st ru ts m ay change dur ing the
transport, w hic h could result in the vehicle no longer being secured
pro perly.
• To prevent damage to the vehicle underbody, remember that your
veh icle is no t an off-roa d veh icle, even in the "lift" mo de. Th e ground
clearance is insufficient for this type of operation.
• If you are go ing to tow a trai ler, you mus t activate the trai ler ope r
ation mode =>
page 170.
[ i ] Tips
Before you raising your vehicle us ing the veh icle jack (for example,
w hen c hanging a flat tire) you must acti va te the j ack ing mode
::::>page170 .•
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mode at speeds above SO mph (80 km/h). This mode is then shown
greyed out in the MMI display .
For additional information on the driving modes=>
page 169,
"Chassis controls". •
Appli es to ve hicles: w it h Adap tive Air S uspensi on
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
This mode must be activated in the MMI before raising
the vehicle with a jack or on a vehicle lift.
-Select: Function button [CAR)> function button [SETUP]
> Jacking mode.
The vehicle jack mode must be activated before changing a wheel so
that the au toma tic control processes for the air suspension do not
make lifting with the vehicle jack more difficult.
[ i ] Tips
The vehicle jack mode is switched off automatica lly at speeds above 9
mph (15 km/h) .•
Ap plies to veh icle s: with Ad ap tive Ai r Suspe nsion
Towing a trailer
Automatic lowering is not desirable when towing a
trailer .
-Select: Function button [CAR)> function button [SETUP]
> Towing mode .
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
• Before hitching up the trailer and before adjust ing the tongue
we ight at the trailer, the automatic or comfort mode
must be selected, so that the vehicle is at normal
level=>
page 169, "Setting
the driving modes".
• If driving in dynamic mode is desired, this mode
must be selected
before hitch ing up the trailer and before adjusting the tongue
weight . However, note that your vehicle is lowered and ground clear
ance is reduced .
• If you have to drive under difficu lt road conditions, you can select
lift mode after hitching up the trailer or after adjusting the tongue
weight.
Restrictions when operating with a trailer
When operating with a trailer, the lift mode can only be selected up
to about 25 mph (40 km/h). The system automatically goes out of lift
mode when speed exceeds about 31 mph (SO km/h).
If the vehicle is in automatic, comfort or lift mode before the trailer
towing mode is act ivated, the dynam ic mode cannot be activated .
I f the vehicle is in dynamic mode before towing operation is acti
vated, it can be driven in this mode .
If the suspens ion is switched
from this mode to automatic mode, dynamic mode cannot be re
selected.
[ i ] Tips
If the trailer towing mode has been act ivated, the vehicle will not sink
to the dynamic level if selected .•
____ A_ ir_b_ a_ g=- s-= y~ s_ t_ e_ m ____________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Always make sure that the side a irbag can inflate without
interference :
- Never in stall seat covers or replacement uphol stery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use addit ional se at cushions that cover the areas
where the side ai rbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an author ized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only on ce. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the techni cal information, t raining
and special equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy stem can be deploy ed only once. After an airbag
has been dep loyed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved e specially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or a irbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops onl y.
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• For s afety reason s in s evere accidents, the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is sc rapped , all appli
cable safety precautions must be followed.
W For the sake of the environment
Un deployed ai rbag modu les and p retensione rs might be class ified as
Perch lorate Mate rial -special handling may apply, see
www.dts c.ca.gov/ha za rdouswas te/pe rchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing airbag modules and saf ety
be lts wi th p retens ioners are sc rappe d, all applicable laws an d regu la
tions must be observed. Yo ur authorized Aud i dealer is familiar w ith
t hese requi reme nts and we recommend tha t yo u have yo ur dealer
perform th is service for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that
t h e Advan ced Airbag System pe rforms in a cr ash . For e xamp le, usi ng
tire-rim combinations not app roved by Audi, lowering the vehicle,
c hang ing the stiffness o f th e suspension, incl uding the sp rings,
suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the forces that
are meas ured by the a irbag sensors and sent to the ele ct ronic contro l
unit . Some suspension changes can, fo r exam ple, increase the force
levels measured by the senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which i t would not deploy if the changes had no t been
ma de . Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels meas ured
by the sensors and p revent the airbag from dep loying when it should.
T he sensors in the safety belt b uckle for the drive r and front
p as senge r se at tell the e lectroni c cont rol mo dule if the sa fe ty belt is
latched or not . If the safety belt is being used, t he front a irbag w ill
dep loy a t a s lightly h igher r ate o f vehicle decele ration t han if t he
safety belt is not be ing used . Therefo re, in a par ticular collis io n, it is
possible that an a irba g w ill not dep loy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but w ill inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not be ing use d. It is im portant that nothing interfere
w it h t he safety belt bu ckles so that t he sensors can se nd the co rrect
info rmation about safety be lt use to the electronic contro l unit.
~
Operating instructions
Max imum tr aile r weight
A trai ler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trail er lo ad di stribut ion
Be sure the load in the t ra iler is held secu rely in place to prevent it
from shift ing forward, backward or sideways.
N ev er a llow a pa ssenge r to ride in a traile r=>
& in "Driving instr uc
tions".
Eng ine c ooling s ystem
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder. It is important that
the cooling system 's performance is up to the addi tional load. Make
sure that the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pre ssur e
When towing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your veh icle to the co ld tire
pressu re listed under "Full load" on the label located on the d river's
side 8 -pillar (visible when the door is open) . Inflate traile r tires to
t rai ler and tire manufacture rs' specificat io n s.
Light s
The headl ight sett ings shou ld be checked with the tr ailer attached
before driving off. Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chain s
Be sure traile r safety cha ins are p roperly connected from the trai ler
to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to perm it
tu rning corners. When you install sa fe ty cha ins, make s ure they will
not drag on the road when you are driving.
T he chains should cross under the trai ler tongue to prevent it from
dropping in case of separation from the h itch .
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
0 Note
If you are going to tow a t
railer, you must activate the tra iler opera
tion mode =>
page 170, "T owing a trai ler" .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires e xtra care and
consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehic le and trailer,
please note the following:
- Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself is not
loaded.
- Be especially careful when passing other veh icles .
- Observe speed limits .
- Do not dr ive at the maximum permissible speed.
- Always apply brakes early .
- Monitor the temperature gauge .
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded tra iler w ith an empty car results in a highly unstable
distribution of we ight . If this cannot be avoided, d rive at very low
speeds only to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" r ig is easier to operate and control. This means that the
t ow ve hicle sho uld be loaded to the exte nt poss ible and permissib le,
wh ile keeping the tra iler as light as poss ible under the circumstances.
Whenever poss ible, tra nsfer some cargo to the l uggage compart
ment of the tow vehicle while observing tongue load requirements
and vehicle load ing considerations .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
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Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused
parts of a motor vehicle.
T ir es may be the least appreciated and most abused pa rts of a motor
vehicle . Tires are, however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle , pa rticul arly conside ring the comparat ive ly small patch of
rubber on eac h tire that assures that all-important contact between
you, your veh icle and the road.
Maintai ning t he cor rect tire pressu re, mak ing su re that your veh icle
and i ts tires do not have to carry more weight t han they can safely
hand le, avoid ing damage from road ha za rds and regularly inspecting
tires for damage includ ing cuts, s lashes irregular wea r and ove rall
condi tion a re the mos t important th ings that you can do to help avoid
sudden t ire failure including tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage
If you have to d rive ove r a cur b or sim ilar obstacle, d rive very slowly
and as close as possible at a rig ht angle to the curb .
Always keep chemicals incl ud ing grease, oil, gaso line and brake f luid
o ff t he t ires .
Ins pect the ti res regularly for damage (cu ts, cracks o r blisters, e tc.) .
Remove any foreign bodies embe dded in the treads.
Storing tires
M ark tires w hen yo u remove t hem to indica te t he d ire ct io n of rota
tion . This ensures you to be ab le to mount them correctly when you
re insta ll them.
Whe n removed, t he wheels or tires should be sto red in a cool, dry and
preferably da rk p lace.
Safety first
Store tires in a v ertica l pos it io n if they a re not mount ed on rims, in a
hor izonta l posit ion if they are mounted on r ims.
New tires
N ew tires have to be broken in~ & .
Th e tre ad d epth of new ti res may v ary, accor ding t o th e type an d
make of t ire and the tread pattern .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often not readi ly visible. If yo u notice
unu sual vib ra ti on o r the ve hicle pulls to one side, t his may in dica te
that one of the t ires has been damaged. The tires must be checked
im media tely by an auth oriz ed A ud i d eale r or qual ifie d wor ks hop.
Unidirectional tires
A un id irectional tire can be identified by arrows o n th e sidewall , th at
point in the direct ion the t ire is designed to rotate. You must fo llow
t he s peci fied dire ction o f ro tat io n . This is neces sary so t hat t hese
tires can deve lop their optimum cha racte ristics regard ing g rip, road
noise, we ar an d hy dropl aning res ist an ce. F o r more informat ion
~page 325 .
& WARNING
New tires or tires that are old , worn or damaged cannot provide
maximum control and braking ability.
• New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. To reduce
the risk of losing control, a collision and serious personal injuries, dri ve with special care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
• Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of control,
sudden tire failure , including a blowout and sudden deflation ,
crashes and serious personal injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately. _..
Vehicle care Technical data
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& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Tire s age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly ,
especially at high speeds . Tires that are more than 6 year s old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at low
s peed .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined we ight (in excess of those sta nda rd items which
may be rep lace d) of automatic transmission, power steering, power
bra kes, powe r w indows , power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent
that these items are avai lab le as factory- installed equipment
(w het he r i nsta lled or no t).
Aspect ratio
me ans the ratio of t he he ight to t he w id th of the tir e in percent .
Numbe rs of 55 o r lower indicate a low sidewa ll for improved steer ing
respo nse an d be tter overa ll handling on dry p avemen t.
Bead
means the part o f the tire that is made of stee l w ires , wrap ped o r
re in forced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a brea kdown of the bon d between components in the bead .
Cord
means the st rands forming the plies in the tire.
& W ARNING (continued )
• Never mount used tire s on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous hi story ." Old used tires may have been damaged
eventhoughthedamagecannotbeseenthatcanleadtosudden
tire failure and lo ss of vehicle control.
• If you notice unu sual vibration or if the vehicle pull s to one side
when driving, alway s stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check
the wheels and tires for damage. •
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recommended by the vehicle ma nufa cturer
for a tire of a des ignated size t hat has not been driven for more than
a couple of m iles ( kilomete rs) a t low speeds in the t hree ho ur period
before the tire pressure is measured or ad justed.
Curb weight
mea ns the weig ht of a motor vehicle wit h standard equ ipment
including the max imum cap aci ty of f ue l, oil, and coo lan t, air condi
tioning and additiona l weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designe d to operate at higher loads and at higher infla
t ion p ressures than the co rrespo nd ing standard t ire. Ext ra load tires
my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
means the load -ca rry ing capacity of a s ingle ax le system, measured at
t he t ire-grou nd inte rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR")
means the max imum total loaded we ight of the vehicle .
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Groove
means the spa ce between two ad jacen t tread ribs .
Load rating (code)
mea ns the max imu m load th at a tir e is ra te d to c arry fo r a give n infla
tion pressure. You may not find this information on all t ires beca use
i t is no t required by law .
Maximum load rat ing
me ans the load r ati ng for a t ire at th e maxi mum p ermis sib le in flation
pressure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
means the sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weig ht
(c) Vehicle ca pacity we ight, and
(d) Pro duct ion op tions weigh t
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
means the m aximu m cold infla tio n pr essur e to whi ch a t ire may be
inflated . Also called "maximum inflat ion press ure."
Normal occupant weight
means 150 lbs. (68 k ilog rams) times t he num ber of occupants seate d
in t he vehi cle up to the total sea ting cap aci ty of yo ur vehicl e.
Occupant distribution
means d is tribut ion of occ upan ts i n a vehicle.
Outer diameter
means the ove rall d iameter of an inflated new tire.
Overall width
means the linear distance betwee n the exter iors of the s idewalls of
a n in flated tire, in cludi ng eleva tions due to la beling, dec ora tions, o r
protective bands or ribs.
Safety first
Ply
means a layer o f rubbe r-coate d para llel co rds.
Production options we ight
me ans the co m bine d we ight of tho se in stalled regu lar pr oduction
options weighi ng over 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) in excess of t hose standard
i t ems w hic h they replace, not previously considere d in c urb we igh t o r
accessory weight, includ ing heavy duty brakes , ride levelers, roof
rack, heavy duty battery, and s pecial tr im.
Radial ply tire
me ans a pneuma tic tir e in wh ich the pl y cords that extend to t he
beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the
t rea d.
Recommended inflation pressure
see => page 296, "C old tire in fla tion pr essu re".
Reinforced tire
mea ns a t ire designe d to ope rate at hig her loads an d at higher infla
tion pressures than the co rresponding standard ti re. Reinforced t ires
my be i de ntified as "X L" , "xi", "EX TRA LOA D", o r "RF " on the sidewall.
Rim
mea ns a metal suppo rt fo r a tire or a tire and tube assemb ly up on
wh ic h the t ire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
means nom inal d iameter of the bead seat . If you change yo ur whee l
si ze, yo u w ill have to purchase new tires to ma tc h the new r im diam
eter .
Rim size designation
means r im diamete r and width.
Rim width
mea ns nom inal dis tance be twee n rim flanges.
Vehicle care Technical data
-~_T_ ir_e_ s_ a_ n_ d_ w_ h_e_ e_ ls _______________________________________________ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h) =>
page 309. You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is mo lded on the tire
sidewall and indicates the maximum permissible road speeds=>
& in
"Winter tires" on
page 311.
Tire pressure monitoring system*
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
unde rinflated and illuminates a low tire pressure warning te lltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the princ ipal grooves designed to give a
visual ind ication of the degrees of wear of the tread. See=>
page 306,
"Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire informat ion system developed by the United States National
H ighway Traff ic Safety Adm inistration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buye rs make relative comparisons among tires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles or perform in a certain way. It simply gives tire
buyers additional information to comb ine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. Under
UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three areas: treadwear
, traction and temperature resistance. The UTQG informa
tion on the tires, molded into the sidewa lls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire's "ser ial number" It begins with the letters "DOT" and
indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters ind icate the plant where it was manufactu red, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For examp le,
DOT ... 2210 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2010. The
o ther numbers are marketing codes that may or may not be used by
the t ire manufacturer. Th is informat ion is used to contact consumers
if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and l uggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle 's total seating capacity as listed on the label located
on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individual tire that is determined by dist rib
uting to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with table below
=>
page 299) and dividing by two. .,_