2011 AUDI S8 Owners Manual

MMI settings
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
The basic brightness setting of the signal on
the outside mirror can be adjusted via the
MMI.
~ Select: ICARI function button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Audi side
assist.
The brightness of the signal light for both the informational and alert stages is automatical­
ly adjusted to ambient light conditions. In ad­
dition, you can adjust the
basic brightness
separately, via the brightness function .
While making the adjustment, the new brightness setting is displayed briefly . The
brightness displayed is that of the informa­
tional stage signal. The alert stage signal
brightness is linked to the informational stage
signal brightness.
The informational stage signal brightness
should be adjusted so that you notice the sig­
nal illumination when you look in the outside
mirror, but not when you look forward
through the windshield .
In very dark or light surroundings, the auto­
matic brightness setting adjusts signal light
brightness to maximum or minimum intensi­
ty, as needed. In circumstances such as these,
you may not notice any change in the bright­
ness on the outside mirror when adjusting the
basic brightness. You may not notice the
change until lighting conditions are normal
again.
(D Tips
- Side assist is not active when the basic
brightness is adjusted. The signal light
comes on briefly to help you make the
adjustment .
- Your settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote control key
being used.
Audi side assist 103
General information
Applies to vehicles: wit h side assist
Side assist has limits and cannot detect vehi­
cles under all road and weather conditions.
Please remember system limitations and nev­
er rely on the system, especially when :
- driving through curves
~page 103,
-lanes are of different widths ¢ page 103.
When driving through curves
Applies to vehicles: wit h side assist
Side assist cannot detect vehicles in curves
with a turning radius of less than 328 feet
(100 m).
When driving through a curve, it is possible
that side assist may register a vehicle two
lanes over, and the signal on the outside mir­
ror will light up.
Lane width
Applies to vehicles: wit h side assist
Fig. 107 Lanes of a normal width are in detectio n area
Fig. 108 Narrow lanes: Sid e assist may detect vehicles
two lanes away
Side assist's detection area is designed to cov-
er lanes of standard width to the left and ..,.

104 Audi side assist
right of your travel lane, depending on wheth­
er you drive in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge.
If you drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de­
tection a rea may a lso include other lanes -es­
pecia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane¢
fig. 108. Under these cond it ions ,
vehicles can also be detected that are two lanes away, and side assist then could switch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
signals .
When driving in very w ide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be­
cause they are not inside the detection area.
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assis t
If side assist turns off automatically, the indi­
cator light on the button wi ll go out and you
will see a message in the instrument cluster
d isplay:
Audi side assist: not available. sensors
blocked
The side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and right (not visible on
the outside)
¢ page 98, fig. 99 . To ensure that
you do not adversely affect the way side assist
functions, foreign objects (such as stickers or
b icycle racks) should not be attached to the
a rea on the rear bumper where the sensors
are located. If side assist functions are ad­
ve rsely affected, you will see this message in
the instrument cluster display. Remove any ­
thing that may be blocking the sensors .
If no vehicl e is detected for a longer period of
time while driving, side assist will also switc h
off a utomatica lly.
Audi side assist currently not available
If there is a temporary problem (such as the
ve hicl e's battery charge being low), s ide ass ist
cannot be activated tempo rari ly.
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the system checked by an authorized Au­
di dealer or qualified workshop.
Audi side assist: not available when
towing
The radar senso r's view is limited when tow ­
ing a trai le r. F or vehicles with a factory instal­
l ed towing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
sta lled later according to factory specifica­
tions, side assist is automatically deactivated as soon as the electrical connection to the
trailer's electrical socket is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus ­
ter display . Deactivation cannot be guaran­
teed when using a retrofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed acco rding to facto ry
specifications.
Safety tips
Appl ies to vehicles : wi th side assist
The side assist detection may be limited when
driv ing aro und narrow street corners, on hilly
streets, and under poor weather cond itions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may also
detect other objects, such as high or stag­
gered guardrails .
Side assist does not measure actual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane width.
Detection in the left and right lanes is based
o n this ass umed lane width . When driving on
narrow roads or when driv ing to the left or
right of the center of a trave l lane, it is poss i­
ble that vehicles will be detected that are
not
in the lane next to the lane you are using.
A WARNING
- Improper reliance on the side assist sys­
tem can cause collis ions and serious per­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on side assist when
changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is sa fe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un-
der all conditions- danger of accident! ..,.

-Side assist cannot detect vehicles in time
to alert you when they approach from
behind at very high speed, or fall drop
back very quickly .
- The radar sensor 's
vision can be reduced
or entirely blocked by rain, snow, and
heavy spray . This can result in side assist
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at all.
Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle.
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or vehi­
cles in your blind spot, only after your ve­
hicle has reached a driving speed of at
least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- Side assist signal does not work around
tight corners (turning radius less than
328 feet, or 100 m).
- Side assist is no replacement for the driv­
er's full attention. The driver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar driving maneuvers. Always keep an eye
on the direction you are traveling and the
relevant area around the vehicle.
(D Note
To ensure that side assist is not adversely
affected, you should not block the area on
the rear bumper where the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
with stickers or bicycle racks).
If the positions of the radar sensors have
been changed as a result of a rear end-col­
lision, for instance, have side assist
checked by an authorized Audi dealer for
safety reasons.
Audi side assist 105

106 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
e nce diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttings in o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
C o mfort ,
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the vehicle's features. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, steering and adapt ive a ir s uspension/
sport* are always involved. The dynamic steer­
ing*, sport differential* and cornering lig ht"
can also be ad justed . The revers ible safety
belt tensioners ¢ page
188 are adap ted to
the dynamic mode.
Depending on the mode, the
Engine /Trans ­
mission
respond more quickly or i n a more
balanced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts.
The power
Steer ing (servotronic) ¢ page 194
can also be adapted to driving situations .
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air sus ­
pension sport *
(Air suspension in the MMI) is
an electronically contro lled air suspension and
dampi ng system . They are adjusted depend ­
ing on the selected dr iving mode , the dr ive r's
ste ering, braking and acceleration input and
the r oad s urfa ce, ve hicle speed and load . A
spor ty se tti ng i s generally use d in vehicl es
with a dap tive air s usp ension spo rt *. T he vehi­
cle clea rance varies depending on the selected
mode and the speed .
Th e highway set ting is activ ated au to ma tically
when yo u drive above 75 mph (120 km/h) for
Systems Comfort
Engine /
bala nced
Transmission
Air suspension
comfortabl e
Steering comfortable
Auto and Dynamic modes in the MMI to
switch between a spo rty and a comfo rtable
driv ing mode.
You can also adjus t the se tt ing accord ing to
yo ur prefe rences in the
ind ividual mode. For
example , you can combine settings such as a
spo rty engine tuning w it h light stee ring .
more than 30 seconds in the
auto or dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below 44 mph
(70 km/h) f or more than 120 seco nds.
Dynamic steering* changes the stee ring ratio
as a function of the dr iving speed in o rder to
optimize the driver's req uired steering effort.
This sets the steering to be less sensit ive at
highe r speeds in order to provide improved ve­
hicle control. At reduced speeds, steer ing is
more direct in or der to keep the s teer ing ef­
fo rt as minima l as poss ible wh en th e drive r is
maneuveri ng the vehicle . At low and average
speeds, dynam ic stee rin g* addition ally pro­
vides more responsive steering performance .
T he driver can set the basic steering ratio
c h aracteristics i n the Audi dr ive se lect .
A s a c ompone nt o f the all whee l dr ive sys te m
(quat tro ®) ¢ page
19 4, th e Sport differen·
tial*
di stributes the driving powe r to t he rear
axle depending on the situation . The distri bu­
tion o f power varies depending on the mode
selected. The goal is a high level of agi lity and
ability t o accelerate on curves . The ve hicle is
very respons ive to steering .
The following table provides an ove rv iew of
the characterist ics of each d riving mode.
Auto Dynamic
balance d sp orty
bala nced sporty
ba lanced sp orty
Dynamic steering* comfor table/indirec t balanced/direc t sporty/direct

Systems Comfort
Spo rt different ial*
balanced
Belt tensioner Standard
If your vehicle is equipped with Dynam ic
steer ing*, steering settings can also be ad ­
justed under the
Dynamic steering* menu
item.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the vehicle when park­
i ng. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load condi­
tions and changes to the driving modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When transporting the veh icle on a car
carr ier, train, ship or by other means, on­
ly tie the vehicle down at the running
surface of the tires, which is the outer
circumference . Secur ing the vehicle at
the axle components, suspension struts
or towing eyes is not permit ted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The vehicle
may not be secured sufficient ly if this
happens.
- If you a re going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
~ page 202.
@ Tips
-Se lecting the dynamic mode results in
sporty sh ifting character istics . The
S
gear position engages automatically .
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*, operating noise is heard when starting or
stopping the engine. This does not indi­
cate a problem.
- In vehicles with the sport d ifferential*,
the
dynamic mode is deactivated when
tow ing a trailer.
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
Audi drive select 107
Auto Dynamic
agile sporty
Standard Deployment time
adapted
Selecting the driving mode
You con choose between Comfort, Auto , Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fig. 109 MMI : Dr ive select
.,. To select the mode, select the following in
the MMI:
ICARI function button > Comfort,
Auto , Dynamic or Individual.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving. If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
Comfort
The Comfort mode prov ides a comfortable ve­
hicle setting . The engine, transmission* and
sport differential* respond in a balanced man­
ner when the accelerator pedal is pressed or
released. The steering moves easily and is less
direct* and the air suspension and cornering
light react comfortably. The setting is ideal
for driv ing on long stretches, such as on free­
ways .
Auto
Auto
provides a comfortable yet dynamic feel.
T he setting is perfect fo r daily use.
Dynamic
Dynamic
gives the vehicle a sporty feeling.
The engine responds quickly to accelerator

108 Audi drive select
pedal movements, and steering is sporty and
more direct*. The sport differentia l* provides
mo re agility, the air suspension is tighter and
the transm ission shifts at a higher RPM. The
cornering light also reac ts in a sporty way. The
setting is ideal for sporty driving.
Individual
You can adapt this mode to your personal
needs in the MMI
¢page 108.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traff ic when operating Au­
di dr ive se lect to prevent potent ial risk of
an accident .
Adjusting the Individual mode
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your
personal preference s.
.. Se lect : I CAR ! function button > Set individu-
al
control button.
The
individual driving mode will automatical­
l y be activated when yo u have finished config­
uring the settings.
The equipmen t in your veh icle w ill de termine
which settings you can adj ust.
(D Tips
Your individual mode settings are auto­
mat ica lly stored and assigned to the re­
mote control key being used.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Raising the vehicle
You can raise your ve hicle temporarily, for ex­
ample to drive over a tall curb .
.. Select the following in the MMI: ICAR!func­
t ion button >
Raise cont ro l button .
.. Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its final po­
s it ion.
Lowering the vehicle
.. To lower the vehicle, se lect the following in
the MMI : ICAR ! f u nct ion button>
Lower con ­
trol button.
.. Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the veh icle to lower comp lete­
ly .
Q) Note
- Remember that your vehicle is not suita­
ble for dr iv ing offroad even when it is
raised. There is not enough ground clear­
ance .
- If the vehicle is raised, it will lower auto­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/
h) or faster.
Driver messages
Air suspension : vehicle currently too low .
Level control running
Air suspension : vehicle currently too high.
Level control running
T he driver message switches off when the lev­
el control process is complete.

Night vision assistant
Description
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 110 Display: nightv ision assistant
"Night v ision assistant with pedestrian detec­
tion" uses an infrared camera to mon itor the
area in front of your vehicle at night . Within
the limits of the system, it can display objects
up to about 1000 feet (300 mete rs) away. The
heat image of a pedestrian detected by the
camera is shown in the instrument cluster dis­
p lay
¢ fig. 110. Warm areas appear lighter
and cold areas appear darker.
Pedestrian detection
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 111 Display: yellow pedestrian marking
Fig. 112 Display: symbol when infra red image is not
visib le
Night vision assistant 109
Night vision assistant can detect pedestrians
that are between about 50 and 300 feet (15
and 90 meters) in front of the vehicle, under ideal conditions . If a pedestrian is detected
when it is dark outside and the vehicle head­
lights are switched on, the pedestrian is high ­
lighted in yellow
~ fig. 111, ¢page 110,
General information .
If another display such
as navigat ion replaces the image from the
night vis ion assistant, the symbo l
~11 appears
in a tab
¢fig. 112.
(D Tips
-If the night vision assistant image does
not appear when the system is switched
on, you can access it with the buttons on
the multifunction steering whee l
~page 24.
Pedestrian warning
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig . 113 D isp lay: pedestr ian wa rning
Fig. 114 Disp lay: pedestrian wa rnin g with anot her dis ­
play
If a pedestrian is detected in an area in front
of the vehicle that the system considers criti­
cal, the pedestrian is highlighted in red
¢fig . 113 and a warning tone sounds. This
area is based on the vehicle speed and

110 Night vis ion assis tant
steering angle. The pedestrian warning
prompts you to pay even closer attention to
the area in front of the vehicle and to watch
out for pedestrians.
I f another display such as the tr ip computer
replaces the image from the night vision as­
sistant, the indicator light turns red when
there is a pedestrian warning
I c:> fig. 114.
@ Tips
The pedestrian marking and warning tone
can be adjusted in the MMI
r::!)poge 111.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with night vision assistant
Fig. 115 Front of the vehi cle: night vision assistant
camera
The following s ituations may affect the func­
tion of the night vision assistant system:
- poor vis ibility such as snow, ra in , fog or
heavy road spray
- dirty lens on the night vision ass istant cam -
era
Make sure the night vis ion assistant camera
r::!) fig. 115 is not cove red by stickers, deposits
or any other obstruc tions because tha t can
p revent the camera from working p roperly.
F or information on cleaning the lens, refer to
r::!) page 208.
Pedestrian detect ion depends o n the differ­
ence in temperat ure between the person and
the background. Pedestrians may not be de­
tected if the temperature difference is too
small. The pedestrian highlighting feature is
deactivated at temperatures above 77 °F (25
0
() and when it is light outside.
A WARNING
--
Night vision assistant has limits and can­
not always detect pedestrians . Always pay
close attention to traffic and the area
around your vehicle even when night vision
assis tant is sw itched on.
- Night vision assistant can only warn
about people located within the visual
range of the infrared camera. The visual
ra nge corresponds to the image in the in­
strument cluster display .
- Night vision assistant may not detect
peop le and highlight them if
- they are not in an upright posit ion, for
example if they are sitting, crouching
o r lying down and/or
- if the outline in the disp lay is incom­
plete or interrupted, for example be­
cause the perso n is part ial ly hidden by
a parked vehicle.
@ Tips
- Pedestrian detection and the pedestrian
warm ing are limited to objects that are
detected as pedest rians . The system
does not detect an imals. Even though
the shape and warmth radiate d by each
objec t detected is eval uated, the system
does have limitat ions and it can g ive in­
correct warnings .
- For technical reasons, the image pauses
in split second intervals.
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles : with night vision assistant
Fig. 116 Area around the light switch: night vis ion as-
s istant button ..,_