2011 AUDI S8 sport mode

202 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, please remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
i::> page 202, Operating instructions .
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system. No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems. From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind~ &.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
direc tly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra iler.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your Audi dealer for correct
wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors. It is important
that you
always have clear v is io n to the rear .
A WARNING ,~ -
After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Fig. 171 MMI display : tow ing mode on
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer. .,.

@ Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook-up
is secure be fore moving the ca r up the flat­
bed tr uck ramp .
Vehicle transport
Whenever you hove your vehicle transported,
be sure to note the following:
(D Note
Mount the tie-down chains/cab les over the
r u nning surface (ci rcumference) o f the
tires. Never secure the vehicle by the axle,
the suspensi on struts or the front or rear
towline eye . For tec hnical reaso ns, the
pressure i n the s uspension struts may
change du ring th e transport and this will
adve rsely affect vehicle handling.
Lifting vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with
floor jack
The vehicle may only be li~ed at the lif ting
points illu stra ted.
Fi g. 2 16 Front l ift in g po int
Fi g. 217 Rea r lifti ng point
.. Read and heed WARNING r:::;, ,&. .
Emergency s itu ations 2 7 7
.. Ac tivate the vehicle jack mode in the M MI:
!CAR I fu nction button > Car systems contro l
button>
Servicing & checks > Air susp.:
jack mode > On .
.. Locate lifting points r:::;, fig . 216 r:::;, fig. 217 .
.. Adjust lifting arms of workshop ho ist o r
floor jack to matc h ve hicle lift ing po ints .
.. Insert a rubbe r pad b etween the floo r jac k/
works hop hoist and the li fting po in ts .
The vehicle jack mode must be activated so
that the a utomat ic adjustment of the Adap­
tive Ai r Suspe nsio n does not make it mo re dif­
fi cu lt to raise the vehicle wit h the floor j ack.
If you must l ift your vehicle with a floor jack
to work und erneath, be sure the vehicle is
safely supported on stand s intended for this
purpo se.
Front lifting point
The lifti ng point is located o n the floor pan re­
inforcement a bout at the same level as the
jack mount ing point
r:::;, fig . 216. Do not lift
the vehicle at th e verti cal sill reinforcem ent .
Rear lifting point
The lifti ng point is located o n the vert ica l rein­
forcement of the lower sill for the on -board
jack
r:::;, fig . 217 .
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer tor:::;, page 265 .
A WARNING ~
-To reduce the risk of ser ious injury and
ve hicle damage.
- Alway s lift the vehicle only at th e spe­
cial worksho p hois t and floor jack lift
po ints illust rate d
r:::;, fig. 216 and
¢ fig. 217 .
- Fail u re t o lift the ve hicle at these
po ints co uld cause t he vehicle to til t or
fall from a lift if there is a change in ve­
hicle weight distribution and balance.
This mig ht happen, fo r example, when
heavy components such as the eng ine
block o r transmissi on are removed .
-

28 0 Genera l inform ation
designated seating position) and luggage
w eight ¢.&, .
Gross Axle W eight Rating
The Gross Axle Weight Rating is the maximum
l oad that can be applied at each axle of the
vehicle ¢Lr!, .
Vehicle cap acit y weight
The vehicle capac ity we ight (max . load) is list­
ed e ither on the dr iver's side B-pilla r or inside
the fuel filler flap.
Roof weight
T he m aximum perm iss ible roo f weigh t is 220
lb (100 kg ).
The roof weight is made up of
the we ight of the roof rack system and the
weight of the object be ing transported
¢ page 68, Loading the roof rack.
A WARNING
- T he ac tual Gross Axle Weight Rat ing at
the front and rear axles shou ld not ex­
ceed the permissible weights, and their
combination must not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rat ing .
- Exceeding permissib le weight ratings can
result in vehicle damage, accidents and
personal injury.
{[) Note
- The vehicle capacity weight figures apply
when the load is distributed evenly in the
vehicle (passengers and luggage) . When
transporting a heavy load in the luggage
compartment, carry the load as near to
the rear axle as possib le so that the vehi ­
cle 's ha ndling is not impa ired.
- Do not exceed the maximum permissible
axle loads or the maximum gross vehicle
weight . Always remember that the vehi­
cle's handling will be affected by the ex­
tra load . Therefore, adjust your speed ac­
cord ingly.
- Always obse rve lo ca l regu lations.
-
Dimensions
The specifications refer to the basic model.
Diff erences may occur dep ending on th e mod­
el type and options o rdered, for example, ti re
si zes.
~ Note
When driving up steep ramps, on rough
roads, over curbs, etc . it is important to re­
member that some parts of your vehicle,
such as spo ilers or exhaus t system compo­
nents, may be close to the ground . Be
careful not to damage them .

A
A/C (automatic climate control) .... .. .. 75
Accessories .. ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. . 285
Adaptive a ir suspension/sport .. .. .. .. . 106
adaptive cruise control Stop-and-go traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Adapt ive cruise control ................ 86
C lean ing sensors/cameras ........... 208
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Request for drive r in tervention .. .. .. .. 90
Adapt ive Light (defective) ... .. .. .. ... . 21
Adding Engine coolant ........ ... ... ... ... 230
Eng ine oi l .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 227
W indshield washer fluid ... .. .. .. .. . 236
Addit ives
Engine oi l .. .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 227
Adjustab le steer ing colum n ............ 78
Ad justing
A ir distribution (automatic climate con-
trol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
I nstrument illum inat ion . ..... .... ... 47
S teer ing colum n .......... .. .. .. .. .. 78
Temperatu re (automat ic climate co ntrol) 76
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145, 164
Advanced A irbag System ............ 149
Advanced Airbag System components . 152
Ca re . .... .. ................. .. ... 158
C hi ldren . .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 170
Ch ild restra ints .................... 171
Components (front airbags) . ... .. .. . 152
Danger of fitting a child seat on the front
passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149, 150
H ow do the front airbags work? ... .. . 154
H ow many airbags does my vehicle
have? ... ..... ........... ...... .. 152
H ow the Advanced Airbag System com -
po nents work together ............. 153
I mportan t safety instructions on the
knee airbag system .... ... .. .. .. .. . 162
Important things to know .... .. .. .. . 145
Knee airbags ............. .... .. ... 161
Mon itoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .. .. .. . 156
Inde x 287
Repairs ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. 158
Safety instructions . .. ... .... ... .. .. 158
S ide a irbags ... .. .. . .. ... .... ... .. 163
S ide curtain airbags ................ 166
Warning/ind icator lights ............ . 18
Warning/Indicator lights ........... 156
We ight-sensing mat ... .. ..... ... .. 170
When must the system be inspected? 156
Aircraft Transporting your vehicle ........... 277
A lloy wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
All Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Winter tires . .. .. .... ........... .. 253
Ambience lighting ..... ............. . 46
Anti-freeze
refer to Engine coolan t ...... ... .. .. 229
Anti- lock b raking system ............ . 190
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 19
Anti-slip regulation ............. .... 190
Anti -theft systems
E lectronic immob ilizer .. .. ..... ... .. . 30
Audi braking guard
refer to b ra ki ng g uard .............. . 86
Audi drive select
refer to drive select 106
Audi Service Repair Manuals and Litera-
ture .............................. 283
A UTO
A utomat ic climate control ............ 75
A utomatic head lights .. .. ..... ... .. . 43
Auto Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Automat ic belt retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
A utomat ic car wash .... ........... .. 207
Automat ic climate control
Air vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Automat ic recircu lation .............. 77
Operation . .. .. .. .... ............. . 75
Setup ............................ 77
synchronizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Automat ic transm iss ion (t iptro nic) . .... 112
Emergency mode . .. ............... 115
K ick-down . .. .. .. ... ............ .. 115
Manua l shift ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Parking lock eme rgency release .. .. .. 116
Se lector lever positions . .. ..... ... .. 112
Automat ic w ipers ......... ........... 48
Auto Safety Hotline ................. 135
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