2011 AUDI S8 ESP

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, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. You r safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe t he information
a nd warn ings in th is sect ion - for yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction applies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures descr ibed in this sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask yo ur authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
st ruct ions and heed the WARNINGS i n
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
at ure in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's lit erature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tion s.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations .
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
t echnology have made a var iety of fea tures
avai lable to he lp red uce the risk of in jury in an
Dr iving Safel y 127
accident . The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in yo ur Audi :
- sophis ticated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting posit ions,
- s afety bel t prete nsio ners ,
- safety belt force lim ite rs fo r the front seats,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for
the front seats ,
- head restra ints
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for th e front seats
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats,
- side c urtain ai rbags,
- s pecia l LATCH an cho rages for child re-
s t raints,
- head restra ints for each sea ting pos it ion,
- adj ustab le steer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accide nts .
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor­
r e ct ly u sed .
Safety is everybody's r esponsibility!
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 driv ing always:
.,. Ma ke su re that all lig hts and signa ls a re op­
erating correctly .
.,. Make su re that the tire pressure is correct.
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and af­
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.,. Secur e all luggage and other items caref ully
~ page 65, ~ page 70 .
.,. Ma ke s ure that nothing can in te rfere wi th
t he ped als .
.,. Adj ust front seat, head res traint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.,. Inst ruct passengers to adjust the head re -
straints according to their height. ..,. •
•

128 Driving S afel y
• Make sure to use the right child rest raint
correct ly to protect children <=:>
page 169,
Child Safety.
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
r::::> page 54,
General recommendations.
• Fasten your safety belt a nd wear it properly .
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts proper ly
i;::;, page 13 7 .
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 road
without being distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
vehi cle and all of its occupants.
If you r ability
to drive is impa ired, safety r isks for everybody
i n the vehicle increase and yo u also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
i;::;, .&_ .
Therefore:
• Do no t let yourself be distracted by passe n­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by medications, 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 weather condit ions .
• Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
dr ive for more than two hours at a stretch.
• Do NO T drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed.
_8. 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. 1 36 Correct seat ing pos it 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
follow ing pos ition:
• 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
¢ A.
• Ad just the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adj ust the steering wheel so that there is a
d istance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone
i;::;, fig. 136. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive equipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head rest raint 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 possib le.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 140.

Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restrain ts are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
Fig. 137 Head rest raint: viewed from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
,.. For adjustable head restraints: 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 re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible.
Qfig. 137.
Adjusting head rest raints Q page 61.
Crash - active head restraints
In the event of a rear-end collision, it is possi­
ble that the crash-active head restraints on
the driver's seat and front passenger's seatU
are triggered. On head restraints that have been triggered, the padding protrudes for­
wards by several centimeters. Drive the vehi­
cle to your authorized Audi dealer without de­
lay and have the function of the active head
restraints restored .
A WARNING
-
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
l ) Ve hicl es w ith recl inin g rear seat: T his function is not
ava ilable for the front passe nger 's seat .
Driving Safely 131
-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts their head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their age and size
Q page 169.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in­
crease the r isk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to critica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
,.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
Q ,& . .,.
•
•

134 Driving Safely
-Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
r:::> page 12 7.
A WARNING
-
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open , observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­ pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can
Lead to serious personal injury .
-
-Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
Left side of the Luggage compartment.
Be sure to keep these slots free and
open .
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure Label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal Load conditions, please see chapter
r:> page 242.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartmen t is equipped wi th
four tie-downs to secure luggage and o ther
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo p rop­
erly
c> page 133, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death .
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents . For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
impaired persons must also use safety
belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are
more likely to be seriously injured if they
do not wear safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. In some
vehicles, there are four seat ing positions : two
in the front and two in the rear. Each seating
position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death .
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small chi ldren, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child sitting on your lap.
Safety belts 13 7
-Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~-Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling-up.
Fig. 138 Safety bel t warning light in the instrument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age.
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is on as a reminder
to fasten the safety belts. In addition, you will
hear a warning tone for a certain period of
time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving. •
•

shoulder portion of the safety belt so that it is
positioned correctly .
Power safety belt h eight adju stment*
You ca n adjust the height of the safety belts
usi ng the multifunc tion b utton on the dr iver
or front passenger seat
c> page 56. The
shoulder portion of the sa fety belt sho uld r un
approximately across the midd le of the
shoulder -
never o ver the nec k c> A in Safety
bel t posi tion on page 141.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other impo rtant informat io n
c> page 140 .
(D Tips
You can also ad just the height of the front
seats to c hange the position of the safety
be lts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly posi tioned safety belts con cause
severe injuries.
Wearing safety be lts imprope rly can cause se­
rio us injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correct ly positioned on
the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effect iveness of safety belts and w ill eve n
in crease the r isk of injury and death by mov­
in g the safety belt to cr itical a reas of the
body. Imp roper seat ing pos it ions also in ­
crease the risk of serio us inj ury and de ath
when an airbag deploys a nd strikes an occu ­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion . A driver is responsib le for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chi l­
dren. Therefore :
~ Never permit anyone to ass ume an inco rrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
c> .,&. .
Sa fety belts 143
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants are correc tly restrained and stay in
a co rrect seating position whenever the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read a nd heed all WAR NINGS a nd
other important information
c> poge 140.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severi ty and in a rollover, safe ty
belts ore tensioned automatically .
Reve rsible safety belt ten sione rs
The safety belts on the front seats are equip­
ped with power reversib le tensioners . The fo l­
lowing functions are ava ilab le when the driv­
er 's/fro nt passenge r's safety belts are fas­
tened :
- Automatic tens ioners: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automat ica lly adjus t to the
passenger after a certain time period or ve­
hicle speed . To switch the automatic ten ­
sioners off, select the following in the
MMI :
!CARI function button > Car sy ste m s> Vehi­
cle settings > Seat s> Driv er's seat or P as­
s eng er' s s eat
> Automati c belt ten sioner >
Off.
- I n cer tain dr iv ing s itu ations , the safety belts
may tighten w ith a revers ible tens ion ing
function
c> poge 188.
-The safety be lts may also t ighten wi th th is
reve rsible tensioning function in minor co lli ­
sions .
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
p re tensioners. The system is ac tiva ted by sen­
sors in fro nt, side and rear -end co llisions of
great severity and in a rollover. This tig htens
1J1>
•
•

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 properly wear their safety belts 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 128,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 55,
""Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 140,
""Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect chi ldren
r::::> page 169.
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 . Therefore in order to help the
a ir bag to do its job, it is important, both as a
driver and as a passenge r to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steer ing wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
r::::> page 128,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or details
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 55.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained
r::::> page 169.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Aud i work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If you have a physical impairment or con-
Airbag system 145
dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or
operation of the Advanced Airbag System,
please contact your author ized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer
CARE at 1-800-822-2834 for possible modifi­
cations to your 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 driver and between the instru­
ment panel and the front passenger. The air­
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
shou ld 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 forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts 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 will not inf late in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
electron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con ­
trol unit, the airbags will not be trigge red,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a result of the collision . Vehicle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of ve hicle damage
is not necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inf late or not . •
•

Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.. Be sure to read the important informat ion
and heed the WARNINGS for important de­
tai ls about chi ldren and Advanced Airbags
~ page 169.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
a ll chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, always ride in the back seat properly restra ined for their age and si ze. The airbag
on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to r ide .
The front seat is not the safest place fo r a
chi ld in a fo rward-facing chi ld seat. It can be a
very dange ro us p lace for an infant or a ch ild in
a rearward -facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
h as been cert ified to comp ly with the require­
men ts of Uni ted States Federa l Mo to r Veh icle
Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turne d off ("sup­
p ressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear -facing or for­
ward -facing infant restraints listed i n Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed o n the front
passenger seat . For a listing of the child re­
straints that we re used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Standard ~
page 171.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control u nit.
Each t ime you sw itch on the ignit ion, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight w ill come on for a
few seconds a nd:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied ,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
A irbag sys tem 147
- will go off if the front passenger seat is oc ­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat ¢
page 156, Monitor­
ing the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the contro l unit detects a tota l weight
on the front passenger seat that req uires the
front a irbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old
c h il d but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front a irbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the elect roni c con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit se nses an
impact that meets the cond it ions stored i n its
memory .
For example, th e airb ag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ie r than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is o n the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of
the ch ild seats l isted
¢ page 171), or
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instr ument cluster and stays on .
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not illum inate and stay lit) even if a
small ad ult o r teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitti ng uprig ht w ith their back against a
non -recli ned back rest w it h thei r feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the sea t is on t he front
passenger seat~
page 128, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If t he fron t passenger ai rbag dep loys, the
Federa l Standard requ ires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" dep loyment criteria to reduce
the ris k of injury t hro ugh inte ract ion w ith the
airbag. "Low risk" dep loyment occ urs in those
crashes that take place at lowe r dece lerat ions .,.. •
•