2011 AUDI S8 ESP

184 Child Safet y
• Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visib le.
• Pull
off the guidance fixtures from the lower
anchorages.
• Always remove the guidance fixtures and
keep them in a safe place when not in use.
You may find it easier to install child re­
straints equipped with hooks attached to
straps without the guidance fixtures in place.
If this is the case, remove the guidance fix­
tures by pull ing them
off the anchorages .
H oweve r, the guidance fixtu res can he lp you
to locate the
LATCH ancho rages.
.&_ WARNING
Imprope r use of tether anchorages or low­
er anchorages ca n cause serious persona l
injury in a crash .
- Always carefully fo llow the child re­
straint manufacturer 's instructions for
proper insta llation and use of child re­
straint systems .
- Never use the
LATCH or tethe r anchorag­
es to attach safety belts or other kinds of
occupant restraints.
- Child restraint tether attachments and
lower attachments are only des igned to
secure a child restraint t hat has been
equipped to use these anchorages.
- Tether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted ch ild
restraints. Under no circumsta nces can
they be used safely for adu lt or chi ld
safety belts o r harnesses.
- Never mou nt more than one ch ild re­
stra in t to a sing le tether or to a low er an­
c ho rage poin t. Attac hing two chi ld re­
st rain ts to a sing le anchor age poi nt can
cause the anchorage to fail and cause se­
rious persona l injury in a crash .
0 Note
- Remove the guidan ce fixt ures before
fo ld ing t he rear sea tba ck t o preven t
dam aging the seat c ushion . -
To attach the ch ild restraint sec urely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
posit ion, the seat height set to the low ­
est position and t he head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical position
¢page 57.
-If you leave the guidance f ixtures instal­
led for several days , they could leave a
mark on the upholstery on the seat cush­
ion and back rest in the area that the
guidance fixtures were installed . T he up­
holste ry wou ld al so be pe rmanen tly
stretched aro und the gui dance fix tures.
Th is ap plies especia lly to lea ther seats .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in ­
structions.
F ig. 167 Lowe r a nchorages: proper mount ing
Mounting
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place .
• Attach bo th hook-on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
on to the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place
¢ fig. 167.
•Pullon the connector attachments to make
sure they are proper ly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
• Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instruct io ns. .,,.

in the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery wo uld a lso be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap. This applies especially to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Curren tly , few rear-facing child res traint sys ­
tems come with a tethe r. P lease re ad an d
heed the child res traint system manufactur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly insta ll the tethe r.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, ce nte r
armrest, or door.
- A tight tether or other st rap on a rear­
wa rd-fa cing child restra int attached to
the fro nt p assenger se at can put too
much pressure on the weight -ma t in the
seat and register a heavier we ight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier
we ight registered can make the system
work as though an ad ult were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing se rious or
ev en fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat o n the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces a nd the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t d oes no t come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have t he a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Child Sa fet y 187
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number o f sources of additiona l
information abo ut child restraint se lection, in ­
stallation and use :
N HT SA advises t hat the bes t ch ild safety seat
is the one that fi ts your chi ld and fits in your
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently.
T ry before yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1 -888 -3 27-42 36 (TIY: 1-800-4 24-9153)
www. n hts a .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 66 2-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safety BeltSafe U .S .A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Te l.: (800) 7 47-SANO (Span ish)
www.carseat .org
Transpo rt Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-037 1 or call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
www.tc.gc. ca/ ro ad safe ty
Audi Cu stomer CARE
T el.: (800) 82 2-2834 •
•

(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or damage to the bumper, whee l housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au­
thor ized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly .
(D Tips
-Certain Audi pre sense functions are not
available when ASR is sw itched off (sport
mode) or when driving in reverse .
- The Audi pre sense functions may not be
ava ilable if there is a malfunction in the
ESP system or the airbag control mod­
u le.
- The Audi pre sense front/plus functions
are not available if there is a ma lfunction
i n the adapt ive cru ise control* system
¢ page 93.
-The Audi pre sense rear/plus functions
are no t available if there is a ma lfunction
i n the Audi side assis t* system
¢ page 93 .
-The reversible safety be lt t ightening on
the front passenger's side deactivates
when the Advanced front passenge r air ­
bag has been s uppressed or the seat is
not occup ied.
Audi pr e sense 189
•
•

190 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facture rs for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
cond ition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic stabilization
program (ESP)
Description
ESP helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESP detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steer ing assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
liJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESP is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESP has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESP cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESP may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered w ith water,
slush or snow, ESP cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESP will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESP cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESP is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESP can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESP improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle unde r con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESP can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESP .

ESP includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake assist system (ABS), brake as­
sist system, anti -slip regulation (ASR), elec­
tronic differential lock (EDL), dynamic steer­
ing* and electronic interaxle differential lock*.
ESP is switched on all the t ime . In certa in sit­
uations when you need less traction, you can
sw itch
off ASR by pressing the button above
the selector lever. Be sure to switch ASR on
again when you no longer need less traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered even during hard braking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
distance.
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over. In vehi­
cles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake
assist system is more sensitive if the distance
detected to the vehicle ahead is too small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
a ll whee l drive *. This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, EDL automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating . EDL will switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Intelligent technology 191
Dynamic steering*
On vehicles with dynamic steering, ESP helps
stabilize the steering in certain situations.
Electronic interaxle differential lock
function*
T he electronic interaxle differential lock func­
tion activates when driving th ro ug h curves.
Braking is targeted toward the wheels on the
inside of the curve as needed. This he lps to
minimize front whee l skid, improves traction
and allows for more precise driving through
curves .
A WARNING
- ESP, ABS, ASR, EDL, dynamic steering*
a nd the electronic interaxle differential
loc k fu nction* cannot overcome the laws
of physics. This is especially impo rtant
on slippery or wet roads.
If the systems
begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately change yo ur speed
to match the road and traffic conditions .
Do not let the increased safety provided
by these systems tempt you to take risks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle contro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing con trol of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espe cially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESP, ABS, the brake assist system,
EDL, ASR, dynam ic steer ing* and the
electronic interaxle differentia l lock func­
tion* cannot prevent collisions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle contro l.
-
•
•

192 Intelligent technology
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wh eels are eq uipped w ith ident i­
ca l tires. Different tire s iz es can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear no ises when the systems
described are working.
- If the indicator light
DJ or m (USA
models) ;tl] (Canada models) appea rs,
there may be a malfunct ion
c::;, page 19,
c::;, page
18 .
Switching on and off
ESP turns on au toma tically when you s tar t
the engine .
Fig . 170 Cen ter con sole w it h ESP OF F button
Switching ASR off (sport mode)
In ce rtain situat io ns, yo u can switch ASR and
E SP into sport mode by pressing the button
l!I
c::;, fig. 170. The indicato r light fl comes on
and the mess age
C aution! Limit ed driving
s tability
appears . ASR deact ivates comp lete ly
and the assistance prov ided by the ESP sys ­
tem is limited. Switch to sport mod e onl y
when your d riv ing sk ills, traffic and weather
conditions permit.
In some situations, it may be useful to switc h
ASR off to let the wh eels slip. Example:
- Rocking the vehicle bac k and forth when it is
stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Sw itching ASR on
Press the button I!] aga in. The message ESP /
ASR: on appears .
A WARNING
-Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESP are in sport mode, especial­
ly whe n the road is slippery .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
d riving skills, traff ic and weather condi­
tions perm it.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is worki ng.
Braking
General information
Wha t affe cts braking effi cien cy?
-
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes o n today's automobiles are still
s u bjec t to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing cond it ions and driving hab its
c::;, &. . On ve­
hicles that a re e it h er dr iven most ly in stop­
and-go city t ra ffi c or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by yo ur au thor­
ized Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
t h e
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes , you sho uld use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessary wear on the brake system . If you
must use your b rakes, do not hold t he brakes
down continuous ly. Pump the brakes at in ter­
vals .
Moisture or road salt
U nd er certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your veh icle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freez ing cond itions ice) on the brake pads . A
few caref ul brake applicat ions should dry off
t h e b rake pads or remove a ny ice coatings .
The effectiveness of the brakes ca n be reduced
when the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt-covered
ll>

194 Intelligent technology
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems use the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort .
The advanced Servotronic® power steering
system senses the road speed and e lectroni­
cally adjusts power assistance to prov ide com­
fortable and safe steering response exactly
matched to the veh icle speed.
Power steering w ill not work if the eng ine is
off . As a result, the steering whee l wi ll be hard
to turn.
The power steering fluid level is checked dur ­
ing the scheduled maintenance serv ices.
([) Note
If there is an electronic malfun ct ion, ser­
votronic
w ill still f unction like a conven ­
tional power steer ing system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeab le when turning the
steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when parking), - more effo rt will be re­
qui red than usua l.
- Be aware of the different than usual
stee ring response and adjust yo ur stee r­
i ng fo rce accord ingly.
- Have the p roblem checked and set rig ht
by an Aud i deale r as soon as possib le.
(D Tips
- When the engine is runn ing, never hold
t h e steer ing whee l turned all the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
se conds. The power steer ing p ump w ill
ove rhe at the hydr aulic flu id if you keep
ho ld ing the steering whee l turned all the way
. This is likely to damage the power
steering system .
- If the powe r steering system sho uld fai l
entirely, o r if the engine is not runn ing
(for examp le, whi le being towed), you
w ill sti ll be able to steer the veh icle.
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so.
- If the power steering system sho uld
have a leak, or is not functioning proper­
ly, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immed iately.
- The power steering system requ ires a
specially fo rmu lated hydraulic fluid. The
powe r stee ring fluid reservoir is locat ed
in the engine compartment
Q page 224.
T he corre ct fl uid level i n the reservoir is
impo rta nt fo r proper fu nctioning of the
powe r stee ring .
Driving with your
quattro ®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driv­
en .
Gen eral information
With A ll W heel Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
condit ions at the time. See also
Q page 190.
With the sport different ial*, powe r distribu ­
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted with Audi drive select*
Q page 106 .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
All Wheel D rive has an advantage, even w ith
r egular tires . In wi nter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
i ng : these tires must be mo unted o n
all four
wheel s. See also q page 253, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certa in
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to veh icles
with All Wheel D rive
q page 254, Snow
chains .

196 Intelligent technology
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electr ical energy is re­
qu ired, but only a little is generated. It is also
cr itical if the e ngine is not run ning and elect ri­
cal components a re turned on. In th is in­
stance energy is being consumed but none is be ing generated .
I t is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy managemen t actively regulat ­
ing the distrib ution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an ext ended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, elect rical compo­
nents are grad ually cu t back o r switched off .
This reduces energy co nsu mption and main­
tains starting cap abili ty
over a longer period.
Be aware that when you unlock you r vehicle,
some of the conve nience funct ions may not
ope rate, such as the Convenience key , the re­
mote cont ro l or the power seat adjustment .
The convenience functions will be availab le
aga in when you switch on the ignition and
start the engine .
With the engine turned off
If yo u lis ten to the radio, for example, with
the eng ine turned off or use othe r MM I fu nc­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
I f sta rting capability is jeopa rdized due to e n­
e rgy consumpt ion, the fo llow ing warning ap­
pears in the MMI disp lay :
Please start th e engine soon or th e syst em
will be turned off .
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 m inu tes .
If
you wish to cont inu e us ing the functions , you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although e lec trical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be ­
come discharged. This happens mostly when
li ttle energy is being generated and a g reat
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To b ring the energy ba lance back into equili­
brium, consumers which req uire especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporar ily cut
back or sw itched off. Heat ing systems i n par­
ticular require a great deal of energy. If you
notice , for example, that the heated seats* o r
the heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporarily cut back or sw itched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engi ne idle speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is normal and not
a cause for con ce rn. By inc reas ing eng ine id le
speed the addi tional energy requ ired is gener­
ated and the battery is charged.