2011 AUDI S8 four wheel drive

76 Warm and cold
airflow and air distribution are controlled au­
tomatically.
Adjusting the temperature
Temperatures between 60 °F (+16 °() and
84 °F (+28 °C) can be set. Outside of this
range,
lo or hi wi ll appear in the climate con­
trol system disp lay. At both of these settings,
the climate control system runs continuously
at maximum cooling or heating power. There
is no temperature regu lation.
~ Adjusting the airflow
You can adjust the airflow manually to suit
your needs. To have the airf low regulated au­
tomatically, press the
! AUTO ! button.
~ Adjusting the air distribution
You can manually se lect the vents where the
air will flow. To have the air distribution regu­
lated automatically, press the
IAUTOI button .
~ I lil* Adjusting Seat heating/
ventilation*
Pressing the button switches the seat heat­
ing/ventilation on at the highest setting ( level
3). The L EDs indicate the temperature leve l.
To reduce the temperature, press the button
again. To switch the seat heating/ventilation
off, press the button repeatedly until the LED
turns off.
After 10 minutes, the seat heating/venti lation
automatically switches from level 3 to level 2.
I n vehicles without the four zone automatic
climate conrol *, buttons in the rear center
console control the seat heating for both out­
er rear seats*.
~ Switch the defroster on/off
The winds hield and s ide windows are defrost ­
ed or cleared o f condensation as quickly as
possible. The maximum amo unt of air flows
mainly from the vents below the windshield.
Recirculation mode switches off. The tempera­
ture is controlled automat ically.
The
IAUTOI button switches the defroster off.
~ Switching rear window heater on/off
T he rear window heater only operates when
the engine is running. It switches off auto­
matically after 10 to 20 minutes, depending
on the outside temperature.
T o prevent the rear window heater from
switching off automatically , press and hold
the~ button for more than 3 seconds. This
r ema ins stored until the ignition is switched
off.
I SYNCI Synchronization*
When synchronization is switched on, the
same settings are applied to both the driver
and front passenger, except for the seat heat ­
ing/ventilation*. The rear seat is a lso
synchronized in vehicles with the four zone
automat ic climate conro l*. Synchron ization
switches off when the settings for the front
passenger side or rear* are adjusted.
You can also switch synchronization on by pressing and holding a dial. For example, if
you press and hold the dial on the front pas­
senger side, the settings for that s ide are
transferred to the driver side. The same ap­
plies to the rea r*.
Air vents
You can open or close the center and rear
vents in the cockpit and the vents in the rear
center console and door pillars using the
ridged thumbwheels. The levers adjust the di­
rection of the airflow from the vents.
,&. WARNING
Do not use this setting for extended peri­
ods of time. The windows could fog up
since no fresh air can enter the vehicle. If
the windows fog up, press the air recircula­
tion button aga in immediately to switch
off the a ir recirculation function or select
defrost.
(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating elements
in the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
-

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 .

Tires and wheels 241
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pull ing away of the tread from the tire
carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the tread. See
c:> page 248, Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) for
more informat ion on measuring tir e wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system developed by the
United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to help buyers make relative comparisons among
tires. The UTQG is not a safety rating and not a
g uarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of mi les (kilometers) or perform in a
certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers addi ­
tional information to combine with other con­
siderat ions, such as pr ice, brand loya lty and
dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufacturers in three
areas : treadwear, traction, and temperature
res istance . The UTQG information on the tires,
mo lded into the sid ewa lls.
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the t ire's "serial number" It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the tire
meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was man ufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of man ufacture.
For example,
DOT . .. 2212 ...
means tha t the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2012. The other numbers are market­
ing codes that may or may not be used by the
tire manufacturer . This information is used to
contact consumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus
150 lbs. (68 kilograms) times the vehicle's to­
ta l seating capacity as listed on the label lo­
cated either on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individu al tire that is
de termined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occ upant weight (distributed in
accordance with tab le be low
c:> page 241)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating
capacities
Designated seating capacity,
number of occupants
4
5
Vehicle normal load, number Occupant distribution in a nor-
of occupants _____ mally loaded vehicle
2 2 in front
3 2 in front, 1 in back seat
•
•

248 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv·
ing style.
F ig. 1 86 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icators (TWI)
( r------ ,1
\ ...__ _____ ____,.
F ig. 1 87 Rotat ing t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origi na l t ires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 186 running across the tread. Depend ·
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced .
Different fig ures may apply in o ther countries
c::> & .
Tire p ressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
a nd can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 244 .
Driving style
Driving fast aro und curves, heavy acce leration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
F o r all four tires on your ve hicl e to h ave the
same service life, we recommen d that the
front and rear t ires are rotated according to
the tire manufact urer's suggested tire rota·
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service inte rva ls o utlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet .
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that y ou
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Veh icles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the fro nt w heels com·
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 187.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di·
rection-specific tires
c::> page 267 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced .
However, various situations during eve ryday
driving can cause them to become unba l·
anced, resulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel t hrough the steer ing wheel.
Un balanced whee ls must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l m ust also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impai ring the safety of the veh i·
de . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with q uattro ® mus t always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 194 . ..,.

252 Tir es and whe els
Driving with different tires reduces vehi­
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the veh icle -
for example with winter tires - only use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and dr ive with extra care . Refit the nor­
ma l road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your veh icle
are rated because ti res that a re driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
sudden ly .
- Overloading t ires cause heat build- up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- T emperature grades app ly to tires that
are properly inflated and not over o r un ­
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not a lways
possible to use wheels from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even whee ls
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle whee ls, make sure that the air f low
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing a collision .
- Run flat t ires may only be used on vehi­
cles that were equipped with them at the
factory . The vehicle must have a chassis
designed for run flat tires . Incorrect use
of run flat tires can lead to vehicle dam­
age or acc idents. Check with an a uthor­
ized Audi dea le r or tire specialist to see if
yo ur vehicle can be equipped with run
flat tires. If run f lat tires are used, they
must be insta lled on all four wheels. Mix­
ing t ire types is not permitted .
- Fo r technical reasons , it is not genera lly
possib le to use the whee l rims from oth­
er vehicles. This can ho ld true for wheels
of the same veh icle type. - If the spare tire is different from the
tires that yo u have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive w ith
extra care. Replace the flat tire w ith the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possib le .
- Never drive without the valve stern cap .
The valves cou ld get damaged .
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of o ld tires in accordance with the
local requirements .
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Traction AA AB C
- Tempe ra tu re ABC
Quality grades can be found whe re applicab le
on the tire sid e wall betw een tr ead shou ld er
a nd maximum section width
c> page 249,
fig. 188 .
For ex ample: Tread wear 200 , Tract ion AA ,
Temperatur e A.
All passenger car t ires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in add ition to these
grades.
Tread wear
T he tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tes ted
u nder contro lled cond itions on a specified
government test course .
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one ha lf (11/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
T he relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of thei r use, how­
ever, and may depa rt s ignificantly from the
norm due to va riations in driving hab its, se rv­
ice practices and differences in road character -
istics and cl imat e. ..,.

Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
a re AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete . A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance¢ .&..
Te mp era tu re
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest),
B, and
C, representing the tire 's resistance to
the generat ion of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under controlled condi­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure ¢.&. .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher
leve ls of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_& WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering, hydrop laning or peak traction
character istics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es ­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
-
Tire s an d wheel s 253
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice . At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires.
In some heavy snow areas, local gove rnments
may require true w inter o r "snow" t ires, those
with very deeply cut t read. These tires should
o nl y be used in pairs and be installed o n all
f o ur wheels . Make sure you p urchase snow
tires that are the same size and cons truction
type as the other tires on yo ur vehicle .
If your veh icle is equipped w ith all-whee l
drive *, th is w ill improve trac tion d uring win ter
driv ing, even with the s tanda rd tires. Howev ­
er, we strongly recommend that you always
equip all four whee ls on your veh icle w ith cor­
rect ly fitted winter tires or all-season t ires,
when winter road conditions are expected.
This also improves the veh icle 's b rak ing per­
formance and reduces stoppi ng d ista nces .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted
on all fo ur whee ls .
As k your au thori zed A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
winter ti re size s. Use
on ly radial winter tires .
Win ter tires lose their effec tiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth o f 0.1 57 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w ith w inte r tir es under w inte r con­
di tions. S umme r tir es handle bette r when
t h e re is no snow o r ice on the ro ads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
If you have a flat t ire, see notes on spare
whee l¢
page 249.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lowe r speed rating than the tires o rigi­
nally i nstalled on your veh icle at the time it
was ma nufactu red. P lease see¢
page 250,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a lis ting o f th e
speed rating letter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven .
111>-
•
•

remain continuously illuminated. This se­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­ ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi­
cle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le after replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 189 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 190 Display: System malfu nctio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
dividual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru-
Tires and wheels 257
ment cluster with a warning symbol [I) and a
message
r::!) fig. 189.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each t ime the pressures are ad ­
justed (e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle
r::!) page 258. You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on driver's side 8-pil­
lar
r::!) page 242 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tir e pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
r::!) page 258 .
Warning symbols
[I) Loss of pressure in at least one tire co& .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The indicator light
[I) in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
r::!) page 11.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and resetTPMS via MMI.
lli§ffl (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction.
If llilffl appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving co
fig. 190 and the indica­
tor light
[I) in the instrument cluster blinks
for approximately one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction . See your
authorized Audi dea ler as soon as possible .
A WARNING
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display , one or
more of your tires is significant ly under­
inflated . Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures . In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire .,.

258 Tires and wheels
pressure label~ page 242 . Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter condit ions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor indi­
cator may be delayed.
- Ask your author ized Audi dealer if run­
flat tires may be used on your veh icle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these tires when not permit­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
cou ld also result.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitoring system
stops working when there is an ESP/ABS
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- To ensure a proper TPMS function use
AUDI Original Tires which are marked
with "AO" or "RO" on the tire sidewall.
~p age 249.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was syntonized using tires with
the "AO" or "RO" identification. We rec­
ommend using these tires.
Reset tire pressure monitoring system
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
If the tire pressure is adjusted, wheels are ro­
tated or changed, the TPMS must be reset via
MMI .
.. Switch on the ignition .
.. Se lect in the MMI: !CAR !function button>
Car systems contro l button > Servicing &
checks > Tire pressure monitoring > Store
tire pressures > Yes, store now.
(D Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of all four tires must correspond
to the specif ied values. Adjust the tire
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying~ page 242.
- Do not store the tire pressures if you are
dr iving with snow chains. Otherwise, a
system malfunction may occur.