
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking under braking.
The anti-lock brake system (ABS) makes a ma
jor contribution to increasing active dr iving
safety. You should not expect that braking d is
tances will be
shortened under all circumstan
ces with ABS. Braki ng d istance may even be
come somewhat
longer, for example, on grav
e l or in new snow on slippery g round, even if
you are driving care fully and s low ly.
ABS operation
When a vehicle speed of about 10 mph (20
km/h) is reached, an automatic test sequence
is run. Some noise from the pump may be au
d ible.
I f the speed of a wheel slows down too much
r e lative to veh icle speed and it starts to lock,
brake pressure to this wheel is reduced. This
ad justment process can be felt as a
pul sin g
moti on of the br ake pedal , accompanied by
some noises. You as the driver are intentiona l
ly being given the information that the whee ls
are tending to lock (ABS control range). In or
der for ABS to be able to operate optimally in
this range, you must keep the brake pedal de pressed - do not "pump the brakes ".
Brake a ssist ant
The brake power assist unit increases the
pressure that you generate with the brake
pedal. It works only w hen the eng ine is run
ning .
Automatic full br ak ing
This function allows full brak ing in spite of
high brake pedal forces (e.g. when the brakes
are severely stressed because the vehicle is
fully loaded) . The driver notices th is function
throug h a reduction of pedal force and in
creased pedal travel. When the brake pedal is released, fu ll braking assist switches off again
automatically .
Intellig ent technolog y 153
If there is an ABS failure, the b rake assistant
and automatic fu ll braking assist are not avail
able.
A WARNING
- ABS cannot suspend the laws of physics.
You should keep th is in mind in particu
lar on an icy or wet road . If ABS control
of braking intervenes, you should adjust
your speed immed iately to road and traf
fic conditions. Do not be tempted by the increased safety provided to take risks -
danger o f an accident .
- Please keep in mind tha t the risk of an
accident is increased by driving too fast,
particularly in bends and on icy or wet
roads, and by driving too close to the ve
hicle ahead . The increased risk of an acci
dent cannot be reduced by the brake as
sistant - danger of an accident.
(D Tips
If a malfunction occurs in the ABS, this is
s ignalled by an indicator light, see
<=:> page 17.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
The degree of power assist is electronically
matched to vehicle speed.
The power steering system assists the driver
so that he can steer the vehicle with reduced physical effort .
Power steering will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
A WARNING
If the system develops a problem, you
must seek qualified professiona l assis
tance.
•
•

Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer). In ce rtain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insuff icient ene rgy
avai lab le to start the engine .
Intell igent energy management in your vehi
cle handles the d istribution of electrical ener
gy. Starting ab il ity is markedly imp roved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
batt ery diagno sis, idlin g current man ag e
m ent
and dyn ami c en ergy manag emen t.
Batter y diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery . Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determ ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling curr ent man agement
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing .
W ith the ignition switched off, it cont ro ls the
energy s upply to the various electr ical compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
ered.
D epending on the batte ry's state of charge,
i nd ividua l consumers are gradual ly t urned off
to prevent excess ive d ischarge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynam ic en ergy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en
e rgy management dist ributes the energy gen
e rated according to the needs of the individu
a l components.
It reg ulates cons umption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
Int ellig ent technolog y 155
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery.
(0 Tips
- But even energy management canno t
negate the limits of physics . Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If starting ability is threatened, you are
informed by a warning
r::!)poge 156,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short -distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re quired, but only a little is generated .
It is also
critical if the engine is not running and electri
cal components are turned on . In this in
stance energy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat
ing the d istribution of energy .
Vehicle stands for an e xtended peri od
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Take into considerat ion that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions, such as the remote key or power seat adjust
ment, may not be available . The conven ience
funct ions w ill be available again when you
tu rn o n the ignition and start the engine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, w ith
the engine turned off, the battery is being d is-
charged.
~
•
•

156 Intelligent technology
If starting capability is jeopa rdized due to en
ergy consumption, a message appears in the
driver information disp lay.
You have to start the engine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be
come discharged. This happens most ly when
little energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state o f
charge is not optima l.
To bring the energy balance back into equili
brium, consumers which require especially
l arge amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular require a great dea l of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy balance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has been increased slightly . This is normal and not
a cause for concern . By increas ing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener
ated and the battery is charged.
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, th is
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low battery charge : battery will be
charged while driving
This notification reminds you that the starting
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving again, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If this driver notification appears after the ig
nition is turned on or whi le driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If this driver notif ication appears after the ig
nition is turned on or while driving and does
not go out again, the battery 's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Starting ability is
restricted . Have the battery checked as soon
as possible by an autho rized Aud i dea le r o r
qualified wo rkshop.

Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the fir st 600 mile s (1,000
kilometre s):
.,. Do not use full throttle .
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imimum permitted
RPM .
.,. Avoid high engine speeds.
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometres):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum pe rm iss ib le road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.. Do not rev the engine up to high speeds
when it is cold . T hi s applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) o r in gear.
After the break- in period
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next hig her gear
before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach
ometer scale
<::;> page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en
g ine's inter na l friction is higher tha n later
when all the moving pa rts have been broken
i n. How well this break-in p rocess is done de
pends to a considerable exten t on the way t he
veh icle is driven d uring the first 1,000 miles
(1, 500 kilome tres) .
(D Note
Extremely high engine speeds a re auto
mat ic al ly reduced. However, t hese RPM-
Driving and environment 157
limits were programmed for an eng ine
well run-in, not a new eng ine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not d rive wi th unnecess arily h igh en
gine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
r educes noise and protects the environ
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
particularly carefu l for the first 350 miles
(500 ki lometres) after fitting .
A WARNING
-New tires tend to be s lippery and must a l-
so be "b roken-in". Be s ure to remembe r
this dur ing t he firs t 35 0 m iles (500 kilo
me tres) . Brake gent ly . Avo id following
closely behind other vehicles or other sit uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking.
New brake pads
Remember that new brake pads do not have a
full brak ing effect during the first 250 m iles
(400 kilometres) after they are installed.
New brake pads have to be "burnished in" be
fore they have optima l grab¢ .&..
D uring the break-in period, yo u should avoid
putting seve re loads on the brakes . Severe
l oads include, for example, su dden hard brak
ing, in particular at very h igh speeds or, for
example, on mou nta in passes.
A WARNING
Until t hey develop the maximum "bite" for
best stopping power, the s urfaces on new
b rake pads requ ire some "brea king- in" dur
in g the initial 10 0 to 150 miles (15 0 to
20 0 kilome tres) of normal c ity dr iv ing. Yo u
can compensate for this by press ing the
b rake peda l more f irm ly . This applies
whenever new pads are installed.
•
•

158 Driving and en vi ro nm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any highe r tha n the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before driv
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 17 4,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your eng ine
r::;> page 183, Adding engine oil~-
.. Never try to p ush- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean
up" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
t h e vehicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert
er and prope r funct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con
verter or heat sh ields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 183.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.

the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve
hicle is moving .
- Do not con tinue to operate yo ur vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reac h the cata lytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the con
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System:
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- La ck of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
t he funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating p roperly, t he exhaus t gas can
have a s ulfu r- like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content o f the fue l being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors :
- your persona l driving style
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
I f you anticipate w hat you need to do nex t and
d rive economically, you can eas ily cut your
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 159
fuel consumption by 10 -15 percent. This sec
tion w ill give yo u some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The cons umption estimates as publishe d
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will vary depending upon vehi
cle load and speed, road and weather con
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
celerating.
Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac
ce lerat ing . If you anticipate what is going to
happe n next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, accele rate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next t raff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"' Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consump
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emiss ions and en
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at app roximately three
quarte rs of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Nev er drive faster
t h an the posted speed limit and weathe r con
ditions perm it.
•
•

160 Driving and en vi ro nment
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel .
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not dr iving
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il
road crossings, or at traff ic l ights that have
l ong wa its on red . Turning the engine
off fo r
just 30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . However , wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high RPMs whi le the engine
is sti ll warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate imp roper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
Audi dea ler helps to ensure that it runs prop
erly and economica lly. The cond it ion of yo ur
vehicle not only affects its safety and ability to
hold its value, it also affects fuel consump
tion .
Check you r oil ea ch time you fill you r tank. T
he amount o f oi l used is re lated to engine
load and speed.
It i s normal fo r the oil consump tion of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has been d riven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(S,000 kilometres) before yo u can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
T his also app lies to fue l consumption and en
gine o utput.
(D Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Main
t enance boo klet . Lack of p roper ma inte
nance as well as improper use of the ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved
by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat sh ie lds, switches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine .
T he engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal operat ing temperature to
reduce fuel consumption and nox ious emis
s ions effectively .
- Ju st after starting, a cold engine in a mid
size car burns the fue l at a poor rate of 6-8
m iles per gallon (30-40 l/l00km). Half a
m ile down the road , the mileage improves
to 12 MPG (20 l/100 km). It w ill take the
ll>

engine no less than two and a half miles
(4 km) of driving to warm up to its proper
operating tempe ratu re and ope rate at an
economic mileage. This explains w hy taking
t h e car for s hort tr ips is a rather wastefu l
convenience .
- The
outs ide temperature is also cr itical in
t hi s regard. Your car consumes more fuel in
the winter than in the summer .
Trailer towing
General information
Your Audi TT Roadster is not designed to tow
a trailer.
Tow ing a tra ile r with you r Audi T T Roadste r is
n ot re commended and can ca use damage to
t he car . D ama ged ca use d by towing a trailer is
not covered by your Aud i Warranty.
Driving and environment 161
•
•