2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER four wheel drive

150 Intelligent te chn olog y
Noises from the b rake system signal that
wheel spin is being controlled.
Driving off
When drivi ng off, a lways be sure to keep road
conditions in mind as you accelerate. If one
d rive wheel spi ns because it is on a surface
with less grip, gradua lly increase the press ure
on the accelerator pedal until the car starts to
move. The wheel less able to transfer power
spins.
O verheating of bra kes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel
from overheating if subjected to excessive
loads, the EDL cuts out temporarily. The vehi­
cle rema ins operationa l and behaves in the
same way as a vehicle without EDL.
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL
switches on again automatically .
A WARNING
-When accelerating on slippery surfaces,
such as on ice or snow, always be careful
when depressing the acce lerator pedal.
Even with the EDL working, the drive
wheels can spin and reduce yo ur ability
to contro l your car. -Risk of crash!
- The increased safety afforded by EDL
does not mean that you can ta ke safety
risks. Always adapt your dr iving sty le to
the road conditions and traff ic situa tion.
@ Tips
If a fa ult occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also
not f unct ion ing. This is indicated by the
ABS warning light ¢
page 17.
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the
driven wheels from spinning wh en the car is
accelerating.
General notes
The Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) is inte­
grated in the electronic stabilization program
(ESP). When th e vehicle starts up and acceler- ates, the whee
ls are prevented from spinning
by adjusting the engine power to match the
amount of grip available from the road sur­
face.
How the system works
ASR pe rforms a utomat ica lly, i.e . w ithout t he
driver's intervention. With the aid of the ABS
sensors ¢
page 153, ASR monitors t he speed
of the dr iven whee ls . If the whee ls start to
spin, the engine torq ue is reduced automati­
cally until the tires find enough gr ip to lock
onto the road surface . The system is active
across the ent ire speed range .
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If
a malfunction should occur in the ABS, the
ASR w ill also be out of act io n.
@ Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all
four whee ls must be fitted wit h ident ica l
tires . Any differences in ro lling radius of
the tires can cause the system to reduce
engine power wh en this is not desired. See
a lso
¢ page 205, New tires and repla cing
tires and wheels.
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control .
Fig. 131 Switc h fo r rear spo iler
The rear spoiler deploys and retracts. Spoiler
operation can be set for automat ic or manual
operation .

154 Intelligent technology
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
w ill st ill function like a conven­
tional power steer ing system, prov iding a
constant steer ing support force that is no
longer proportionate to the ve hicle speed .
This is most noticeable when turning the
steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when par kin g), -more effo rt will be re­
qui red th an usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual
stee ring response and adjust you r steer­
i ng force a ccord ingly.
- Have the p roblem chec ked and set right
by an authori zed Audi dealer as soo n as
poss ib le.
- If a stee ring malfunct io n occu rs, this is
s ignaled with the
42J or .• indic ator
li ghts and a wa rning tone, see.
(D Tips
- If the power steering system shou ld fa il,
or if the eng ine is no t runn ing (fo r exam ­
ple, while being towed), yo u wi ll st ill be
able to stee r the veh icle. However, more
effort will be req uired to do so .
- If the power steer ing system is not func ­
tioning p roperly , contact your a uthorized
A udi dealer immediate ly .
Driving with your
quattro ®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General inform ation
W ith All Whee l Dr ive, power is d istributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your dr iv ing sty le and the road
conditions at the t im e. See also ¢
page 149,
E lectronic differential lock (EDL) .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle w it h
All Wheel Drive has an advantage, even with regular t ires. In winter road co nditions it may
be adv isable to mount winter tires (o r all-sea- son tires) for
improved driveability and brak ­
ing : these tires must be mounted o n
all four
wheel s.
See also ¢ page 209, Winter tires .
Snow chains
Where tire chains a re m andatory o n certa in
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
wi th All Wheel Drive
¢ page 210, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles wi th A ll Wheel D rive mus t always
have t ires of the same s ize. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For deta ils see
page ¢
page 205, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Aud i does not have enough g ro und clea r­
an ce to be used as an off- road vehicle. It is
therefore bes t to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 158.
A WARNING ~
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf-
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Wheel Dr ive tempt you into
taking ext ra ris ks.
- Although the All Wheel Drive is very ef­
fective , always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited by tire t raction . You
should therefore not d rive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippe ry road s urfa ces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front whee ls
could begin to slide o n top of the wate r
(aquapla ning). If th is should occur, yo u
will have no warning from a s udden in ­
crease in eng ine speed as wit h a front­
wheel drive veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
d itions. -risk of crash.

Tires and wheels 197
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 203, 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 or per form in a certain way.
It simply gives tire buyers additional informa­
tion to combine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dea ler recom­
mendations. Under UTQG, tires are graded by
the tire manufacturers in three areas: tread­
wear, traction and temperature resistance.
The UTQG information on the tires, molded in­
to the sidewalls .
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 manufactured, and the last four n umbers
represent the week and year of man ufacture.
For example,
DOT . .. 2209 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd
week of 2009. 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 on the driver's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is
determined 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 loa d 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 weig ht (distributed in
accordance with tab le below
c:> page 197)
and dividing by two.
Occupant loading for vehicle normal load (no luggage)
Designated seating capacity, number of occu- Vehicle normal load (no luggage), number of
pants occupants
2 2
•
•

204 Tires and wheels
c::>fig . 148 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> ,& .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 200.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For a ll four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation interva ls may differ from the
vehicle serv ice intervals outlined 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 you
follow the tire manufacture r's suggested
t ir e rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com ­
pared to all-wheel drive (quatt ro ® ).
- Please rotate t ires as shown
c::> fig . 149.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rect ion-specific tires
c::> page 226.
Wheel balancing
The whee ls on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel. Unbalanced
wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires . A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi ­
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All Wheel Drive
Vehicles with quattro ® must a lways have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see c::>page
154.
A WARNING
-Sudden tire fai lure can lead to loss of con-
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do not grip well on wet roads and increase
your r isk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from tires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire fai lure
and loss of vehicle control.

general, the greater the number of plies, the more weight a tire can support . Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
tire, wh ich include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others .
Ma ximum Load R ating
This number indicates the maximum load in
kilograms and pounds that can be carried by
the tire.
Tire qualit y gr ad ing for treadw ear,
tract ion , an d temp erature resis ta nce
Tread wear , traction and temperature grades
c::> pag e208.
M aximum Permis sibl e Inflation Pr essur e
This n umbe r is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving conditions .
& WARNING
- Using incorrect or unmatched tires and/
or whee ls or improper tire and whee l
combinations can lead to loss of contro l,
collision and serious personal injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of orig inal
factory-installed tires or other combina­
t ions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer .
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . T ires that are more than 6 years
o ld can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used ti res on you r vehicle if
yo u are not s ure of their "previous histo­
ry ." Old used tires may have been dam ­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radia l
t ires of the same type, size (roll ing cir­
cumference) and the same tread pattern .
Driv ing with different tires reduces veh i-
Tire s an d wheel s 207
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
contro l.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for examp le w ith winter t ires -only use
the spare t i re for a short period of time
and drive with extra care . Refit the nor ­
mal road wheel as soon as safely poss i­
ble .
- Never drive faster than the max imum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are dr iven
faster than their rated speed can fa il
suddenly.
- Ove rloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire fa ilure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of contro l.
- Temperature grades apply to tires tha t
are properly infla ted and not over or un­
derinf lated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use whee ls from other vehi­
cles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same ve hicle mode l.
-If you install wheel trim discs on the ve ­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not b locked. Reduced air­
f low to the brakes can them to overheat,
increas ing stopping d istances and caus­
ing a co llision .
- Run flat tires may only be used on vehi­
cles that were equ ipped w ith them at the
factory. The veh icle must have a chassis
des igned for run flat ti res and a factory­
installed t ire p ressure monito ring sys­
tem that indicates a loss of ti re p ressu re.
I nco rrec t use of run fl at tires can lead to
veh icle damage o r accidents. Check with
an authorized Audi dealer or tire special­ ist to see if your vehicle can be equipped
with run flat tires. If run flat tires are used, they must be installed on all four
wheels. Mixing tire types is not permit-
ted .
Ill>
•
•

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 governments may require true winter or "snow " tires, those
with ve ry deeply cut tread. These t ires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be insta lled on all
fou r wheels. Ma ke sure yo u pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on your vehicle .
If your vehicle is equipped with all -wheel
d rive*, this wi ll improve tract ion during w inter
driving, even with the standard tires . Howev­
er, we strong ly recommend t hat you always
eq uip a ll four whe els on your v ehicle with cor ­
rectly fitted winter t ires o r all -season tires,
when winter ro ad conditions are expec ted.
T his also improves the vehicle's braking per­
formance and reduces stopping distances .
Summe r tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter tires (snow tir es) must a lways be fitted
on all four whee ls .
Ask yo ur autho rized Aud i dea ler o r qualified
wo rkshop fo r permi tted
w inter tire siz es . Use
only radia l wi nter tires.
W inte r tir es lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.15 7 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with winter tires under winter con­
d it ions . Summer tires hand le better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F ( 7 °C).
I f you have a flat tire, see notes on spa re
wheel <=?
page 205.
Please always remember that w inter tires may
h ave a lower speed rating than the t ires origi­
na lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime it
was manufactured. Plea se see <=?
page 206,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a List ing of the
speed rat ing letter codes and the maxim um
speed at whic h the tir es can be driven.
Tire s an d wheel s 209
The speed rating letter code (¢ page 196) is
o n the side wall of the tir e<=?
page 205.
A WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle 's max­
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before driv ing off . Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for you r specific
winter tires . This wi ll cause damage to the
tires leadi ng to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers .
A WARNING ,._.__
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your vehicle
were designed can cause tire fail ure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation, loss of contro l, crashes and ser ious per­
sonal injuries. Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediately .
- Wi nter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the w inter or othe r tires installed
on you r vehicle a re rated .
A WARNING
Always ad just yo ur dr iv ing to the road and
traffic condit ions . Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter t ires and al l-wheel
drive tempt yo u into ta king extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive ca re fully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even w inter t ires
cannot help under black ice conditions .
@ For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are qu iete r, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion .
•
•
-

the !CHECK I button @c:> page 10, fig. 3. If on­
l y one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its pos ition.
The tire p ress ure moni to ring m ust be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
adjusted (e .g. when switc hing between parti­
a l and full load pressure) or after chang ing or
replac ing a tire on your vehicle
c:> page 214.
You can find the recommended tire pressures
for your vehicle on the label on the driver's
door p illar
c:> page 198.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
ter istics can change and cause a tire pressure
warn ing if:
- the tire pressure in one or more t ires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, whee ls rotat -
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
c:> page 214 .
Warning symbol s
[@] Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:> ,&..
Check the ti re or tires and rep lace or repair if
necessary . The indicator light
RI] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
r=:>page 13.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display.
11@1@1 < T ire Pressure Monitoring Sys tem) Tire
p re ss ure! Sy stem malfunction. JfllAl@ ap­
pears after switching the ignition on or while
driving
r=:> fig. 152 and the indicator light RI] in
the instrument cluster blinks for approxi­
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malfunction . See your author ized
Aud i dealer as soon as possible.
.&, WARNING
- If the t ire pressure indicator appea rs in
the instrument cl uster d isplay, one or
more o f you r tires is s ignificantly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or bra king
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the t ires and the ir pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres-
.
Tire s an d wheel s 213
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure labe l
r=:>page 198. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
the t ire to overheat and can lead to tire
fa ilure . Unde r-inflation also is l ikely to
impair the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
- The d rive r is respons ib le for maintaining
the co rrect tire pressures. You must
check the tire pressures regularly.
- Unde r ce rtain conditions (such as a spo r­
ty driving style, winter conditions or u n­
p aved roads), the pressu re monitor indi­
ca tor may be delayed.
- Ask you r authorized Aud i dea le r i f run­
f lat tires may be used on your vehicle.
Your vehicle registration becomes invalid
if you use these t ires when not perm it­
ted. Damage to your vehicle or accidents
could a lso result.
- If you switch between standard and run­
flat tires, an autho rized Audi dealer o r
qualified workshop must reprogram the
contro l modu le.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitor ing system
stops work ing when there is an ESP/ABS
ma lfunction.
- Us ing snow c hains may res ult in a system
ma lfunction.
- Tires wit h the identification "AO" or "RO"
have been specially matched with yo ur
Audi. We recommend using on ly these
tires because they meet the highest
standards regarding safety and dr iv ing
character istics when used correctly. Your
authorized Audi dealer wi ll gladly pro­
vide you with more information .
•
•

Returning to the Start menu
"' Pre ss the I Reset ! button longer than 2 sec­
onds to return from any menu leve l to the
Start menu .
(D Tips
Before resetting the TPMS, the current
pressures of
all four tire s must correspond
to the specified values. Adjust the tire
pressure and reset the pressure in the tire
pressure monitoring system according to
the load you are carrying
c::;, page 198.
Run-flat tires
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with Run-flat tires
Run-flat tires help keep you moving if a tire
goes flat.
Reinforced s idewalls give the tires run-flat ca­
pability if tire pressure is lost.
We recommend that run-flat tires only be
mounted on vehicles that were originally
equ ipped w ith these special tires at the facto­
ry and have a Tire Pressure Monitor ing Sys­
tem.
Run-flat t ires can be ident ifi ed by th e lett ers
"RSC" on the tire sidewall.
If you do change the tires on yo ur vehicle from
normal to run-flat tires, you must buy the
specia l rims required for run-flat tires, and the
Ti re Pressure Monito ring System must be re­
programmed by an a uthorized Audi dea ler or
other qualified workshop.
What do run-flat tires do?
These special tires have run-flat capabilities
that help keep you moving if a tire loses pres­
sure and goes flat. Under favorable cond itions
tires can be driven
at l ea st 30 mil es (SO km ),
but you must not d rive fa ste r than SO mph
(80 km /h)
c::;, page 216, Driving with run-flat
tires .
Tire s an d wheel s 215
When it is not po ssible to continue
driv ing , ev en with run-flat tire s?
- If the Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP)
is not work ing or keeps coming on.
- If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System does
not work.
- If the tire has been severely damaged, in a
crash, for example. The tread can separate
from a damaged tire as the wheel turns, and
hit parts of the vehicle, such as the fuel tank
filler neck, fuel lines or brake lines.
- Do not continue driving if severe vibration
occurs or if the t ire starts to smoke because
the tire is ru nning hot.
- Do not continue driving if damage to the
tire, such as cracks in the sidewall, appears.
A WARNING
Improper use of run-flat tires can cause
vehicle damage that can lead to loss of ve­ h icl e cont ro l, a c rash and serious personal
in Jury.
- Run-flat tires can only be used with spe­
cial rims.
- Run-flat tires must always be monito red
with a prope rly p rogrammed Tire Pre­
ssure Monito ring System.
- Always inspect a tire that has lost air to
make sure it is sa fe to dr ive with the tire
in the run-flat mode.
- Never d rive with run-f lat t ires that have
been damaged in a co llision.
- Never d rive with run-flat t ires if heat
bu ild-up causes the tire to give off
smoke.
- Never d rive with run-f lat t ires if the vehi­
cle shakes or vibrates severely.
- Never d rive with a run-flat ti re that de­
velops s idewa ll cracks or other damage
while in use.
- I f you sw itch between standa rd and run­
f lat ti res, an aut horiz ed Aud i dealer o r
qu alified wor kshop must reprogram the
con tro l mod ule.
•
•