2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER suspension

86 On the road
Audi magnetic ride
Applies to vehicles: wit h magnet ic ride
Damping can be adjusted to the driver's pref­
erence and it adapts automatically to the cur­
rent driving situation.
Fig. 94 Cente r console: Switch for Audi magnetic r ide
" Press the sw itch r=) fig. 94 to tu rn spo rt set-
t ing o n or off.
Aud i magnetic ride is an electron ically con­
trolled damp ing system . Th is chassis system
assists the driver by adapti ng to the par ticular
situatio n th rough imper cep tible con trol p roc­
esses. The
damping provides individual mod u­
l ation of damping forces. For example, with
dampi ng characterist ics set to p rovide greater
comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for
a brief period only as required, when rounding
a curve and when braking.
Standard setting
Select the standard sett ing if you prefer a sus­
pension setting emphasizing comfort.
Sport setting
Select the sport setti ng if you prefe r a sporty
suspe nsio n setting . The LED in the sw itch
E
comes on to indicate spo rt setting .
@ Tips
The warning/indicator light E in the instru­
men t clus ter comes on in the even t of a
malf unction . Drive to the closest au thor ­
ized Audi dealer as soon as possible and
have the malfunction repaired.
Sport mode
Applies to veh icles: w ith Sport bu tton
Fig . 95 Button in t he ce nter console
.,. To switch sport mode on, press the button
in the center console. The indicator light
t ur ns on .
" To swit ch spor t mode off, press the but ton
in the center console again. The indicator
light turns on .
A mo re agile and spo rty d riv ing style is possi­
ble when driving the vehicle in "sport mode".
T his mode affec ts thrott le response and the
sound of the engine, the steering characteris­
t ics for a more direct power steering response
and the damping characteristics of the Audi
magnetic ride for dynam ic suspension tu ning.
(D Tips
If there is a malfunction in the retractable
rear spoiler* or the Aud i magnetic ride *, it
may not be poss ible to activate sport
mode.

equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE ­
MENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­ nic circuit interrupter.
Airbag system 129
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measu red by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high-
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe-
ty belt is not being used . Therefore, in a par ­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen-
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit. ..,.
•
•

130 Airbag system
& WARNING
Cha nging the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire -r im combina ­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious pers onal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspens ion components
t h at do not have the same performance
c harac teristics as the components origi ­
n ally inst alled on you r vehicle.
- Never use ti re- rim combinat io ns that
h ave not been approved by A udi.
& WARNING
-
Ite ms stored be tween the s afety bel t
buckle and the center console can cause
the senso rs in the buckle to send the
w rong informat ion to the elect ronic con­
trol mod ule and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from work ing proper ly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inter­
fere w ith the sa fety belt buckles and that
they a re not obstructed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Unde ployed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdouswaste/per­ chlorate . Whe n the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts w ith pretens ioners ar e scrap­
pe d, all appli cable laws and regulat io ns
m ust be observed. Yo ur authoriz e d Au di
dea le r i s f amiliar wit h these requ ireme nts
an d we recommend th at you have your
dea le r p erfo rm this service for you.
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig . 1 23 Driv er's ai rbag
T he airbag for the driver is lo ca ted in the in ­
str ument pane l unde rneath t he stee ring
whee l
I:!) fig. 123, the airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
pane l underneath t he glove compartment .
T he knee airbag offe rs addi tional protection
to the d river 's and passenger's knees and up ­
per and lower thigh areas as a s upplement to
the safety belts.
If the fron t ai rbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions above acer­
ta in seve rity
¢ page 124, More important
things to know about front airbags.
Besides the ir norma l safety func tion, safety
belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in position in case o f a fronta l co lli­
s ion so that the a irbags can provide protec­
t ion.
T he airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in yo ur vehicle. A l­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wearing it p roperly . This
i s why you should always wear your safety
belt , no t jus t be ca use the law requ ires you to
do so
¢ page 107, General no te s . ..,.

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 ..,.

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.