2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER sensor

T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
U up to 124 mph (200 km/ h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/ h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
1 )
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)1l
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1
)
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)1
)
Your veh icle is no rma lly factory equipped with
tires , which possess excellent driving charac ­
teristics and give yo ur Audi opt imum driving
comfort ¢&. .
U.S. DO T Tire Identification Numbe r (TIN )
and ti re manufacture date
This is the ti re's "serial number". It begins
with the letters "DOT" and indicates that the
ti re meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indicate the plant where it
was manufac tured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
For example, the numbers 2210 mean that
the t ire was produced in the 22nd week of
20 11. The othe r numbe rs a re mar keting co­
des tha t may or may not be used by the t ire
manufacturer . This information is used to con ­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi original tire
Tires wi th the ident ificat io n "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ia lly matched with your Aud i. We
r ecommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regarding
safety and driving character istics when used
correctly . Your authori zed Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information .
Tire ply composit ion and materials u sed
The number of p lies ind icates the n umbe r of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the greater the number of p lies, the
more weig ht a tire can support. Tire manufac­
turers also must indicate the materials in the
ll Fo r tires wit h a m ax im um s pee d ca pabil ity over 149
mph (2 4 0 km/ h), ti re ma nufa ctur ers some times use
t h e l ett ers " ZR."
Tire s an d wheel s 195
tire, which incl ude stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the max imum load in
kil ograms and po unds that can be ca rr ied by
the tire.
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, t raction and tempe ra tur e grades
¢page 197 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
Replacing tires or rims on veh icles
equipped with tire p ressure monitoring
system
T he w heels on yo ur vehicle are equippe d with
a sensor which constantly monito rs the ai r
pressure inside the tire, a nd then transmits
th is information to the tire p ress ure monitor ·
ing system. If yo u are going to replace the
whee l rims on your veh icle, make sure the new
rims also have these sensors . The sensors
must be compatib le with the t ire pressure
monito rin g sys tem on your vehicle .
If you install rims, wh ic h do not have the sen­
sors, or have senso rs which are not compati­
ble , then the t ire p ressure monitoring system
will not wor k prope rly. In t his case, the tire
pressure monitor ing system wou ld no t be
able to moni tor the tire pressure or warn yo u
i f i t is necessary .
- The battery inside of t he tire pressure sen­
sor has a limited se rvice life .
- Always dr ive with the va lve stem caps se­
curely mounted . We recommend using fac­
t o ry installed valve stem caps. As k yo ur au­
t hori zed A udi dealer to rep lace lost valve
stem caps .
•
•

196 Tire s and wheel s
The insta llation of replacement tires with
steel cord body plies in the tire sidewall may
cause ma lfunction of the tire pressure mon i­
toring system, and is not recommended (cord material information in molded on the t ire
sidewall) .
A lways check your tire pressure monitoring
system ind icator after replacing one or more
tires on your vehicle. If the tire pressure mon i­
toring system ind icator flashes, or is on, your
system is not work ing properly.
A WARNING
- Us ing incorrect or unmatched ti res and/
o r wheels or imp roper tire and whee l
c ombin ations can lead to loss of contro l,
co llision and serious persona l injury.
- Always use tires, rims and wheel bo lts
that meet the specifications of or ig inal
f ac to ry-installed t ires or other combina ­
tions that have been spec ifically ap­
proved by the vehicle manufacturer .
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, es pecially at high
speeds. Tires 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 tires on your vehicle if
you a re not sure of their "previous histo­ ry." Old used tires may have been dam­
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle control.
- Only t he wheel/tire s izes spec ified by t he
ma nufactu rer may be used o n veh icles
with all-wheel dr ive.
- N ever drive faste r th an the maxim um
speed for whi ch the tires o n your ve hicle
are ra ted because ti res that are driven
f as ter than their rated speed can fail
s u dden ly .
- Overloading t ires cause heat build- up,
s u dden tire failure, incl uding a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control. -
Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un­
derinflated.
- For technica l 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 model.
- Do not use run-flat tires on yo ur vehicle.
Using run-flat t ires ca n lead to veh icle
damage or crashes .
@ Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the w heel rims from oth­
er ve hicles . Th is can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type .
- If you should put different wheels and
tires on your veh icle (e.g . winter wheels
and tires), you must be certain that the
wheels and tires are compatible with the ti re pressure monitor ing system. Other ­
w ise the system will regi ste r a mal func­
t ion and a fa ult message w ill be dis­
played. For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer.
(D Note
- When installing new tires, be care ful not
to damage the va lves or tire pressure
monitoring system sensors.
- N ever drive without the valve stem cap.
The va lves co uld get damaged.
- If the sensors must be replaced, then
the valve must also be replaced at the
same time .
@ For the sake of the environment
Dis pose o f old tires in accordance with the
l ocal requirements .
@ Tips
Tires with the iden tific ation "ROl " have
been specially matched with you r A udi. We
r ecommend using on ly these tires because
they meet the highest standards rega rding
safety and driving characteristics when used correctly . Your authorized Aud i R8

198 Tire s and wheel s
equip a ll four wheels on your vehicle with cor ­
rectly fitted winter tires or all-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected .
This a lso improves the vehicle's braking per­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
W inter t ires (snow t ires) must always be fitted
on all four whee ls .
Compat ible tire pressure mo nitor ing sensors
must be installed on all fo ur winter tires for
the tire pressure monitoring system to func­
tion proper ly
i=;, poge 195 .
Ask your autho rized Aud i dea ler o r qualified
wo rkshop fo r permitted
winter tir e size s . Use
on ly radia l w inte r tires .
W inter t ires lose the ir effectiveness when the
tread is worn down to a depth of 0.157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive with wi nter tires under winter con­
d itions . Summer tires hand le better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C).
Please always remembe r that w inte r tires may
have a lower speed rating than the t ires origi­
na lly installed on your veh icle at the t ime i t
was manufactured. Please see
r=;, page 194 ,
Speed roting (letter code) for a list ing of the
speed rating letter codes and the maximum
speed at which the tires can be driven.
The speed ra ting lette r code
(i=;, poge 185) is
on the s ide wall of the tire
i=;, poge 193.
A WARNING
Winter tires have maximum speed limits
that may be lower than your vehicle's max ­
im um speed . Always know the maxim um
speed before driving off. Never drive faster
than the speed permitted for your specific
w inte r tires . This will cause damage to the
tires leading to an accident and serious
personal in ju ry to you and yo ur passen­
gers.
A WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your veh icle
were designed can cause t ire failure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden deflation,
l oss of cont ro l, crashes and ser ious per­
sonal injuries. Have wo rn o r damaged ti res
r eplaced immedia tely.
- W inte r ti res have maxim um speed rating
tha t may be lower than your vehicle 's
maximum speed.
- Never drive fas ter than the speed for
which the win ter or othe r ti res installed
on yo ur vehicle are rated.
A WARNING ~
A lways ad just your driving to the road and
traffic condit ions. Never let the good ac­
celeration o f the winter tires and a ll-wheel
drive tempt yo u into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive veh icle
handles in the same way as a front drive
veh icle.
- Drive carefully 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 ieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumpt ion.
Snow chains
-
Snow cha ins may be fitted only to the rea r
whee ls, and o nly to certa in tire sizes . Ask your
autho rized Aud i dea le r o n whi ch t ire si zes
snow c hains ca n be used.
T he snow chains must have low-p rofile links
and must not be t hicker than 0 .53 inch
(13 .5 mm), in cl ud ing the lo ck.
Remove wheel center covers before putt ing
snow c ha ins on your vehicle
r=;, @ . For safety
reasons cover caps must then be f itted over

202 Tire s and whee ls
- The tire pressure monitoring system
helps the driver to keep an eye on tire
pressures. But the driver st ill has the re­
spons ibility for maintaining the correct
tire pressure.
- Tire pressure must only be adjusted
when the temperature of the tires is
about the same as ambient air tempera­
ture.
- When t ires are replaced, the sensors and
valves should not be exchanged . The
valve core, nut, valve sealing and seal
washer (rep lacement kit) needs to be re­
placed. If necessary, the valve and the
whee l electronics have to be rep laced.
- The tire pressure monitoring system on
your Audi was calibrated us ing tires w ith
"RO" identification. We recommend us­
ing these tires.
- If you should put different whee ls and
ti res on yo ur vehicle (e.g. w inter wheels
and tires), yo u m ust be certain that the
whee ls and tires are compatible with the
tire pressure monitoring system . Other­
wise the system w ill reg ister a ma lfunc­
tion and a fault message will be d is­
played . For more information, contact
your authorized Audi dealer .
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions
~ page 222 .
Programming a new set of tires
App lies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
When driving with a new set of ti res, you can
program them to the t ire pressure monitoring
system using the menu disp lay.
"' Turn the ign ition on.
"' Se lect the menu :
Set> Tir e pr essu re >
Wh eel cha ng e.
"' Co nfirm that you wou ld like to begin the
programming process. The message
Wh eel
s en sors a re being in it ia lised. Thi s ma y ta ke
a fe w minute s .. .
appears in the instrument
cluster disp lay. You can switch between programmed tire sets
at any time without reinitializing the system .
(D Tips
If the programming process was not com­
pleted successfully, the message
Wheel
s en sors could not be initi alis ed
appears in
the disp lay and the
IIQIS, indicator light
turns on. If this happens, repeat the pro­
cedure.

Tightening wheel bolts
~ Fit the wheel bolt wren ch over the wheel
bolt and push it down as far as it will go
1l.
~ Close your gr ip around the end of the
wrenc h handle fo r maximum torque and
turn each whee l bolt
clockwi se u nti l it sits
t ight.
H ave the
tightening torque of the whee l bolts
checked as soon as possible with a torque
wrench. It shou ld be 120 Nm.
Chec k the
tir e pre ssure as soon as possible .
Return the vehicle tool kit to its proper place .
A WARNING
Loosening the wheel bo lts is prohib ited;
da nger of an accident!
@ Tips
- Never try and use the hexagona l socke t
i n the handle of the screwdr iver to loos­
en or tighten the w heel bolts.
- If yo u have dete rm ined t hat wheel bolts
a re cor roded and difficult to t urn, the
bo lts must be rep laced befo re checking
the to rque.
- Unti l the tig hte ning torque is checked,
d rive at redu ced speeds as a precaution .
Notes on wheel change
Please read the information ¢ page 193, New
tires and replacing tires and wheels ,
if you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on you r veh icle.
Afte r you change a tire :
- Check the tire pressure on the spare imme­
diately after mounting.
- Have the wheel bolt t ightening torque
chec ked w ith a torq ue wrench as soon as
poss ib le by your author ized A udi dealer or a
qualified service sta tion .
1) You need t he appro pria te adapte r to t ig hte n th e an ti­
t h eft whee l bolt s
c:> page 206 .
What do I do now? 209
- With stee l and alloy wheel rims, the whee l
bolts are correctly tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (120 Nm) .
- If you notice while changing a tire that the
wheel bo lts are corroded and difficu lt to
turn, then they shou ld be rep laced before
you check the tightening torque.
- Replace the flat tire with a new one and
have it installed on your vehicle as soon as
possible . Remount the wheel cover.
Until then , d riv e with e xtra care and at re­
duced speeds.
A WARNING
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were facto ry installed, then be
sure to read the information ¢
page 193,
New tires and replacing tir es and
wheels.
- Always sto re the tools secu rely in lug­
gage compartment. Othe rwise, in a n ac­
cident o r su dden maneuver they cou ld fly
forwdrd, CciU5ing injury to pd55enger5 in
the vehicle.
(D Note
Do not use comme rcially avai lab le tire
sea lants . Otherwise, the e le ctr ic al compo­
nen ts of t he tire p ressu re monitoring sys­
tem * wi ll no longe r work proper ly and the
sensor fo r the tire pressure mon itor ing
system will have to be rep laced by a quali­
fied workshop.
Jump-starting
General
If necessary, the engine can be started by
connecting it to the battery of another vehi­
cle.
If the engi ne should fail to start because of a
discharged or weak battery, the battery can be
II>
•
•

214 Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel @
Consumer
Automatically dimming in-
side mirror, garage door
8 opener (Homel
ink), washer
pump relay, power outlets
relay
10
[ru button
11 Pressure sensor, climate
controls
12 Airbag
Fuse panel @
No . II Consumer
II
1 Radiator fan (1)
Radia
tor fan (2)
Exterior lighting
4 Exterior lighting
6 Blower regulator
Fuse panel@
No . II Consumer
II
1 Rear view camera
2
Tire pressure monitoring
system
4 Cell phone package, te
le-
phone antenna amplifier
5 Instrument cluster
6 Networking gateway
7 Steering column lever
8
Diagnostic interface, brake
pedal switch, selector lever
9 Rain/light sensor
10 Light switch
11 Special functions control
module
15 Sound amplifier
Radio
Fuse panel E
No. Consumer
3 Auxiliary water pump
5 Supply terminal 15, starter
Amps
10
10 5
5
Amps
40 40
40
40
40
Amps
5
10
7.5 5
5
5
10 5
5
5
30
20
Amps
10
30
Fuse panel @
No. Consumer
6 Pump for brake booster
7 Horn
8 Wiper motor
9 Wiper motor
10 Headlight washer system
12 Power outlets and cigarette
lighter
Fuse panel
®
No. !!Consumer
1 Electronic Stabi lity Control
2 Electronic Stability Control
4
5
6 Rear
window defogger
Power locking system
Interior lights, washer noz­
zles
Anti-theft alarm system
Climate controls
Heated seats
10 Lumbar support
11 Control module for doors
12 Control module for doors
Bulbs
Note
Amps
15
20
30
30
30
20
ll Amps ,
10
25
30
20
20
5
10
25
10
30
10
Your vehicle is equipped with maintenance­
free headlights and rear lights. However, if a
bulb has to be changed, please consult your
authorized Audi dealer or other qualified
workshop.

226 Index
Eng ine
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5
Eng ine compartment lid ... .. .. .... . 170
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 71
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
E ng ine compartment .. ... .. .. ... ... . 17 1
Safety instructions ..... ... .. .. .... . 169
E ng ine compartment lid
C losing ...... ........... .. .. .... . 170
Release lever .......... .. .. .. .. .. . 170
Eng inecoolantsystem ............... 175
Malfunct io n .................. ..... 15
Tempe ratu re ga uge .................. 9
Eng ine data ........................ 217
E ng ine oil ... .. . .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 17 2
Adding ..... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 174
Additives ... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 174
Check ing the eng ine o il level . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Dry sump lubrication ............... 149
Indications and condit ions req uiring ex-
tra check ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
o·t t· 1 consump 10n .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 173
O il grades .. .......... ...... ... .. . 172
Specif ication and vi scos ity ... ... .. .. . 17 2
T empe ratu re d ispl ay ................. 8
Eng ine oil level ................. ..... 18
Engine oi l pressure (malfunction) ... .. . . 14
E ng ine o il sensor defective .. .. .. .. .. . . 18
Eng ine speed limitat ion ..... .. .. .... .. 17
E nvi ronment
Cata lytic conve rter ..... ... .. .. .... . 150
Fu el . .. .... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... . 166
Un leaded fuel .............. .. .... . 164
E PC
refer to Electronic power control . . . . . . 17
ESC (Elec tronic S tability Control)
War ning/ indica to r lights ....... .. .... 16
Event Data Recorder ( EDR) ... .... .... . 142
E xha ust tail p ipes
C leaning .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 15 8
E xp ansion ta nk .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. . 176
E xterior mirrors
Ad justing .. .. . .......... .. .. .... .. 57
o· . 1mming ... ............... ...... .. 56
H eating .. ................. ...... .. 57
F
Fan ... ... .. .... .. ... .. .. ..... ... .. . 67
Fasten ing
Boos ter seats .. .. .. ........ ...... . 137
Co nvertib le child safety seats ........ 136
Infan t se ats ... .. ... .......... .... 135
Flat bed truck ..... .......... ....... 212
Flat tire Changi ng ..... .. .... ...... ... .. .. 206
Floo r ma ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Folding top
Care and cleaning . ................. 156
Foot peda ls ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 96
F o r th e sake of the envi ronment
Gasoline fumes and the e nvir onme nt .. 166
L etting your eng ine warm up . ... .. .. . 71
Ref ueling ..... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 166
Front a irbags
Des cription .. .. .. ... .......... .. .. 113
How they wor k ................ .... 118
Frontal collis io ns and the laws of phys ics 103
Front lid
Emergency release .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 37
light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Power locking system .......... ..... 37
Trunk escape handle ... ....... ... .. 203
F ront passenger
refer to Seating position . . . . . . . . . 92, 93
F ron t seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Childrest rain tsinthefrontseat ......
111
Front towing loop .................. . 212
Fuel Additives ......................... 164
B lended gaso line .............. .... 164
Current fuel mileage ................ 24
Filler neck ... .. .. .. ... ....... ... .. 16S
Fuel supply too low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Gasoli ne addit ives ................ . 165
O ctane rat ing .. .. ... .......... .... 164
Recommendation .............. .. .. 164
Ref ueling ..... .. ... .. ..... .... . .. 166
Reserve ... .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. . 10
Tank capac ity .... ... .. ..... ... .. .. 217
Unlocking the fuel fi ller flap by hand .. 167
F uel gauge . .. .. .. ............. .... . 10
Fuel range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

228 ~l :..:.: nd ~e ~x :._ ______________________________ _
Introduction ..... ......... ... .... .. 27
Resuming timing .......... ... .... .. 29
Selecting . ................. ..... .. 27
Starting timing .......... .... ...... 27
Switching to the trip computer .. .... .. 28
L aunch Contro l Program
Manual transmission ....... ... .... . . 77
R tronic . ... ................ ..... .. 80
L eather . ...... ........... .... .... . 160
C leaning . .. ............. .... .. .. . 161
leaving home .............. ... .. .. .. 49
Lifting jack .. ................ ..... . 207
Light coming/ leaving home ....... .. .. .. . . 49
Exterior lighting .................... 49
Light/rain sensor Light sensor package .......... .. .... 49
W iper and washer system (intermittent
wiping) .. .. ............. .. .. .. .. .. 53
Light/rain sensor defective ........ .. .. 19
Lights Instrument panel illumination .... .. .. 52
switching on and off ........ .. .... .. 49
L ight sensor package ......... .. .. .. . . 49
Loading the luggage compartment .. .... 96
Locking ..................... ..... .. 35
Power locking system ..... .. .. .. .. . . 35
L uggage compartment ...... .. .. .. .. . . 53
Emergency exit ........... .. .. .... . 203
light . ..... ................ ..... .. 53
Loading .... ................ ..... .. 96
M
Maintenance ................. ..... . 219
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) 17, 22
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever ............. .. .... .. 77
Launch Control Program ... .. .. .... .. 77
Matte finish paint .............. .... . 155
Menu button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mirror Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Mirrors
Activating the digital compass ........ 57
Adjusting the exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . 5 7
dimming .. .... .. ............. .... . 56
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 120
N
Natural leather .. .. ............. .... 160
New tires and wheels ............ .... 193
NHTSA Contacting . ..... ................ .. 97
No reverse gear .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. .. . 19
Number of seats . .. ............. .... 101
0
Octane rating ..... ................ . 164
Odometer .. .... .. ............. .... . 10
Oil
refer to E ngine oil ................ . 172
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) Data Link Conn ector (DLC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) .... . 22
Open door or front lid warn ing .... .. .. . 21
Optional equipment Marked with an aster isk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Outside mi rrors
refer to Exterior mirrors .... .... .. .. . 57
Outside temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Owner's manual How the Owner's Manual is organized . .. 5
p
Paint
Touch-up ...... .. .......... ...... . 157
Paint No .... .. .. .. ... ...... .... .... 215
Parking on a decline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
on an incline ..... .................. 73
R tronic ....... .. ............. ..... 79
Parking brake . .. .. ............. .. .. . 72
Parking b rake warning ........... .. .. . 13
Parking system advanced ......... ..... 82
Adjusting the display .............. .. 86
Adjusting the warning tones .......... 86
Parallel Parking ............... .... . 85