2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

192 Tires and wheels
cargo and lugg age load ca­
pacity is 650 lbs . (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lb s.)
5. De termine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely exceed the a vailable cargo
and luggage lo ad capacity
c alcul ated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a tr ailer , load from your trail­
er w ill be tran sferred to your
vehi cle . Consult this manual
to determine how thi s re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 193 , fig. 151) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
diff erent things i ncluding prop er installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv ·
ing s tyle.
Fig. 150 T ire tread: trea d wea r ind icators (TWI)
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI )
The orig inal tires on yo ur vehi cle ha ve
1/ 16 inch ( 1.6 mm) hig h "wear indic ators"
¢ fig . 150 ru nning acro ss the tread . Depend·
ing on the ma ke , t here will be six to e ight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire . Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the pos itions of the tread
wea r indica to rs. Wor n tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in othe r countries
¢ .&_ .
Tire pressure
Incor rect t ire pressure causes premature wea r
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressu re must be checked at least
o nce a month
¢ page 189 .
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy accele rat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
However, va rious s ituations dur ing eve ryday
driv ing can cause them to become unbal·
anced, resulting in vib rations you can usually
feel th rough the steer ing whee l.
Un balanced w hee ls m ust be rebalance d to
avo id excessive wear on steering, suspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
whe n a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incor rect wheel alig nment can cause exces ­
s ive tire wear , impa iring the sa fety of the vehi ­
cle.
If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment chec ked by an authoriz ed
Audi deal er or qualified wo rksh op.
All-wheel drive
Only the wheel/ti re sizes specif ied by the
manufacture r may be used on veh icles with
all-wheel d rive. For details see
c::> page 147.

What do I do now? Trunk escape handle
Appl ies to vehicles: with trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the front lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle.
.. To open the front lid pull the handle.
The trunk escape handle inside the luggage
compartment is made of fluorescent materia l
to g low in the dark.
.&_ WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency.
Breakdown kit
The breakdown kit consists of vehicle tool kit
and tire mobility system.
Fig. 152 Breakdown kit in luggage compartment
@ Vehicle tool kit
@ Tire mobility system c::> page 203
The breakdown kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor .
The tool kit consists of the following items :
- Hook for removing hub cap
- Lug wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- Towing eye
- Jack* (not a vehicle component; contact your
authorized Audi dealer if needed)
Before returning the jack* to its place, retract
the jack arm fully .
What do I do now ? 203
Note: some of the items listed above are pro­
vided on certain mode ls only or are optional
extras.
.&_ WARNING
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts .
- The jack* (available as a replacement
part) is intended only for your vehicle
model. Under no circumstances use it to
lift heavy vehicles o r other loads; you risk
injuring yourse lf.
- Never start or run the eng ine while the
veh icle is supported by the jack *.
- If you must work under the veh icle, al­
ways use safety stands specifically de­ signed fo r th is purpose.
- Using a bumper jack to ra ise the vehicle
wi ll damage the bumpe r system. The
jack may slip, caus ing injury.
Tire repair
General and safety pointers
Tire repair is intended only for temporary,
short-term use .
Fig. 153 Ti re damage for which the Tire Mob ility Sys ­
tem is not suited
-
Your vehicle is equipped wi th a tire repa ir k it,
the
Tire M obility Sy stem (T M S).
In the event of a t ire failure, the TM S is in the
luggage compartment under the floor.
It con ­
s ists of the tire sealan t and an elec tric air
pump.

212 What do I do now ?
-Please note that the procedure for con ­
necting a jumper cable as described
above applies spec ifically to the case of
your vehicle be ing jump started. When
you are giving a jump start to another ve­
hicle, do
not connect the negative( -) ca­
ble to the negat ive( -) terminal on the
discharged bat tery ©-Instead, securely
con nect the negative( -) cable to either a
solid meta l comp onent that i s firmly
bo lted to the engine b lock or to the en­
gine block itself . If the battery that is be ­
ing charged does not vent to the outside,
escaping battery gas cou ld ign ite and ex ­
plode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow
truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow­
ing.
The following information is to be used by
commercia l tow truck operators who know
how to operate their equipment safe ly.
- Never tow your A udi, towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
around the brake lines.
- To preven t unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a ca r carr ie r (flat
bed truck).
- To load the vehicle on to the flat bed, use
the towing loop fo und in the veh icle tools
and attach to the front anchorage
~ page 212.
A WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas­
senge rs. Never allow anyone to r ide in a
veh icle being towed, for any reason.
(D Note
The vehicle has very low gro und clea rance.
Make sure that no damage is caused to the
-
u nderside of the vehicle when it is being
l oaded onto a f lat bed t ruck .
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop until it is
needed.
Fi g. 162 Righ t front bumper witho ut g rille : Tow ing
l oop
fully screwed in
On t he right fron t in the bumper, there is a
th readed hole behind the air in take grill into
which the towing loop is screwed.
"' Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
t oo l kit
~page 203.
"' Pull the lower part of the gr ill forward and
out .
"' Sc rew the towing loop tightly into the
threaded ho le as far as it wi ll go ¢
fig. 162.
When it is no longer needed, unscrew the
towing loop and put it back into the on -board
toolkit . Make su re to have the towing loop
stored in the vehicle at all times.
When installing t he grill for the air d uct, be
s u re that the tabs on the grill are f irst inse rt­
ed into their guides on the vehicle . Then push
the grill into pos ition.
A WARNING
= If the tow ing loop is not screwed in as far
as it will go, the thread can pull out when
the veh icle is towed -potent ial r is k of an
a ccident.
@ Tips
Check caref ully to make sure the hook-up
i s secure.

Convertible locking retractor
Activating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Using to secure a ch ild safety seat 138, 140
Conve rtible top
E me rgency operation ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 4 3
Er ror message . ... .... ... .. .. .. .... 41
General info rmation ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 40
Indicator light .... .... ... .... .. .. .. 15
Malfunct ion ............. .... .. .. .. 41
Opening/clos ing ............. .... ... 40
Retract ing/extend ing rear w indow ... .. 42
W ind deflector ................ .... . 42
Coolant system ..... ....... .... .. .. . 175
Adding coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Checking the eng ine coolant leve l ... .. 176
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Changing speed ... .... ... .. .. .. .... 74
Deactivating ............. .... .. .... 75
Driving in co ntrol mode .... .. .. .. .. .. 74
Sw itching
off temporarily .. .. .. .. .. .. 75
War ning/ indicato r lights ...... .... ... 20
Cup holder ... .... ...... ... .. .. .. .... 61
Curren t fuel mileage 24
D
Damping
ref er to Audi magnetic ride . .. .. .. .. .. 75
Data .. .. .. .. ................. .. ... 217
D ata recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Date display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Daytime r unning lights ... ... .. .. .. .. .. 49
D eclaration o f comp liance
Cell phone package ....... .. .. .. .. . 222
E lect ronic immobilize r .. ... .. .. .. .. . 22 2
Homelink ® universal remote control .. 222
Remote control key .... ... .. .. .. .. . 222
Tire pressure monitoring system .. .. . 222
de f ... .. .. .. ................. .. .... 10
Defective light bulb warning . . . . . . . . . . . 18
D efrosting the windows .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 68
D etermi ning cor rect load limit . .. .. .. . 19 1
Dig ita l compass ........... .. .. .. .. .. 57
D imensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216, 21 8
Dimming the rearv iew mirro r . . . . . . . . . . 56
Dipstick ... .. ............. .... .. ... 174
Inde x 225
Distance ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 24
Doors Emergency loc king ................. . 36
Driver informat ion system
Menu butto n .. .. .. . ... ...... ... .. . 26
Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Open door or front lid warn ing ...... .. 21
Outs ide temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . 21
Red symbo ls . .. .. .... ............. . 11
Serv ice interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
S etting ... .. .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 26
Sound system disp lay .. ..... ... .. .. . 21
Trip computer . ...... .. .. ..... ... .. . 23
yellow symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Driver seat
refer to Seating position . . . . . . . . . 92 , 93
D rivi ng safely . .. .... .......... ...... 91
Driving through water ........... .... 150
Dry sump lubrica tion ... ......... .. .. 149
Duplicate key . .. .... .......... ...... 32
D ust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
E
Elapse d time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
E lectr ical voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
E lectronic differential lock (EDL) ... .. .. 142
Warning/ind icator lights ........ .. .. . 16
El ec tronic immob ilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 33
E lectronic power control
E PC war ning/ indicator light ........ .. 17
E lectronic Stab ility Control (ESC) ... .. .. 142
Warning/ind icator lights .......... .. . 16
Emergen cy fl ashe r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SO
Warning/ind icator lights ..... ... .. .. . 20
Emergency key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
E me rgency locking . .. ........... .... . 36
Emergency oper ation
C onvertib le top . ... .. ... ..... ... .. . 43
Emergency release Front lid ........ .. ..... ........... 37
Emergency starting ................. 209
Emergency towing . .... ......... .. .. 212
Energy ma nagement . .............. . 147
Battery power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
D rive r notification .. ........... .... 148
•
•

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

Index 231
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Trip comp ute r . .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 23
Tire mobility system ............. .... 203 Tr ip odomete r .. ... .. ................ 10 •
Tire pressure . ............. .... .. .. . 189 Turn signals . .. .. .. ............... .. . 51 •
Tire pressure monitor ing system .. .. .. . 200 Warning/ind icator lights ........ .... . 20
Sensors .... .... .. .... ... .. .. .. ... 195
Tires and whee ls . ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 195 U
Valves ..... .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. ... 195
Warn ing/ indicator light .... .. .. .. .. .. 20
T ire repai r kit ............. .... .. .. . 203
Tires ....... ... ................ .... 183
Pressu re ... ... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 200
Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193, 195
Service life . ............. .. .. .. .. . 19 2
Speed rating let ter code ... .. .. .. .. . 194
Tire manufacturing date ... .. .. .. .. . 194
Tire pressure monitoring system . ... . 200
Tire specifications ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 194
Tread depth .. ........... .. .. .. ... 192
Uniform t ire quality grading .. .. .. .. . 197
W inter t ires ............. .... .. ... 197
Tires/Whee ls
L ow aspect ratio tires ... ... .. .. .. .. .
199
Tires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. .. . 190
Tires and whee ls
Checking tire pressure ..... .. .. .. .. . 189
Cold tire i nflat ion pressure ..... ... .. 187
D . . 1mens1ons
........... ...... .... . . 193
Gener al notes ............ .... .. .. . 183
Glossa ry of t ire and load ing te rm inolo-
gy ...... .. .... ........... .. .. .. .
184
N ew tires and wheels ... ... .. .. .. .. . 193
Replacing .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 194
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Tire pressure monitoring system .. .. . 195
Tires and vehicle load lim its .. .. .. .. . 190
Wheel bolts ..... .. ...... .. .. .. .. . 199
W inte r tires .......... ...... .... .. 197
Tire serv ice life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Tool kit ... .. ................. .. ... 203
Touch-up paint ............ .... .. ... 157
Towing
Tow truck procedures ... ... .. .. .. .. .
2 12
Tow ing loop .. ............. .... .. .. . 2 12
Transm ission
Manual transmission ...... .. .. .. .. ..
77
Transport Canada ... .... ... .. .. .. .... 98
Tread Wear Indicato r (TWI) .. .. .. .. .. . 19 2
Unfastening safety belts 106
Uni directional tires . .. ........... .. .. 183
Uni form tire quality grading ...... .. .. 197
U niversa l Radio-Frequency Remo te Control
(Homelink ®) . ... .. .. . ... ...... ... .. .
88
Unl ocking .. .. .. .. ................. . 35
Power locking system .......... .. .. . 35
V
Vanity mir ro r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Vehicle-care products ............ .. .. 153
Vehicle electri ca l sys tem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Vehicle Identificat ion Number (VIN) .... 215
Vehicle jack ... .. .... . ... ...... ... .. 207
Vehicle lite ratu re .. ................. .. 4
Vehicle tool kit .. .. ............. ....
203
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Voltmete r display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
w
Warning/indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
Anti- lock b rake system (ABS) ....... .. 16
B ra ke system .. .. ................. . 13
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Elec tronic power con trol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) ... .. . 16
Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Malfunction Ind icator Lamp (MIL) .. .. . 17
Parking brake .. .. ................. . 13
Safety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Safety systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Tire pressure mon itoring system . . . . . . 20
Turn signals . .. .. .. ... ....... ...... 20
Warning/Indicator lights
Rear spo iler . .. .. ................. .
19
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Red symbo ls in the center display ... .. . 11
Ye llow symbo ls in the center display ... 12