2012 AUDI S8 towing

102 Audi side assist
- Side assist is not active wh ile you are
making the adjus tment.
- Your settings are automatica lly sto red
and ass igned to the remote control key
being used.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
If side ass ist switches off by itse lf, t he LED in
the butto n tur ns off a nd a message will ap­
pea r in the instr ume nt cl uster d is p lay:
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable. No
sensor vision
The radar se nsors' vision is affected. Do not
cover the area in front of the senso rs wi th bike
wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects. Clean
the area in front of the sensors, if necessary
c::;, page 100, fig. 104 .
Audi side assist : Currently unavailable
Side assis t ca nno t be swi tched o n tem porar ily
beca use there is a mal function (for exam ple,
the battery cha rge leve l may be too low) .
Audi side assist: System fault!
The system cannot guara ntee that it w ill de­
t e ct ve hicl es co rrec tly a nd it is sw itche d off .
The senso rs have been displaced o r a re faulty.
H ave the sy stem che cke d by an au thor ized A u­
di d eal er o r aut horiz ed Au di Servi ce Fa cili ty
s o on.
Audi side assist : Unavailable when towing .
Side assist switches off aut omatically whe n a
factory -insta lled trailer h itch is connected to
the el ectrical connector on the trailer. There is
no guara ntee the system will switc h off whe n
usi ng a retrofi tt ed traile r h itch . Do not use
side assis t when towing a tra iler .

104 Audi dri ve sele ct
surface o f the tires, which is the outer
circumference. Securing the vehicle at
the axle components, s uspension struts
or towing eyes is not perm itted because
the pressure in the air suspension struts
can change during transport. The veh icle
may not be secured suff ic iently if this
happens .
- If you are go ing to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operat ion mode
¢page 199.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
auto
and dynamic modes.
- Selecting the
dynamic mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear position engages automati cally.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*,
operating noise is heard when starting or
stopp ing the eng ine . Th is does not ind i­
cate a problem.
- In vehicles with sport differential*, the
dynam ic mode is deactivated whe n tow­
i ng a traile r.
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose be tween Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual.
Fi g. 106 MM!: D rive se lect
.,. To se lect the mode, select the following in
the MMI :
I CARI function button> Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Indi vidu al.
You can change the driving mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or while driving . If traffic
permits, after changing modes, briefly take
your foot off the accelerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is also activated for
the engine.
comfort -provides a comfort-oriented vehicle
setup and is suited for long drives on high­
ways.
auto -provides an overall comfortable yet dy­
nam ic driving feel and is suited for every day
use.
d yna mi c -gives the vehicle a sporty driving
feel and is suited to a sporty driving style .
individual -¢ page 105.
A WARNING
Pay attention to traffic when operating Au­
d i drive select to prevent potential risk of
an accide .nt.

To shift from N to D when traveling at speeds
be low S km/h, press the brak e pedal and se­
lect the D se lector lever position
~ .& .
Unde r certain conditions such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trailer , it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporarily
to sh ift
manually to adapt to the driv ing con­
ditions
r:=:> page 112.
S -Sport
The 5 position can be selected fo r sporty driv­
ing. Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use
of the engine's power.
You can only select the S selector lever posi­
tion when Dis engaged . Move the selector
l ever back to engage the 5 selector lever posi ­
tion. To select the D sel ector lever position
again when 5 is engaged, move the selector
lever back
r:=:> .&.
The 5 selector lever position engages auto­
matica lly when you select the dynamic mode
in Audi drive se lect .
A WARNING
-Never engage R or P wh ile driving. It
could cause a crash.
-
- Power is still transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake in all
selector lever positions except P and N
when the eng ine is running. Do not inad­
vertent ly press the accelerator pedal
when the vehicle is stationary . Otherwise
the vehicle will start to move immediate­
ly. This cou ld happen even if the parking
brake is activated .
- Before opening the hood, select the P se­
lector lever position and set the parking
brake. This reduces the risk of a crash . A l­
ways read and follow the applicable
warnings
r:=:> page 213, Engine compart­
ment.
- Never get out of the driver's seat when
the engine is running.
Automatic Transmission 111
-If you must get out of the vehicle , move
the selector lever secure ly into the P po­
sition and apply the parking brake firmly.
@ Tips
- If you unintentionally shift into the N se­
lector lever position while driving, take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wa it for the engine to slow down until it
is idling before you sh ift into Dor 5.
Driving tips
The gears shif t automa tically.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine
r:=:>page 80.
.. Press the b utton on the s elector lever and
select the D, 5 or R se lector lever position
r:=:> page 109 .
.. Wait a moment until the transmiss ion
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
"" Release the brake peda l and press the accel­
erator pedal
r:=:> &, .
Stopping temporarily
.. Press the brake pedal to stop the veh icle,
for example at a traffic light. Do not press
the acce lerator pedal when doing this.
"" To prevent the vehicle from rolling when
you start driving, set the parking brake
when stopp ing on large inclines
r:=:> &, .
.,. Th e parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerato r pedal.
Parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could roll . The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
.. Press and hold the bra ke peda l¢ &, .
"" Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P se lector lever position,
press the button on the selector lever and
shift into the P position
r:=:> page 109 .

The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem­
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair fa­
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected .
[O];lij Gearbox malfunction: you can contin·
ue driving in D only until engine is off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emer­
gency mode. If you turn the engine
off, you
will not be able to select any other selector
l ever positions after starting the engine again.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or quali­
fied repai r facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving {limited functionality)
There is a system ma lfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. The
engine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Au­
di dealer or qualified repa ir facility immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
[o]tlij Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emer ­
gency mode. This mode only shifts into cer­
tain gears or will not longer shift at all. You
cannot engage the reverse gear. Drive to your
author ized Audi dealer immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The parking lock was released using the
emergency release
r=:> page 113. Or
Automatic Transmission 113
- The parking brake cannot engage automati ­
cally . Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualif ied repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
[O] Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not continue dr iving. Select the P selector
lever position and see your authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis­
tance .
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
Fig. 119 Driver 's side footwell: releas ing the park ing
lock using the emergency release
.------------------ -~
Fig. 120 Dr iver"s side footwel l: resett ing the parking
l ock
8 ±
~
The emergency release is located under the
floor mat on the driver's side. You operate the
emergency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling uninten­
tionally, set the parking brake©
r=:> page 82
or press the brake pedal.
.,. There are two slits on the cover. Posit ion
the screwdriver from the veh icle tool kit in
Ill-

130 Driving Saf ely
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
~ Make sure that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals¢ ,&..
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
u nobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot s lip out of position . You can
obtain sui table floor mats from your author­
ized A udi Dea ler.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
F loor mats used in your vehicle must be at­
tached to these fasteners. Properly secur ing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into pos itions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
_& WARNING
Pedals that canno t move freely can resu lt
in a loss of vehicle contro l and increase the
risk of se rious personal injury.
- Always make su re that floor mats are
properly secured .
- Never place o r insta ll floo r ma ts or other
floo r coverings in the vehicle tha t cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering with
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or insta ll floo r mats or other
floor coverings on top of a lready insta l­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings w ill reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
peda ls.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
-Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driverfootwe ll wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become trapped under the brake pedal and acce
l­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop· erly stowed and secured in the luggage com·
partment.
Loose items in the luggage compa rtment can
shift suddenly, chang ing vehicle handling
c h aracteristics. Loose items can a lso increase
the risk of ser ious persona l inju ry in a sudden
vehicle maneuver o r in a co llision.
~ Distribute the load eve nly in the luggage
compa rtment.
~ Always pla ce and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forwa rd as possible.
~ Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid·
ed
¢ page 66, Luggage compartment .
A WARNING
-Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak·
i ng or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of ser ious perso nal in ju ry:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compa rtment using the t ie-down hooks
and suitable st raps.
A WARNING
H eavy loads w ill inf luen ce the way yo ur ve­
hicl e ha ndles. To help reduce t he risk of a
l oss of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal
i nj ury :
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen ­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu­
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in­
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op­
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con­
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re­
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac­
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip­
ment.
Electronic Stability
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 187
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
Ip.] in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in­
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con­
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffi<; and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a veh icle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di­
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
•
•

& WARNING
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut
off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
-
The power steering systems use the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering
system senses the road speed and e lectroni­
cally adjusts power ass istance to provide com­
fortable and safe steering response exactly matched to the veh icle speed.
Power steering wi ll not work if the engine is
off. As a resu lt, the steering whee l wi ll be hard
to turn.
The power steering fluid level is checked dur­ ing the scheduled maintenance services.
(D Note
I f there is an electronic malfunct ion, ser­
votronic
will sti ll function like a conven­
tional power steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
longer proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeable when turning the steer ing whee l at low speeds (for examp le
when parking), -more effo rt will be re­
qui red than usual.
- Be awa re of the different than usual
steering response and adjust your stee r­
i ng fo rce accord ingly.
- Have the p roblem checked and set right
by an Aud i dealer as soon as possib le .
Int ellig ent technolog y 191
(D Tips
-When the engine is running, never ho ld
the steering wheel turned all the way to
the right or to the left for longer than 15
seconds. The power steering pump will
overheat the hydrau lic fluid if you keep
holding the stee ring wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering system.
- If the powe r stee ring system should fa il
entire ly, o r if the e ngine is not run ning
(for example, wh ile be ing towed), you
w ill still be able to stee r the veh icle.
However,
considerably more effor t will
be required to do so .
- If the power stee ring system sho uld
have a lea k, or is not functioning proper ­
ly, contact your authorized A udi dealer
immediately.
- The power steering system req uires a
specially formu lated hydra ulic fluid. The
power steering fluid reservoir is located
in the engine compartment
Q page 221.
The correct fluid level in the reservoir is
important for proper functioning of the
powe r stee ring.
Driving with your
quattro ®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels ore driv­
en.
General information
Wi th A ll Wheel Drive, power is dis tributed to
all four w heels. This happens automatically
depend ing on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See a lso
Q page 187.
With the sport different ia l*, power distribu­
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted with Audi drive select*
Qpage 103.
Always read and follow safety precautions
Q&_ ,
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
A ll Wheel Drive has an advantage, even w ith
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may ..,. •
•

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trai ler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and d riving instr uctions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operat ion mode
~ page 199, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitc h co nforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trailer
hi tch wit h a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with t he trail er hitch ma nufactur er to
make sure tha t you are using the corre ct
hi tch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitc h must be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfere with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumpe r sys tem. No mod ifica tio ns should
be made to the vehicle exh aust a nd brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolts remain securely fastened.
W hen you are not towing a trail er, remove the
traile r hitch ball mount. Th is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from behind ¢& .
Trailer towin g 199
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a br akin g sys ­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
r egulations .
T he trailer hy draul ic brak e sys tem mus t not be
direc tly connec ted to the vehi cle' s h ydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all regu lations. Be
su re to check with your Audi dealer for cor rect
wir ing, swi tches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
us ing the reg ular o utside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mirrors. It is imp ortant
that you
always have clea r v is ion to the rear.
A WARNING ...__ -
Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
stor e it i n yo ur v ehicl e. In cas e o f sudden
b ra king, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in­
ju re you or your p ass en ger s.
Operating instructions
Fi g. 168 MM I dis pl ay: tow ing mode on
Ma ximum trailer weight
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
ll>