2013 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET traction control

86 Transmi ssion
Transmission
multitronic ®, S tronic ®,
tiptronic
Introduction
Appl ies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
The automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically. The transmission ups hifts or down­
shifts automatically depending on which drive program is se lected.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission se lects the most economical
driving mode. It wi ll then change up early and
de lay the downshifts to g ive better f uel econ­
omy.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode after a k ick-down or when the dr iver uses a
sporty driv ing style characterized by qu ick ac­
celerator peda l movements, heavy accelera­
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed .
If desired, the driver can a lso sel ect the gears
manually (tiptronic mode ) q page 86.
Various a utomatic transmissions may be in ­
stalled, depend ing on the mode l:
multitronic ® transmission
The mult it ron ic® transm ission is a co nti nuous ­
l y var iable transmission. Power is transferred
using a m ultidisk clutch. In contrast to con­
ventiona l automatic transmissions using sh ift­
ing operat ions, the transmission ratio in the
continuously variable transm ission is changed
continuously. This optimizes the comfort level
and conserves fuel.
S tronic ® transmission
The 5 tronic ® is a d ual-clutch transmission .
Power is transferred using two clutches that
work independently from one another. They
replace the to rque conve rter used in conven­
tional automa tic transm iss ions and allow the
ve hicle to acc elerate without a noticeable in­
ter ruption in traction.
tiptronic transmission
In the t ipt ro ni c transm iss ion, powe r is trans­
f erred by a torque converter .
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
i--...~~-----------..,.-~ -... N
N
N
" :ll
Fig. 96 Display in t he inst ru m ent cluster: selecto r lever
in pos ition P
The selector leve r pos ition engaged appea rs
next to the se lector lever as well as in the in­
strument cluster d isp lay.
P -Park
In this se lector lever posi tion the transmis ­
sio n is mechanica lly loc ked. Engage P o nly
whe n the vehicle is
completely stopped q .&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page
89.
To shift i n or out of posit ion P, yo u must first
press and ho ld the bra ke pedal and then press
the re lease b utton in the selector lever hand le
whi le movi ng the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of th is position only with the
ignition o n.
R - Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed q .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page
89.
Befo re you move the se lector lever to R, press
both the release button in the hand le of the
select or lever
and the brake peda l at the same
t ime .
When the ignition is on, the bac kup lights illu­
minate when t he selector lever is moved into
R. 1111-

when there is no possibility of over-rev­
ving the engine.
- When the kick-down comes on, the
transmission will shift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine
speeds.
- Tiptronic is inoperative when the trans­
mission is in the fail-safe mode.
Kick-down
App lies to vehicles: with multit ro ni c/S tronic/t ipt ronic
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
Applies to veh icle s with a multitronic ®
transmi ssion
When you dep ress the accelerato r pedal be ­
yond the resistance point, the transmission downshifts into a lower gear ratio depending
on the vehicle speed and engine speed. As
long as the accelerator peda l is depressed, the
engine speed is automat ically regulated for
maximum acceleration.
Appli es t o ve hicles with a S t ronic ®-/ ,
ti ptron ic transmi ssi on
When you depress the accelerator pedal be­
yond the resistance po int, the automat ic
transmission downshifts into a lower gear, de­ pending on vehicle speed and engine speed .
The upshift into the next higher gea r takes
p lace once the maxim um spec ified eng ine
speed is reached .
A WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if kick-down is used on a smooth slippery
road -there is a risk of skidding.
Launch Control Program
App lies to vehicles: with S tro nic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop.
Requirement: The engine must be at operat ­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned.
Tran sm iss ion 9 1
"" Press the I~ OFF ! button ¢ page 181 while
the engine is running. The
fl indicator light
illum inates in the instrument cl uster and
Traction control (A SR): Off. Warning! Re­
stricted stability appears in the driver infor­
mation system display .
"" Move the selector lever to the D/S pos it io n
or select the dynamic driv ing mode in drive
select* ¢
page 108.
"" Press t he brake pedal s trongly wi th you r left
foot and ho ld it down for at leas t 1 second .
... At the same time, press the accelerator
peda l down comp lete ly with your right foot
until the eng ine reaches and maintains a
high RPM.
"" Remove your foot from the brake pedal
w ith in S seconds ¢.& .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the traffic
f low.
- Only use the Launch Cont ro l Program
when road and t raff ic conditions a llow it
a nd other drivers w ill not be endangered
or annoye d by your dr iving and the vehi ­
cle's acceleration.
- Ple ase no te th at the d riving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ASR is switched off, especially
when the road is s lippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you sho uld
switch the ASR back on by pressing the
I ~ OFFI button.
(D Tips
- T he transmission temperature m ay in ­
crease s ignificantly after using the
La unch Control P rogram . If that hap­
pens, the prog ram may not be availab le
for a few m inutes. It will be ava ilable
again after a cool-down per iod.
- When accelerating using the La unch
Contro l program, a ll vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. Th is can result in
increased wear .

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 Stabilization
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 179
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
JjJ 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.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in­
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
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.
•
•

184 Intelligent technology
_& WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repaired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
(D Tips
- If the . or
'-r,ij indicator light only stays
on for a short time, you may continue
driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to¢
page 107.
Driving with your
quattro®
App lies to vehicles: with all-wheel dr ive
-
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See also
¢ page 179.
A center differential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear axle . It
works together with selective wheel torque control, which activates when driving through
curves
c> page 180. With the sport differen­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with drive select
c:>page 107.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
high engine power . Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions ¢
&.
Winter tires
When driving in the winter , your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea­
son tires) for
improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on all four
wheels. See also ¢ page 242, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 243, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
c> page 238, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off·Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
c:> page 187.
_& WARNING
-Always adjust your driving to road and traf-
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks .
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. Always drive at speeds which are suited to the road con­
ditions - risk of crash .

238 Tires and w hee ls
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel dri ve
Vehicles w ith quattro ® must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type. F or detai ls see
¢ page 184 .
.8, WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a veh icle 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 risk of "hydrop lan ing" 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 with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are 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 of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 186 Tir e specificat ion c odes on t he s idewall o f a
t ire
N o. Descri ption
(!) Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nom inal width of tire in millimeters
@ Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
@ L oad index and speed rating
(J) U.S. DOT tire identification number
@ Audi Orig inal tire
@ Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply compos ition and mate rials
used
Maximum load rating
Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
Maximum permissible inflation pres­
sure
T he t ires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle 's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,..

24 0 T ire s and wheel s
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)l)
Z over 149 mph (240 km/h)ll
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
1l
Y up to 186 mph (298 km/h)ll
Your vehicle is norma lly factory equipped with
tires, which possess excellent driving charac­
teristics and give your Audi opt imum driving
comfort. An electronic speed limiter
c::> page 29 w ill normally prevent your vehicle
from go ing faste r than the tire speed rating
¢ & .
U.S . DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
and tire manufacture date
This is the t ire's "serial number". It beg ins
with the lette rs "DO T" and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or letters indica te the p lant where it
was manufactured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of manufacture .
F or examp le, the numbers 2212 mean that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2012 . The other numbers are marketing co­
des that may or may not be used by the tire
manufacturer . This information is used to con ­
tact consumers if a tire defect requires a re­
call.
Audi Original tire
Tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or "RO" have
been spec ially matched with your Aud i. We
recommend using only these tires because
they meet the highest standards regard ing
safety and d riving character istics when used
correctly. Yo ur au tho riz ed Audi dealer will
g lad ly provide you with more information.
Tire ply composition and materials used
The number of pl ies ind icates the numbe r of
l ayers of rubber-coated fabric in the t ire. In
general, the g rea ter the numbe r of p lies, the
mo re weig ht a t ire can support. Tire man ufac ­
turers a lso must indicate the materials in the
ll For tir es w it h a m ax im um spee d ca pabil ity ove r
1 4 9 mp h (2 40 k m/h) , t ire ma nufact urers somet imes
u se the lette rs "ZR. "
tir e, which include stee l, nylon, po lyester, and
others .
Maximum Load Rating
This number ind icates the maximum load in
k ilog rams and po unds t hat can be ca rr ied by
the tire .
Tire quality grading for treadwear ,
traction, and temperature resistance
T read wear, tra ct ion and tempera ture grades
c::>page 241 .
Maximum Permissible Inflation Pressure
This number is the greatest amount of a ir
pressure that should ever be put in the t ire
u nder norma l dr iv ing cond itions .
_& WARNING
- Using incorrect o r unm atc hed tires and/
or wheels or improper tire and wheel
combinat ions can lead to loss of control
'
collis ion and serio us personal i nju ry .
- A lways use t ires, rims and whee l bolts
that meet the specifications of origina l
factory- insta lled tires or other combina­
tions that have been specifically ap­ proved by the vehicle manufacturer.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 yea rs
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w it h specia l care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mo unt used tires on your veh icle if
you are not sure of the ir "previo us histo­
ry." O ld used tires may have been dam­
a ged even thoug h the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sud den tire fa ilure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All fo ur whee ls must be fitted with r adial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir­
cumference) an d the same tread pattern .
Driving with different tires reduces ..,_

vehicle handling and can lead to a loss of control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires -only use
the spare tire for a short period of time and drive with extra care . Refit the nor­
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi­
ble .
- Never drive faster than the maximum speed for which the tires on your vehicle are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including 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 technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other
vehicles -in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve­
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air­
flow to the brakes can them to overheat, increasing stopping distances and caus­
ing a collision .
- Run flat tires may only be used on
vehicles that were equipped with them
at the factory. The vehicle must have a
chassis designed for run flat tires and a
factory-installed tire pressure monitor­
ing system* that indicates a loss of tire
pressure. Incorrect use of run flat tires
can lead to vehicle damage or accidents.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or
tire specialist 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
permitted .
0 Note
-For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth-
Tires and wheels 241
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve­
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as possible .
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
(® For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature AB C
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width 9 fig. 186.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder­
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded ISO would wear
one and one half (11/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, how­
ever, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, serv­
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
1J1>
•
•

24 2 T ire s and wheel s
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance
c:> .&. .
Te mp eratu re
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and
C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi­
pate heat when tested under con trolled condi­
tions on a specified i ndoor laboratory test
wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure
c:> ,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No .
109 . Grades Band A represent h igher
l eve ls of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
.&_ WARNING
T he traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydrop laning or peak traction
characteristics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is es­
tablished for a t ire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilu re.
-
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 w inter o r "snow" t ires, those
with very deeply cut tread . T hese tires should
o n ly be used in pairs and be installed on a ll
f o ur wheels . Make sure you purchase snow
ti res that are the same size and construction
type as the other tires on yo ur vehicle.
You r vehicle is equipped with al l wheel d rive,
th is will improve traction d uring win ter driv­
ing, even with the standard tires. However, we
strong ly recommend that you always equip all
fo ur wheels on your vehicle with correctly fit­
ted winter tires or a ll-season tires, when win­
ter road cond itions are expected. This also im­
proves the veh icle's brak ing performance and
reduces stopping d istances .
Summer tires provide less grip on ice and
snow.
Winter tires (snow tires) must always be fitted on all fo ur whee ls .
Ask your authorized A udi dealer or qualified
workshop for permit ted
w in ter ti re size s. Use
only radial winter tires .
Winter tires lose their effec tivenes s when the
tread is wo rn down to a depth of
0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only d rive w ith w inter t ires under w inte r co n­
ditions. S ummer t ires handle bette r when
there is no snow o r ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °C) .
If you have a flat ti re, see notes on spare
whee l
c:> page 238 .
Please always remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating than the tires origi­
nally installed on your vehi cle at the time it
was ma nufactu red. P lease see
c:> page 239,
Speed rating (Letter code)
for a lis ting o f the
speed rating lette r codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be driven . ..,.