2013 AUDI A5 COUPE page 76

-Always acce lerate with specia l care on
even, smooth surfaces s uch as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways help to reduce the risk of loss of ve­ hicle control.
(0 Tips
- ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equ ipped w ith ident i­
ca l tires. Different tire s izes can lead to a
reduct ion i n eng ine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are wo rking .
- If the indicator light D] or m!S (USA
models) ;tiJ (Canada models) appears,
the re may be a malfunct ion
c::> page 19,
~ page 19.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on automatically when you start
the engine .
Fig . 161 Vers ion A: low er c en ter co nsol e, fj. OFF bu t­
to n
Fig. 162 Ve rsio n B: upper ce nte r console,~ OFF bu t­
to n
Intelligen t technolog y 187
Turning off ASR
In some sit uatio ns, it may be useful to switch
ASR
off to a llow the wheels to spin . For exam­
ple:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when i t is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Qu ick ly press the
I~ O FF I button c::> fig. 161
and c::> fig . 162. The Ii indicator light turns on
and the message
Trac tion control (A SR) : Off.
War ning! R estrict ed stability
appears in the
display .
It i s only possible to turn
off the ASR up to
30 mph (SO km/h) for vehicles wi th front
wheel drive . At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it au ­
tomat ically turns on again .
It is possible to
turn
off the ASR at any speed fo r vehicles with
all wheel drive .
Turning off ESC
Press and hold the I;; OFFI button for three
seconds . The
fl ESC indicator light turns on
and the message
Stabil ization cont rol (ESC ):
o ff . Warni ng ! Re str icted stab ilit y
appea rs in
the d isplay. ASR is also sw itched
off when ESC
i s sw itched off.
Switching on
Press the j ;; O FFI button again . The fi indica­
tor light t urns on and the message
St abi liz a­
t ion control (ESC ): On
appears in the disp lay.
_&. WARNING
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
contro l of the vehicle more eas ily when
ASR and ESC are switched off, especia lly
when the road is s lippery .
- Switch ASR/ESC
off only when yo ur driv ­
ing skills, traffic and weather conditions
permit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch ASR and ESC off when
adaptive cruise control* is working .
-

188 Intelligent technology
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new
b rake pads do not possess their fu ll braking
effect , they have to be "broken in" first¢.&. .
You can compensate for this slightly reduced braking power by push ing harder on the brake
pedal. Avoid heavy braking loads during the
break-in per iod.
Operating condition s and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today's automob iles are st ill
subject to wea r, depending largely on operat­
ing conditions and driving habits¢.&. . On
vehicles that are e ither driven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the b rake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maint enan ce booklet . Failure
to have your b rake pads inspected can res ult
in red uced brake pe rformance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, you p revent un­
necessa ry wear on the brake system. If yo u
must use yo ur brakes, do not hol d the brakes
down continuously. P ump the brakes at inter ­
va ls.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, brak ing fo rce and outside condi­
tions such as temperature and humidity.
Effect of water and road salt
In ce rtain situat ions, for example after driving
through water , in heavy ra in, after overn ight
conde nsation or afte r washing your car, the
b rak ing effect can be redu ced by mois ture or
ice on the brake rotors and brake pads . The
brakes must be dried first with a few careful
brake applications .
A t higher speeds and with the w indshield w ip­
ers turned on, the brake pads press against
the brake rotors for a short amount of time .
This occurs at regular intervals witho ut the driver noticing and p
rovides fo r bette r brake
response time under wet conditions .
T he effec tiveness of the brakes can be red uced
when the vehicle is d riven on a sa lt -covered
r oad and the brakes are not used . Likewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautio us ap­
plicat ions of the brake ¢ .&. .
Corro sio n
The re may be a tendency for di rt to b uild up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not driven regularly or only fo r short trips w ith litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, o r if cor ­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean off the pads and d iscs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed ¢.&. .
Fault s in the brak e syst e m
If you s hou ld notice a sudden increase i n
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
c ircuits may have failed ¢.&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occ ur in the b ra ke system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid
l evel is monitored electronica lly.
Brake booster
T he bra ke booster inc reases the pressure that
you generate wi th the b rake peda l. It works
o n ly when the engine is runn ing .¢ .&.
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
th rough the ope nings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for t his in­
spect ion ¢
page 253, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING ,____
-New b rake pads don't have the best stop­
p ing power and m ust be "broken-in" dur-
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
11>-

190 Intelligent technology
steering wheel will be easy to move. Re­
initia lization might be necessary if the steer­
ing whee l was moved hard to the left and
right while the vehicle was not moving. The
d isplay goes out as soon as in itia lizat ion is
comp lete.
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system ma l­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authori zed A udi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
- If the . or
l:r-ij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue
drivi ng.
- The dynamic steering * stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- Fo r additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring*, refer to ¢
page 109.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive, power is distribute d to
a ll fo ur whee ls. This happens automat ica lly
d epending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also¢
page 185 .
A cen ter different ial d istr ib ut es the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle. It
wo rks together with se lective whee l torque
control, which activates when driving throug h
curves ¢
page 186. With the sport differen ­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with Audi drive se lect ¢
page 109 .
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power . Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac ­
terist ics bot h under normal driving conditions and on snow and
ice . Always read and follow
safety precautio ns ¢ &. .
Winter tires
When driving in t he win ter, yo ur vehicle wi th
all-wheel d rive h as an adv antage, eve n w it h
r egular tires. In wi nte r road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea ­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
i ng : these tires must be mounted on
all fou r
wheels . See also ¢ page 246, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 247, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles wi th a ll-wheel drive m ust always
have ti res of t he same s ize. A lso avoi d tires
with differe nt t read depths . For detai ls see
page ¢
page 242, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road dr iving?
You r A ud i does no t have e nough gro und clea r­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle .
It is
t h e refore best to avoid roug h tracks and u n­
even te rrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 193.
A WARNING
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf­
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking ext ra risks .
-Al though the a ll-wheel drive is ve ry ef­
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire t raction. You
s hould t herefore no t drive at ex cessive
speeds on i cy or slippe ry road surfa ces.
- On wet road surfa ces, be careful not to
d rive too fast because the fr on t whee ls
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If thi s should occur, you

will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash .
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
i s not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer) . In certain circumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
I ntelligen t energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of electrical ener­
gy . Starting ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists o f
battery diagnosis, idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
Batt ery d iagnosis continuously dete rmines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
I dling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo­
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Intelligent technology 191
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en­
ergy management distrib utes the energy gen ­
erated according to the needs of the individ u­
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more e lectrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge fo r the battery .
{!) Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light(•] appears¢
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
c rit ical if the engine is not running and electri­
ca l components are turned on. In this in­
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat­
in g the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electr ical compo ­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
T h is reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be available again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine.
•
•

Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not d rive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers ):
.. Speeds ca n gradually be increased to the
maximum perm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after break-in period
.. Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed maximum eng ine speed un­
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next higher gear before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale c.>page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's internal friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break -in process is done de ­
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
vehicle is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 kilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduc ed. However, t hese rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine.
Driving and environment 193
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo­
meters) after fitting.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking .
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, steep ramps, etc., make certa in that
low- ly in g parts s uch as spo ile rs and ex ha ust
system parts do not bottom o ut and get dam ­
aged.
Th is is espec ially true for veh icles with low­
s lung chassis (spo rts chas sis)* and fully load ­
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid ve hicle damage
when driving through water, for e xamp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
•
•

194 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
CD Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t 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 on environmentally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gasoli ne¢ page 211,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty.
,,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine ¢
page 221, "t':::r. Adding engine oil.
,,. Never t ry to push- o r tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an effic ient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphe re. The exclusive
use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic convert­
er and proper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
= -
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con­
ver ter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for under coa ting co uld
overhea t and cause a fire.
CD Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill already ser io usly de ­
gr ad e the per form ance o f the catalytic
c onverte r.
- Do not ex ceed t he corre ct engine oil level
r:;!) page 2 21.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank be co m es
completely emp ty. The engine co uld mis­
fire . Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the cata lytic converter to overheat .
- Do not turn off the igni tion whi le the ve ­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converte r. T his
co uld resu lt in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System:
- H ave you r vehicle maintained p rope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rvi ce rec ­
ommen dat ions in yo ur Warranty &
M ain tenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenan ce as we ll as
i mprope r use of t he ve hicl e wi ll impair
the func tion of the em ission cont ro l
system and could lea d to damage .
Ill>

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer 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 driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming 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 t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 197
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 198.
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard ­
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•

198 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve ­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded tra iler whe n your car it ­
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weigh t di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steer ing control. A "ba
lanced' ' rig is easier to operate and con­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at t he maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do n ot
try to sto p th e swaying by acc elerating .
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent he at build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov ­
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roperly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by Audi.
-