2013 AUDI A7 towing

136 Driving Saf ely
Fl oor mats used in your vehicle must be at ­
tached to these fasteners. Proper ly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from s liding
into pos itions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result
in a loss of veh icle contro l and increase the
r isk of serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering w ith
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place o r insta ll floor ma ts 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
pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver footwell wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel ­
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop ­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com ­
partment.
L oose items in the luggage comp art ment can
shift suddenly, changing veh icle hand ling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision . ..
Distribute the load even ly in the luggage
compartment .
.. Always place and proper ly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as possible .
.. Secure luggage using the tie -downs prov id ­
ed
¢ page 63, Luggage compartment.
.. Make s ure that the rear seatback is securely
la tc hed in place.
A WARNING
Imp roperly store d luggage or other items
can fly thro ugh the vehi cle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
i ng or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of ser ious personal in jury:
- Always put objects, fo r example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­ pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down hooks
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
=
Heavy loads w ill influence the way your ve-
hi cle handles . To help reduce the risk of a
l oss of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal
i njury :
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change i n the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle ha ndling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
poss ible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceed ing per­
miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe dr iv­
ing¢
page 130.

196 Intelligent technology
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 fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "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.
A lthough 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, eng ine function, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal 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 pe riod 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
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, 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 assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in­
dicator light
G) 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 wi ll 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 wou ld 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, traffic; and weather condit ions. 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
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during ex treme 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.

-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.
Electro-mechanical
power assist
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based o n
the vehicle speed.
Ind icator light s and messages
• Steering d efecti ve ! Stop the vehicl e
If this ind icator lig ht turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering
may have fa iled.
Do
not continue driving. See yo ur authorized
Aud i dealer or other qualified repa ir facility
for assistance .
'y. ij Steering: System mal function! You m ay
c ont in ue drivi ng
If the indicator lig ht turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
(D Tips
If the . or 'I aj indicato r light only stays
on for a sho rt time, you may contin ue driv­
ing .
Int ellig ent technolog y 201
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles : with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en .
General info rmation
With all Wheel Drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels. This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time . See also ¢
page 196 .
With the sport different ia l*, power dist ribu­
tion to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjus ted with A udi drive select*
¢ page 102.
Always read and follow safety precautions
¢ ,0. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, your vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even w it h
regular tires. In winter ro ad conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea ­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mo unted on
all fou r
whee ls.
See also ¢ page 261, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this norma lly also applies to veh icles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 262, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Vehicles with al l-wheel d rive must always
have tires of the same s ize. A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths . For detai ls see
page ¢
page 2 5 7, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
You r A ud i does not have enough gro und clea r­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle .
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terra in as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 205. ll>
•
•

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 .
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 driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
ac tivate the trailer operation mode
c::> page 209, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weig ht-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 securely on t he ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trail er
hi tch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check wi th t he tra ile r hi tch man ufa ctur er to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
h itch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch m ust be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng bumper syst em. No mod ificat ions should
b e made to the vehi cle e xhaus t and br ake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check th at a ll hitc h
mo unt ing bo lts rem ain securely fas tened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra ile 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 behind~ .&.
Trailer towin g 209
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a bra king sys­
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
regulations .
T he trailer hyd ra u lic bra ke sys tem mus t not be
d irec tly connec ted to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all reg ulations. Be
su re to c heck with your Audi dea ler for correct
wir ing, switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mir rors. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
_&. WARNING
-
Afte r removi ng the trailer hitch , do no t
s tor e i t in yo ur v ehicl e. In case of sudden
b raki ng, the hi tch co uld fly forwar d and in­
j ur e you o r yo ur pass enge rs.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehi cle is l imited to a typi cal
cla ss 1 o r class 2 tr ailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the tra ile r is held secure ly
in place to p revent it from shift ing fo rward,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c::> .& in Driving instructions on page 211 .
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a t railer ma kes the engine wor k hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
•
•

210 Trailer towing
Make sure that the cooling system has eno ugh
fluid .
Tire p res sure
When tow ing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehi cle 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 t ires to trai ler and tire manufac­
turers' specifications.
Lights
Chec k to make s ure both veh icle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure tra iler safety cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
h icle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per ­
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
cha ins, make su re they wi ll not drag on the
road when yo u are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the tra iler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level su rface be­
for e
hitching up the tra ile r and b efor e adjust­
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort dr iving mode and no t raised
qpage 102, q(D _
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , se lect:
ICARI f u nction button> Low­
e r
control b utton .
I f you m ust dr ive under poor road co ndit ions,
you can raise the veh icle
aft er coup ling the
tra iler or
after adjusting the tong ue weig ht
q page 104.
-Changes in tempe ratu re or load can af­
fect the heig ht of the veh icle.
- Always se lect
auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load spec ified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration .
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llow ing:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially carefu l when passing other
veh icles.
.,. Observe speed lim its .
.,. Do not dr ive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always app ly brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperatu re ga uge.
Weight distribut ion
T owing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
su lts in a highly unstab le distribution of
we ight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid t he risk of losing
steering con trol.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to operate and con­
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the exten t 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 observing
tong ue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficu lt it be ­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -particularly
whe n going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swa ying b y accelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing trai lers are lower than for
regular veh icles . .,.

Always apply brakes early. When driving
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
g ine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 11
must be observed carefully. The coo lant tem­
perature can increase if you drive on long in­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediately if the LEDs in
the top part of the display turn on .
For more information about indicator lights,
refer to.
c> page 16.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone r ide in your car
who is not properly wearing the restra ints
provided by Aud i.
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing
-
a trailer because of the additional weight and
d ifferent weight distribution . Safety, perform­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
carefully you load your trailer and operate
your rig .
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and backing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you
have become completely familiar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your ve­
hicle and the one in front of you. You will need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
Trailer towing 211
trailer, you wi ll need a larger than normal
turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
cause of the added load. Make sure you have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer before chang­
ing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(0 Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in
period of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load¢
page 289.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­
lowing:
When parking:
"' App ly the foot brake .
.,. Have someo ne p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the trailer wheels.
"' With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes until the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
When restarting after parking:
.,. Apply the foot brake.
.,. Start the engine .
.,. Select the D/S se lector lever position .
.,. Release the parking brake and slowly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks .
111>
•
•

212 Trailertowing
If you move the selector lever of the auto­
mat ic transm ission to P before app lying
the park ing brake and before blocking the
wheels, you may have to use mo re force
later to move the lever out of the P posi­
tion .

256 Tires and wheels
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehi cle. Consult thi s manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available car go
and luggage lo ad capacity of
yo ur vehicle .
.,. Check the tire sidewall
(9 fig . 200 ) to de termine the
de signated load rating for a
s pe cifi c tir e.
Tire service life
The s ervi ce life of tires dep ends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correc t tire pressu re and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 198 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icators ( TWI)
Fi g. 1 99 Rotat ing t ires fo r m ore eve n wear
Tread W ear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigi na l t ires on your ve hicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators" ¢
fig. 198 r
u nning across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, t here will be six to eight of
them even ly placed aro und the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for examp le "TWI" or other
symbols) ind icate the positions of the tread
wear indicato rs . Wor n tires must be rep laced.
D iffere nt f igures may apply in othe r countr ies
Q ,&. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect t ire pressure ca uses premature wear
and can cause sudde n tire blow-out. For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
o nce a month ¢
page 2 52.
Driving style
Driving fast around c urves, heavy acce lerat ion
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all four tires on your ve hicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear t ires a re rotated according to
the tire manu fact urer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from t he
veh icle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& M aintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
o n t he vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; theref ore, we recommend t hat y ou
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation int ervals .
- Veh icles w ith front-wheel dr ive experience
more tread wear on the fro nt wheels com­
pa red to a ll-wheel drive ( quattro ®).
- Please rotate tires as shown¢
fig. 199.
- Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires ¢
page 274.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balance d.
Howeve r, various s ituations during everyday
dr iv ing can cause them to become unba l­
anced, resulti ng in vibrations you can usually
feel th rough the steer ing wheel.
liJJ,-