2014 AUDI A8 steering

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 199
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.
•
•

200 Intellig ent technol ogy
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake assist
system, anti-slip regulat ion (ASR), electronic
d ifferential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and
electronic interaxle differential lock*. ESC is
switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less tract ion, you ca n sw itch
off ASR by pressing the button above
~ page 201, fig. 188 the se lector lever. Be
sure to sw itch ASR on aga in when you no lon­
ger need less traction.
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even du ring ha rd b raking . Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
a l. A pulsing in the brake peda l indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Br ake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d istance. It increases braking power when the
d river p resses the brake pedal q uick ly in emer­
gency situations. You must press and hold the brake peda l until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control*, the brake assist system is more sensitive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti- slip regulati on (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
El ectronic diff erential lo ck (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all whee l drive*. This funct ion is available up
to about 7S mph (120 km/h).
In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL will switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
Dynamic ste ering *
On vehicles with dynamic s teering, ES C helps
stabilize the steering in certain situations.
Electronic interaxle differential lock
function*
T he electronic interaxle differentia l lock f unc­
tion activates when driving thro ugh curves.
Braking is targeted toward the wheels on the
inside of the curve as needed . This he lps to
minimize front whee l skid, improves traction
and allows for more precise driving through
curves .
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, dynamic steering*
and the electronic interaxle differential loc k function* cannot overcome the laws
of physics. This is espec ially impo rtant
on slippery o r we t roads.
If the systems
begin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately change yo ur speed
to match the road and traffic conditions .
Do not let the increased safety provided
by these systems tempt you to take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle control, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
-Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and weather conditions. The risk of los­ing control of the vehicle increases when
d riving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake ass ist sys ­
tem, EDL, ASR, dynamic steering * and
the electron ic interaxle differential lock
function* cannot prevent collisions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth s urfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistance systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve­
h icle control.
-

Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applicat ions .
-If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
cr eased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­ est Aud i dea ler or q ualified wor kshop .
- Never let the vehicle rol l to a stop w ith
t he engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works w ith vacuum pres ­
sure which is created only when the engine is
ru nning
9 ,&. .
,&. WARNING
-Never le t the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
t he engine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, fo r
ex ample when towing your ve hicl e, or
because the b rake booste r has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerab ly 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 sys­
tem senses the road speed and electron ically
ad ju sts powe r ass istance to provide comfor ta-
Int ellig ent technolog y 203
ble and safe steering response exactly match ­
ed to th e vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be h ard
to tu rn.
T he powe r stee ring fluid level is checked d ur­
i ng t he sched uled maintena nce services.
(D Note
If there is an e lectronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will s till fu nction like a conven­
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering s upport force tha t is no
l onge r proportionate to the vehicle speed.
This is most noticeab le when t urni ng the
steering wheel at low speeds (for example
when parking), -more effort w ill be re­
quired than usual.
- Be aware of the different than usual steering response and adjust your steer­
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set right by an Audi dealer as soon as possible.
(D Tips
-When the engine is running, never hold
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 hydraulic fluid if yo u keep
holding the stee ring wheel turned all the
way. This is likely to damage the power
steering sys tem.
- If the powe r stee ring system should fa il
entire ly, o r if t he engine is not runn ing
(for example, wh ile be ing towed), you
w ill still be able to steer the veh icle .
However,
considerably more effort will
be required to do so .
- If the powe r steering system sho uld
have a leak, or is not functioning proper­
ly, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immediately.
- The power steering system req uires a
specially formu lated hydraulic fluid. The
power steering fluid reservoir is located
in the engine compartment
9 page 233. IJJ,,
•
•

Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ .&. in Driving instructions on page 214.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard ­
er . It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold 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.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer
lights are working properly.
Safety chains Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle . Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners . When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
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 surface
be­
fore
hitching up the trailer and before adjust ­
ing the tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 110, ~CD .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info ­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> low­
er control button .
Trailer towing 213
If you must drive under poor road conditions,
you can raise the vehicle
after coupling the
trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight
¢ page 112.
@ Note
- Changes in temperature or load can af­
fect the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode.
Otherwise, the tongue load specified for
your vehicle will no longer be applicable.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits.
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight. If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control.
A "balanced" 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 keeping the trailer as light as possi­
ble under the circumstances . Whenever possi­
ble , transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not .,.
•
•

214 Trailer towing
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind condit ions are unfavorable -part icu larly
when going downhill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immedi atel y if the trail ­
er shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not
tr y to stop th e sway ing by acceler ating .
Observe speed limi ts. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
A lways apply brakes early. When driv ing
downhill, shift into a lower gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of
the brakes a lone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant t emperature
The coolant temperature gauge ¢ page 10
must be observed carefully. The coolant tem­
perat ure can increase if you drive on long in ­
clines in a low gear at high engine speeds. Re­
duce your speed immediate ly if the L EDs in
the top part of the display turn on.
F or more in formation about indicator lights,
refer to. ¢
page 16.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing veh icle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wear ing t he 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 addit ional 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 back ing up in an area
away from traffic . Keep practicing until you have become completely familiar with the way
your vehicle-trailer combination behaves and responds .
Backing up is diffi cult and requ ires practice .
Backing up with a trailer gene rally req uires
steering action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a tra iler.
Maintain a greater d ista nce between you r ve­
hicle and the one in front of you . You wi ll need
more room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you w ill need a larger than normal
turning rad ius.
When passing, remember that you cannot ac ­
ce lerate as fast as you norma lly would be­
ca use of the added load. Make sure yo u have
enough room to pass. After passing, allow
plenty of room for your trailer be fore chang­
ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D 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 292.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it can­
not b e avoided, do so only after doing th e fol­
lowing:
When par king:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
vehicle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the
brakes unt il the wheel chocks absorb the
load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb .
.,. Apply the parking brake .
.,. Select the P se lector lever posit ion.
When re starting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.

234 Check ing and filling
(D Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
PP. ) con ainer ""' .......... ... . 247
@ Jump start point( -) with hex
head screw ............. ... . 245 , 283
@ Jump start point( +) under a cov-
er . ..... .............. ... . 245, 283
© Eng ine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . 237
® Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 242
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 240
0 Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 203
@ Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in
a different area depend ing on the ver­
sion of the engine .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
-
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerp lant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . This engine needs the r ight kind of
engine o il that meets spec ificat ions regarding
qua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the righ t oi l
and changing oil within the time and mileage interva ls printed in your vehicle 's Warranty
&
Maintenance book let matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast trad itional petrole -u
m -based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthet ic o r petro le um­
based eng ine oil, the oi l that you use m ust
conform to Audi's oi l quality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iese l eng ine) to
help keep your veh icle's engine running
smoothly and help prevent the format ion of
harmful deposits, sometimes called "s ludge,"
that over time can lead to expens ive repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils ava ilab le in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (ve hicles w ith gasoline eng ine) o r VW 507 00
(veh icles w ith diese l eng ine) are synthet ic en­
gine o ils . This does no t mean, howeve r, that
every synt hetic eng ine oil will meet A udi oi l
standard VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline
engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel
engine). So a lways be sure that you use an ap­
proved o il.
T o he lp preven t the formation of harmfu l de­
posits use on ly oil with the following specifi­
cations printed on the o il container:
- Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (g aso line en ­
gine )
- Audi oil standard VW 507 00 (die sel en-
gine )
Oil container labels may car ry the spec ifica­
t ion sing ly or in combination with othe r desig­
na tions and oil quality standa rds.
Viscosit y
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity . The proper viscos ity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasona l con­
ditions where you drive . You can use o il with a
viscosity grade of SA E 5W40 across all tem­
perature ranges for normal dr iv ing cond itions .
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
5W40 is not ava ilable, you can also use v iscos ­
i ty grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00
(ve hicl es w ith gasoline eng ine) o r VW 50 7 00
(ve hicles w ith diese l engine) specifica tions. .,.

-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u 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 sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam­
age .
(D Note
Please note that summe r and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic transmission, power steer ing ,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip­
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the rat io o f the height to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in ­
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re­
sponse and better overa ll handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the part of the t ire t hat is made o f
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead .
Cord means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 249
typica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
dec rease the e lasticity of summer t ires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer t ires are used i n very co ld tem ­
peratures, cracks ca n form o n the tread
bars , res ulting in perma nen t tire damage
that can cause loud driving noise and un­
bala nced ti re s. Audi i s not respon sible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire p ress ure recommended by t he
vehicle manufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ignated
s ize t hat has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire press ure
is m easured or adjusted.
Curb weight
me ans the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
st andard equipmen t incl ud ing the max imum
capacity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weig ht of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to oper ate a t higher load s
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor­
responding standa rd tire . Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "x l", "EXTRA LOAD", o r
"RF" on the sidewal l.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the load-ca rry ing capac ity of a single
axle system , measured at the tire -ground in­
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,..
•
•

258 Tires and wheels
ve hi cle. C onsult thi s m anual
t o deter mine how this re­
d uce s the availabl e cargo
a nd lug gage lo ad ca pacity of
yo ur vehicle .
.,.Che ck the tire sidewall
(¢ page 259 , fig . 212 ) to de­
termine the de signa ted lo ad
rating for a specific tire .
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
a nd balan cing, correct tire pressure and driv ­
ing style.
Fig . 210 Tire tread: tread wea r ind icato rs (TWI)
( r------
{ \.._ ______ _.
F ig. 211 Rotat ing t ires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The o rigina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c:::> fig . 210 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the t ire . Marks on
the tire s idewall (for example
"TWI" or other symbols) ind
icate the positions o f the tread
wear indicato rs . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may app ly in other countr ies
¢ Ll:). .
Tire pressur e
Incorrect t ire pressure ca uses prema ture wear
and can cause sudden tire blow -out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c:::> page 254.
Driving style
Dr iving fast around c urve s, he avy a ccele rat ion
and hard braking inc rease tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
Fo r all four tires on your veh icle to have th e
same service life, we recomme nd that the
fron t and rear tires a re rotated ac co rd ing to
the tire m an ufa ctu rer's suggested tire ro ta­
tion intervals . Please remembe r th e fo llow ­
ing :
- Tire rotation in tervals may diffe r from the
ve hicle service inte rva ls o utlin ed in your
Warranty
& M aintena nce booklet.
- The longe r one tire is used in one lo cation
on t he veh icle, the more it wears at cer tain
points; there fore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufact urer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Vehicles w ith front-whee l dr ive experience
more tread wear on the front w heels com­
pa red to a ll-wheel drive (q uattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c:::>fig . 211.
- Extra care mus t be taken when ro ta ting di-
rection-specific tires¢
page 2 77.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new ve hicles are balanced.
However, va rious s ituatio ns dur ing everyday
driv ing c an cause them to become unbal ­
anced, res ulting in vib rations you can usually
feel thro ugh the steering whee l.
Un balanced w hee ls mu st be rebalanced to
avo id excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires . A whee l m ust also be reba lance d
when a new tire is insta lled .
ll-