2014 AUDI Q7 suspension

158 Adapti ve Air Suspens ion
fi lled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos­
sib le.
While the vehicle is being raised or lowered,
the target level is indicated by an arrow@
c::> fig. 186 or a white border @ c::> fig. 187 . The
arrow/border disappears aga in when the vehi­
cle is at the target level.
Limitations to MMI s etting s
Please note that not eve ry dr iving mode can
be selected in every d riving situation . For ex­
ample, it is not possible to switch to "lift"
mode at speeds above 12 mph (20 km/h) .
This mode is then shown
greyed out in the
MMI Display.
The vehicle can only be lowered when
all of
the vehicle's doors are closed. If one door is
open, all driving modes whose level sett ing is
belo w the current vehicle level appear
greyed
out
i n the MMI Display. If a door is opened
while the veh icle is being lowered, the lower­
ing p rocess is interrupted u ntil all doors are
closed again .
If the system is temporar ily unava ilable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the driving modes that cannot be set ap­ pear
greyed out in the MM I Disp lay. As soon
as the system is available again, the driv ing
modes can once more be selected in the dis­
p lay .
(D} Tips
- Fo r addition al in forma tion on the driv ing
modes
c:;> page 155, Chassis controls.
- When the compressed air tank is empty,
the compressor c an be switched on by
starting the engine . The Adaptive Air
Suspension is once again available, after
waiting a few minutes .
- To prevent over load, the system switches
off tempera rily if seve ral adj ustments
are made in a row. The Adaptive Air Sus­
pension is once again available, after
waiting a few minutes. Appearance in the instrument cluster
display
Applies to veh
icles: w ith Adapt ive A ir Suspens ion
You can view th e current vehicle l evel in the
instrument cluster display.
Fi g. 1 88 Display: Adaptive Air Suspension
F ig . 1 89 Display: Adaptive Air Suspension
Repeated, brief tapping of the I RESET ! button
on the windshield wiper lever allows you to
se lect whether information concerning the
trip computer, digital tachometer, nav igat ion*
or "Adapt ive A ir Suspension" is to appear in
t h e instrument cluster d isp lay .
Display of the Adaptive A ir S uspension is auto­
matic when the offroad or lift mode is select­
ed, or when the vehicle is automatically low­
ered in lift mode.
Rai sing and lowe ring
If arrow
(J) is white c::> fig. 188 or c::> fig . 189,
the vehicle is raised.
If arrow @is
white, the vehicle is lowered .
The respective arrow stays on until the level ch ange is complete. The time requ ired fo r a
level change can vary, depending on the cur-
ren t drivi ng conditions . ..,_

Displaying the vehicle level
The current vehicle level is shown with seg­
ments filled out in the segment display @. If
only the bottom segment is filled out, the ve­
hicle is at highway level. If all segments are
filled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos­
sible.
While the vehicle is being raised or lowered,
the target level is indicated by an arrow @
¢
fig. 188 or a white border @¢ fig. 189. The
arrow/border disappears again when the vehi­
cle is at the target level.
Jacking mode when changing a flat tire
Applies to vehicles: with Adaptive Air Suspension
This mode must be activated in the MMI be­
fore raising the vehicle with a jack or on a ve­
hicle lift.
.,. Select: ICARI function button> !SETUP I func­
tion button >
Jacking mode. Or
.,. Select:
I CARI function button > Car systems*
control button > Servicing & checks> Air
susp.: tire change.
The vehicle jack mode must be activated be­
fore changing a wheel so that the automatic
control processes for the air suspension do not make lifting with the vehicle jack more dif­
ficult.
The check lamp
II in the instrument cluster
display illuminates in vehicle jack mode.
0) Tips
The vehicle jack mode is switched off auto­
matically at speeds above 9 mph (15 km/
h).
Towing a trailer
Appl ies to vehicles: with towing hitch and Adaptive Air
Suspension
Automatic lowering is not desirable when
towing a trailer.
.,. Select: ICAR I function button> !SETUP I func­
tion button >
Towing mode. Or
Adaptive Air Suspension 159
.,. Select: !CAR I function button > Car systems*
control button > Vehicle settings > Air
susp.: towing.
As long as towing mode is activated, a vehicle
with a trailer appears in the
adaptive air sus­
pension
main menu.
Level Adjustment when towing a trailer
- Before hitching up the trailer and before ad­
justing the tongue weight at the trailer, the
automatic or comfort mode
must be select­
ed so that the vehicle can be at normal level
¢page 157, MMI settings.
-If driving in dynamic mode is desired, this
mode
must be selected before hitching up
the trailer and before adjusting the tongue
weight. However, note that your vehicle is lowered and ground clearance is reduced.
- If you have to drive under difficult road con­
ditions, you can select offroad or lift mode,
after hitching up the trailer or after adjust­
ing the tongue weight.
- If the vehicle is at
normal level, and you se­
lect offroad mode while traveling at speeds
higher than 22 mph (35 km/h), the vehicle
will not be raised. Offroad mode will appear as the active mode in the MMI Display.
- If the vehicle is in offroad mode at
high level
1 ,
it automatically lowers to normal level
when the vehicle is traveling at speeds ex­
ceeding approximately 31 mph (SO km/h) .
The vehicle is automatically raised to
high
level 1
again when the traveling speed falls
below approximately 25 mph (40 km/h).
Restrictions when operating with a trailer
When operating with a trailer, the lift mode
can only be selected up to about 12 mph (20
km/h). Lift mode is automatically canceled
again when a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/
h) is exceeded.
If the vehicle is in automatic, comfort, offroad
or lift mode before the trailer towing mode is
activated, the dynamic mode cannot be acti­
vated .
If the vehicle is in dynamic mode before tow-
ing operation is activated, it can be driven in
IJI,-

160 Adapti ve Air Su spen sion
this mode. If the suspension is switched from
this mode to another mode, dynamic mode
cannot be re-selected .
(D Tips
-For vehicles with a factory installed tow ­
ing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later accord ing to factory specifi­
cations, the system recognizes "Trailer
tow ing mode" and activates this specia l
mode automatically, as soon as the elec­
trical connection on the trailer socket is
connected. The mode ceases a utomat i­
ca lly when the elect rical connection to
t h e trai ler socket is d isconnected.
- If the tra iler towing mode has been acti­
vated, the vehicle will not drop to the
l ow or highway level.
Cargo mode
Applies to vehicles: with Adapt ive Air Suspe nsio n
The rear of the vehicle can be lowered to
make it easier to load.
Fig. 190 Luggage compa rtment detail: Cargo mode
sw itch
Using switch for activating c argo mode
.. Close all vehicle doors .
.. Open the trunk lid .
.,. Press the lower pa rt of the switch @
<=> fig. 190. The rea r of the vehicle is low ­
ered.
.,. Press the uppe r part o f the switch @. T he
rear of the vehicle is raised again.
Activating cargo mode in the MMI*
.. Select: ICAR I funct io n button> !SETUP I func­
t ion button >
Lower for loading .
In cargo mode, the rear ax le is lowered by 2 .2
inches (S5 mm), compared to the normal lev ­
el.
While the veh icle is in ca rgo mode, the seg­
ments do not appear as filled in the segment
display.
Cargo mode i s automatic ally c an ce le d again
when a different mode is selected in the MM I
Display, or when a speed of about 3 mph (5
km/ h) has been exceeded.
If the system is tempora rily unavailable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the
Lower for loading * function appears
greyed out in the MMI Display. As soon as the
system is available again, the funct ion can
once more be selected in the disp lay.
While the vehicle is being lowered, the indica­
tor light @~
fig. 190 on the switch in the
l uggage compartment flashes. When the car ­
go leve l has been reached, the indicator light
comes on and remains on as long as the vehi­
cle is in cargo mode. When the vehicle is
r aised agai n, the indicator light flashes again.
(D Note
M ake sure before canceling cargo mode
that there is sufficient clearance above the
vehicle and around the trunk lid, if open.
(D Tips
- The vehicle w ill not be lowered if one of
the vehicle doors is open, or if the com­
pressed air tank is empty. The indicator
light on the switch flashes three times.
- Whe n the compressed air tank is empty,
it will refill when you drive at speeds
over 25 mph (40 km/ h). The vehicle can
be lowered to cargo level whe n the com­
pres sed air tan k is adequately filled.
- If the vehicle is i n lift or off road mode
when you act ivate cargo mode, the vehi­
cle will fi rst drop down to no rma l level.

198 Airbag system
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdouswaste/per­ chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts w ith pretens ioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authori zed
Audi dea ler is familiar with these requ ire­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea ler perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
l owering the vehicle, changing the stiffness o f
the suspension, including the springs, s uspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
u red by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger sea t tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen- sors can send the correct info
rmation about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
.&_ WARNING
-
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ- ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
&_ WARNING
--
Items stored between the safety be lt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air ­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbag s
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 211 Side airbag location in th e drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
~fig. 211 and the rear
backrest* facing the doors. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG". ....

238 Driving off road
sideways (depends on center o f gravity). Maxi ­
mum permitted latera l ang le: 35°
Breakover angle
Indicates the angle up to which the veh icle
can drive ove r a ramp at low speed w ithout
the underside of the vehicle hitt ing the edge
of the ramp.
-Vehicles without air springs: maximum
breakover angle: 21, 1
°
-Vehicles with adaptive air suspension*:
maximum breakove r angle: 23.8° (at high
level 2)
Approach/departure angle
Transition from the horizontal plane to a gra­
d ient or from a grade back to level ground . In­
dicates the angle up to which the vehicle can
drive onto or off a slope at low speed witho ut
str iking the bumper or the underbody.
-Vehicles without air springs: maximum ap­
proach/departure angle : 21.0° (front),
23 .4° (rea r)
- Vehicles with adaptive air suspension*:
maximum approach/departure angle at high
level 2: (front) 23,5°, (rear) 25.4°
Ground clearance
The distance between the road surface and
the lowest point of the veh icle underbody .
-Vehicles without air springs: ground clear­
ance: 8.1 in (204.8 mm)
- Vehicles with adaptive air suspension*:
maximum ground clearance: 9 .4 in
(239 .8 mm) at high level 2
A WARNING
Exceeding the stated maximum figures
-
can result in severe injuries or vehicle dam­
age.
- All the information was gathered on lev­
el, firm and non-slippery road surfaces,
and under dry weather conditions.
- Ideal conditions do not prevail offroad.
Never utilize the maximum readings to
their fullest, always leave a safety re­
serve.
Driving tips
On poor road and offroad, there is always on­
ly one motto: Plan ahead and drive slowly!
Please observe the following when driving
away from paved roads :
.,. Drive on ly on roads and offroad sections
which match the design of your vehicle and
your abilities as a driver. Never take risks!
.,. Dr ive slowly and plan ahead!
.,. Take into consideration the
ground clear­
ance
of your vehicle .
.,. Activate the
offroad mode ¢ page 224 as
needed .
.,. Use the
hill des cent control¢ page 226
when driving down steep sections on hills .
Unpaved roads and offroad
Drive slowly on unfamiliar roads and unknown
offroad sections, and look out for unexpected
obstacles (e.g. potholes, rocks, tree stumps,
etc.).
To prevent the veh icle from bottoming and
avo id damage to the underbody, you should
drive straight across severe bumps in the
ground with only one side o f the vehicle so
that only two of your whee ls cross the bumps.
Drive briskly through sandy or ma rshy offroad
sections and do not stop, if at all possible .
Driving through water
Note the following to avoid veh icle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
Driving on a slope
If you ever find yourse lf not able to climb a
s lope, do not try to turn around, drive back
down in
reverse. Otherwise, you run the risk
of tipping over. ..,.

If the vehicle threaten s to tip o ver when
d riv ing across a slope , you mu st imm ediate­
ly steer downhill in the di rection of the
slope.
D o not park your vehicle on steep slopes or
grades .
To reduce the risk of t ipping over, dr ive on
slopes in the d irection o f the downward slope
(fa ll line) -
not cro sswi se.
~ WARNING
After driving through water, m ud, 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.
(D Note
-
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
{l) Tips
- Check the depth of the wate r 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 h rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
leve l and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving through sa lt water because
i t can cause corrosion.
Driving off road 239
•
•

.,.Check the tire sidewall
(i=> page 284, fig. 253) to de­
termine the designated load rating for a specific tire.
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv­
ing style.
Fig. 251 Tire tread: tread wear indicators (TWI)
Fig. 252 Rotating tires for more even wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehicle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig. 251 running across the tread. Depend­
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear indicators . Worn tires must be replaced.
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> &. .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tire blow-out . For this
Tires and wheels 283
reason , tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 2 79.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear .
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota­
tion intervals. Please remember the follow­
ing:
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service intervals outlined in your
Warranty & Maintenance booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals.
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com­
pared to all-wheel drive (q uattro).
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 252.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 301.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal­ anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steering wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi­
cle.
If tires show excessive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
Ill>

29 0 T ire s and wheel s
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow cha in manufacturer when doing so .
- If the Adaptive Air Suspension* should
malfunction, do not mount or use snow
chains because the vehicle will be ex­
tremely low. If you do dr ive with snow
chains on while the vehicle is at this lev­
el, the snow chains might severely dam­
age the wheelhouse and other parts of
the veh icle.
(!) Tips
Where snow cha ins are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
veh icles with all-whee l dr ive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If different rims are fit ­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures t hat wheels a re fitted
secure ly and that the brake system f unctions
correctly .
I n ce rtain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same mode l
<=?page 318.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly tightened o r maintained wheel
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile driving if greased or
oiled, even if tightened to the specified
torque. -
On ly use wheel bolts that be long to the
rim being installed .
- Never use different wheels bolts on yo ur
veh icle.
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque for the whee l bolts to reduce the
risk of a whee l loss. If the tightening tor ­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is mov ing. If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts a nd threads
can be damaged and the whee l can be­
come loose.
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bolts is 120 ft lb ( 160 Nm) with a to le rance of
± 7,4 ft lb( ± 10 Nm) . T orque wheel bolts
diagonally. After changi ng a wheel, the
torque m ust be che cked as soon as possi­
ble with a to rque wrenc h - preferab ly by an
a uthorized Audi dea le r or q ualified work­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically for your
model for their superb performance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving condi­
tions . As k your au thor ized A udi dealer for
more de tails .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umeral rep resen ts the ratio
of the tire's s idewa ll height in relation to its
tread width exp ressed in percentage . Conven ­
t iona l tires have a he ight/width ratio of 60 or
more.
The performan ce of l ow-a spect-r atio tire s is
particularl y sen sitive to imp roper inflation
pre ssure. It is therefo re important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pressure and th at the inflation pressure is
regularly checked and mainta ined. Tire pres -
s u res should be checked at least onc e a ..,.