2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

precautions apply when installing a chi ld
safety seat on t he front passen ger seat
Q page 112, Child restraints on th e front
seat -some important things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor.
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buck ­
le . The belt tongue w ill pop out of the buck­
le.
.,. Gui de the safety bel t all t he way back into
i ts stowed posit ion.
A lways let the safety belt retract complete ly
i n to its stowed posit ion. The safe ty belt can
now be used as an o rd inary safety be lt wi th ­
ou t the convert ible lock ing retractor for chi ld
restra ints.
If t h e conver tible locking re tracto r shou ld be
a ctivated inadve rten tly , the safety bel t m ust
be unfastened and guided completely ba ck in­
to its stowed position to deactivate this fea ­
ture. If the co nvertib le locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety be lt will gradually be­
come tighter and uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious perso nal injury
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
va te the convert ible lock ing ret ractor for
child restraints while the veh icle is mov­
ing. You would not be rest rained and
co uld be ser iously injure d in an acci dent.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being use d
Qpage 132. Spec ial
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
Q page 112, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Child Sa fet y 143
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number o f sources of additiona l
information abo ut child restraint se lection, in ­
stallation and use :
N HT SA advises t hat the bes t ch ild safety seat
is the one that fi ts your chi ld and fits in your
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently.
T ry before yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin­
istration
T el.: 1 -888 -3 27-42 36 (TIY: 1-800-4 24-9153)
www. n hts a .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 66 2-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safety BeltSafe U .S .A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Te l.: (800) 7 47-SANO (Span ish)
www. carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-037 1 or call
1 (613) 998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa
area
h ttp://www.t c.gc.c a/e ng/ ro ad safe ty/
menu .htm
Audi Customer R elation s
Tel.: (800) 82 2-28 34 •
•

144 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da­
ta Recorde r (EDR), ins talled by some manu­
facture rs fo r the express p urpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or cras h
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re­
corders".
Some state laws restr ict 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 ltho ugh yo ur vehicle is not equ ipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron­
ic control modules for various v ehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, em is­
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
sa fety belt s.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during norma l vehicle op­
erat ion for diagnostic and repa ir purposes.
T he 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 ove r a ve ry limited pe riod of
time and stored when a sys tem faul t or o ther
cond ition is sensed by a cont ro l u nit. Some of
the data then stored may re late to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith 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 ve hicle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running . ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
o ut of control and he lps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing eng ine power and
providing steer ing ass istance to he lp hold the
vehicle o n the dr iver's intended course . T he in­
dicator light
G) in the inst rument cluster
blinks when ESC is ta king action to help yo u
control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is importa nt to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under a ll cond it ions you may come up aga inst.
F or example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
s u dden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface . When there is a section of
dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
s lush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the ve hicle
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 in terrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations as at lower
speeds.
Always 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 tract ion, or keep a ve hicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattent ion . Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ib ility of keep ing the veh icle under con­
t rol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the d river 's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in t he i nte nded di­
rection . If you are t raveling at a speed tha t
ca uses you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC includes and/o r works togethe r with the
anti- lock b rake system (ABS), brake assist sys-
tem and anti-slip reg ulation (ASR). ESC is .,..

switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
lru. Be sure to
switch ESC on again when you no longer need
less traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard braking . Apply steady pres ­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer­
gency si tuations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (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.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL 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-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL w ill switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
..&, WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and EDL cannot overcome
th e laws of physics. This is especially im ­
portant on slippery or wet roads.
If the
systems begin acting to stabilize your ve­
hicle, you should immediately change
yo ur speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the increased safe­
ty provided by these systems tempt you
Intelligent technology 145
to take risks. Doing so will increase the
risk of a lo ss of vehicle control, co llision
and serious personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los­
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when driving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys­
tem, EDL and ASR cannot prevent colli­
sions.
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such 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 he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve­
hicle control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
described are working.
- If the ind icator lightD] orE (USA
models)/ [iJ (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction¢
page 16,
¢ page 15.
Switching on/off
£SC turns on au tomatically when you start
the engine.
-
SPORT •
Fig. 1 28 Cent er console w it h t b utton

146 Intelligent technology
ESC sport mode
In ce rtain situat ions, it migh t make sense to
a llow some slip. For example :
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving with snow cha ins
Press the[!] button briefly¢
fig. 128 . The I
indicator light turns on and Sport control
Warning! Restricted stability
appears in the
driver information system display . Driving sta­
b ili ty is limited in sport mode .
Switching ESC off
Press and hold the [!I button for three sec­
onds . The ESC indicator light
ti turns on and
Stabilization program off appears in the dis­
play. ASR is also sw itched
off when ESC is
switched
off .
Switching on
Press the[!] button aga in. The message Stabi ­
lization program on
appears briefly in the d is­
play.
A WARNING
You should only switch the ESC off if your
driving ability and the traffic s ituation al­
low. This could increase the risk of slip­
ping.
- The stabilizing function is limited in ESC
sport mode. The driv ing whee ls could
spin and the vehicle could swerve, espe­
cially on slick or slippery road surfaces.
- T here is no vehicle stabilization when
E SC is switched
off.
0) Tips
If there is a malfunction in the retractable
rear spo iler* or the Audi magnet ic r ide*, it
may not be possible to activate ESC spo rt
mode or normal mode may activate again
automatically.
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new
brake pads do not possess their full braking
effect, they have to be "broken in" first. The
distance can be ten times longer in vehicles
with ceramic brakes*. You can compensate for
th is slightly reduced braking power by push­
ing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy
braking loads during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat ­
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the
brake pads should be checked by your author­
ized Audi dea ler more often than specified in
the
Warranty & Maintenance booklet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un ­
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont inuously. Pump the brakes at inter­
vals.
Moisture o r road salt
Under certain conditions, for example, when
driving through water or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced due to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads . A
few cautious brake applications should dry
off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings .
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter ­
vals so as to improve reaction time when brak­
i ng on wet surfaces. You, the driver, will not
notice anything. .,.

The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is dr iven on a salt -covered
road and the brakes are not used. Likewise,
you clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few ca utious ap­
plications of the brake<=>,& .
Co rrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
the discs if the car is not dr iven regularly or
only for short trips with little use of the
brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if cor­ rosion has formed on the discs, it is advisable
to clean
off the pads and discs by brak ing
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed<=> ,&.
Fa ult s in th e bra ke s yste m
If you should notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal travel, then one of the two brake
circu its may have failed. Drive immed iately to
the nearest qualified workshop to have the
damage repa ired. Drive at reduced speed on
the way there and anticipate longer stopping
d istances and higher peda l pressure¢ _&.
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if
the brake flu id level is too low . The brake fluid
l eve l is monito red electronically .
Brake po wer ass ist un it
The brake power assist un it increases the
pressure that you generate with the brake
pedal. It works only when the eng ine is run­
ning.
Br ake lining w ear statu s
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed for this in­
spection
¢ page 214 .
Int ellig ent technolog y 147
_& WARNING
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road use rs must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear o r lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long o r too often. Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not " ride the brakes" by resting you r
foot on the pedal when you do not intend to brake. This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain cl imatic and operat ing
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, dr iv ing in heavy rain o r after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winte r, ice can
accumu late on the bra ke pads, lin ings,
discs and drum s. Carefully app ly bra ke s
for a test. Brakes w ill dry and ice coa t­
ings w ill be cleaned
off after a few care­
fu l brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt -cove red roads without using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean
off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few cautious
brake applications.
- I f you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one b rake circuit will impai r
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle a nd have it towed to the near­
est A udi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never let the veh icle roll to a s top with
the engine shut
off. .,.
•
•

148 Intelligent technology
-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 .
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control.
SPORT •
Fig. 129 Switch for rea r sp o ile r
The rear spoiler deploys and retracts. Spoi ler
operation can be set for automatic or manual
operation.
Automatic mode (normal operation )
-Extending automatically: This occu rs when
driving faster than approximate ly 62 mph
(100 km/h) or at a certain engine compart­
ment temperature
1> .
- Retracting automatically: This occurs when
driv ing s lower than approximately 22 mph
(35 km/h) or at a certain engine compart­
ment temperature
1> .
Manual mode
- Extending manually: Press the switch
~ fig. 129 briefly to extend the rear spo iler
completely.
- Retracting manually: When dr iving at
speeds below approximately 12 mph (20
km/h), press and hold the switch to retract
the rear spoiler . When driving at speeds be­
tween 12 mph and 62 mph (20 km/h and
l ) The rear s poiler o nly exten ds or ret racts a bove a cer­
ta in eng in e te mp erat ure in s ome m odels.
100 km/h), press the switch briefly to re­
tract the rear spoiler complete ly. You cannot
retract the rear spoiler if it extended due to
the engine compartment temperature .
Indicator light
When the indicato r light (.-) appears, there is
a system malfunction . The rear spoiler may
not be able to extend . This cou ld change the
vehicle's driving characteristics at high
speeds. Do not exceed 87 mph (140 km/h) .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
Driving at higher speeds without the rear
spoiler deployed can impair handling char­
acteristics, making the vehicle ha rder to
control.
- Imp roper operation of the rear spoiler
can cause crushing injuries. Always ma ke
sure that nobody, especia lly children, is
in the way when the rear spoi ler is de­
p loyed or retracted.
- Always obey speed limits and other traf­
fic laws .
- Ho t air from the eng ine compartment
can escape thro ugh the rear spoiler when
it is open and it could burn you.
(D Note
- Never push the vehicle or apply force to
t he rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
- Operate the rear spoiler manually only
when the eng ine compartment lid is
closed, otherwise there is a risk of dam­
age .
(D Tips
Clean the spoiler compartment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compa rtment must
always be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debris.

Power steering
When the engine is running, power steering
makes it easier for the driver to steer.
Power steering he lps the driver steer the vehi­
cle with little physical effort .
If the engine is not runn ing, the power steer­
ing system is also not wo rking. In this case,
you will find it extreme ly difficult to turn the
steering whee l.
If you t urn t he steering fully to the le ft or
right when the vehicle is stationary, you place
a very heavy load on t he power steering sys ­
tem . T urning the steering wheel fu lly to the
left or r ight will cause noise in the system . It
a lso reduces engine idle speed.
(D Note
Do not hold the steering turned fully to
the left or right for more than 10 seconds
when t he engine is running. There is a risk
of damage to the power steeri ng system .
@ Tips
-In the event of a power steering system
failure, or if the eng ine is not running
(while being towed), you wi ll st ill be able
to stee r the ve hicle . However, you will re­
quire more effort to do so .
- If the power steer ing system has a leak
or is defective, you should immed iately
contact a qualif ied wo rkshop.
- The powe r stee ring system requires a
spec ial hyd raulic f luid. The powe r stee r­
i ng fl uid reservo ir is lo cated in the en­
g ine compar tment . Th e cor re ct hydra ulic
f lui d leve l is important for p ro per opera ­
tion o f the power steering sys tem . The
power steer ing fl uid leve l is checked ac­
cord ing to the Aud i maintenance service
schedule.
Dry sump Lubrication
H igh lateral and long itud inal forces affect the
engine and the vehicle d uring sporty driving.
Ory sump lubr ication ensures that your eng ine
Int ellig ent technolog y 149
is supplied wi th oi l and properly lubricated
even under these conditions .
In a "no rma l" veh icle the o il pump sends the
o il from the o il p an t o the lubr ication points in
t h e engine. The oi l then ret urns to the o il pan .
In extreme situations , the oil p ump may draw
in a ir, which results in insufficient oi l pressure.
Wi th dr y sump lubri cat ion, the o il is not in the
oi l pan (it is "dry"), but in a separate oil tank.
While one p ump supplies t he e ngine with oil ,
a second pump suctions the oil out of the en­
gine and returns it to the oil tank. Because the
o il tank is tall and narrow, oil pressure is con­
stant even under extreme conditions .
In add ition, the oi l pan in vehicles with dry
sump l ubrication is noticeab ly shallower. This
allows the engine to be installed lower in the
vehicle , bring ing down the center of grav ity .
T his imp roves your ve hicle's handling .
Driving with your
quattro ®
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv ­
en.
General information
With a ll-wheel d rive, powe r is distr ib uted to
al l four wheels. This happens autom atic ally
depen ding on your d riving s tyle and the ro ad
conditions a t the time . See also ¢
page 144.
The all-whee l dr ive concept is des igned for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion­
al ly powe rf ul and h as ex cellen t driving charac ­
teristics both under normal driving cond itions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precaut ions ¢&. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the win ter, yo ur vehicle wi th
a ll- wheel d rive h as an advantage, even w it h
regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-sea ­
son tires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing : these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels . See also¢ page 203, Winter tires. .,..
•
•

150 Intellig ent technolog y
Snow chain s
Where t ire cha ins are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a LL-wheel drive
¢ page 204, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels /t ir es
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must a lways
have tires of the same size. Also avoid t ires
with different tread depths. For details see
page
¢ page 199, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off -Ro ad dri ving?
Your Aud i does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off -road veh icle .
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
¢ page 153.
A WARNING
-Always adjust your driving to road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the extra
safety afforded by all-wheel drive tempt
yo u into taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel dr ive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by t ire traction . You
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road su rfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to s lide on top of the w ater
(aquaplaning) .
If this should occ ur, 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
is not driven for a long per iod of t ime, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e .g. immobilize r). In certa in circumstances it
can resu lt in the re be ing insufficient energy
available to start the engine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cl e ha ndles the distribution of e lectr ica l ene r­
gy . Start ing ability is ma rkedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Bas ica lly, energy management consists of
b att ery diagn osis, idlin g current manage ­
m ent
and dynamic en erg y manag em ent .
Battery di agnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery cu rrent and battery
tempe rature. This determines the current
state o f charge and the power of t he battery .
Idling current m anagem ent
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing .
With the ig nition sw itched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electri ca l compo ­
nents. Da ta from ba ttery diagnos is is cons id ­
ered.
Depend ing on the batte ry's state of cha rge,
individual cons ume rs a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy manag ement
While the vehicle is being d riven, dynamic en­
ergy ma nagement distr ibutes the energy gen­
era ted a ccord ing to t he needs of the individ u-
al components .
It regula tes consumption, so
t h at more electrical energy is not being used ..,.