2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER warning

186 Checking and filling
No
- sparks
@
-flames
-smoking.
--· W hen a b att ery is ch arg ed , it produc es
A hydrogen ga s whi ch i s ex plosive and
could cause p ers onal injury.
®
Alway s keep the battery well out of
reach of children.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the electrical system, there is the r isk of
inju ry, acc ident and
even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let
battery acid or any lead part icles get on
yo ur sk in or cloth ing . Sh ield your eyes .
Explosive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfur ic acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and
severe
burns.
- Always wear gloves and eye protection .
Do not tilt the battery because ac id
could lea k out of the vent ilation open­
ings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or
on your sk in, immediately rinse with
cold water for severa l m inutes and get
medical attention.
- I f you should ingest any battery acid,
see k medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks o r an open ligh t.
- Do not smoke .
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cables .
- When working on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up
very quickly,
wh ich could lead to damage or e xplosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
cou ld cause persona l injury. -
Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the elect rical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­
ble.
- Before performing any work on the e lec­
tr ica l system, switch off the engine and
ignit ion as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected .
If you are just go­
i n g to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you wi ll set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
d isconnect the negat ive cab le and then
the posit ive cab le.
- Before reconnecting the batte ry, ma ke
sure all e lectr ica l consumers are sw itch­
ed off. Reconne ct the pos it ive cable first
an d then the negative cable. Never inter­
change the cables -this could start a fi re!
- Never ch arge a fro zen or a thawed-out
battery. I t could exp lode! I f a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced . A dis­
charged batte ry can freeze
over at 32 °F
(0 oc).
- Make sure the vent hose is always attach­
ed to the opening on the s ide of the bat ­
tery .
- Never use batteries which a re damaged .
Danger of explosion! Always replace a
damaged battery .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive problems . Wash hands after han­
dling.

(D Note
-Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise, you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system .
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth­
erwise it will be damaged and will then have to be replaced.
Charging the battery
Connections for charging the battery are lo­
cated in the Luggage compartment.
Fig. 146 Luggage com pa rtm ent: batt ery cov er
Fig. 147 Luggag e com partm ent: connec tor s for a
c harge r and jump start cables
Do not connect the negative cable direc tly to
the negative terminal on the battery . Connect
it to a
jump start pin instead c::.> fig . 147 .
.. Always read and heed all WARNINGS c::.> .&.
in Working on the ba ttery on page 186 and
Q ,&. .
.. Switch off the ignition and all electrical con ­
sumers .
.. Open the luggage compartment lid
c::.> page 3 3.
Checking and filling 187
.. Remove the battery cover c::.> fig. 146.
.. Connect the terminal clamps from the
charger to the battery terminal (red = "posi­
tive") and the jump start pin
c::.> fig. 147
(black or brown= "negative") as specified.
.. Only now plug the mains lead for the charg ­
ing equipment into the wall outlet and turn
it on .
.. When the battery is fully charged: Turn the
charging equipment off and
remove the
mains lead from the wall outlet .
.. Now
remove the clamps for the charging
equipment .
.. Install the battery
cover.
.. Close the luggage compartment lid
c::.> page 3 3.
When charging at low voltages (e.g. with a
trickle charger), the battery cables do not
have to be disconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e . "fast charging", you
must disconnect both cables. In either case,
follow the instructions from the manufacturer
of the charger.
Fastcharging a battery is
dangerous c::.> .&. in
Working on the battery on page 186 .
It re­
quires special charging equipment and the
knowledge to go with it. We recommend hav­
ing your battery fast charged only by a quali­
fied workshop .
A discharged battery can
freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat ­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it
c::.> & . However, we recommend not
using a thawed battery again because the bat­
tery casing can be cracked due to ice forma­
tion and can leak battery acid .
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery.
WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro-
zen. The battery housing may have

Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara­
tively small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll- important contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safely han­
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
r eg ularly inspect ing t ires for damage i nclud­
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in­
cluding tread separat ion and blowouts.
A voidin g damage
If you have to d rive over a curb or similar ob­
stacle, drive very slow ly and as close as possi ­
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chemicals includ ing grease, o il ,
gasoline and brake fluid off the t ires .
I nspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedde d in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . T his ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re­
i nstall them .
When removed, the wheels or t ires should be
sto red in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims .
Tires an d wheel s 189
New tires
New ti res have to be broken in¢& .
The tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord­
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
patte rn.
H idden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
visible . If you notice unusual v ib rat ion or the
vehicle pulls to one s ide, th is may ind icate
that one of the t ires has been damaged . T he
ti res m ust be chec ked immed iate ly by an au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified wor kshop .
Unidirectional tires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar­
rows on the sidewa ll, that po int in the direc­
tion the t ire is designed to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified di rection o f rotation . T his
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characteristics regarding grip, road noise, wear and hydrop laning resistance.
For more information
¢ page 214.
A WARNING
New tires or t ires that are o ld, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con­
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in. To reduce the r isk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in ju ries, d rive with special ca re for the
fi rst 350 m iles ( 560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
lead to loss of control, sudden tire fail­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
fl ation, cras hes and se riou s personal in­
juries . Have worn or damaged t ires re­
placed immediate ly.
- Ti res age even if they are not being used
and can fai l sudden ly, especially at hig h
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith special care and at low
speed.
•
•

194 Tire s and wheel s
that are stored . The system does not recog ­
nize the load cond ition of your vehicle.
See the il lustration ~
fig. 149 for the location
of the label on dr iver's side 8-pillar (color of
the actua l labe l and exact location on the ve­
hicle wi LL vary slightly).
Note that the followi ng tab le is accurate at
the time o f go ing to press and is subject to
change. In the event of discrepancies, the tire pressure label on driver's s
ide 8 -pillar always
takes precedence .
T he table below l ists t he recommended cold
t ire inflat ion pressu res for the Aud i mode l
covered by your Owner's Literat ure at the vehi ­
cle's capacity weight and the tir e sizes i nstal­
l ed on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a facto ry option.
I Model / \I Tire designation
Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear I
Engine
normal load full load normal load full load
condition condition condition condition
PSI II kPA PSI II kPA PSI ]I kPA
PSI II kPA
RS: 235/35 R19 91 Y XL 45
310 45 310
4 .2 liter
295 /30 R19 lOOY X L 280
8-c ylin-
305/30 R1 9 102V
XL
der 41
280 41
280
RS: 235/35 R19 91 Y XL 45
5.2 liter 295 /30 R19 l00Y XL 41 280 41
280
10-cyl-
305 /30 R19 102V XL
inder 41 280 41 280
--XL= reinforc ed or extra load tire. It may also a ppear as xl , EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side·
wall.
Because tec hnical changes may be made to
ve hicle equ ipment dur ing the model yea r, a l­
ways compare the tire size designation on the
tire pressure labe l on your vehicle w ith the
tires on your vehicle . Make s ure that the t ire
size information on the ve hicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is especially important if the vehicle be­
longs to someone else or you bough t the veh i­
cle with different rims/tires or you bought the
ve hicle as a previously owned vehicle .
Remember, your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on mak ing sure that
load limits are not exceeded . Vehicle load in ­
cludes everybody and everything in and on the
vehicle. These load lim its are technically refer­
r ed to as the vehicle 's Gross Vehicle We ight
Rating ("GVWR"). The G ross Ax le Weight Rat­
ing ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can
be applied at each of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
G ross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety compl
iance sticker label located on the
driver's side 8-pillar. The tire p ressure labe l on
yo ur Audi lists the max im um combined
weight of all o f the occ upants and luggage or
othe r ca rgo that the vehicle can carry. Fo r the
location of the tire pressure label
~ fig . 149.
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
h icle contro l, a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and even death.
- Carrying more we ight than your veh icle
was designed to carry will prevent the
veh icle from handling properly a nd i n­
crease the risk of a loss of vehicle con ­
trol.
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
veh icle w ith in a safe distance.
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload ­
ed can fail suddenly ca using loss of con­
trol and a crash.

A WARNING
-Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can lead to a serious or fatal acci­
dent .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation cause increased tire wear and can
affect the handling of the vehicle.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
Checking tire pressure
The correct tire pressure for the tires original ­
ly installed on your vehicle is listed on the tire
pressure label located on driver's side 8-pil­ lar.
The recommended t ire pressures are on the
tire pressure labe l and in the tab le
¢ page 193, Cold tire inflation pressure . This
means that the pressure must be checked and
ad justed when the tire has not been driven for
more than a couple of m iles (kilometers) at
low speeds during the previous three hours.
Air in the tires expands when the tire heats up
as a result of internal fr iction as it flexes in
use. The tire pressure is higher when the tire
has warmed up than when it is "cold".
It is the inflation pressure in a "cold" tire that
counts. Therefore, you should never let air out
of a warm t ire to match "Cold tire inflation
pressure" recommendations
¢ page 193. The
tires would then be under inflated and could
fa il suddenly.
The tire pressure label on your Audi lists the recommended cold t ire inflat ion pressures for
the new, or iginal equipment tires that were
on you r vehicle at the t ime it was manufac­
tured. For the location of the label
¢page 193, fig. 149.
Most tires lose a ir naturally over time. They
can also lose some a ir if you dr ive over a pot­
h ole o r hi t a curb while pa rking. It is usua lly
not possib le to see whether the radia l tires
Tire s an d wheel s 195
used today are underinflated just by looking
at them .
T he refore, be su re to check t ire p ress ures at
least once a month and a lways befo re going
on a long trip . Make s ure to take the number
of peop le and the amount of luggage into ac­
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that yo u wou ld not consider to be
"long". See
¢ page 196, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information .
A lways use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres­
sures. Check all of the tires. If the pressure in
any tire is too high when the tire is "cold", let
a ir out of the tire slowly with the edge of the
tire gauge and keep checking the pressure un­
ti l you reach the pressure that is co rrect fo r
the load (passenge rs and luggage) and kind of
driv ing you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the p ressure in the cold
t ir e and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your vehicle and in this man ua l and the kind
of driving you plan to do .
Never e xceed the m ax imum infl ation pre s­
sure listed on the tire side wall f or an y re a­
s on .
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufact urer, determines the cor rect
tire p ress ure for the tires on your ve hicle .
I t i s important to check the t ire press ure when
the tires are co ld .
- Read the required tire pressure from the t ire
p ressure labe l located on drive r's side B-pil­
lar.
- Tu rn the va lve stem cap counter-clockw ise
to remove it from the t ire va lve.
- Place the a ir p ressure gauge on the va lve .
- The tire pressures should only be checked and ad justed when the tires are cold . The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
no t be reduced. .,. •
•

196 Tire s and wheel s
-Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pres sur e?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor­
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey.
When should I adjust th e tir e pre ss ures ?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel
o r replacing
wheels you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all wheels. In addition , you must then init i­
alize the new tire pressures in the tire p res ­
sure mon itoring system ¢
page 206.
& WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinf la­
tion can lead sudden tire failure, loss of
contro l, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbo l
(11 appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires .
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla­
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the veh icle and
stopp ing ability .
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin­
flation can also lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure, including a blowout and sudden de­
flation, causing loss of vehicle control.
- The driver is responsible for the cor rect
t ire pressures for all tires on the vehicle .
T he applicable p ressu re values are locat­
ed on a stic ker on the d rive r's side 8 -pil ­
lar .
- Only when all t ires on the vehicle a re fi l­
led to the correct pressure, the tire p res­
sure monitoring system can work cor­
rect ly .
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
T herefore it is essential that the driver
observe the specified tire pressure va lues
for the tires and the correct press ures for the function of the ti re p
ress ure monitor­
ing system.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with underinflated tires bend
more, letting them get too hot resulting
in tread separation, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build-up, sudden tire failure
and loss of control.
- If the tire pressure is too low or too high,
the t ires will wear prematurely and the
veh icle w ill not handle well.
- If the tire is not flat and you do not have
to change a wheel immediately, drive at
reduced speed to the nearest service sta­
tion to check the t ire p ressure and add
ai r as req uired .
@ Note
Driving w ithout valve stem caps can cause
damage to the tire valves. To prevent this ,
always make sure that factory insta lled
valve stem caps o n all whee ls are se curely
moun ted on the valve.
@ For the sake of the environment
Underinflated tires w ill also increase the
fuel consumption.
Tires and vehicle load limits
T he re a re limits to the amount of load or
weight that any vehicle and any tire can carry.
A vehicle that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more d ifficu lt to stop . Overloading
can not only lead to lo ss of vehicle control,
but can also damage impor tant parts of the
vehicle and ca n lead to sudden tire fa ilure, in­
clud ing a blowout and sudden deflation that
can cause the vehicle to cras h.
Your safety and that of your passengers also depends on making sure that load limits a re
not exceeded . Vehicle load i ncludes eve rybody
and everything in and on the veh icle . These .,..

load limits are technically referred to as the
vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight of the basic
vehicle, all factory installed accessories, a full
tank of fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids plus
maximum load. The maximum load includes
the number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry ("seating capacity") with an
assumed weight of 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each
passenger at a designated seating position
and the total weight of any luggage in the ve­
hicle.
T he
Gross Axle Weight Rating (" GAWR") is
the maximum load that can be applied at each
of the vehicle's two axles .
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the
Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the
safety compliance sticker label located on the
driver 's side B-pillar . Your Audi has 2 seating
positions. Each seating position has a safety
belt ¢
page 103, Safety belts.
The fact that there is an upper limit to your
vehicle 's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating means
that the total weight of whatever is being car­
ried in the vehicle is limited. The more passen­
gers in the vehicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard weights assumed
mean that less weight can be carried as lug­
gage.
The tire pressure label on your Audi also lists
the maximum combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other cargo that
the vehicle can carry. For the location of the label
¢page 193, fig. 149 .
A WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of ve­
hicle control, a crash or other accident, se ­
rious personal injury, and even death .
- Carrying more weight than your vehicle
was designed to carry will prevent the
vehicle from handling properly and in­
crease the risk of the loss of vehicle con­
trol.
Tires and wheels 197
- The brakes on a vehicle that has been
overloaded may not be able to stop the
vehicle within a safe distance .
- Tires on a vehicle that has been overload­
ed can fail suddenly, including a blowout
and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash .
Determining correct load limit
Use the example below to cal­
culate the total weight of the passengers and luggage or oth­
er things that you plan to trans­
port so that you can make sure
that your vehicle will not be overloaded.
Steps for Determining
Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OC­
CUPANTS AND CARGO
SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS"on your vehi­
cle's placard (tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 193,
fig. 149.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers from
"XXX" kilo-
grams or
"XXX" pounds .,.
•
•

and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
I nco rrect whee l alignment can cause exces­
sive tire wea r, impair ing t he safety of the vehi­
cle. If tires show excess ive wear, have the
wheel alignment checked by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All-wheel d rive
Only the wheel/tire sizes specified by the
manufacturer may be used on vehicles wi th
all-wheel drive. For details see
<:!) page 149.
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con­
tro l, a crash and serious persona l injury!
- Never drive a veh icle when the tread on
any t ire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard , they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of"hydrop lan ing" and loss of
co ntrol.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fl uid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not being used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you 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 s udden tire failure
and loss o f vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 199
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels hove to be broken in .
Fig. 152 Tir e spec ificat io n codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. De scription
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nomina l width of t ire in mill imeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Rad ia l
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rating
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Aud i O rigina l tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire p ly composi tion and mater ials used
@ Maximum load rating
@ T readwear, tracti on and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essentia l parts of the
vehicle 's design . The t ires and rims app roved
by A udi are spec ially matched to the charac­
teristics of the vehicle and can ma ke a major
contr ibu tion to good road holding and safe .,.
•