2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER ESP

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 111.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always heed the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 132, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 57
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
must be adjusted to yo ur body height so
that they can give you max imum prote c­
tion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible be tween yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus ­
ing sudden loss of vehicle control and
personal injury . If you ad just yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adj ust the seat in fore and aft direction so
t ha t you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor whi le keeping your knee sligh tly bent
c::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page
57 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Pos it ion the head restrai nt accord ing to the
occupant 's height
c::> page 59. For maxi­
mum protection, the top of the head re­
straint shou ld be at least at eye level, pref­
erably higher and idea lly level with the top
of the head
¢ page 96, fig. 103 .
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate!

58 Seats and storage
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position .
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the following manner:
• Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
pos it ion.
Do not ride with the seat reclined .
• The idea l position fo r the head restraint is
with the upper edge of the restraint leve l
with the top of your head ¢
page 59. You
shou ld
not lower the top of the restraint be­
low the level of your eyes .
• Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Power seats
Adjustment switches
The operating logic for the switches corre­
sponds to the construction and function of
the seat.
Fig. 65 Adjust men t swi tc h es : locat io ns on dr iver seat
The operating logic for the switches corre­
sponds to the construction, the design and
the function of the seat. Push or pull either
switch in exactly the same d irect ion you want
the corresponding part of the seat to move.
Adjustment switches
CD Adjusting the lumbar support
@ Adjusting seat height and fore-and-aft po­
sition @
Adjusting the angle of the seatback
Power seat adjustment
The switches can be moved in various direc­
tions to allow precis e adjustment .
Read and heed all warnings before you adjust
your seat.
¢ &_ .
Adjusting the curvature of the lumbar
support
• Push the forward or rear depression on the
switch shell
CD C? page 58, fig. 65 to in­
crease or decrease the back rest curvature.
Adjusting the height of the lumbar
support
• Push the top or bottom depression on the
sw itch shell
CD to raise or lower the support
in the backrest.
Moving the front seats forward or
backward
• Press the switch@ forward or backward
horizontally .
Adjusting the seat height
• Pull or p ush the switch @evenly at both
ends to raise or lower the seat.
Angling the seat cushion up and down
(front)
• Pull or push the switch @at the front only
to raise or lowe r the seat.
Angling the seat cushion up and down
(rear)
• Pull or push the switch @at the rear only to
raise or lower the seat.
Adjusting the seatback
• Push or pull the switch @ in the same direc­
tion you want the seatback to tilt.
A WARNING "---
- Never adjust the driver's or front passen-
ger seat while the vehicle is moving . If
you do this while the vehicle is moving,
~

could slide around inside the vehicle
wh ile driving or when accelerating or
when applying the brakes or when driv­
ing around a corner .
- When you are driving make sure that
anything you may have placed in the cen­
ter console or other storage locations
cannot fa ll out into the footwells . In case
of sudden braking you would not be able
to brake, depress the clutch or acceler­
ate.
- Any articles of cloth ing that you have
hung up must not interfere with the driv­
er's v iew. The coat hooks are designed
only for lightweight clothing. Never hang
any clothing with hard, pointed or heavy
objects in the pockets on the coat hooks .
During sudden braking or in an accident -
especially if the airbag is deployed -
these objects could injure any passen­
gers inside the veh icle .
Glove compartment
The glove compartment is illuminated and
can be locked.
Fig. 69 Glove compar tme nt
To open glove compartment
• Pull the handle ~ fig . 69 in the direction of
the arrow, push down lid to the fully open
pos it ion .
To close glove compartment
• Push the glove compartment lid upward un­
t il the lock engages .
The glove compartment light comes on as the parking or driving lights are switched on and
Seats and storage 61
the compartment is opened . You will find a
glasses case in the lid.
T he glove compartment has a standard
12-
volt socket for connecting electrical accesso­
ries. The power consumption at the outlet
must not exceed 100 watts. The socket works
only w ith the ignition switched on.
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
g love compartment closed while driving.
Storage compartment in the front seats
Applies to vehicles: with storage compartment in the
front seats
There is a fold-out storage compartment in
the front of the seats .
Opening
• Lift the handle and pull the drawer out.
Closing
-
• Push the drawer in completely until it latch­
es.
(D Tips
The maximum carrying capacity 2.2 lbs.
(1 kg).
Storage compartments between the
, seat backrests
The storage compartments are illuminated
and can be locked with the vehicle key.
F ig . 70 Storage compartments betwee n the seat
back rests

The parking brake warning comes on only af ­
ter you hav e drive n for longer than 3 seconds
and faster than 5 mph (5 km/h).
The parking b rake warning light _
(USA)/ . (CON) illuminates when the parking
brake is set and you switc h on the ignition .
A WARNING
Always release the parking brake com­
pletely. A partially engaged brake will
overheat the rear brakes, reduce the ir ef­
fectiveness and cause excess ive wear . This
could lead to brake failure and an accident .
On ly after the vehicle has come to com­
plete stop, should you f irm ly set the park­
ing brake and move the gearshift lever into
a gear.
Parking
Parking
"' Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
"' Set the parking brake firmly.
"' Swi tch off the e ngine .
"' Engage a gear
~ ,&. .
In addition on inclines and grad es
"' Turn the steer ing whee l so that your vehicle
will ro ll against the curb i n case it should
sta rt to move .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can reduce the risk of in­
jury when leaving your veh icle.
- Never pa rk the vehicle whe re it can come
in contac t wi th dry grass, spille d fu el or
any othe r flammable materials.
- Never allow a nyone - especially small
children -to remain in the vehicle when
it is locked. Locked doors ma ke it mo re
difficult for rescuers to access the pas ­
senger compartment in the event of an emergency . Danger to life!
- Never leave c hildren unsupervised in the
vehicle . Children co uld re lease the park-
-
On th e ro ad 71
ing brake or move the gearsh ift leve r out
of gear. The vehicle could start to ro ll
away and cause an acc ident.
- No matter what the season is, the tem ­
perature in a parked ve hicle can reach
dangerous leve ls.
Starting on hills
App lies to vehicles : wi th hill ho ld assist
Hill ho ld assist makes it eas ier to start on
hill s.
The system is activated when the brake peda l
is depressed
for a few second s.
After releasing the brake ped al, the brake
power is held for a
brief moment t o p reven t
the ve hicle from rolling back when starting . A t
this time, you can easi ly begin to move your
vehicle.
A WARNING
- If you did not begin moving immed iate ly
after releasing the brake pedal, under
certa in circumstances, the vehicle would
begin to roll backwa rd . Dep ress the
brake peda l imm ediate ly o r engage the
hand b rake.
- Should t he eng in e sta ll, dep ress th e
bra ke peda l immediate ly o r engage the
ha nd br ake.
- In o rder to prevent the vehicl e from roll­
ing back unintentionally whe n starti ng in
s top-and-go tr affic, keep the br ake ped al
depressed fo r a few seconds be fore driv­
in g off .
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is equ ipped
wi th "Hi ll hold ass ist" at a n au thori ze d
A udi dealersh ip.

74 On the road
8_ WARNING
-Always pay attention to traffic even when
the cruise control is switched on. You are
always responsible for your speed and
the distance between your vehicle and
other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traffic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of accident.
- Turn
off the cruise control temporarily
when entering turn lanes, highway exit
lanes or in construction zones.
- Please note that inadvertently "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because the cruise control is overridden
by the driver's acceleration.
@ Tips
- Vehicles with manual transmission: You
can attain the set speed only if the cur­
rently engaged gear allows it and the en­
gine is not stressed. Shifting to a higher
or lower gear promptly will allow the en­
gine to run smoothly .
- The cruise control cannot maintain a
constant speed when driving downhill.
The vehicle will accelerate under its own
weight. Downshift to a lower gear or use
the brakes to slow down.
Changing speed
.,. Press lever in the 0 or 0 direction
¢ page 73, fig. 79 to increase or decrease
your speed.
.,. Release the lever to save that speed.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down
to increase your speed, e.g. if you want to
pass someone. The speed you saved earlier
will resume as soon as you release the acceler­ ator pedal.
If, however, you exceed your saved speed by
S mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes,
the cruise control will turn
off temporarily.
The symbol will go out but the saved speed
will be retained .
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving.
.,. Turn on the ignition.
.,. Pull lever into position@~
page 73,
fig. 79.
.,. Press the lever in the 0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed.
.,. Release the lever to save that speed .
This function makes it possible, for example,
to save the speed you want before driving on
the highway. Once on the highway, activate
the cruise control by pulling the lever toward
CD-
Switching the system off
Temporary deactivation
.,. Press the brake pedal , or
.,. Keep the clutch pedal pressed down longer,
or
.,. Press the lever into position @ (not clicked
into place)
~ page 73, fig. 79 , or
.,. Drive for longer than S minutes at more
than 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.,. Press lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.,. Switch the ignition
off.
The system retains the saved speed if you de­
activate the cruise control temporarily. To re­
sume the saved speed, release the brake or
clutch pedal and pull the lever to position
(D .
Switching the ignition off erases the saved
speed.

76 On the road
Your authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop will be happy to undertake an inspection
before and after use on the race track .
_& WARNING
-
Some race tracks (e.g. steeply banked
turns) may affect the response of the ESC.
@ Tips
-Review the track requirements and con­
ditions before you start driving.
- When driven on a race track, all vehicle
parts are severely stressed. This can re­
su lt in increased wear.

Transmission Manual transmission
Gearshift lever
App lies to vehicles: with manual transmission
The clutch pedal must be depressed all the
way before you can start the engine.
The manual transmission in your Audi is
equipped with an
interlock-feature.
• Depress the clutch pedal all the way.
• Start the engine with the gearshift lever in
Neutral and the clutch pedal depressed.
(D Note
Always depress the clutch pedal fully when
changing gears . Do not hold the vehicle on
a hill with the clutch pedal partially de­
pressed. This may cause premature clutch
wear or damage .
@ Tips
-Resting your hand on the gearshift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission.
- The back-up lights go on when you shift
into Reverse w ith the ignition on.
Gearshift pattern (6-speed manual
transmission)
Applies to vehicles: with 6-speed manual transmission
Fig. 82 Gears hift patte rn: 6 -speed manual tran smis­
sion
Drive in 6th gear for optim um fuel economy
when cruising . However, if more acceleration
is required (when passing, for example), shift
down.
Transmission 77
Engaging reverse gear (R)
• Move the shift lever all the way to the left,
press it down , then push it backward.
Especially after driving forward, stop the vehi­
cle completely, sh ift into
Neutral and rest the
shift lever br iefly in Neutra l before shift ing in­
to
Reverse .
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with VlO eng ine and manual t ra ns·
miss ion
The Launch Control Program enables maxi­
mum acceleration .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat­
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
• With the engine running, press the button
[g] one time. The ESC indicator light I in the
Driver Informat ion System display illumi­
nates and the message
ESC sport - Warn­
ing! Restricted stability
appears.
• Press the clutch and hold it down .
• Engage the first gear.
• Press the accelerator pedal all the way down
until the engine speed remains steady at
6500 RPM.
• Release the clutch carefully¢.&, .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the traffic
flow.
- Only use Launch Control when road and
traffic conditions allow it and other dr iv­
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and the vehicle's accelera­
tion .
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ESC is switched off, especially
when the road is slippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you sho uld
sw itch the ESC back on by pressing the
button @.

78 Transmission
@ Tips
-When accelerating using the Launch
Control program, all vehicle parts are
subject to heavy loads. This can result in
increased wear.
- The Launch Control Program only func­
tions when the parking brake is released
and the vehicle speed is less than
3 mph
(5 km/h).
S tronic®
Description
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic
Fig. 83 Shift pattern
Fig. 84 Display: selected gears
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronical­
ly-controlled manual transmission called S
tronic ®. Two independent clutches transfer
the powe r between the engine and transmis­
sion. They replace the torque converter used
in conventional automatic transmissions and
allow the vehicle to accelerate without a no­
ticeable interruption in traction.
The selected mode of operation, the gear en­
gaged and the sport function are shown in the
Driver Information System display ¢
fig. 84.
M -Manual operation
In this operating mode, you shift the forward
gears using the selector lever ¢
page 79 or
the shift paddles on the multifunction steer­
ing wheel¢
page 81.
A - Automatic operation
In this opera ting mode, the forward gears are
shifted up or down depending on engine load
and vehicle speed ¢
page 80.
R- Reverse
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle is
stationary and the engine is running at idle
speed~ ,&..
To engage reverse gear, you have to press the
brake pedal, move the selector lever to the
right and tip it towards R . In reverse gear, the
backup lights illuminate when the ignit ion is
on .
N -Neutral
To engage neutral, you have to move these­
lector lever to the left or to the right.
If re­
verse gear is engaged, move the selector lever
to the left.
If a forward gear is engaged, move
the selector lever to the right.
Sport function
The sport function is sw itched on by pressing
the
I SPOR T I button on the selector lever cover.
Upshifting at a higher RPM makes full use of
the engine's power. Shift time is decreased
and acce le rator pedal response is improved.
In addition, in manual operation the engine
does
not shift automatically into the next
gear before it has reached the maximum per­
missible engine speed. In automatic opera­
tion, upshifting continues automatically.
P - Automatic parking lock
The automatic parking lock is engaged imme­
diately after you remove the key. The auto­
matic parking lock is also engaged if you turn
off the engine while in the A, R, or manual
mode positions. .,..