2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER steering

124 Airbag sys te m
years and younger, a lways ride proper ly
restrained for their age and s ize.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
P ASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on have
the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
-A tight tether or other strap on a rear­ ward-fac ing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an ad ult were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger seat, a l­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sit ion in the seat's fo re and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the airbag
as possib le. The backrest m ust be adjus t­
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the t ime when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenge r seat afte r taking
the steps described above, have the air­ bag system inspected by your Audi deal­
er before transpor ting anyone on the
front passenger se at.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenge r side will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
w ill stay on.
-
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many diffe rent p laces o n your Aud i. Insta llin g,
removi ng, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a coll is ion.
T he re a re some important t hings yo u have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness o f
t h e system wi ll not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol ­
l ute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv ic ing and repair proce­
du res can increase the risk of personal in­
j u ry and death by prevent ing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or dep loying
an a irbag une xpec tedly:
- Never cover, obst ruct, or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or ai rbag cover
or the in st rument panel or mod ify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects s uch as c up
holders or telephone mountings to the
sur faces covering the a irbag un its.
- For cle aning the horn pad or instr ument
panel, use only a soft, dry clo th or one
moistened with pla in water. Solvents o r
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the st iffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
p loy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the a irbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or e lectr ica l sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equ ipment, cellu lar telep hones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technic ian who has the training
and specia l equipment ne cessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work-
shop. ..,.

126 Airbag system
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen ­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electron ic control unit.
.&_ WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal inj ury in a c rash .
- Never install suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance
character istics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on yo ur vehicle.
- Never use ti re-rim comb inat io ns that
have not been approved by A udi.
.&_ WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the senso rs in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con ­
trol mod ule a nd prevent the Advanced A ir ­
bag System from work ing properly .
- Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buck les and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
T he knee airbag system can provide supple ­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 121 Driv er 's airbag
The drive r knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering whee l
~ fig. 121, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment .
T he knee air bag offe rs addi tional p rotec tion
to the driver 's and passenger's knees lower
t h igh areas as a supplement to the protection
by the safety belts .
If the fron t airbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions w hen the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met ~
page 120, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal sa fety function,
safety belts help keeping the driver or front
passenger in position in a fronta l co llision so
that the airbags can provide supp lemental
protection .
T he airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part o f the overa ll oc ­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. A l­
ways remember tha t the a irbag system can
o nly he lp to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wea ring it properly . This
is why you should a lways wear your safety
belt, not jus t be cause the law requ ires you to
do so~
page 103 , General notes.
The safety belt buckle fo r th e driver and front
seat passenger have switch es that tell the air­
bag control module if the safety bel t is being
u sed or not .
If the sa fe ty belt is be ing used ,
t h e knee a irbag w ill deploy at a s light ly h igher
rate of dece leration than if the be lt is not be ­
ing used . Therefore, in a particular co llision, it
is possib le that an airbag will not dep loy at a
seating pos ition where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not being used .
Remember too, airbags w ill deploy on ly once
and only in certa in kinds of acc idents - your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t io n in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy o r whe n they have al­
ready dep loyed, for example when your vehi­
cl e s trikes or is st ru ck by ano ther after the
first collision . ..,.

128 Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passenger
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supplemental protection.
.&_ WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
-
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following min imum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­
ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag dep loys or
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys .
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals in the footwell in front of
the passenger seat.
If the airbag de- ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be car­
ried in the footwell area in front of the
driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky ob­
jects (shopping bags, for example) can
hamper or prevent proper deployment
of the airbag . Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~page 132, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 123 S ide a irbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
q fig. 123 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR­
BAG".
Th e side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster .

A WARNING
-=
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk " re­
quirements for 3- and 6- year-old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
Child Safety 133
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al­
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and size . The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan­
gerous place for a child to ride. The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward­
facing child safety seat .
It can be a very dan­
gerous place for an infant or a larger child in a
rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a
ll-
•
•

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 .,..

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. .,..
•
•

17 4 Che cking and filling
fluids, have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized Audi dealer.
Closing the engine compartment lid
.. Make sure that the rear spo iler is retracted
¢ page 148.
.. Pull the engine compa rtment lid dow n until
the p ress ure from the struts is reduced .
.. Pr ess the eng ine compartment lid closed
¢ &_ .
Eng ine compartment
A WARNING
-- W hen you close the engine compartment
lid, chec k it to make su re the safety catch
has prope rly engaged . The engine com­
pa rtment lid s ho ul d be flush w ith the
sur ro un ding vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driv ing t hat the en­
g in e compartmen t lid is not secu red
p roperly, sto p at once and cl ose it .
These ore the most important items that you con check .
Fig . 136 Ty pica l layout fo r co ntai ners , e ngin e o il dipst ick and engin e o il fille r cap (man ual t ra n sm iss io n)
F ig . 1 37 Typ ica l layout fo r co ntain ers, e ngin e o il d ipstic k and e ng in e o il fill er cap (S t ro nic )
W ith manual transmission: @ Engine oil f iller cap(~) ,
(D Power steering f luid rese rvoir
@ E ngine o il d ipst ick ...... .... .
(@) ... .... .... ....... .. .. . 14 9
180
178 ....

190 Tire s and wheel s
-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 t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when driving, 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 summer and winter tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined we ight (in excess of
those standard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic tra nsmission, 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 ratio of the he ight 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 overall handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire . typ
ica l in those seasons . Audi recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
decrease the e lasticity of summer tires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer tires are used in very co ld tem­
peratures, cracks ca n form on the tread
bars, res ulting in permanent tire damage
that can cause loud driving no ise and un­
balan ced t ires. Audi is not responsible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pre ssure
means the t ire p ressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire of a des ignated
s ize that has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le of miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the we ight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment including the max imum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi ­
tioning and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E x tra load tire
means a t ire designed to ope rate a t higher
loads and at highe r inflation p ressu res than
the corresponding standard tire. Extra load
tires my be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross A xle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
means the load -carry ing capacity of a s ingle
axle system , measured at the tire-ground in­
terfaces.
Gr oss Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e vehi cle. .,.