2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER ESP

130 Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and con help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fi g. 1 24 Inflated s ide airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with prope llant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim pane l
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very hig h speed and with great force. The sup­
plemental side airbag could i njure you if your
seating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
p lemental side airbag expands. This applies
especial ly to children
Q page 132, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door pane l on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lision
Q fig . 124.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
p loys. This is norma l and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle. Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore only
supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
The re is a lot that you and your passenger
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplementa l protect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side ai rbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly weari ng safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of inj ury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright posi tion and
never lean aga inst the area whe re the
s u ppleme nta l side air bag is located .
- Never let a child or a nyone e lse rest
t h eir head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
in the area where the supplementa l
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure tha t safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the fron t
seat put t heir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the win dow.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Neve r install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholstery over th e front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Neve r use additional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to t he seam in the area of the si de a ir­
bag module mus t always be repaired
i mmediately by a n author ized Audi
dealer.

132 Child Safety
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c::> page 104, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fully developed . In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especial ­
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure . Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate child restraint properly used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your child's size
c::> page 135, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re­
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­ ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-
All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in­
jured by striking the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child is also at great­
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflating airbag.
_& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on, have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
.

Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
H igh Back Bo oste r
22-262
Co sco High Bac k Boos -September 2S, 2007
ter 22- 209
Evenfl o Tribut e V
379xxxx September 25, 2007
December 1, 1999
E
venflo Genera tions September 25, 2007
35 2xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 2S, 2007
Grace Toddler Sa fety September 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on a nd stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant ca r­
rie r wi th great fo rce and will smash the
c hild s afety seat and child agains t the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dealer.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in catego ries A to C
have been sta tica lly tested by Au di only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
.
Child Sa fet y 135
Important safety instructions for us ing
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are respons ible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle , especially ch il­
dren:
.. Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
r=;, page 137.
.. Always carefully fo llow the child safe ty seat
manufac turer's inst ruct io ns on how to ro ute
the sa fe ty be lt properly through the c hild
safety seat .
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing
¢ page 140 .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with yo ur
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot
move fo rwa rd o r
sideways more th an one inch
(2.5 cm).
.. If a s trap or tet her is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
A lways remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
c hi ld should always ride in the seat properly
restrained for its age and s ize.
A WARNING
N ot using a child safety seat, using the
wrong ch ild safety seat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious persona l inju ry and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must always be restrained p rope rly
wheneve r riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrest rained or improper ly restrain­
ed ch ild can be injured or killed by be­
i ng t hrown against the ins ide of the
ve­
hicle or by being e jected from it dur ing
a sudden maneuve r o r i mpact .
•
•

140 Child Safety
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especial­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly , incorrectly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possi­
ble and must lie and snug on the upper
body .
It must never lie across the throat
or neck. The lap belt must lie across the
pelvis and never across the stomach or
abdomen. Make sure the belt lies flat
and snug. Pull on the belt to tighten if
necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation
c::;,poge 103.
-Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on the
seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi­
tion in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag. This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep -
-
tional circumstances the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on the inflating
airbag will hit the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately
by your Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢page 103, Safety
belts,
c::;, page 111 , Airbag system and
c::;, page 132, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the front passenger con be
locked with the convertible locking retractor
to properly secure child safety sea ts.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the front passenger's seat safety belt have
a convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints . The safety belt must be locked so
that belt webbing cannot unreel. The retrac­
tor can be activated to lock the safety belt and
prevent the safety belt webbing from loosen­
ing up during normal driving. A child safety
seat can only be properly installed when the
safety belt is locked so that the child and child
safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly
restrained for its age and size.
II>-

142 Child Safety
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
-Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­
bag System. The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­ ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on have the airbag sys­
tem inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor: ..
Place the child restraint on a seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path
c> ,A .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING ~
Using the wrong child restraint or an im-
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position. Otherwise, the seat­
back with the child safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an
accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave-
hicle is being used
c> page 132. Special ..,.

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. .,.

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.