2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER seat adjustment

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,
~

you will be out of position. Always adjust
the driver's or front passenger seat when
the vehicle is not moving.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
height. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or serious injury could result!
- Because the seats can be electrically ad­ justed with the ignition key removed, never leave children unattended in the
vehicle. Unsuperv ised use of the electr ic
seat adjustments may cause serious in­
jury.
- To reduce the r isk of injury in the case of
sudden braking or accident, front pas­
sengers must neve r ride in a moving ve­
hicle wi th the seatback recl ined. Safety
belts and the airbag system offer maxi ­
mum protection on ly when the seatback
is upright and the safety belts are prop­
erly posit ioned on the body. The more
the seatback is reclined, the greater the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating pos ition and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts!
- Always make sure the front seatbacks are
in the upright posit ion and securely
locked in place when dr iv ing .
Head restraints
Adjusting head restraints
The head restraints must be adjusted proper­
ly to provide protection.
Fig . 66 Drive r's seat head restraint: adjusting the
height
The head restraints on the front seats can be
adj usted to p rov ide safe support to head and
neck at the opt imum he ight. When opt imally
S ea ts a nd s to rage 59
adjusted, the top of the restraint should be
level with the top of the head
c::> page 96.
'" Grasp the s ides of the head restraint with
both hands and slide it upward/downward
until you fee l it click into place
c::> fig . 66.
& WARNING ~ -
- Driving without head restraints or with
head restra ints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of serious or fa­
tal neck injury dramat ically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
<=:>page 96.
@ Tips
Correctly adjusted head restraints and
safety be lts are an extremely effective
combination of safety features.
Cup holder
F ig. 67 Cup holder
A WARNING
Spilled hot liquid can cause an accident
and personal injury.
-
- Never carry any beverage containers with
hot liq uids, such as hot coffee or hot tea,
in the vehicle while it is moving. In case
of an acc ident, sudden braking or other
veh icle movement, hot liquid could spill,
causing scalding burns. Spilled hot liquid
can also cause an accident and personal injury.
- Use only soft cups in the cupholder . Hard
cups and glasses can cause injury in an
accident.

96 Driving Safely
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it de­
ploys with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas­
senger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win ­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢page 132. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
r:::;, page 111.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Fig. 103 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
.,. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
r:::;, fig. 103 .
Adjusting head restraints¢
page 59.
A WARNING ~
All seats are equipped with head re-
straints. Driving w ithout head restraints or
with head restraints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of serious or fa­
tal neck injuriy dramat ically. To help re­
duce the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
p la ce and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
h icle properly adjusts their head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible,
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint .

Airbag system Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
"" Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly¢
page 94,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 95,
""Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 105,
""Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect children
r::::> page 132.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force.
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger are not
seated properly . Therefore in order to help the
airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
driver and as a passenger to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steer ing whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp lete ly and provide supplemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
r::::> page 94,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or details
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 58.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained
r::::> page 132.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
ger can and must do to help the individua l
safety features installed in your Audi work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If you have a physical impairment or con-
Airbag system 111
dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or
operation of the Advanced Airbag System,
please contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer Re­
lations at 1-800-822-2834 for poss ible modi­
fications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener ­
ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steer ing
whee l and the driver and between the instru­
ment panel and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
through the windshield again without inter­
ruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a great dea l of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and passenger from
hitt ing parts of the inside the vehicle while re­
ducing the forces acting on the occupant dur­
ing the crash . In this way they help to reduce
the risk of injury to the head and upper body
in the crash. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle dece leration rate
caused by the co llision and registered by the
electronic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the collision . Ve hicl e damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is not necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag shou ld inf late o r not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possible kind and ..,. •
•

114 Airbag sys te m
the front airbag inf lates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenge r 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 the infla ting airbag
wi ll hi t the child safe ty seat or infant car­
rie r 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
authorized Audi dealer .
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat may in­
terfere with the deployment of the air­
bag and cause serious personal injury to
the ch ild.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forwa rd-facing child restra int on
t he fron t passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing
sea t has been des igned and certified by
i t s manufac turer for use on a fro nt sea t
with a passenger front an d side airbag.
- Never put the forwa rd-f acing child re­
s t rain t up aga inst or very near the inst ru ­
ment pane l.
- Always move t he passenger seat into i ts
rearmost position in the seat 's fore and
aft adjustment ran ge, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint . The
backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light w ill be displayed whenever a child re­
straint is insta lled on the front passenger
sea t and the igni tion is sw itched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, perform the checks de­
s cri bed
~ page 121, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r i mmedia tely .
- Always carefu lly follow instr uctions from
child res tra in t manufacture rs whe n in­
s tall ing c hild restr aints .
A WARNING
If, in except iona l circumst ances, yo u m ust
i nst all a forward or rearwa rd -f acing child
r estraint on t he front passenger's seat :
- I mp roper ins tallation o f ch ild restra ints
can reduce their effectiveness o r even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
- An improper ly installed c hild restra int
can interfere with the airbag as it de­ p loys and seriously injure or even k ill the
child -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er 's instructions prov ided with the chi ld
safety seat or carrier .
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that ca n increase the total weight reg is­
tered by the weig ht-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.

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-
•
•

136 Child Safety
-An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag .
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat .
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger .
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each another in an accident.
- 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 the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier 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
authorized Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well -being require that the
following special precautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas­
senger seat 's fore and aft adjustment
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre ­
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position.
- 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 collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 103, Safety
belts,
¢ page 111, Airbag system and
~ page 132, Child Safety .
A WARNING ~
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.