2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

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What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants . If your ability to
d rive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody in the
ve hicle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢A -Therefore:
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by us ing a cell ular te lephone.
• NEV ER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, dr ugs, e tc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, ru les of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
• ALWAYS ad just your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under pres­
sure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal in ju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Proper occupant seating
positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
F ig. 10 0 Correct seating position
.
Driving S afely
For yo ur own sa fety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the dr iver's seat to the following
pos ition:
• Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis ­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steer ing whee l and your breast bone
¢ fig. 100 .
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent<=>
A .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with your
elbow(s) slightly bent .
• Adjust the head rest rain t so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w it h t he top of yo ur head.
If
that is no t possib le, try to ad just the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this pos ition as
possible .
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upr ight position so that you r bac k comes in
full contact with it when you dr ive.
• Fas ten and wear safe ty belts corre ct ly
<=>page 95.
• Always keep both feet in the footwe ll so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed inform ation on how to adj ust the
driver's seat, see¢
page 56, General recommen ­
dations.
A WARNING
-Drivers who are unbelted, o ut of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it dep loys. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adj ust the driver 's seat and the
steer ing whee l so that there are at least
10 i nches (25 cm) between your breastbo ne
and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver 's seat and the
steer ing whee l so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the
lowe r part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on t he out­
side of the steer ing wheel r im with yo ur
hands at the 9 o 'clock and 3 o'clock
87

Driving Safely
positions to help reduce the risk of personal
injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag inflates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
-Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢page 122. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­
senger seat
¢page 102.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upr ight position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving .
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
88
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 89.
.. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly .
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 56, General
recommendations.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
deploys. To help reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it deploys with
great force in the blink of an eye.
-Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­
ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­ ment 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 pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury 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 injury due
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to incorrect position ing of the sa fety belt
and improper seating posit ion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
<=> page 122. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­
senger seat
<=> page 102.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Fig . 101 H ea d re str ain t: v ie w ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection .
.. Fo r adjustable head restraints: adj ust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi ­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos ­
sible, t ry to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this pos ition as possib le
<=> fig . 101.
Adj usting head restraints<=> page 58.
&_ WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Dr iv ing without head restraints or w ith head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injuriy
dramatically . To help reduce the risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in place and properly adjusted .
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head rest raints so the upper edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of you r head .
If that is not possib le, try to ad just the head
res traint so that it is as close to this position
as possib le,
Dr iving Sa fel y
-Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle safe ly before at­
tempt ing to adjust the head restraint .
- Ch ildren must a lways be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size <=>
page 122 .
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupan t res traint sys tem can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious in­
jury or death. Safety belts can on ly work when
they are properly pos it ioned on the body . Im ­
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety be lts and will eve n increase the r isk of
i njury and dea th by mov ing the safety be lt to c rit ­
ical areas of the body. Imp roper seat ing pos itions
also increase the risk of serio us injury and death
when an airbag dep loys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the prope r seat ing pos ition. A driver
is respons ible for the safety of a ll vehicle occu­
pan ts and espec ially for children. Therefore :
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
Q &. -
The following bullets lis t on ly some samp le posi ­
tions that will increase the risk of serious inj ury
and death . Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous .
Therefore, whene ver the vehicle is movi ng:
-never stand up i n the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride w ith the seatback reclined
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet o ut the window
- neve r put your feet on the instrument pane l
89

Driving Sa fel y
-never rest you r feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
_& WARNING
Imprope r seating positions increase the risk
o f serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used .
- Sitting incor rectly places occ upants at risk
of being critically in jured if the airbags de­
ploy and str ike them.
- Be fore you start dr iv ing, seat yourself prop­
erly and always maintain this seating posi­
t ion during the trip . Before each trip, in­
struct your passengers to seat themselves
properly and to maintain this seating posi­
t ion during the trip
c> page 56 , General rec­
ommendations .
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
_& WARNING
Always make su re that the knee a irbag can in­
flate wi thout interferen ce. Ob je cts betwee n
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (chi ld ren) or animals should ride
in the footwe ll in front of the passenger
seat. If the airbag dep loys, this can res ult in
serious or fatal in ju ries.
- No objects of any kind shou ld be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can hamper or p revent
proper deployment of the airbag . Small ob­
jects can be th rown t hrough the ve hicle if
the ai rbag deploys and injure you o r you r
passengers.
90
Pedal area
' Pedals
T he pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all peda ls move free ly without in­
terference and that nothing prevents them from
r et urning to the ir origi nal positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fas teners.
If a brake circ uit fai ls, increased brake pedal trav ­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop .
_& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of ser i­
ous injury .
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's foot­
wel l. An object could get into the pedal area
and i nterfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden b raking o r an accident, you would
not be able to b rake or ac celerate!
- Always ma ke sure that no thing can fall or
move into the d river's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at­
tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in ­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals.
.. Make sure that the floor mats are properly se­
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals
c> ,&. .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un­
obstructed a nd that are firmly secured so that
they cannot s lip out of position . You can obta in
su itab le floor mats from your authorized Audi
Dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are insta lled in your Audi.
Floor mats used in yo ur vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly sec uring the floor ..,_

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mats wi ll prevent them from sliding into posi ­
tions that cou ld interfere wit h the peda ls or im­
pa ir safe operation of your veh icle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the r isk of
ser ious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­
erly secured .
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings in the veh icle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering w ith the ped­
als or the ability to control the veh icle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floo r mats. Add itiona l floo r mats and other
cove rings w ill reduce the si ze of the pedal
area and interfere w ith the ped als.
- Always properly reinstall and se cu re f loor
m ats that have been taken ou t for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the dr iver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become tr apped under
the brake pedal and accelerator peda l caus ­
ing a loss of vehicle contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden veh icle ma ­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
In a collis ion, the laws of p hys ics mean that even
smal ler items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy miss iles that can cause ser ious in ­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
va ry w ith vehicle speed and the we ight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the mos t significant fa ctor.
Dr iving Sa fel y
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed o f
30 mp h (48 km/h) , the forces acting o n a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 t imes the norma l
weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flyi ng freely throug h
the passeng er compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this.
A WARNING
Imp roperly store d luggage or other items c an
fly through the vehicle causing serio us pe r­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of ser ious
personal injury:
- Always put o bjects, fo r example, luggage o r
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur vehi­
cle hand les . To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects , that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rating
or the G ross Vehicle We ight Rating specified
on the safety compliance stic ker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding pe rm issib le weight
s ta nd ards c an cause the veh icle to slide and
h a ndle differently.
- Please observe informa tion on safe dr iving
~page 86.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs, all windows
and the front lid a re secure ly close d and
l ocke d to reduce the r isk of injury when the
vehicle is not be ing used .
- Afte r closing the front lid, always make sure
that it is proper ly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle una ttended espe­
cially with the f ront lid left open . A child
-
91

Driving Sa fel y
could crawl into the l uggage compartment
and close the front lid becoming trapped and unable to get out. Being trapped in ave­
hicle can lead to ser ious personal injury.
- Never let children p lay in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Veh icle occupants must al­
ways be proper ly restrained in one of the
ve­
hicle's seat ing positions .
@ Tips
The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The t ire pressure label is locat­
ed on the d river's s ide B-pillar . The t ire p res­
sure label lists the recommended cold ti re in­
flation pressures for t he ve hicle at its ma xi­
m um c apaci ty weigh t and the tires t hat were
on yo ur vehicle at the time it w as m anuf ac­
tured . For recommende d tire pressures for
normal load conditions, please see chapter
¢ page 176.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
ha s a defect which could cause a
crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediatel y in­
form the National Highwa y Tr affic
Safet y Admini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notif ying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ceiv e s similar com­
plaint s, it ma y op en an in vestiga­
tion , and if it finds that a safe ty
def ects exis ts i n a group of
vehicle s, it may order a re call and
reme dy campaign. However,
92
NHTSA cannot b ecome in vol ve d in
indi vidual p roblems bet ween you,
y o ur deal er, or Audi of Am eric a,
In c.
To contact NHTSA, you may c all
the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll­
free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY :
1-800-424-915 3) or
1-800-424-9393
o r you m ay wri te to :
Admini strator
NHTSA 1200 New Jersey A venue, SE
Wa shington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other infor­
mation about m otor vehi cle safe­
t y fr om :
http: //w ww.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­
lie ve that your vehicle has a de­
fect that could cause a crash , in­
j ur y or death, you should immedi­
atel y inform Transport Canada,
Defect In vestigations and Recall s.
You should also notify Au di C an a­
da, Inc.
Can adian cu stomer s who wi sh to
r e po rt a s afet y-related defe ct to ..,.

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Transport Canada, D efect Inve sti­
gation s and R ecalls, ma y either
call Tran sport Canada toll-free at:
Tel.: 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1 -819-994-3328 (Ottawa re­
g ion and from other countries)
TTY for hearing impaired: Tel.:
1-888-6
7 5-6863
or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
Transport Canada Motor Vehi cle Safety Investiga­
tion s Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z 0Al
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at :
http ://www . tc .gc. ca/ e ng/
roadsafety/menu .htm
Driving Sa fely
Active rollover
protection system
Function
T he a ctive r ollover pro tec tion system hel ps pro ­
tec t vehi cle o ccup an ts in the even t of a rollover .
Fig. 102 Rollbar de ploy men t ran ge
Fig. 103 Rollb ar dep loye d
( ~ I,- ~ ~-1 . '
' . • • • • •• . '
The active ro llover protection system consists of :
- two ro llb ars
- t he sa fe ty bel ts wi th bel t t ensioner s
- t he wi ndsh ield frame
- the ro llov er se nsors .
The active roll over protection system provides
addi tional safety in the event of a r ollover . Within
milliseco nds, sensors d ep loy two rollbars located
behin d the hea drests
~fig . 10 3.
The roll bars , reinforced windshie ld frame and
belt tensioners he lp protect veh icle occupants in
the eve nt of a rollover .
The rollover protection system f unct ions when
the convertible top is both open and closed .
93

Driving Safely
_&. WARNING
Do not use the area behind the headrests
<=.> fig. 102 as a storage area . This is the area
where the rollbars deploy. If the rollover pro­
tection system is triggered, objects placed
there can be propelled through the vehicle
and make it more difficult for the rollbars to
deploy. This increases the risk for serious or
life-threatening injuries.
When is rollover protection deployed?
Rollover protection deploys in a collision or roll­
over .
Depending on the collision, sensors throughout
the vehicle and the control module trigger the
rollover system to deploy .
For safety reasons, rollover protection also de­
ploys during front, side and rear collisions above
a certain level of severity .
Retracting rollover protection
Fig. 104 Deployed ro llbar wit h release loop
Fig. 105 Deploye d ro llbar wit h convert ib le top frame fac·
ing upward
M
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~
If the rollbars deployed but the vehicle was not
involved in a collision or rollover, you can retract
94
them without special tools. The system is ready
for use again once they are retracted.
.,. Remove the wind deflector, if necessary
<=.>page 40 .
.,. Lower the rear window, if necessary Q page 41 .
.,. Pull the loop upward in the direction of the ar­
row and hold it in place
(D r=.> fig. 104.
.,. Slide the rollbar down@¢.,&. .
.,. Release the loop just before the rollbar reaches
its end position 1 -2 in . (3-5 cm) .
.,. Press the rollbar down firmly until it stops.
.,. Make sure the rollbar is secure before releasing
it.
.,. Close the cover @
Q fig. 105.
.,. Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar.
& WARNING
-
-Make sure your head or other parts of your
body are not located in the area above the
rollbar when pressing the rollbar down. If
the rollbar is not secured correctly, it could deploy again as soon as you release it and
cause injuries .
- Have the rollover protection system checked
by your authorized Audi dealer if it malfunc­
tions. Otherwise the system may not deploy correctly in a collision .
- Modifying the rollover protection system or
individual components is not permitted.
- Work on the rollover protection system
should only be performed by your author­
ized Audi dealer . Otherwise the system may
not function correctly in a collision or it
could deploy unexpectedly .
- Have the system inspected at service inter­
vals. This ensures the system will always be
ready for use. Have your authorized Audi
dealer check the rollover protection system
every two years at the latest.
(D Note
If the rollbars deploy when the convertible
top is closed, do not open the top. Doing so
could result in damage to the vehicle. Please
see your authorized Audi dealer for assis­
tance.