2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER engine

Warm and cold
Rear window defogger
The r ear window d efogger clears th e re ar win­
dow of cond ensation .
.,. Press the~ button c:;, page 61, fig . 74 to turn
the rear window defogger on and off.
The rear w indow defogger works only when the
engine is running. The indicator light in the but­
ton illuminates when the rear window defogger
is turned on .
The window between the cockpit and engine
compartment is also cleared with the rear w in­
dow.
The rear window defogger is switched off auto­
mat ica lly after approx. 10 minutes.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the rea r window is clear, yo u
should switch the rear window defogger off .
The reduced power consumpt ion has a benef i­
cial effect on f uel consumption.
Heated seats
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith heated seats
The seat cushion and the seatback of the front
seats can be heated electrically.
.,. Press the heated sea ts b utton I-J + I c:;, page 61,
fig . 74
to set the level of heat ing des ired.
T he range o f control s goes from 1 to 3. The he at
set ting selected is shown by LEDs above the but­
ton.
_& WARNING
Individua ls with reduced sensitivity to pain o r
tempe rat ure could develop burns when us ing
the seat heating function. To reduce the risk
o f i njury, these ind iv iduals s hould n ot use seat
heating.
@ Note
To avo id damage to the heating elements in
the seats, do not kneel on the seats o r place
heavy loads on a small a rea of the seat.
64
Automatic operation ~
Standard operating mode at all times of the
year .
Turning on automat ic oper ation
.,. Set the temperat ure you want .
.,. Press the
IAUTO I button c:;, page 61, fig. 74.
Automat ic operation ensures constant tempera­
tures in the interior and dehumidifies the air in­
s ide the veh icle. Air temperature, vo lume, and
distribution are controlled automatically to reach
or maintain the desired interio r temperature as
quic kly as possible. Fluc tuat io ns in exterio r tem­
perature and the effects of temperature from the
pos it ion of t he sun are compe nsated for auto­
matically.
Manual air recirculation mode~
The recirculation mode prevents polluted outside
air from entering the vehicle in te rior.
Switching on air recirculation
.,. Press the button~ c:;, page 61, fig. 74, c:;, _&.
Switching off air recirculation
.,. Press the button ~ again, or
.,. Press the
IAUTO I button, or
.,. Press the~ button .
I n recircu lation mode, air is drawn from the ve hi­
cle inter io r, fil tered, an d recirc ulated . We recom ­
mend that you select recirculation mode
briefly
c:;, .&. under the following conditions:
When driving thro ugh a tunne l or in a traffic jam
so that exhaust f umes and odo rs ca nnot enter
the ve hicle interio r.
A WARNING
You sho uld not use the recirculation mode for
a n extended period si nce no fresh air is drawn
i n , and with th e air conditioning sw itched off
the w indows c an fo g up - th is increases the
risk of an ac cident!

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A/C operation ~
Switching on A /C
~ Press the !AIC ! button~ page 61, fig . 74.
Switching A /C off
~ Press the !AIC ! button again.
The cooling system is switched on during A/Cop­
eration - the heating and venti lation system is
contro lled automatically.
(D Tips
If the LED in the switch stays on after A/Cop­
eration has been switched off(= switching the
A/C off), there is a fault in an air conditioning
component. Please consult an author ized
Aud i dea ler when there is an operating prob­
lem.
Using the climate controls economically
Economical use of the climate controls helps to
save fuel.
When climate control is working in coo ling mode,
engine performance is red uced and fuel con­
sumpt ion is affected. To keep the time the air
conditioning is on as short as possible, you
should do the following:
~ If you would like to save f uel, switch the air
condit ion ing
off.
~ If you open the w indows wh ile driving, switch
the a ir cond it ion ing
off .
~ If the vehicle is ext remely hot due to the heat
of the sun, briefly open doors and w indows.
@ For the sake of the environment
When you save fuel, you reduce em iss ions
from the vehicle .
Warm and cold
65

On the road
On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continuously
adjusted in height and distance .
Fig. 76 Lever u nde r the stee rin g co lumn
... Push the lever ¢ fig. 76 down ¢ _&.. .
... Move the steering wheel to the desired posi­
tion .
... Push the lever against the steering column un-
til it locks .
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steering
wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25
cm) from the steering wheel, see if adaptive
equipment is ava ilable to help you reach the ped­
als and increase the distance from the steering
wheel.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 57.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment
and improper seating position can cause seri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only when
the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or stee ring wheel so
that there is a minimum of 10 inches (25
cm) between your chest and the steering
wheel¢
page 87, fig. 100. If you cannot
maintain this min imum distance, the airbag
system cannot protect you proper ly.
66
- If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from the steering wheel, check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is
available.
- If the steering wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplemental dr iver's airbag can­
not p rov ide as much protection in an acci­
dent. Always make sure that the steering
wheel is aligned with your chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury if
the dr iver's airbag dep loys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steering wheel rim or on the steering
wheel h ub. Holding the steering wheel the
wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys.
Ignition Lock/Ignition
switch
Ignition lock
The ignition key starts or stops the engine.
Fig. 77 Ign it ion lock posit ions
Ignit ion off CD
In position ¢ fig. 77 (D both the ignition and en­
gine are off, and the steering is locked.
To
l ock the steering after you have removed the
ignition key, t urn the steering wheel in either di­
rection until you hear it lock into place. You
should always lock the steering whenever you .,.

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leave your vehicle . This makes vehicle theft even
more difficu lt
c::> & .
Ign ition on @
After switching the ignition on, the needles move
all the way up and then down.
If it is difficult to turn the key after you have in­
serted it into the ign ition lock, turn the steering
wheel back and forth. This w ill take the load off
the steering lock mechanism and you will be able
to turn the key freely and start the engine.
Starting the engine @
In this position the engine starts . Wh ile the en­
g ine is starting, the power supply to the head­
l ights and other elect rical consume rs is tempo ra­
ri ly inte rrupted to conserve battery power . After
the engine has started, re lease the key and it will
return to position @.
Before the sta rter can be opera ted again the key
m ust be t urned back to position (!). The
n on-re ­
pe at lo ck
prevents you from damaging the start­
er when the engine is running .
A WARNING
-Never remove the key from the ignition lock
wh ile the vehicle is mov ing. The steer ing
wheel will lock causing loss of control.
- If you have to leave your vehicle - even for
just a min ute - a lways remove the ignit ion
key and take it with you. This is espec ially
important if you are going to leave ch ildren
behind in the veh icle . The ch ildren could
start the engine o r use other veh icle con­
t ro ls. Unsuperv ised use of vehicle controls
( f or example, power windows) can c ause se­
rious persona l injuries .
@ Tips
If the veh icle battery has been d isconnected
and then reconnected, then yo u m ust leave
t he key in posit ion @ for abou t 5 seconds be­
fore you can start the engine .
On the road
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The engine can only be started with your original
Audi key.
On vehicles with S tronic*, the engine can be
sta rted in the neutra l position N and in each gear
(1 - 7 and R).
.,. Set the park ing brake
c::> .&_ .
.,. On veh icles with manual transmiss ion*, fully
dep ress the clutch peda l.
.,. Press and hold the bra ke peda l.
.,. Tu rn the ignition key to posit ion @
c::> page 66,
fig. 77 -do not depress the gas pedal when
starting the engine.
.,. Let go of the key as soon as the engine starts -
the starter m ust not cont inue to run. On
veh ides with S tronic, se lect gear position N .
A cold engine may at first be loud afte r it has
been started. This is due to the hydraulic valves
building up the oil pressure. This is normal and
no need for concern .
If the engine does not start immediately, stop
trying after 10 seconds and then try to restart
the engine about 30 seconds later .
A WARNING
--
-Never start or let the eng ine run in a con­
f ined or enclosed area. Exhaust fumes from
the eng ine contain carbon mo noxide, a co l­
o rl ess and odo rless gas. Carbon monoxide
can be fatal if i nhaled .
- Never leave the engine id ling unattended .
A n unattended ve hicl e w ith a running en­
g in e poses a dange r of pe rsonal inj ury or
theft .
- W ith the engine r unning and a gear engag ­
ed, you have to ho ld the vehicle wi th the
foot b rake .
(D Note
-Avo id h igh engine speeds, fast acceleration
o r heavy engi ne loads whi le the engine is
st il l c old . T his could d amage t he engine.
67

On the road
- The engine cannot be started by pushing or
towing the vehicle .
@I For the sake of the environment
To avoid unnecessary eng ine wear and to re­
duce exhaust emissions , do not let your vehi ­
cle stand and warm up. Be ready to drive
off
immediately after starting your vehicle.
Stopping the engine
On vehicle s wi th S tron ic*, the engine can be
turned
off in the neutral position N and in each
gear (1 -7 and R) .
.. Tu rn the ignition key to posit ion (!) co
page 66,
fig. 77 .
A WARNING
- Never turn off the engine until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
- The brake booster and servotronic only work
when the eng ine is running . W ith the igni ­
t ion turned
off , you have to apply more force
when steering or braking. Since you cannot
steer and stop normally , this can lead to ac­
c idents and serious injuries .
(D Note
-If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, heat builds up
i n the eng ine compartment after the engine
i s switched
off -there is a r isk of damag ing
the engine . A llow the engine to continue to
run at id le for a short time or drive until it
has coo led down before you turn it off
q page 73.
-If the engine has been under heavy load for
an extended period of time, it can become
extremely hot . You should not park your ve­
hicle over easily combustible objects or
areas (e .g . grass or leaves) . There is a risk of
starting a fire .
{!) Tips
After the engine has been switched off, the ra­
diator fan can continue to run for up to 10 m i­
nutes - even w ith the ignition switched
off . It
68
can also switch on again after some time if
the coo lant temperature rises as the result of
heat bu ildup or if the engine compartment is
heated by the sun's rays and the engine is hot .
Parking brake
Parking brake
When the parking brake is set, it prevents the ve­
hicle from rolling away unintentionally.
Fig . 78 C ente r co nsol e: Park ing bra ke set
S etting th e pa rking brak e
.. Pull th e parking brake lever all the way up.
Releasing the p arkin g brake
.. Pull the parking brake lever up slightly and
press the release button at the same time
c::> fig . 78 -arrow- .
.. Keep the release button pressed and lower the
parking brak e
q &_.
If you shou ld drive off with the parking bra ke st ill
set, a warning tone will sound and the fo llow ing
message wi ll appear in the instrument cluster to
r e mind you to release the parking brake:
H and brake i s appli ed
T he park ing brake warn ing comes on only after
you have driven for longer than 3 seconds and
faster than 3 mph (5 km/h) .
The parking brake warning ligh t. (USA)/ .
(CON) illuminates whe n the park ing brake is set
and you sw itch on the ign it ion .

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A WARNING
-=
Always release t he parkin g brake completely.
A part ially engaged brake will over heat th e
rear brakes, reduce their effect iveness and
cause excess ive wear. This could lead to brake
fai lure and an accident.
([) Note
Only after the ve hicle has come to complete
stop, sho uld you firmly set the parking brake
and move the gearshift lever into a gear.
Parking
Parking
~ Stop t he vehicle using the brake pedal.
~ Set the parking b ra ke firmly.
~ Swi tch off the engine.
~ Move t he se lecto r lever into the P pos ition ( au­
tomatic t ransmis sion )
or move the gearshift
lever into 1st . gear
(manual transmission )
c:>.&_ .
~ When on incl ines or declines, turn the steering
whee l so that t he vehicle w ill roll into the curb
if it beg ins to move .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can reduce the risk of in jury
w hen leav ing you r vehicle.
-
- Never park the vehicle whe re it ca n come i n
co ntact wi th dry g rass, spilled fuel or a ny
other flammable mater ials.
- Never allow anyone - especially small chi l­
dre n -to remai n in t he vehicle when it is
locked. Locke d doors ma ke i t mo re d iff icult
for rescuers to access the passenger com­
partment in the event of an emergency .
Dange r to life!
- Never leave c hildren unsupervised in the ve ­
hicle. C hildren cou ld re lease the par king
brake or move the gearshift lever out of
gear. The vehicle could sta rt to roll away and
cause an accident .
- No matter what the season is, the tempera­
ture in a parked veh icle can reach dangerous
levels.
On th e road
Starting on hills
Applies to vehicles: wit h hill ho ld assist
Hill ho ld assist makes it eas ier to sta rt on hills.
The system is activated when the brake peda l is
depressed
for a few seconds .
After releasing the brake pedal, the b rake power
is he ld for a
brief moment to prevent the vehicle
from rol ling back when starting . At this time, you
can eas ily beg in to move your vehicle.
A WARNING
- I f you did not begin moving imme diate ly af­
ter re leasi ng the b ra ke peda l, unde r ce rtain
cir cumstan ces, the vehicle w ould beg in to
roll bac kward. Depress t he brake pe dal im­
mediately or engage the hand brake.
- Should t he e ngine sta ll, dep ress the brake
pe dal immed iately or enga ge the hand
b rake.
- I n or der to preven t the vehicle from roll ing
back unintentionally when s tarting in s top ­
and-go traffic, keep the brake pe dal de­
pressed for a few seconds before driving off.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is eq uipped
wi th "Hill hold ass ist" at an autho riz ed Au di
d ealersh ip.
Speed warning system
Speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to keep your
driving speed below a set speed limit .
The speed warn ing system warns the driver if he
exceeds a previously stored max imum speed. A
warning tone will sound as soon as the veh icle
speed exceeds the set speed by about
3 mph
(3 km/h) . At the same t ime, a warning symbo l
appea rs i n the display .
The speed warn ing system has
two warn ing
thre sholds
tha t function independe ntly of each
othe r and t hat have somewhat d iffe rent pu rpos­
es:
69

On the road
@ Tips
-Vehicles with manua l transmission: You can
attain the set speed only if the currently en­
gaged gear a llows it and the engine is not
stressed. Shifting to a h igher or lower gear
promptly will allow the engine to run
smoothly.
- The cruise control cannot maintain a con­
stant speed when driving downhill. The ve­
hicle will accelerate under its own weight .
Downshift to a lower gea r or use the brakes
to slow down.
Changing speed
.. Press lever in the 0 or O direction¢ page 71,
fig .
Bl to increase or decrease your speed .
.. Re lease the lever to save that speed .
You ca n also press the accelera tor pedal down to
increase your speed, e.g . if you want to pass
someone . The speed you saved earlier will re­
sume as soon as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
If , however, you exceed your saved speed by
S mph
(10 km/h) for longer than S minutes , the
cruise control will turn off temporarily. The sym­
bol will go out but the saved speed will be re­
tained.
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the vehi­
cle is not moving .
.. Turn on the ignition .
.. Pull lever into position@¢
page 71 , fig . Bl .
.. Press the lever in the 0 or O direction to in-
crease or decrease your speed .
.,. Release the lever to save that speed .
This function makes it possible, for example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway, activate the cruise
control by pulling the lever toward @.
72
Switching the system off
Temporary deactivation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Keep the clutch pedal pressed down longe r, or
.,. Press the lever into position @(not clicked into
place)
¢page 71, fig. Bl, or
.. Drive for longer than 5 minutes at more than
S mph
(10 km/h) above the stored speed .
Switching off completely
.,. Press lever into position @(clicked into place),
or
.. Switch the ignition off.
The system retains the saved speed if you deacti­
vate the cruise control temporarily. To resume
the saved speed, release the brake or clutch ped­
al and pull the lever to pos ition @.
Switch ing the ignition off erases the saved speed.
.&_ WARNING
You should only return to the saved speed if it
is not too fast for the current traffic condi­
tions -risk of an accident!
Audi magnetic ride
Damping can be adjusted to the driver's prefer­
ence and it adapts automatically to the current
driving situation .
SPORT •
Fig. 82 Center console: Sw itch for Audi magnet ic ride
.,. To turn sport setting on/off, press the sw itch
¢ fig. 82.
Audi magnetic ride is an electronically controlled damp ing system . This chassis system assists the
driver by adapting to the particular situation
liJI,

throug h im perce ptib le contro l processes . The
damping provides individua l modulation of
damping forces. For example, with damping
characterist ics set to prov ide greater comfort,
damping is set somewhat harder for a brief peri­
od only as requ ired, when round ing a curve and
when braking .
Standard setting
Select the standard sett ing if you prefer a sus ­
pension setting emphasi zing comfort.
Sport s etting
Select the sport setting if you prefe r a spor ty sus­
pension setting. The LED in the button
[l] comes
on to indicate sport setting .
@ Tips
The warning/indicato r ligh t R in the instr u­
ment cluster comes on in the event of a mal­
function. Drive to the closest a uthorized Audi
dea ler as soon as possible and have the mal­
function repaired.
Sporty driving
Warming up and cooling down
B y care fully warming up and cooling down you r
veh icle, you can he lp ensure tha t it is not over ­
stressed unnecessarily du ring sporty driving.
W hen warming up , the veh icle is driven a t a max ­
i mum eng ine speed of 6 000 R PM
(Vl O engine) or
70 00 RPM (V8 engine) in order to raise the en ­
g ine oi l tempe ratu re to a minimum of 140 °F
(60 °() . The tires also only reach the ir full road
h olding capability once they have warmed up.
The cooling fan can continue to run in you r vehi ­
cle after the engine is switched off . However,
d riving the vehicle to cool it down is part icu larly
important. During sporty driving, the engine and
brakes, the exhaust system, and the transmission
all become extremely hot . Before you park the
ve hicle, you should dr ive it for a few m iles/kilo-
~ mete rs a t light load in the low rpm range to al-
~ low i t to cool down. "': ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
On th e road
Driving on a track
Befo re you take your veh icle o ut on a track, en­
s u re th at i t is in perfe ct condi tion. Fo r ex ample ,
yo u should chec k the tire trea d an d the bra ke
pads . It is bes t to inc rease tire pressu re by about
0 .3 bar.
W hen dr iving on a track , oil consump tion may be
somewhat higher than in "norma l" ope rat ion
¢ page 159 .
You should definitely inspec t your ve hicle afte r
s u bje cting it to seve re condi tions. Are the br ake
pads OK? Is there any thing unusua l about the
t ir es, including the inner and outer sidewalls (e .g.
tread , blistering)? A re the air intakes free of
l eaves and tire dust? Is the o il level OK?
Your a uth orized Audi dea ler or q ua lified wor k­
sho p will be happy to underta ke an inspection be ­
fore and after use on the race track .
A WARNING ._
Some race tracks (e.g. steeply banked turns)
may affect the response of t he ESC.
(D Tips
- Review the t rack requ irements and condi ­
tions befo re you sta rt driv ing.
- W hen d riven on a race track, all vehicle
parts are severe ly stressed. This can result
in increased wear .
73