2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER tow

..... N
r-­N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
Power steering
When the engine is running, power steering
makes i t easier for the driver to steer.
Power steering helps the driver steer the vehicle
with litt le physical effort.
If the engine is not running, the power steering
system is also not working. In this case, you will
find it extremely difficult to turn the steering
wheel.
If you turn the steering fully to the left or right
when the vehicle is stationary, you place a very
heavy load on the power steering system. Turning
the steering wheel fully to the left or right wi ll
cause noise in the system . It also reduces engine
idle speed.
(D Note
Do not hold the steering turned fully to the
left or right for more than 10 seconds when
the engine is running. There is a risk of dam­
age to the power steering system.
@ Tips
- In the event of a power steering system fail­
ure, or if the engine is not running (while
being towed), you will still be able to steer
the vehicle. However, you will require more
effort to do so.
- If the power steering system has a leak or is
defective, you should immediately contact a
qualified workshop .
- The power steering system requires a spe­
cial hydraul ic fluid . The power steering fluid
reservoir is located in the engine compart­
ment. The correct hydraulic fluid level is im­
portant for proper operation of the power
steering system. The power steering fluid
l evel is checked according to the Audi main­
tenance service schedule.
Dry sump lubrication
High lateral and longitudinal forces affect the en­
gine and the vehicle during sporty driving. Dry
sump lubrication ensures that your engine is sup-
Intelligent technology
plied with oil and properly lubricated even under
these conditions.
In a "norma l" vehicle the oil pump sends the oil
from the oil pan to the lubrication points in the
engine . The oil then returns to the oil pan. In ex­
treme situations, the oil pump may draw in air,
wh ich results in insufficient oi l pressure .
With dry sump lubrica tion, the oil is not in the oil
pan (it is "dry"), but in a separate oi l tank. While
one pump supplies the engine with oil, a second
pump suct ions the oil out of the engine and re­
turns it to the o il tank. Because the oil tank is tall
and narrow, oil pressure is constant even under
extreme conditions .
In add ition, the oi l pan in vehicles with dry sump
lubrication is noticeably shallower . This allows
the engine to be installed lower in the vehicle,
bringing down the center of gravity . This im ­
proves your vehicle's handling.
Driving with your quattro
With oil-wheel drive, all four wheels are driven .
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to all
four wheels . This happens automatically depend­
ing on your driving style and the road conditions
at the time . See also
c:::.> page 134.
The all-whee l drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Your vehicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and fo llow safety pre­
cautions
c:::.> .&_ .
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with all­
wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular
t ir es . In winter road condit ions it may be advisa­
ble to mount winter tires (or all-season t ires) for
improved driveability and brak ing: these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheels. See also
c:::.> page 193 , Winter tires.
139

Driving and en vironment
Driving and environment
Break-in period
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break-in
period shou ld be 1 ,500 miles (2,500 km) . Do not
use full acceleration for the first 600 miles
(1 ,000 km) and do not exceed the maximum en­
gine speed of 6,000 rpm You must also not use
full accelerat ion between 600 and 1,200 miles
(1,000 to 2,000 km) . From 1,200 to 1,500 miles
(2 ,000 to 2,500 km), you can gradually increase
maximum eng ine speed to 8,250 rpm for brief
pe riods.
During the first hours of operation, there is
greater fr iction in the eng ine and the transmis­
sion than later when all the moving pa rts have
b roken in .
The way you drive during the first 1,500 miles
(2 ,500 km) affects engine quality . If you drive at
modera te engine speeds thereafter, part icu larly
when the engine is cold, yo u red uce eng ine wea r
and increase the potential mileage o f the engine.
Do not dr ive at RPMs that a re too
low. Shift down
when the engine is no longe r runni ng "smooth­
ly". Extremely high RPMs are gover ned automati­
cally.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
W hen you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that low­
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged .
This is especially true for vehicles with low-slung
chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded vehicles.
Driving through water on
roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage when
d riving through water, for examp le on flooded
roads:
- The water must no t be any h igher than the bot­
tom of the vehicle body.
142
- Do not drive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
After driv ing through water, mud, s lush, etc .,
the brakes may be s low to take effect because
of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry the brakes
first by brak ing carefully to restore the full
braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission , suspension or e lectrical system
can be severe ly damaged by dr iv ing t hrough
water .
(D Tips
- Check the dept h of the water before driving
through it.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or switch the engine off when driv ing through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming veh icles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to d rive
through safely .
- Avoid driving through salt water because it
can cause corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmen tally sound manner.
.,. Always use lead-free gasoline ~ page 151,
Fuel supply.
.,. Never r un the tank down all the way to empty.
.,. Never put too much mo tor o il in yo ur engi ne
~ page 160, Adding engine oil 'l::r..
.,. Never try to push- or tow-sta rt your vehicle .
The cata lytic converter is an effi cien t "clean -up"
device built in to the exhaust system of the vehi ­
cle. The cata lytic conve rter burns many of the
po llutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
l eased into the atmosphere.
-

Driving and en vironment
CJ) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance w ith the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book­
l et . Lack of proper ma intenance as well as
i mproper use of the vehicle will impair the
funct ion of the emission control system and
could lead to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of the Emi ssion Cont ro l System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not a lter or remove any dev ice, such as
heat shie lds, switches, ig nition w ires,
valves, wh ich are des igned to prote ct you r
vehicle's Emiss ion Control Sys tem and other
i mportant veh icle components.
(D Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
t he ENV IRONM ENTA L PROTECTION AG ENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not co rre­
spond to your act ual consumption on the
road , which wi ll vary depen ding upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather cond itions,
trip length, etc.
Trailer towing
General information
Your Audi RB Spyder is not designed to tow a
trailer.
Towing a tra iler with your Audi R8 Spyder is not
recommended and ca n cause damage to the car .
D amaged caused by tow ing a tra ile r i s not cov­
e red by your Aud i War ranty .
144

Tires and wheels
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash .
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu ­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU­
PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEV ER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
c:::> page 176, fig. 147.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle .
3 . Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from "XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
c:::> page 176, fig. 147.
4 . The resulting figure equa ls the
available amount of ca rgo and
1 8 4
luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capac ity is 650 lbs .
(1400-7 SQ (5 X 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehic le.
That weight may not safely ex­
ceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculat­
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehic le w ill be towing a
trailer, load from your t railer
will be transferred to yo ur vehi­
cle . Consult this manual to de­
termine how this reduces the ava ilable cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
~ check the tire sidewall
(c:::> page 186, fig. 150) to deter­
mine the designa ted load rating
for a specific tire .

What do I do now? Trunk escape handle
Appl ies to vehicles: with trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the front lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk escape
handle.
.. To open the front lid pull the handle.
The trunk escape handle inside t he luggage com ­
partment is made of fluorescent material to glow
in the dark .
.&_ WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only in
an emergency.
Vehicle tool kit
The tools are stored underneath the floor panel
in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 151 Luggage compartment: veh icle tool kit
"' Swing the luggage compar tment floo r up-
wards .
.. Remove the vehicle tool kit.
The onboard tool kit incl udes:
- Hook for removing hub cap
- Lug wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdr iver w ith reversible blade
- Towing eye
- Jack* (not a vehicle component; contact your
,..... authorized Aud i dealer i f needed)
N
I'-
~ Some of the on board items listed above are pro-
.... :5: vided on certa in models only or are optiona l ex-
N l/1 .... tras.
What do I do no w?
Before returning the jack* to its p lace, retract the
jack arm fully.
.&_ WARNING
-
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se-
rious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bo lts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tightening torque if yo u
use the hex head, potentially causing an ac­
cident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended only
for your veh icle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to
lift heavy
veh icles or other loads; you risk injuring
yourse lf.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised, which could cause an accident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appropri­
ate stands if work is to be pe rformed under­
neath the vehicle; otherwise, the re is a po­
tential risk fo r injury.
- Never use the jack supplied with your Aud i
on another vehicle, part icularly on a heavier
one. The jack is only suitable for use on the
vehicle it came with.
Tire repair
General and safety pointers
Applies to vehicles: with Tire Mobility System
Tire repair is intended only for temporary, short­
term use.
Fig. 152 Tire damage for which the Tire Mobility System Is
not suited
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire repa ir kit, the
T ire Mob il it y Sy stem ( TMS). .,.
19 9

What do I do now?
- Be fo re you check a nything in t he e ngine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
Q page 155, Working in the en­
gine compartment .
CD Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can ruin
the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE( +) to POSITIVE
( + ), and NEGA TIVE(-) to NEGATIV E(-)
gro und post of the battery manager control
unit.
- Check that a ll screw plugs on the battery
cells are screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
plugs prior to connect ing clamp on negat ive
battery terminal.
- Please note that the procedure for connect­
i ng a jumper cable as described above ap­
plies specifically to the case of your vehicle
being jump started. When you a re g iving a
ju mp sta rt to another vehicle, do
not con­
n e ct the neg ative(- ) ca b le to the negative
( - ) terminal o n the discharged battery @.
Instead, se curely connect the negative(-)
cab le to either a solid metal component
that is f irm ly bolted to the engine block or
to the engine block itself . If the battery that
i s bei ng charged does not vent to the out­
s ide , escap ing battery gas could ignite and
explode!
Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for towing.
The fo llow ing in formation is to be used by com ­
mercial tow truck operators who know how to op ­
erate their equipment safely .
- Never tow your A ud i, tow ing will cause damage
to the engine and transmiss ion .
- Never wrap the safety chains o r winch cables
around the b rake lines.
- To preven t un ne cessary d am age, yo ur Audi
mus t be transpor ted with a car carrier ( flat bed
t ruck) .
208
-To load the vehicle on to the flat bed , use the
tow ing loop found in the vehicle tools and at­
tach to the front anchorage
Q page 208.
_& WARNING
A veh icle being towed is not safe for passen­
gers. Never a llow anyone to ride in a vehicle
being towed, fo r any reason.
CD Note
The vehicle has ver y low ground clearance.
M ake sure that no damage is caused to the
underside of the vehicle when it is being load­
ed onto a flat bed truck .
Front towing loop
Do not install the front towing loop un til it is
needed.
Fi g. 163 Righ t fro nt bu m per w it h ou t gr ille: Tow ing loo p
full y screwe d in
On the right front in the bumper , there is a
t h readed hole behind the air intake g rill into
which the tow ing loop is screwed .
.,. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle tool
kit
Q page 199 .
.,. Pull the lower part of the gr ill forward a nd out .
.,. Sc rew the tow ing loop t ightly into t he threaded
hol e as fa r as it will go
Q fig . 163 and tighten it
w ith the wheel w rench .
When it is no longer needed, unscrew the towing
l oop and put it back into the on-boa rd too lkit .
Make sure to have th e towing loop sto red in the
vehicle at all times .
When install ing the grill for the air duct, be sure
that the tabs on t he g rill a re first inserted into .,..

..... N
r-­N "': ..... \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 .....
their guides on the vehicle. Then push the grill in­
to position.
A WARNING
If the towing loop is not screwed in as far as it
w ill go, the thread can pull out when the veh i­
cle is towed -potential risk of an accident.
(D Tips
Check carefully to make sure the hook- up is
secure .
What do I d o now?
209

Index
Eme rgency r elease
Fr ont lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Park ing lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
79
Eme rgency sta rting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Eme rgency towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 0
Batte ry power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1
Driver notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Eng ine
Coolan t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 1
Data . ... .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. ... 214
Eng ine compartment lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
155
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 67
Stopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Engine compartmen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 7
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Engine compa rtment lid
Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 56
Release lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Engine coolant system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Malfunct io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Temperature ga uge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
En gine oi l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
158
Adding .. .. .. .. ............. .. . 160,161
Addit ives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
160, 161
Checking the eng ine oi l level . . . . . . . 159, 160
Dry s ump lubr ication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Indications and cond it ions requ iring ext ra
checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
159, 160
O il c ons umption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 58
O il grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 8
Specification and viscos ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Temperature disp lay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
E ngi ne oi l level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Engine oil pressure (malfunction) . . . . . . . . . 14
Engine oi l sensor defective . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17
Engine speed limitat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
E nvironment
Cataly tic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
142
Disposing of your vehicle batte ry . . . . . . . 165
Fue l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Unleaded f uel ..................... .. 15 1
What should I do wi th an old batte ry? . . . 16 5
EPC
refer to Electronic power control . . . . . . . . 16
ESC (Electronic Stabilization Co ntro l)
Warning/indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
222
Event Data Recorde r (ED R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Exhaust tail pipes Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 7
Expansion tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
162
Exterior m irrors
Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
49
Dimming . ... .... .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. . 50
Heating... ...... .. ............... .. . 49
F
Fan ..... .... . .. .. .. .. ... .. ..... ... .. . 62
Faste ning
Boos ter sea ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
128
Convertib le child sa fety se ats . . . . . . . . . . 12 7
Infant seats
Flat bed truck
Flat tire 127
208
Changi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Fo ld ing master key with remo te control . . . . 27
Foot peda ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
90
Fo r the sake of the environment
Gasoline fumes and t he env ironme nt . . . . 153
Letting yo ur eng ine warm up . . . . . . . . . . .
67
Ref ueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Front a irbags
Des cription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
106
How they wor k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Frontal collis io ns and the laws of phys ics . . . 96
Front lid
Emergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
49
Power locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Trunk escape handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Front passenger
refer to Seating position . . . . . . . . . . . . 87, 88
Front seat s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Child rest rain ts in the fron t seat . . . . . . . . 103
Front towi ng loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Fuel
Additives.. .. .... .. .. .. ......... .. ..
151
B lended gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Current fuel mileage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Filler neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
152
Fuel supply too low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
151