2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER ESP

.... N
l'­
N "1: .... I.O
"' N
"' ....
(D Note
Never drive yo ur vehicle unti l the fuel tank is
completely dry . The irregular supp ly of fuel
can cause misfir ing. Gasoline co uld enter into
the exhaust system and damage the catalyt ic
converter .
Refueling
F ig. 12 8 Drive r's door: Unlocking f uel filler f lap
F ig . 129 Fu el cap hooke d on th e opene d fu el fil ler fla p
When adding fuel, the ignition and any cellular
phones in the vehicle must be sw itched
off .
Taking the fuel cap off
.. To open the fuel filler flap, press the button
¢ fig. 128 .
.. Unscrew fuel filler cap counte r-clockwise and
hang it on the fuel filler flap
¢ fig. 129.
Refueling procedure
.. Inse rt the fue l nozz le from the gasoline pump
into the fuel filler neck as far as it will go .
.. Se lect a medium refueling rate so that the noz­
z le switches off automat ica lly when the tank is
full.
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
Putting the fuel cap back on
.,. After f illing your tank, twis t the fuel filler cap
clockw ise unti l yo u hear a definite cl ick .
.. Close the fue l filler flap.
T o avoid fuel spill ing o r evapora ting from the fuel
tank always close fue l filler cap properly and
complete ly . An improper ly closed f uel filler cap
may also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 26 to come
on.
A WARNING
--Improper refue ling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fue l is highly flammable and can cause se­
vere burns and other injur ies.
- Fa ilure to shut the engine off while re fuel­
ing and/or to insert the pump nozzle fully
into the fue l filler neck cou ld cause fuel to
spray out of filler neck or to overflow. Fue l
sp ray an d overflowing fue l can ca use a fire.
- Never use a ce llular telepho ne while refuel­
ing . T he elec tromagnetic radiation can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapo rs and
cau se a fire .
- Never get back into yo ur vehicle wh ile refu­
e ling . If in except iona l circumst ances you
m ust get ba ck in yo ur vehicle whi le refuel­
i n g, make cert ain that yo u close the doo r
a nd tou ch me tal to disch arge st atic electric­
ity before touch ing the filler nozzle aga in.
Static elect ricity ca n cause s parks that can
ignite fue l vapors re leased d uring refueling.
- Never smoke o r have an open f lame any­
where in or near your veh icle w hen refueling
or fi lling a portab le fue l conta iner.
- For your safety, we strongly recomme nd
that you do not travel with a portable f uel
container in your veh icle. The container, f ull
or empty may leak and cou ld cause a f ire,
especia lly in a cras h .
- If, under exceptional c ircumstances, you
must t ransport a po rtab le fuel conta iner,
p lease observe t he follow ing :
- Never fill a por table fuel co ntainer while it
is anywhere in or on the veh icle (for exam -
p le, in the l uggage compa rtme nt, or on ..,.
153

.... N
l'­
N "1: .... I.O
"' N
"' ....
Checking and filling Engine compartment lid
Releasing the engine compartment lid
The engine compartment lid is released from in­
side the vehicle.
~
-------- .J;
Fig. 132 Driver's side: releasing t he engine compartment
lid
Requirement: The ignition must be switched on .
" Make sure the rear spoiler is retracted
¢page 138.
"Pull the button @. The engine compartment lid
opens slight ly.
" Open the engi ne compartment lid¢_&, .
& WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you. To reduce
t he risk of be ing burned, never open the en­
gi ne comp artment lid i f yo u s ee or he ar s team
or cool an t es caping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait unt il no steam or coo lant can be
seen or heard befo re carefully open ing the e n­
gine compartment lid.
CD Note
To preve nt d amage to t he veh icle, only open
t he engine compartment lid when the conver ­
tible top storage bay lid is closed.
@ Tips
An emergency release can be use d if the en­
gi ne compa rtment lid canno t be re leased with
the button @¢
page 155 .
-
Checking and filling
Engine compartment lid emergency release
The emergency release loop is located under the
right trim panel near the front passenger seat.
F ig . 1 33 Front passenger footwell: emerge ncy release loop
"Ma ke su re the rea r spoile r is retracted
¢page 138.
" Pull the loop forward to release the engine
compartment lid. The engine compartment lid
opens slightly.
" Open the engine compartment lid¢ &,
in Re­
leasing the engine compartment lid on
page 155.
CD Note
To prevent damage to the vehicle, o nly open
the engine compartment lid when the conve r­
tib le to p storage bay lid is closed.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engin e compartment!
Whenever you must perform any work in the
eng ine compartm ent, for example checking and
filling the differ ent fluid s, there is a ri sk of in­
jury, burns and accident s. To prevent personal
injury alway s ob serve the following WARN­
INGS . The engine compartment of any vehicle is
a hazardou s area !
c:> &.
,&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any­
thing u nder the engine compartment lid:
- Sw itch off the engi ne .
- Remove the ignition key .
- Apply the par king brake.
-
155

Checking and filling
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo lant in
the summer by adding p lain water.
The propor·
tion of coolant additive must be at least 50%
but not more than 60%
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency .
If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant could
freeze and damage the ve hicle heating and en­
g ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to:
- - 31 ° F ( -3 5 °C) USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada .
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
<=> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 155.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­
dit ions . This is especially important if you
live in a region where the winter is extreme­
l y cold. If necessary, increase the proportion
of coolant add itive to 60%.
- When adding coolant addit ive to your cool­
in g system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle. This
coolant additive is available at authorized
Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can
signif icant ly reduce corrosion protection.
The resulting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Add ing ra­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
funct ion and pe rformance of your cooling
system and could result in damage not cov­
ered by you r New Vehicle Lim ited Warranty.
162
Checking the engine coolant level
Proceed carefully when checking the coolant .
Fig. 142 Conve rtible top : serv ice pos it ion
Fig. 143 Co nve rtible top storage bay : coolant expa nsion
tank
Before you check anything in the eng ine compart­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
c:> .&. in Working in the engine compartment on
page 155
and park your vehicle on a leve l su r­
face.
The coolant expansion tank is loca ted in the right
s ide of the convertib le top storage bay under the
round metal cover
cf;, fig. 143. The convertible top
must be in the service position to check the cool­
ant level
i=;, fig . 142.
Bringing the closed convertible top into the
service position
.,. Switch the ignition on.
.,. Pull and ho ld the convertib le top switch.
.,. Press and hold the rear window switch too until
the convertible top moves into the service posi­
tion <=>
fig. 142.
Bringing the open convertible to into the
service position
.,. Switch the ignition on .
.,. Press and hold the convert ible top switch .

Checking and filling
(D Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
ve­
hicle battery should be removed and stored
where it will not freeze. This will prevent it
from being damaged and having to be re­ placed .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery!
The battery is located in the luggage compart­
ment behind a
cover. Before you work on or near
the battery ,
read and heed all WARNINGS c> &_.
Always heed the safety warnings, when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle electrical
system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery:
Always heed the following WARNING SYM-
BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection.
&
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al·
ways wear gloves and eye protection.
@
No
- sparks
- flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children.
.&_ WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on the
electrical system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire. Read and heed the fol­
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let bat­
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
166
skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
-Always wear gloves and eye protection . Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or on
your skin, immediately rinse with cold wa­
ter for several minutes and get medical at­
tention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid, seek
medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and nega- tive cables.
- When working on the battery, be sure not to
short-circuit the terminals with tools or oth­
er metal objects. This would cause the bat­
tery to heat up very quickly, which could
lead to damage or explosion and personal
injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces hy­
drogen gas which is explosive and could
cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children.
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground cable.
- Before performing any work on the electri­
cal system, switch off the engine and igni­
tion as well as any electrical equipment. The
negative cable on the battery must be dis­
connected. If you are just going to replace a
light bulb, then it is enough to switch off
the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery, switch off
the anti-theft alarm system! Otherwise you
will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first dis­
connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make sure all electrical consumers are switched off. Re­
connect the positive cable first and then the
~

Tires and wheels
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and rims is often
not readily visible. If you notice
unusual vibration or the vehicle
pulls to one side, this may indi­
cate that one of the tires has been
damaged. The tires must be
checked immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Unidirectional tires
A unidirectional tire can be identi­
fied by arrows on the sidewall,
that point in the direction the tire
is designed to rotate. You must
follow the specified direction of
rotation . This is necessary so that
these tires can develop their opti­
mum characteristics regarding
grip, road noise, wear and hydro­
planing resistance. For more in­
formation
¢ page 203 .
A WARNING ~ -
New tires or tires that are old,
worn or damaged cannot pro­
vide maximum control and
braking ability.
-New tires tend to be slippery
and must be broken in. To re­
duce the risk of losing control,
a collision and serious person­
al injuries, drive with special
170
care for the first 350 miles (560 km).
-Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of con­
trol, sudden tire failure, in­
cluding a blowout and sudden
deflation, crashes and serious
personal injuries. Have worn
or damaged tires replaced im­
mediately.
-Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sud­
denly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be
used in an emergency and
then with special care and at
low speed.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure
of their "previous history." Old
used tires may have been
damaged even though the
damage cannot be seen that
can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
-If you notice unusual vibration
or if the vehicle pulls to one
side when driving, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires
for damage.
..

(D Note
- Please note that summer and
winter t ires are designed for
the conditions that are typical in those seasons . Audi recom­
mends using winter tires dur ­
ing the winter months . Low
temperatures significantly de­
crease the elasticity of summ­
er tires, which affects traction
and braking ability. If summer
tires are used in very cold tem­ peratures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, resulting in
Tires and wheels
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires . Audi is
not responsible for this type
of damage.
- Burnished, polished or
chromed rims must not be
used in winter road condi­
tions . The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro ­
sion protection for this and
could be permanently dam­ aged by road salt or similar
substances .
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto­
matic transmission, power steer­
ing, power brakes, power win ­
dows , powe r seats , radio , and
heater , to the extent that these
items a re available as factory-in­
stalled equipment (whether in­
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
;:;: the width of the tire in percent .
" ~ Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a ...
~ low sidewall for improved steer -
"' ....
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement.
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to f it the rim .
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
17 1
...

...
would then be underinflated a nd
could fail suddenly .
M ainta ining proper tire pressure
is one of the most important
things you can do to he lp avoid
s u dden tire fai lure . Under inflated
tires are a major cause of sudden
tire fa ilure . Keeping tires at the
r ight pressure is also important
for safe and responsive vehic le
handling, traction, braking and
load carrying.
Tire pressures are
particularly important when the
vehicle is be ing dr iven at higher
speeds, and then especially when
heavily loaded even within the
permissib le load-carrying capaci­
ties approved for your vehicle .
The recommended tire pressures
for your Audi depend on the kind of tires on your vehicle and the
number of passengers and/or
amount of luggage you will be
transport ing .
The tire pressure label is located
on the driver's side 8-pillar . The
tire pressure label lists the recom­ mended cold tire inflation pres­
s u res for the vehicle at its maxi­
mum capacity weight and tires
~ that were on your vehicle at the
": ;;; time it was manufactured. "? N
"' ....
Tir es a nd whe els
If you wish to improve comfort
when operating the vehicle at
normal load (up to 2 occupants ),
you can adjust tire pressu res to
those specified for normal vehi­
cle load . Before operating the ve­
hicle at ma ximum load, you
must increa se the ti re pressures
to those specified for maximum
vehic le load
c:::> .&. .
Bear in mind that the tire pres­
sure monitoring system can only monitor the tire pressures that
are stored. The system does not recognize the load condition of
your vehicle .
See the illustration
c:::> fig. 147 for
the location of the labe l on driv­
er's side 8-pillar (color of the ac­
tual label and exact location on
the vehicle will vary slightly).
Note that the following table is
accurate a t the time of going to
press and is subject to change . In
the event of discrepancies, the
tire pressure label on driver's side 8-pillar always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recom ­
mended cold tire inflation pres­
sures for the Audi model covered by your Owner 's Literature at the
vehicle's capac ity weight and the .,.
177

Tires and wheels
tire sizes installed on the respec­
tive models as original equip­ment, or as a factory option.
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure front Tire pressure rear
Engine normal load full load normal load full load
condition condition condition condition
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS: 235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 45 310 45 310 ------ ------
4.2 liter
295/30 Rl9 lOOY XL ------------41 280 41 280
S-cylin-
305/30 Rl9 102V XL
der
--- --- ------41
280 41 280
RS: 235/35 Rl9 91 Y XL 45 310 45 310 --------- ---
5.2 liter
295/30 Rl9 lOOY XL --------- ---41
280 41
280
10-cylin-
305/30 Rl9 102V XL
der
--- ------
---41 280 41 280
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire sidewall.
Because technical changes may be
made to vehicle equipment dur­
ing the model year, always com­
pare the tire size designation on
the tire pressure label on your ve­ hicle with the tires on your vehi­
cle. Make sure that the tire size information on the vehicle label is
the same as the size of the tires on the vehicle. This is especially
important if the vehicle belongs
to someone else or you bought
the vehicle with different rims/
tires or you bought the vehicle as a previously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and that
of your passengers also depends
on making sure that load limits
are not exceeded. Vehicle load in­
cludes everybody and everything
178
in and on the vehicle. These load
limits are technically referred to
as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of the
vehicle's two axles. The Gross Ve­ hicle Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed on
the safety compliance sticker la­ bel located on the driver's side B­
pillar. The tire pressure label on
your Audi lists the maximum combined weight of all of the oc­
cupants and luggage or other car­
go that the vehicle can carry. For
the location of the tire pressure label ¢
fig. 147.