2015 AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

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Brake lining w ear sta tus
Brake lining we ar may be che cked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the whee l. If neces ­
sary, the wheel may be remove d for this in­
spection
c> page 244, Changing a wheel.
.&_ WARNING
- New brake pads do n't have the best sto p­
ping power and must be "broken-in" dur­
ing the init ial 100 to 1 50 m iles (150 to
200 k ilometers) of normal city driving.
T he break-in period can be considerably
longer for veh icles with ceram ic br ake ro­
tors*. You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly.
T his also applies later when new pads are
installed .
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system on ly if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too ofte n. This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and d imin ish b raking
efficiency.
- Do not "r ide the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not inte nd
t o brake. Th is may cause the b rakes to
overheat, prema ture wear and inc reased
stopping distance .
- Under certa in climat ic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa ­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­ ings will be cleaned off after a few ca re­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing fo r an extended pe riod of time on
salt-covered roads w ithout using you r
Intellig ent technolog y 175
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
Clean off accum ulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler , be sure the air
f low to the front brakes is not obstruct­
ed. Otherw ise the brake system could
overheat reducing t he effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one b rake circuit will impa ir
the braking capab ility result ing in an in­
creased s topping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est a utho rized Audi dea le r or q ualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehi cle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the b ra ke booste r is no t working, the
brake peda l must be p ressed considera­
b ly harder to make up for the lack of
booster assistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
t he ve hicl e speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defect ive! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steer ing
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified repair facility for as ­
s istance.
E!'Y D ynamic stee ring: System fault! You can
continue dri ving
If the indica tor ligh t turns on and the mes-
sage appears, the stee ring may be more diffi ­
cu lt to move o r more sensit ive than usual. The ..,.
•
•

176 Intellig ent technolog y
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straig ht.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
l ;:r- ij Dyn am ic s te ering : initi alizing
If th is driver message appears and the ind ica­
tor light is flashing on the instrument panel ,
dynam ic steering* is be ing reinitialized. After
start ing the engine, the steer ing whee l w ill
move slightly . Re-in itia lizat ion m igh t be nec­
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right while the vehicle was not moving. The disp lay goes out as soon as i niti­
alization is complete .
.&_ WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system mal­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work ­
shop -risk of accident!
(D Tips
- If the . or@ indicator light only stays
on for a short t ime, you may continue
driving .
- The dynamic steering* stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction .
- For additional informat ion on dynamic
steering*, refer to
c::> page 102 .
Driving with your
quattro
-
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive , power is distributed to
a ll four w heels . This happens automatically
depending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See a lso
c::> page 171.
A center different ial d istr ibutes the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle.
It
wo rks together wi th se lective wheel torque control, which activates when driving thro
ugh
c u rves
c::> page 172. With the sport differen­
t ia l*, power distr ibut ion to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted w ith drive se lect
c::> page 102.
The all-whee l drive concept is designed for
high eng ine power. Your veh icle is except ion ­
ally powerful and has excellent driving charac­
teristics both under normal driv ing cond itions
and on snow and ice . Always read and follow
safety precaut ions
c::> ,& .
Winter tir es
When d riving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with
all-wheel drive has an advantage, even with regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea ­
son tires) for improved dr iveability and brak­
ing : these tires must be mounted on
a ll four
wh eels.
See also c::> page 236, Winter tires.
Tire ch ains
Where tire chains are mandatory on cer tain
roads, this normally also applies to vehicles
with all-wheel drive c::> page 23 7, Snow
chains .
Replacing whee ls / tire s
Vehicles with all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same s ize . A lso avoid tires
with different tread depths. For deta ils see
page
c::> page 230, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road dr iving ?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle. It is
therefore best to avoid roug h tracks a nd un­
even terra in as much as poss ib le . Also refer to
c::> page 179.
.&_ WARNING
A lways adj ust yo ur dr iv ing to road and t ra f­
f ic conditions . Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
-Although the a ll-wheel d rive is very ef ­
fective, always remember that braking

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capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive
speeds on icy or slippery road surfaces.
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front·
wheel drive vehicle . A lways d rive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availabili ty of electrical energy for s tarting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e .g . immobilizer) . In certain c ircumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
Intell igent energy management in your vehi­
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener ·
gy. Starting ab il ity is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagno sis, idling current manag e­
m ent
and dynamic en erg y manag ement.
B attery diagnosi s
Battery diagnosis continuously determines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determ ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is s tand ing.
W ith the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electr ica l compo·
Int ellig ent technolog y 177
nents . Data from batte ry diagnos is is cons id ­
ered.
Depend ing o n the ba ttery's state of cha rge ,
individ ua l cons umers are g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and t hus maintain sta rting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While t he vehi cle is being d riven, dynamic e n­
ergy ma nagement dis trib utes the energy ge n­
era ted accord ing to the needs of the individ u­
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more e lectrical energy is not bei ng used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for t he battery.
(D Tips
- But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light (•) ::ippears
¢ page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
star ting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year. Ab undant electrica l energy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
critical if the engi ne is not running and electri­
ca l components are turned on . In this in ­
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being ge nerated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat ·
ing the d istribut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ica l compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in·
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience func tions may not .,.
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178 Intelligent technology
operate, such as the inter ior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be ava ilable again when you
switch on the ignit ion and start the engine.
With th e engine turn ed off
If yo u listen to the radio, for example, with
the engine turned off or use other MMI fu nc­
tions, the battery is being discharged .
I f sta rting capabi lity is jeopa rdized due to en ­
e rgy consumpt ion, the fo llowing warning ap­
pears in the MMI display:
Please start the eng ine soon or th e syste m
will be turned off .
The warning ind icates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 m inutes. If
you wish to con tinue us ing t he functions, you
have to s tart the engi ne.
With the engine running
A lthough electrical energy is generated when
the veh icle is be ing dr iven, the battery can be­
come discharged . T his happens most ly when
little energy is be ing generated a nd a great
deal consumed and the battery 's state o f
charge is no t optima l.
To br ing the energy balance back into equili­
b rium, consumers which require especially
l arge amo unts of energy are tempo rari ly cut
back or switched off. Heating sys tems in par­
ticular require a great dea l of energy . If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will a lso notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly. This is norma l and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the add itiona l energy required is gener­
ated and the batte ry is charged .

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Driving and
environment
The first 1
1000
miles
(11500 km) and
afterwards
New engine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km) .
For the first 600 mile s (1,000
kilometers ):
.,. Do not use full throttle.
.,. Do not drive at engine speeds that are more
than 2/3 of the max imum permitted RPM .
From 600 to 1,000 miles (1 ,000 to
1,500 kilometers ):
.. Speeds can gradually be increased to the
maximum perm iss ible road or eng ine speed .
During and after br eak-in period
.. Do not rev the eng ine up to h igh speeds
when it is cold. Th is applies whether the
transmission is in N (Neutral) or in gear.
After the break- in peri od
.. Do not exceed max imum eng ine speed un­
der any circumstances .
.. Upshift into the next higher gear before
reaching the red area at the end of the tach­
ometer scale c.>page 10.
During the first few hours of driving, the en­
g ine's internal friction is higher than later
when all the moving parts have been broken
in . How well this break -in process is done de ­
pends to a considerable extent on the way the
ve hicl e is driven du ring the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 k ilome ters).
(D Note
Extremely h igh engine speeds are auto­
mat ica lly reduc ed. However, t hese rpm
lim its are programmed for a n engine well
r u n- in, not a new engine.
Driving and environment 179
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high en­
g ine speeds -upshifting ear ly saves f uel,
reduces noise and protects the environ­
ment.
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new tires, drive
very carefully for the first 350 miles (500 ki lo­
meters) after fitting.
.&, WARNING
N ew tires tend to be sl ippery and mus t al­
so be "b roken -in" . Be sure to remember
this dur ing the f irst 350 m iles (500 kilo­
meters) . Brake gently . Avoid fo llowing
closely behind other vehicles or other sit­
uations that m ight require sudden, hard
b raking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are d rivi ng on poo r roads, or over
cu rbs, steep ramps, etc., make certa in that
low- ly in g parts s uch as spo ile rs and ex ha ust
system parts do not bottom o ut and get dam ­
aged.
Th is is espec ially true for veh icles with low­
s lung chassis (spo rts chas sis)* and fully load ­
ed vehicles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid ve hicle damage
when driving through water, for e xamp le on
flooded roads:
- The wa ter must not be any higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
•
•

180 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(D Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv­
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi­
cle to dr ive through safely.
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Warming up and
cooling down
-
By carefully warming up and cooling down
your ve hicle, you can he lp ensure that it is not
overstressed unnecessarily dur ing sporty driv ­
ing.
When warming up, the vehicle is d riven at a
maximum engine speed of 6000 RPM in order
to raise the engine oi l temperature to a mini ­
mum of 140
°F (60 °(). The tires also only
reach their full road holding capability once
they have warmed up .
The cooling fan can contin ue to run in your ve­
h icle after the engine is switched off. Howev­
er, driving the vehicle to cool it down is part ic­
ularly important. During sporty driving, the
engine and brakes, the ex ha ust system, and
the transm ission all become extremely hot.
B efore you park the vehicle, you shou ld drive it for a few miles/kilometers at
light load in
the low rpm range to allow it to cool down.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 190,
Fuel supply.
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty .
.. Never put too much moto r oil in your engine
c:> page 199, 't::71 Adding engine oil .
.. Never try to p ush- or tow -sta rt yo ur vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean­
up" device bu ilt into the exhaust system of
t h e vehi cle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollu tan ts i n t he exh aust gas be­
f ore they are re lease d into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert­
er and prope r fu nct ion ing of the engi ne.
8_ WARNING
- T he temperature of the exhaus t system
is high, both when driving and after stop ­
p ing the engine.
- Never touch the exhaus t tail pipes once
they have become hot . This cou ld result
in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle i n
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
ver ter or heat shields . Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.

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(D Note
-Be aware that just one tank fi lling with
le ad ed fuel will already seriously de­
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
c>page 199.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine could mis ­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalyt ic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve­
hicle is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these condit ions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter. This
could result in overheat ing of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operat ion of the Emis­
s ion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
the funct ion of the emission control
system and could lead to damage .
@) For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content of the fuel being used.
Using a d ifferent brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your veh icle to remain inop­
erat ive for a longer period of time, contact an
Audi or other specialized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e .g. corro ­
sion prevention, maintenance and storage.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 181
Pay attention to additional information con ­
cerning the battery . Refer to
c> page 205 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex ­
haust and noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent . This sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published
by ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
( E PA) and Transpo rt Canada may not cor re­
spond to your actual consump tion on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con ­
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
.,. Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most f uel when they a re ac­
ce lerat ing. If you ant icipate what is going to
happe n next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, acce lerate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next traff ic light is red.
•
•

182 Driving and en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage .
"'Try and keep well below your car 's max imum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment. F ue l consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
g ine no ise increase d isproportionately at high
speeds. If you dr ive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by one half. Never dr ive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
d itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
"'Shut the engine off when you are not dr iv ing
the vehicle .
"'Do not warm up the veh icle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the e ngine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings , or at traff ic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off fo r
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
bu rned s tarting the eng ine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . Howeve r, wear
and nox ious em issions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up .
([) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af ­
ter starti ng . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over- heating o
r othe r damage to the ve hicle or
other property .
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
"' Have your ve hicle serviced at reg ular in ter -
vals.
By having your veh icle regu la rly serviced by an
a utho rized Aud i dea le r helps to ensure that it
runs properly and econom ic all y. The cond it ion
of your veh icle not on ly affe cts its safety and
ability to ho ld its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel
con sumption .
Check your oil ea ch time you fill your tank.
The amount of o il used is re lated to engine
load and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certa in
mileage has bee n driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l cons umption and en­
gine output.
(D Note
- Have your vehicle maintained proper ly
and in accordance with the service rec ­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper ma inte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
em iss ion contro l system and cou ld lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacture r.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such
a s hea t sh ie lds, swi tches, ig nitio n w ires,
valves, which are designe d to p rotec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other impo rtant vehicle compo­
nents .