2015 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK engine

186 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E ve nt Dat a Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR
is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an airbag deployment or h itting a road obstacle, data that will ass ist in
understand ing how a veh icle's systems per­
formed. The EDR is designed to record data
re lated to vehicle dynamics and safety sys­
tems for a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in you r vehicle were
operating;
- Whether or not the d river a nd passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far ( if at all) the dr iver was dep ress ing
the accelerator and/or brake peda l; and,
- How fast the ve hicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under­
stand ing of the c ircumstances in which crash­
es and injuries occur . NOTE : EDR data a re re­
corded by your veh icle only if a non-trivial
crash sit uat ion occ urs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving cond itions and
no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) are recorded. However,
other parties, such as law enforcement, co uld
comb ine the EDR data with the type of per­
sonally identify ing data routinely acquired
during a crash invest igation .
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equ ipment is required, and access to the veh i­
cle or the EDR is needed. In add ition to the ve­
h icle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
e nfo rcement, that have the special equip­
ment, can read the information if they have
access to the ve hicl e or the EDR. Some state
laws restrict the retrieval o r down­
loading of data stored by ED Rs insta lled in a
vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving data after an accident or crash event w ithout
the owner's consent .
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi lar
data or g ive it to others -
- un less the vehi cle owner (or lessee if the ve ­
hicle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the officia l request by the police ; or
- upon the o rder of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the ju­
dicia l discovery p rocess.
- Aud i may also use the data for research
about vehicle ope rat ion and safety perform­
ance or provide the da ta to a third party fo r
research purposes without iden tif ying the
specif ic vehicle or in formation about the
identity of its owner or lessee and only after
the recorded vehicle data has been ac­
cessed .
Vehicle control modul es
Your vehicle is also equ ipped with a n umber of
electron ic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emis­
sion contro l, airbags, and safety belts.
T hese electronic con trol mod ules record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic
and repair purposes. The recording capability
of these modu les is limited to data (no sound
is recorded). Only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very lim ited period of
t ime, or stored when a system fault is detect­
ed by a contro l modu le. Some of the data
stored may re late to vehicle speed, direction,
o r braking, as well as restraint system use and
performance in the event of a crash. Stored
data can also only be read and dow nloaded
with special eq uipment that is directly con-
nected to the vehicle. .,..

M N
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@ Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Aud i connect
features req uires wireless serv ices that are
provided by a third party wireless telecom­
municat ions provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Aud i connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contra ct w ith the wire less telecom ­
municat ions provider and the "About A udi
connect" tab in your vehicle's MMI:
!MENU !
button > Audi connect > About Audi con·
nect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the eng ine is running. ESC detects
certain difficult driv ing s ituations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of cont ro l and helps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively brak ing the
wheels, and/or red ucing engine powe r and
p roviding steering assistance to help hold the
ve hicle on the driver's intended course . The in­
dicator light
m in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem­
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
phys ics. It will not a lways be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
h elp you master situat ions where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of fr iction of
the road surface. When there is a sect io n of
d ry road that is s udden ly cove red with water,
slush o r snow, ESC canno t perform the same
way it would on the dry su rface.
If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a c ush ion of wate r in­
stead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent technolog y 187
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
D uring fast corner ing, particular ly on wind ing
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult dr iv ing s ituations than at lower
speeds.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather condit ions. ESC can­
not override the vehicle's physical lim its, in­
crease the availab le tract ion, or keep a veh icle
o n the road if road departu re is a result of
drive r inattent io n. Instead, ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing the vehicle unde r con­
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering inp uts to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di ­
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switc hed on all the time . In certain sit­
uat ions when you need less traction, yo u can
switch off ASR by pressing the button
[&I
c::> page 189, fig. 180. Be sure to switch ASR
o n again when you no longer need less t rac ­
t ion.
The following systems are integrated in the
ESC:
Anti-lock bra king sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking up
whe n brak ing. The vehicle can sti ll be stee red
even dur ing hard braking. App ly steady pres­
s u re to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is helping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake as sist sy stem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance. It increases brak ing power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over. In
vehicles with adapt ive c ruise control*, the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
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188 Intelligent technology
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
start, accelerat e and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive powe r to the o ther wheels.
This function is not availab le at higher speeds.
I n extreme cases , ED L automat ica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from ove rheating. EDL wi ll sw itch on aga in au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by
changing the steering to rque.
In vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC also
he lps to stabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in­
side of the curve o r both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows more prec ise driving in curves. The
appl icable system may no t activ ate when driv­
ing in wet or snowy condi tions .
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems can­
not overcome the lim its posed by natural
physical laws. This is especia lly impor- tant on slippery or wet roads
. If the sys­
tems beg in acting to stabilize your vehi­
cle, you should immediately change your
speed to match the road and traffic con­
ditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Do ing so will increase the risk
of a loss of veh icle contro l, collision and
serio us pe rsonal inj uries.
- Always ad apt your speed to road, traffic
a nd wea ther conditions. The risk of los­
ing con trol of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, especially through
curves and on slippe ry or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to vehicles up
ahead . The ESC and its integrated sys­
tems cannot a lways prevent collisions -
there is still a risk of acc idents!
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even w ith
these assistan ce sys tems that cannot al­
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
all four wheel s are equipped with identi­
c al tires . D iffe ren t tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the ind icator lig ht
BJ or rJlll (USA
mode ls)/ l§J (Can ada models) appears,
t here may be a malfunction ¢
page 18,
r:!>page 18.

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Intelligent technolog y 189
Switching on and off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 180 Center console,:, OFF button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. De­
pending on the leve l that is selected, the sta-
ESC levels
bilization function of the ESC is limited or
switched off. The amount of stabilization con­
trol will differ depending on the level.
The following situations are exceptions where it may be useful to switch on sport mode to
allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is st uck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chain s
Sport mode on ESC/ASRoff Sport mode off or
ESC /ASRon
Behavi or
The ESC and ASR stabili za- The stabiliza tion f unct ion The f ull stabil iza tion f unc-
tion funct ions are lim ited is no t avai lable~ &.. ESC tion of the ESC and ASR is
~ Lr,. . and ASR are sw itched off .
available again .
Operat ion Press the I~ OF FI button Press and hold the I~ OF FI Press the l.!7-OFFI button
briefly . button longer than 3 sec- again.
ands.
I n dicato r II turns on. II and Ill turn on. II turns off or II and II
lights turn off.
Driver m es- Stabilization control Sta b il iza tion control Stabilization c ontrol
s age s (
ES C): S po rt. Warning ! (ESC): Off. Warning! Re- (ESC ): On
Redu ced stabilit y duced stabilit y
A WARNING
-
cont rol system * or the adaptive cruise
control* is switched on.
Yo u should only sw itch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving ab ilities
and road conditions perm it.
- The stabilization function is limited
when sport mode is switched on. The
driv ing whee ls could spin and the vehicle
cou ld swe rve, especially on slick or slip­
pery road surfaces.
- The re is no vehicle stab ilization w hen
ESC/ASR are switched off.
(D Tips
- ESC/ASR cannot be switc hed off o r sport
mode cannot be sw itched on if the cruise
- If the rear spoi ler system malfunct ions,
sport mode may not switch on o r it may
switch off again automatically.

M N
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Operating condi tions and d riv ing hab it s
The brakes on today's automobi les are sti ll
subject to wear, depending largely on operat­
ing conditions and driving habits
c:> A . On
vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop­
and-go city traffic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your author­
i zed Audi dealer more often than specified in
the
Warr ant y & Maint enan ce bookle t. Failure
to have your b rake pads inspected can res ult
i n red uced brake performance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing
effect of the engine. This way, you prevent un­
necessa ry wea r on the brake system.
If you
must use yo ur brakes, do not ho ld the brakes
down continuously. Pump the brakes at inter ­
va ls.
Moistu re or road salt
Unde r ce rtain conditions, for example, when
driving through wate r or very heavy rain, or
even after washing your vehicle, the braking
effect can be reduced d ue to moisture (or in
freezing conditions ice) on the brake pads . A
few careful brake app lications should dry
off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings.
When you are driving at higher speeds with
the windshield wipers on, the brake pads will
briefly touch the brake discs in regular inter­
vals so as to improve reaction t ime when brak­
ing on wet surfaces . You the driver w ill not no­
tice anything .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered
road and the brakes are not used . Here too,
you should clean
off accumulated salt coat ing
from b rake discs and pads with a few careful
applications of the brake
c:> ,&. .
t5 Cor ro sion
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up
on the brake pads and corrosion to form on
Int ellig ent technolog y 191
the d iscs if the car is not driven regu larly or
only for short trips with litt le use of the
brakes.
If the brakes a re not used frequently, o r if cor­
rosion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable
to clean
off the pads and discs by braking
firmly a few times from a moderately high
speed
c:> ,&. .
Fault s in the brak e syste m
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in
brake pedal trave l, then one of the two brake
circuits may have fai led ¢
A.
Low brake fluid lev el
Malfunctions can occu r in the bra ke system if
the brake fluid level is too low. The brake flu id
level is monitored elect ronica lly.
Brake booster
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
su re which is created only whe n the engine is
runn ing ¢,&. .
Brake lining we ar s tatus
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If neces­
sary, the wheel may be removed fo r thi s in­
spection ¢
page 263, Changing a wheel.
_& WARNING
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake system only if road conditions permit .
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may ca use an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and sh ift transmission into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . Th is could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to b rake. This may cause the brakes to
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192 Intelligent technology
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice ca n
accumulate on the brake pads, linings ,
discs and d rums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . B rakes wi ll dry a nd ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few c are­
f ul brake app lications .
- Dr iv ing fo r an ex tende d pe riod of time on
salt-covere d roads w ithout us ing yo ur
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
bra ke discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed. Otherwise the brake system could
over heat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system .
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability res ulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near­
est Aud i dea le r o r q ualified w ork sho p.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
the e ngine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be p ressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the la ck of
booster assistance.
Electromechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering .
Power stee ring adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steer ing defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your author ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
l;r-ij Steering: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the stee ring may be more diffi­
cul t to move o r more sensi tive th an usua l. The
steering wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driving straight .
Drive slowly to you r authorized Aud i dea le r o r
qualified wo rks hop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corre cted.
l;r,ij Dynamic steering: Initializing
If this driver message appears and t he indica­
tor light is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynam ic steer ing* is being rei nitia lized. Afte r
sta rting the engine, the stee ring wheel will
move s ligh tly. Re- ini tiali zation mig ht be ne c­
e ssa ry if the stee ring wheel was moved h ard
to the left an d right wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . The display goes out as soon as initi ­
alization is complete.
D rive slowly to you r aut horized Audi de aler or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corrected.
A WARNING
Have t he dynamic stee ring * system mal ­
f u nction repa ired as soon as possib le by an
a uthorized Audi dealer or qua lified wor k­
shop - risk of accident !
(D Tips
If the . or@ indicator light on ly stays
on for a short time, yo u may continue driv­
i ng.
- The dynamic steering * sta bility systems
are not avai lab le in the event of a system
ma lf u nction.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer t o
c> page 96.

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Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv­
en .
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to
all four wheels . This happens automatically
depending on your driving style and the road
conditions at the time . See also ¢
page 187.
A center differential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear axle. It
works together with selective wheel torque
control, which activates when driving through
curves ¢
page 188 . With the sport d ifferen­
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
va riable and can be adjusted with drive select
¢page 96.
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
hi gh engine power. Your vehicle is exception­
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac­
teristics both under normal driving conditions
and on snow and
ice. Always read and follow
safety precautions ¢.& .
Winter tires
When driving in the w inter , your ve hicle 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 t ires) for improved driveability and brak­
ing: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels. See also ¢ page 252, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally a lso applies to vehicles
with a ll-wheel drive¢
page 253, Snow
chains.
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles w ith all-wheel drive must always
have tires of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
page ¢
page 245, New tires and replacing
~ tires and wheels . 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Intelligent technology 193
Off•Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough g round clear­
ance to be used as an off-road vehicle.
It is
therefore best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible. Also refer to
¢page 197.
A WARNING
Always adjust your dr iv ing to road and traf­
fic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the all-wheel drive is very ef­ fective, always remember that braking
capacity is lim ited 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
drive too fast because the front wheels
could begin 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 veh icle. Always drive at
speeds which are su ited to the road con­
ditions - risk of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventiona l energy system
is not driven for a long period of tim e, the bat­
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer). In certain circumstances it
can resu lt in there being insufficient energy
available to start the eng ine.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle handles the distribution of e lectrica l ene r­
gy. Starting ability is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
ll>
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194 Intelligent technology
Basically, energy management consists o f
battery di agno sis, idling current manage­
ment
and dyn ami c ene rg y m anagement.
B attery diagno sis
Battery d iagnosis continuously dete rm ines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling curr ent mana gem ent
Idling c urrent management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy s upply to the various e lectrica l compo­
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
ered.
D epending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excess ive d ischarge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynamic en erg y managem ent
While the vehicle is being dr iven, dynamic en ­
ergy management distributes the energy gen­
erated according to the needs of the individu­
a l components. It reg ulates cons umption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for the battery.
(D) Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
li mited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, t he indi­
cator
light (•i appears ~page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abu ndant e lectr ical energy is re- quired, but on
ly a little is generated .
It is also
critica l if the engine is not r unning and electri­
ca l components are turned on. In this in­
stance energy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precise ly these situations that you will
notice energy management active ly regu lat­
ing the d istribution of energy.
V ehicle stand s for an e xtended period
If you do no t drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectrica l compo ­
nents a re g radually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior l ights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
funct ions wi ll be available again when you
switch on the ignition and sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine turned off or use other MMI func­
t io ns, the battery is be ing discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized d ue to en­
ergy consumption, the following warning ap­
pears in the MMI d isplay:
Please sta rt the engine soon o r the system
will be turned off .
The warning indicates that the system will be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to start the eng ine.
With the eng ine running
Although e lectrical energy is generated when
t h e vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged . This happens mostly when
li ttle energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
c h arge is not opt imal.
To bring the energy ba lance back into equili ­
brium, consumers which requ ire espec ially
large amounts of energy are temporar ily cut
back or sw itched off . Heat ing systems in .,.