2015 AUDI S4 trailer

@ Tips
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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 situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of cont ro l and he lps you to get the vehicle
back under control by select ively b rak 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
DJ 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 185
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. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions . 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
driver ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC imp roves the
poss ibility of keep ing t he vehicle under con­
trol and on the road during extreme maneu­
vers by using the driver's steering i nputs to
help keep the vehicle go ing in the intended di­
rect ion. 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 switched on all the time. In certain sit­
uat ions when you need less traction, you can
switch off ASR by pressing the butto n
[ill
~ page 187, fig. 174 or~ page 187,
fig. 175. Be sure to sw itch ASR on aga in when
you no lo nger need less traction.
The following systems are integrated in the
ESC:
Anti-lock bra king sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking up
when brak ing. T he vehicle can st ill be steered
even dur ing hard braking. App ly steady pres­
su re to the brake peda l. Do not pump the ped­
al. A pulsing in the brake pedal ind icates that
the system is helping you to brake the veh icle .
Brake assi st system
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking
distance. It increases brak ing power when the
drive r presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal unti l the s ituation is over. In
vehicles wi th adap tive c rui se control*, the
brake assis t system is more sensitive if the
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Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns .
Trailer towin g 199
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trai ler has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler fo r you r vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the lo ad in the tra iler is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 200.
Engine cooling system
T owing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard ­
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
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200 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the tir es of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac ­
turers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safe ty cha ins are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per ­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re­
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con­
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi­
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi­
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i­
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com ­
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requi rements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re­
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rticularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en ­
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefully . If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n the i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a mov­
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the restraints
provided by Audi.
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Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when tow ing
a trailer because o f the addit ional weight and
d iffe ren t weight distribution . Safety, pe rform ­
ance and economy w ill greatly depend on how
caref ully you load your trailer and operate
your rig.
B efore you actua lly tow your trailer, pr actice
turning, stopp ing and bac king up in an area
away from traffic. Keep practicing until you have become comp lete ly fam iliar with the way
your veh icle-trailer comb ination behaves and
responds.
Backing up is d ifficu lt a nd requires practice .
Backing up with a tra iler genera lly requires
steer ing action opposite to that when backing
up your vehicle without a trailer.
M aintain a g reater distance betwee n your ve­
h icle and the one in front o f you . You will need
mo re room to stop. To compensate for the
trailer, you will need a larger than normal
turning radius .
W hen pass ing, remember that yo u cannot ac ­
celerate as fast as yo u normally wo uld be­
cause of the added load. Ma ke s ure you have
e nough room to pass . After passing , allow
p lenty o f room fo r your tra iler before chang­
in g la nes aga in .
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rap id lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a tra iler during the break-in
period of you r vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your A udi may re­
quire more frequent maintenance due to
the extra load
o page 283.
Trailer towin g 201
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it can­
not be avoided, do so only after doing the fol­ lowing:
When parking:
.. App ly the foot brake.
.. Have someone p lace chocks under both the
veh icle and the tra iler wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release t he
bra kes unt il t he whee l choc ks absorb the
load .
.. Tu rn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.. Place an a utomatic transm ission* in P, re ­
spectively a manual transmission in first or
reverse gear.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly th e foot br ake .
.. Start t he en gine.
.. Move the selector lever to D/S , respect ively
a man ual transmiss ion in first gea r.
.. Release the parking bra ke and s low ly pull
out and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retr ieve the wheel
chocks.
@ Tips
If you move the selector leve r of the auto­
matic transmissio n* to P before applying
the pa rking brake and before blocking the
whee ls, you may hav e to use mor e forc e
l ater to m ove the le ver out of the P posi­
tion.
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238 Tires and wheels
else or you bought the vehicle
with different rims/tires or you bought the vehicle as a previ ­
ously owned vehicle.
Remember, your safety and
that of your passengers also de ­
pends on making sure that load
limits are not exceeded. Vehicle
load includes everybody and ev­
erything in and on the vehicle.
These load limits are technical­
ly referred to as the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR"). The Gross Axle
Weight Rating ("GAWR") is the maximum load that can be ap­
plied at each of the vehicle's
two axles . The Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating are listed
on the safety compliance stick­
er label located on the driver's
side B-pillar. The tire pressure
label on your Audi lists the
maximum combined weight of
all of the occupants and lug­
gage or other cargo that the ve­
h icle can carry . For the location
of the tire pressure label
¢fig . 189.
.&_ WARNI NG -
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the ve­
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of a
loss of vehicle control.
-The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not be able to stop the vehi­
cle with in a safe distance .
-Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail
suddenly causing loss of
control and a crash.
- Always make sure that the
total load being transported
- including the weight of a
trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­ing.
.&_ WARNI NG
-Incorrect tire pressures
and/or underinflation can
-

Tires and wheels 243
and can lead to sudden tire fail- The Gross Axle Weight Rating •
ure, including a blowout and ("GAWR") is the maximum load • '
sudden
deflation that can cause that can be applied at each of
the vehicle to crash. the vehicle's two axles.
Your safety and that of your The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat- passengers also depends on ing and the Gross Axle Weight
making sure that load limits are Rating are listed on the safety
not exceeded. Vehicle load in- compliance sticker label locat-
eludes everybody and every- ed on the driver's side B-pillar.
thing in and on the vehicle. Your Audi has 5 seating posi-
These load limits are technical- tions, 2 in the front and 3 in the ly referred to as the vehicle's rear for total seating capacity
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 5. Each seating position has
("GVWR"). a seat belt¢
page 136~ Safety
The "GVWR" includes the belts.
weight of the basic vehicle, all The fact that there is an upper
factory installed accessories, a limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve-
full tank of fuel, oil, coolant hicle Weight Rating means that
and other fluids plus maximum the total weight of whatever is
load. The maximum load in- being carried in the vehicle (in-
eludes the number of passen- eluding the weight of a trailer
gers that the vehicle is intend- hitch and the tongue weight of
ed to carry ("seating capacity") the loaded trailer) is limited.
with an assumed weight of The more passengers in the ve- 150 lbs. (68 kg) for each pas- hicle or passengers who are
senger at a designated seating heavier than the standard
position and the total weight of weights assumed mean that
any luggage in the vehicle . If less weight can be carried as
you tow a trailer, the weight of luggage. the trailer hitch and the tongue The tire pressure label on your
'"" weight of the loaded trailer N
Audi also lists the maximum 0 ::.,:
must be included as part of the co .... combined weight of all of the \!) 1.1'1
vehicle load . .... 1.1'1 ....

M N
~ co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
shown on the sticker
c=> page 234, fig. 189.
4. The resulting figure equals
the available amount of car­ go and luggage load capaci­
ty. For example, if the
"XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs.
and there will be five
150
lbs . passengers in your vehi­
cle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load ca­
pacity is
650 lbs. (1400-750
(5
X 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your trail­
er will be transferred to your
vehicle . Consult this manual
to determine how this re­
duces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle .
.,.Check the tire sidewall
{c:> page 248, fig. 193) to de­
termine the designated load
rating for a specific tire.
Tires and wheels 245
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends
on a lot of different things in­
cluding proper installation and
balancing, correct tire pressure
and driving style.
Fig. 191 Tire tread : tread wear indi­
cators (TWI)
Fig. 192 Rotating tires for more even
wear
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your vehi­
cle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm)
high "wear indicators"
c=> fig. 191 running across the
tread. Depending on the make,
there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other

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Consumer Information
Warranty coverages
Your Audi is covered by the following war­
ranties :
- New Vehicle Limited Warranty
- Limited Warranty Against Corrosion Perfo-
ration
- Emissions Control System Warranty
- Emissions Performance Warranty
- California Emissions Control Warranty (USA
vehicles only)
- California Emissions Performance Warranty
(USA vehicles only)
Detailed information regarding yo ur warran ­
ties can be found in your
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Operating your vehicle
outside the U.S.A. or
Canada
Government regulations in the United States
and Canada require that automobiles meet
specific emission regulations and safety
standards. Therefore, veh icles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada differ from vehicles sold in
other countries .
I f you p lan to take your vehicle outside the
continental limits of the United States or Can­
ada, there is the possibility that:
- unleaded fuels for vehicles with cata lytic
converter may not be available;
- fuel may have a considerably lower octane
rating . Improper fuel may cause engine
damage;
- service may be inadequate due to lack of
proper service facilities, tools or testing
equipment;
- replacement parts may not be readily availa­
ble.
- Navigation systems for vehicles built for the
U.S.A. and Canada will not necessari ly work
in Europe, and may not work in other coun­
tries outside of North America.
Consumer Information 283
@ Note
Audi cannot be responsible for mechanical
damage that could result from inadequate
fuel, serv ice or parts availab ility.
Audi Service Repair
Manuals and Literature
Audi Offic ial Factory Service Manuals and Lit ­
erature are published as soon as possible after
model introduct ion. Service manuals and lit­
erat ure are available to order from the Audi
T echnical Literature Ordering Center at:
www.audi.techliterature.com
Maintenance
' General
Your vehicle has been designed to help keep
maintenance requirements to a m inimum.
However, a certain amount of regular mainte­
nance is still necessary to assure your vehicle's
safety, economy and reliability . For detailed
vehicle maintenance consult your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet.
Under difficult operating conditions , for ex­
ample at extremely low outside temperatures,
in very dusty regions, when towing a trailer
very frequently, etc., some serv ice work
shou ld be pe rformed between the intervals
specified. This applies particularly to:
- oil changes, and
- cleaning or replacing the air filter.
® For the sake of the environment
By regularly maintaining your veh icle, you
help make sure that emission standards
are maintained, thus min imiz ing adverse
effects on the environment .
Important considerations for you and
your vehicle
The increasing use of electronics, sophistica t­
ed fuel injection and emission contro l sys-
tems, and the genera lly increasing technica l ..,_
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