Audi magnetic ride
Applies to vehicles: with magnetic ride
Damping can be adjusted to the driver's pref
erence and it adapts automatically to the cur
rent driving situation.
Fig. 87 Ce nter console : Switc h for Au di magnet ic ride
• Press the sw itch Q fig . 87 to tu rn sport set-
t ing on or off.
Aud i magnetic ride is an electronically con
trolled damping system. This chassis system
assists the dr iver by adapting to the particular
situation through imperceptible control proc
esses. The
da mping provides individua l modu
lation of damping forces. For example, with
damping characteristics set to provide greater
comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for
a brief period only
as required, when rounding
a curve and when braking.
St andard setti ng
Select the standard sett ing if you prefer a sus
pension setting emphasizing comfort .
Sport setting
Select the sport setting if you prefer a sporty
suspens ion setting . The LED in the switch
R
comes on to indicate sport setting.
@ T ips
The warning/indicator light R in the in
strument cluster comes on in the event of
a ma lfunction. Drive to the closest author
ized Audi dealer as soon as possible and
have the malfunction repaired.
On th e road 7 9
Sport mode
Applies to vehicles: wit h Sport button
Fig . 88 Butto n in the center console
.,. To switch sport mode on, press the button
in the center console . The indicator light
turns on.
• To switch sport mode off, press the button
in the center console again. The indicator
light turns on .
A more agile and sporty driving style is possi
ble when driving the vehicle in "sport mode".
T his mode affects throttle response and the
sound of the engine and the damping charac
teristics of the Audi magnetic ride for dynamic
suspension tuning .
(1} Tips
If there is a malfunction in the retractable
rear spoiler* or the Audi magnetic ride*, it
may not be poss ible to activate sport
mode.
Acoustic parking system
Rear acoustic park assist
Applies to vehicles: with 4-channe l acoustic park assist
Acoustic park assist gives a warning about
obstacles behind the vehicle.
D es cription
The rear acoustic park assist (4-channel
acoustic park assist) determines the distance
of the vehicle from an obstacle using ultra
sonic sensors. The sensors are in the rear
bumper. The volume and the pitch of the
122 Airbag sys te m
- Never modify t he front bumper or parts
of the veh icle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery ove r the front seat
backs that have not been spec ifi cally
approved by A udi.
- Never use add itiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas whe re the side airbags
inflate .
- D amage to the o rigina l seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only once . Afte r an airbag has inf lated, it
must be replaced by an author ized Audi
dealer or qualified technic ian who has
the techn ica l information, tra ining and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an a irbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced w ith new replace
ment parts designed and approved espe
cially for your Aud i model version. Re
placement of complete a irbag systems
or airbag componen ts must be per
formed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service act ion
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the a lternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic cir cuit inter
rupter must on ly be performed by a
qua lified dealer - risk of an accident !
- If the vehicle or the c ircuit interrupter
is sc rapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
{® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classif ied as Perchlorate
Materia l -special handling may app ly, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per
ch lorate . When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modu les
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scra pped, all applicab le laws and regu la
tions must be obse rved. Your authorized
A udi dealer is familia r with these require
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service fo r you .
· Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the veh icle's suspens io n system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem perfo rms in a c rash. For examp le, using
t ir e- rim combinat ions not approved by A udi ,
lower ing the veh icle, c hanging the st iffness of
the suspens ion, including the spr ings, suspen
sio n struts, shock absorbers etc . can change
the forces that ar e measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic contro l
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
c rashes in which it wou ld no t deploy if the
c h anges had not been made. Other kinds of
c h anges may reduce the fo rce leve ls meas
u red by the sensors and p reven t the airbag
from dep loying when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
i ng use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
fo rmance and increase the r isk of serious
personal injury in a crash .
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characterist ics as the components origi
na lly installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have no t been approved by Audi.
190 Tires and wheels
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv
ing style.
Fig. 138 Tire tread: tre ad wea r ind icators (TWI)
f ~----~
~ ..__ ____ __,
Fig. 139 Rotating t ires for more ev en wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The origina l tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
c::> fig . 138 running across the tread. Depend
i ng on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly placed around the tire. Marks on
the tire sidewa ll (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn tires must be replaced .
Different figures may apply in other countries
c::> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden t ire blow-out. For th is
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
c::> page 186.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer's suggested tire rota
tion intervals. Please remember the follow
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls outlined in your
Warranty
& Maintenance Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles with front-wheel drive experience
more tread wear on the front wheels com
pa red to all-wheel drive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
c::> fig. 139.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
c::> page 211 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unbal
anced, re sulting in vibrat ions you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, suspension
and tires. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tire is installed.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the veh i
cle. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
all-wheel drive
Vehicles with quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type .
For details see
c::> page 146 . ..,.