2016 AUDI A8 tow

Driving and the
environment
Breaking in
New eng ine
The engine needs to be run-in during the first
1,000 miles (1 ,500 km).
For the first 600 miles (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 .
"' Avoid high eng ine speeds.
From 600 to 1 ,000 miles (1,000 to 1,500
kilometers ):
"' Speeds can gradually be increased to the maxi­
mum pe rm issib le road or e ngine speed.
During and after b reak-in period
"' Do not rev the engine up to high speeds when it
is cold . This applies whether the transmission is
in N (Neutral) or in gear .
After the bre ak-in period
"' Do not exceed maximum engine speed under
any circumstances .
"' Upshift into the nex t higher gear
before reach­
ing the red area at the end of the tachometer
sca le
c:::;, page 10.
During the first few hours of driving , the eng ine's
internal friction is higher than later when all the
mov ing parts have been broke n in. How well this
b reak-in process is done depends to a considera­
b le exte nt o n the way the veh icle is d rive n du ring
the first 1,0 00 miles (1,500 kilome ters).
(D Note
E xtremely high eng ine speeds a re au toma ti­
cally reduced. However, t hese rpm li mits are
p rogr amme d fo r an eng ine well run-in, not a
new engine .
Driving and the envir onment
{® For the sake of the environment
Do not drive with unnecessarily high engine
spe eds -upshifting early saves fuel, red uces
no ise and protects the environment.
New tires
If your vehicle is runni ng on new tires, drive par­
t icularly careful for the first 3S0 m iles (500 kilo ­
meters) after fitting .
_&. WARNING
New tires tend to be slippe ry and mus t also
b e "bro ken- in". Be sure to remembe r th is dur­
i ng the first 350 m iles ( 500 k ilome ters).
Brake gent ly . Avoid following closely behin d
other vehicles or other s ituations that might
require sudden, hard braking.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are dr iv ing on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certai n that low ­
ly ing parts such as spo ile rs and exhaust system
parts do not bottom o ut and get damaged .
This is espec ially true for veh icles with low-s lung
chass is (sports c hass is)* and fully loaded
vehicles .
Catalytic converter
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop ­
erly to ensure that y our vehicle is running in an
environmen tally sound manner.
"' Always use lead-free gasoline c:::;, page 212,
F uel supply .
"' Never run t he tank down all the way to emp ty.
"' Never put too much motor o il in yo ur engine
c:::;, page 225, Adding engine oil ce:r..
"' Never try to push- or tow-start your vehicle.
T he ca talytic co nverter is an efficient "cle an-up"
device built into the exhaust sys tem o f th e vehi -
-
cle. The catalytic converter b urns many of the .,.
197

Trail er mode
Trailer mode
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trai ler operation mode
¢ page 202, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Tr ailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your veh icle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check w ith the t rail­
er h itch man ufact urer to make sure that you are
using the co rrect hitc h.
Do not u se a bumper hitch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact-absorbing
bumper system . No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
F rom t ime to t ime, check that a ll hitch mo unt ing
bolts rema in securely fastened.
When you are not tow ing a traile r, remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount. This prevents the hitch
from caus ing damage should your vehicle be
struck from behind
¢ ,&. .
202
Trailer b rakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it co nforms to all regu la­
tions.
The tra iler hydrau lic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydrau lic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the tra iler.
Trailer light s
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Aud i dealer for correct wir ing,
switches and relays .
Mirror s
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
A WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra iler hitch, do not sto re
i t in you r vehicle. In case of s udden braking,
the hitch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Fig. 1 87 MMI d ispl ay: tow ing mode o n
Maximum traile r weight
A tra iler for your vehicle is lim ited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.

Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p la ce to prevent it from sh ifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 204.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder . It
is important that the cool ing system's perform­
ance is up to the addit ional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the cold tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label located on the driver's side B­
pillar (vis ible when the door is open). Inflate
trailer tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specif ications.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working proper ly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
in g corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separat ion
from the hitch.
Adjusting the Audi drive select
Make sure the vehicle is on a level surface before
hitching up the trailer and before adjusting the
tongue we ight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not ra ised
¢ page 106, 9Q) .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
I CARI function button > lower
control button .
Trailer mode
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight¢ page 108.
(D Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
w ise, the tong ue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
T o obtain the best possible handling of veh icle
and trailer, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car itself
is not loaded.
.,. Be especially 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 tra iler with an empty car results
in a highly unstab le distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle shou ld be loaded
to the extent possib le and permissib le, while
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
cir cumstances . Whenever poss ible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle load ing conside rations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the r ig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind .,._
203

Trailer mod e
conditions are unfavorable - particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
imm ediatel y if the tra ile r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the sway in g b y accele rating .
Observe speed lim its . In some areas, speeds for
ve hicl es towing tra ilers are lower than for reg ula r
veh icles.
A lways apply brakes early . When dr iving down­
h ill , sh ift into a lower gear to use the engine
b raking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a tra iler, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension . Switch the air sus­
pens ion tra iler mode on when you a re towing a
tra ile r. This will limit the regulat ion by the air
suspens ion while driving . Select in the MM I:
ICARI function button > (Car )* sys tem s control
button >
Vehicle setting s > Air su sp .: to wi ng >
On .
Coolant temperature
The coolan t temperature gauge¢ page 10 must
be observed carefully. The coo lant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
immed iate ly if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
¢page 15.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle hand les different ly when towing a
trai ler because of the additiona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distr ibut ion. Safety, performance
204
-
and economy will g reatly depend on how carefu l­
l y you load your trai ler and operate your rig .
Befo re yo u actually tow yo ur t railer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing unti l you have be ­
come complete ly familiar with the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds .
Backing up is diff icult and requ ires practice.
Backing up with a trailer genera lly req uires steer ­
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle witho ut a trailer .
Maintain a greater distance between yo ur vehicle
and the one in front of you. You will need more
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember tha t you canno t accel­
erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load . Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer du ring the break-i n pe ri­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a tr aile r, your A udi may requi re
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 281.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot brake.
.,. Have someone p lace chocks unde r both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks abso rb the load .
.,. Turn the whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion.

Wheels
technically referred to as the vehi- sengers in the vehicle or passen-cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat-gers who are heavier than the
ing ("GVWR"). standard weights assumed mean
The "GVWR" includes the weight that less weight can be carried as
of the basic vehicle, all factory in-luggage.
stalled accessories, a full tank of The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
plus maximum load. The maxi- are listed on the safety compli-
mum load includes the number of ance sticker label located on the
passengers that the vehicle is in- driver's side B-pillar
c::::> page 246,
tended to carry ("seating capaci-fig. 207.
ty") with an assumed weight of
.&_ WARNING
150 lbs . (68 kg) for each passen-
Overloading a vehicle can cause
ger at a designated seating posi-
loss of vehicle control, a crash
tion and the total weight of any
or other accident, serious per-
luggage in the vehicle. If you tow
sonal injury, and even death.
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
-Carrying more weight than
hitch and the tongue weight of
your vehicle was designed to
the loaded trailer must be includ-
carry will prevent the vehicle
ed as part of the vehicle load.
from handling properly and
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating increase the risk of the loss of
("GAWR") is the maximum load vehicle control.
that can be applied at each of the -The brakes on a vehicle that
vehicle's two axles. has been overloaded may not
The fact that there is an upper be able to stop
the vehicle
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi- within a safe distance.
cle Weight Rating means that the -Tires
on a vehicle that has
total weight of whatever is being been overloaded can fail sud-
carried in the vehicle (including denly, including a blowout and
.... the weight of a trailer hitch and sudden deflation, causing loss
N the tongue weight of the loaded of control and a crash. ci ... :c ": trailer) is limited. The more pas-....
'° "? ....
'° ....
249

Wheels
-Always make sure that the to­tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail ­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer -
does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­ late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport
so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT O F OCCU ­
PANTS AND CARGO SHO ULD
NEV ER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle's placard
(tire inflation pressure label)
¢ page 246, fig . 207 .
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle .
250
3. Subtract the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or "XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 246, fig . 207 .
4. The resu lting fig ure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity . For ex­
ample, if the "XXX" amount
equals
1400 lbs. and there will
be five
150 l bs . passengers in
your vehic le, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capac ity is
650 lbs .
(1400-750 (S x 150) = 650
lbs.)
5. Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle .
That weight may not safely ex­
ceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calcu lat­
ed in Step 4.
6 . If your vehicle will be towing a
trailer, load from your trailer
w ill be transferred to your ve­
hic le. Consu lt th is manua l to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug­
gage load capacity of yo ur vehi-
cle.
~

Emergency assistance
Emergency assistance
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk escape
handle.
Fig. 210 T runk escape handle: View from inside the closed
tru nk
To open rear lid
.. Pull the handle down towards the bumper
¢ fig. 210.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluor escent material to glow in the dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only in
an emergency.
@ Tips
The emergency release lever should never be
used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
Equipment
Warning triangle
Applies to: vehicles with warn ing triangle
r ---->
Fig . 211 Luggage compartment lid : warning triangle
256
The warning triangle placed in the vehicle at the
factory is located in the luggage compartment.
.. To remove the warn ing triangle, press the fas-
tener in the direction of the arrow and fold the
holder down.
The luggage compartment lid is only designed to
hold the warning triangle offered by the original
accessories program.
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to: vehicles with vehicle tool kit/tire mobility kit
Fig. 212 Luggage compartment: cargo floor cover folded
upward
Fig. 213 L uggage compartment: examp le of vehicle tool
ki t and vehicle jack
The vehicle tool kit and vehicle jack* are stored in
the luggage compartment under the cargo floor cover .
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle .
.. Hook the handle in the luggage compartment
weather strip
¢ fig. 212 .
.. Tu rn the large screw counter -clockw ise .
.. Remove the spare tire * to access the vehicle
tool kit¢
fig. 212.

Replacing wheels
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your own
and your passenger's safety when changing a
wheel.
.,. After you experience a tire failure, pull the car
well away from moving traffic and try to reach
level ground before you stop¢.,&. .
.. All passengers should
leave the car and move
to a safe location (for instance, beh ind the
guardrail) ¢.,&. .
.,. Engage the
parking brake to prevent your vehi­
cle from rolling unintentionally ¢.,&. .
.. Move
selector lever to position P ¢ .,&. .
1> lfyou are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
.,. Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the lug­
gage compartment,
¢page 257.
..&, WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured wh ile
changing a wheel if you do not follow these
safety precautions:
- If you have a flat tire, move a safe distance
off the road. Turn off the engine, turn the
emergency flashers on and use other warn­
ing devices to alert other motorists.
- Make sure that passengers wa it in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well away
from the road and traffic.
- T o help prevent the vehicle from moving
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the jack,
always fully set the parking brake and block
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel be­
ing changed. When one front wheel is lifted
off the ground, plac ing the Automatic
Transmission in "P" (Park) will
not prevent
the vehicle from moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm . If necessary, use a
sturdy board under the jack .
- Always store the vehicle tool k it, the jack
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 135.
Emergency assistance
{!) Tips
Before changing the wheel, you must activate
the jacking mode, so that the automat ic con­
tro ls for the Adaptive Air Suspension do not
make it more difficult to lift the vehicle with
the jack ¢
page 261 .
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel , follow the sequence
described below step-by-s tep and in exactly tha t
order .
l. Activate the vehicle jack mode ¢ page 261 .
2. Remove the decorative wheel cover*. For
more details see also¢
page 260, Decora ­
tive wheel covers
or¢ page 260, Wheels
with wheel bolt caps .
3. Loosen the wheel bolts¢ page 260.
4. Locate the proper mounting point for the
jack and align the jack below that point
¢ page 261 or¢ page 262.
5. Raise the car with the jack¢ page 261 or
¢page 262.
6. Remove the wheel with the flat tire and then
install
the spare ¢ page 263.
7. Tighten all wheel bolts lightly .
8.
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
9. Use the wheel bolt wrench and
firmly tighten
all wheel bolts<=>
page 260.
10. Replace the decorative wheel cover*.
11. Deactivate the vehicle jack mode in the MMI :
I CAR! function button > Car systems contro l
button
> Servicing & checks > Air susp.: jack
mode > Off.
The vehicle jack mode switches off automatically
at speeds above 10 km/h .
..&, WARNING
Always read and follow all WARNINGS and in­
formation
¢ .&. in AB: Raising the vehicle on
page 262
and ¢ page 264.
259