2016 AUDI A8 snow chains

Parking systems
Parking systems
General information
Applies to: vehicles with park ing system plus/rear view cam­
era/peripheral cameras
Depending on your vehicle 's equipment , various
parking aids will help you when parking and ma­
neuvering.
The
parking system plus with rear view camera
assists you when parking by audibly and visually
indicating objects detected
in front of and behind
the vehicle . The rear view camera shows the area
behind the vehicle in the Infotainment display.
This display assists you when you are cross or parallel parking
r:!) page 119.
The peripheral cameras assist you with parking
and maneuvering. You are aided by various cam ­
eras depending on the vehicle equipment lev­
el r:!)
page 122. In addition, you are assisted by
the functions from the sensors
c> page 119, Sen­
sors,
¢ page 121, Visual display.
A WARNING
-
- Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attention. The driver is always
responsible for safety during parking and
for all other maneuvers.
- Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have b lind spots in
wh ich peop le and objects cannot be detect­
ed . Be especially cautious of children and
animals.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator gr ille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park­
ing systems may become impaired as a re­
sult. Have your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop check their function .
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions as it may impair the sensor function. For in­
formation on cleaning, refer to
I:!) page 206.
118
(D Note
- Some objects are not detected by the sys­
tem under certain circumstances:
-Objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall ex ­
tensions
- Objects with specific surfaces or struc ­
tures such as chain link fences or powder
snow.
- If you continue driving closer to a low-lying
object, it may disappear from the sensor
range. Note that you will no longer be
warned about this obstacle.
(D Tips
-The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover­
age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- externa l ultrasonic sources e.g. from
cleaning vehicles .
- heavy rain, snow or thick vehicle exhaust .
- We recommend that you practice parking in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be­
come familiar with the system . When doing
this, there should be good light and weath­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume and pitch of the
signals as well as the display¢
page 128.
- Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trailer
¢page 128.
-What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed.

Smart Technology
Switching on and off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 186 Center console w it h ESC O FF but ton
ESC level s
Sport mode on
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 stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited ¢
A:,.. and ASR is ava ilable again .
Operation Press the 00 button. Press
the[!] button again.
Indicator II turns on. II turns off .
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC): Sport Warn- Stabilization control (ESC): On
sages ing! Reduced stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on if your
dr iv ing abilities and road condit ions perm it .
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
wheels cou ld spin and the vehicle could
swerve, espec ially on s lick o r sli ppery road
s urfac es.
Sport mode cannot be sw itched on if t he
cruise cont rol system* or the adaptive cru ise
cont rol* is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first ¢
.1:,.. The break-in pe­
riod can be considerably longe r fo r vehicles with
192
ceramic brake rotors*. You can compensate for
this slightly reduced braking power by push ing
harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy braking
lo ads during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub ­
j ect to wear, depending large ly on operating con­
ditions and driving habits¢,& . On vehicles that
are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of ­
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads
inspected can result in reduced brake perform­
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing ef­
fect of the engine. T his way, you prevent unnec­
essary wea r on the brake system. If you mus t use
your brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin-
u ously. Pump th e brakes at intervals. ..,.

Driving with your
quattro
With All Wh eel Drive , all four wh eels are driven .
General information
With All W heel Drive, power is dis tribute d to all
four wheels . This happens automatically depend­
ing on your dr iving style and the road conditions
at the time . See also¢
page 190 . With the sport
d ifferent ial*, power d istr ibution to the rear
wheels is variable and can be adjusted with Audi
d rive select*
¢ page 106. Always read and fo llow
safety preca utio ns ¢ ,&. .
Winter tires
When drivi ng in the w inter, you r vehicle with All
Wheel Drive has an advantage, even with reg ular
tires. In winter road cond itions it may be adv isa­
b le to mount w inte r tir es (or a ll-season tires) for
i mproved d riveab ility and bra king : these tires
must be mounted on
all four wheels . See also
¢ page 251, W inter tires.
Snow chains
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this normally also a pplies to vehicles w it h
All Whee l Dr ive ¢
page 251, Snow chains.
Replacing wheels /tires
Veh icles w ith All Wheel Drive must always have
tires of the same s ize. A lso avo id tires wi th d iffer­
ent tread depths. For detai ls see page
¢ page 243.
Off-Road driving?
Your Aud i does not have e nough g round clear­
a nce to be used as an off-road vehicle . It is there­
fore best to avoid rough tracks and uneve n ter­
r ain as m uch as possible . Also refe r to
¢page 197.
_& WARNING ,~ -
Always adjust you r driv ing to road and t raffic
conditions . Do not let the extra safety affo rd­
ed by All Wheel Drive tempt you into taking
extra risks.
Sma rt Technology
- Although the A ll Whee l Drive is very effec­
tive, always remember that braking capacity
is limited by t ire tract ion. You shou ld there­
fore not dr ive at excessive speeds on icy or
slippe ry road surfaces .
- On wet road surfaces, be careful not to dr ive
too fast because the front wheels could be­
g in to slide on top of the water (aquap la n­
ing) . If th is should oc cur, you will have no
warn ing from a sudden increase in engine
speed as with a front-wheel d rive vehicle.
Always d rive at speeds which are suited to
the road conditions -risk of c rash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution of
electrical energy and thus op timizes the availa­
bility of electrical energy for starting the engine .
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system is
not driven for a long pe riod of time, the battery is
discharged by id ling curre nt consumers (e.g. im­
mobilize r) . In certain circumstances i t can resu lt
in t he re being i nsufficien t energy ava ilable to
sta rt the engine.
Intelligent energy manageme nt in you r vehicle
hand les the distribution of electrical energy .
Start ing ability is markedly improved and the life
of the ba ttery is ex tended.
Bas ica lly, energy management cons ists of
bat ­
tery diagnosis , idling current management
and
dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously dete rm ines the
state of the battery. Sensors determine battery
vo ltage, battery current and battery tempera­
tu re. This de termines the current state o f ch arge
and the power of the battery .
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy con­
sumption while the vehicle is standing. With the ..,_
195

.,.Che ck th e tir e s idewall
(c:::> page 2 3 6, fig. 205 ) to deter­
min e th e des ig nated load r atin g
for a spec ific tir e.
Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be clean and loosen/t ighten
easi ly.
Rims
R ims with a bolted rim ring* or with bolted wheel
covers* consist of m ultip le pieces. These compo­
n ents were bolted toge ther using specia l bolts
a nd a specia l procedu re. You must not repair or
disassemble them¢
A.
A WARNING
Wheel bolts that are t ightened or repaired in­
co rrectly can become loose and result in loss
of vehicle control, which increases the risk of
an acc ident. For the correct tightening specifi­
cation, refer to¢
page 260.
-Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the whee l hub clean and free of
grease.
- Only use wheel bolts that fit the rim.
- Always have damaged r ims repaired by an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized repair
facility. Never repair or d isassemble rims
yourself, because th is increases the r isk of
an acc ident .
Winter tires
W inte r tires s ignificantly improve the vehicle's
h andling when d rivi ng in winter condit ions. Be­
cause of the ir constr uction (width, compound,
t read pattern), summe r ti res provide less trac­
tion on ice and snow.
"'U se winte r tir es on all four wheels.
"' Only use winter t ires that a re approved for your
vehicle.
"' Please note that the maximum permitted
speed may be lower with winter tires
¢ &, .
Wh eel s
Your authorized A udi dealer or authorized re­
pair facility can inform you about the maximum
permitted speed for your tires.
"' Check the tire pressure after insta lling wheels
¢page 246.
The effectiveness of winter tires is reduced great­
ly when the tread is worn down to a depth of
0.157 inch (4 mm). The characteristics of winter
tires also decrease greatly as the tire ages, re­ gardless of the rema ining t read .
A WARNING
'---
-Never d rive faster than the max imum pe r­
mitted speed for your tires. This could ca use
the t ires to heat up too mu ch. This in cr eases
the r isk of an accident because it can ca use
the t ire to burst.
- Always adapt your driving to the road and
traffic cond itions. Drive carefully an d reduce
your speed on icy or slippery roads. Even
winter t ires can lose tract ion on black ice.
@ For the sake of the environment
Reinsta ll summer tires a t the app ropr iate
time, beca use they prov ide bette r handling
when roads are free of snow and ice . Summer
tires cause less road noise, tire wear and fue l
consumpt ion.
(D Tips
You can also use all season tires instead of
winter tires . Please note that in some coun ­
tries where winter tires are required, on ly
winter tires w ith the
& symbo l may be per­
mitted.
Snow chains
Snow chains improve traction in the snow.
"' On ly install snow chains on the front wheels.
"' Check and co rrect the seating of the snow
chains if necessary after driving a few feet. Fol­
low the instructions from the manufacturer.
"' Note the maximum permitted speed when dr iv­
ing with snow chains. Do not exceed 30 mph
(SO km/h) . ...
251

Wheels
Snow chains not only improve the driving in win­
ter road conditions, but also the broking.
Use of snow cha ins is o nly pe rm itted with certain
r im/t ire combinations due to tec hni cal reasons.
Check with an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized repair faci lity to see if yo u may use snow
cha ins .
The snow c ha ins must have
low-profile lin ks and
m ust not be thicker than 0 .4 inch (10.S mm), in ­
cluding the lock.
You mus t remove the c hains whe n driving on
roads that are
free of snow. When roads are free
of snow, snow c hains can impair handling and
damage the tires, and the chains wi ll quickly be
destroyed .
_& WARNING
Using inco rrect snow chains or insta lling snow
chains incorrectly can result in loss of vehicle
cont rol, which inc reases the risk of an acc i­
dent .
{CT) Note
-Snow cha ins can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into d irect con­
tact with them . Remove the wheel cove rs*
first. Use coated snow chai ns.
- Using snow chains that add more than 0.4
inch (10.5 mm) of he ight can severely dam­
age the wheel hous ings and other vehicle
components.
- Do not i nstall and use snow chai ns if there is
a malfunct ion in the adaptive air suspen­
s io n, because the vehicle he igh t will be very
l ow. If you drive wi th snow ch ains anyw ay,
the wheel ho usings and other vehi cle com ­
ponen ts can be severely damaged .
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it m ay be useful t o
sw itch on sport mo de
¢page 192.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory-equipped with low aspect ra ­
tio tires . These ti res have been tho roughly tested
252
and been sele cted specifica lly for your mode l for
their superb performance, road fee l and hand ling
u nder a var iety of dr iv ing cond it ions. Ask your au ­
thori zed Audi dea ler fo r more details.
The low aspect rat io o f these tires is indica ted by
a n umera l of
55 or less in the tire's size designa­
t ion . The n umera l represents the ratio of the
tire's sidewall height in relation to its tread width
expressed in percentage. Convent iona l tires have
a height/width ratio of 60 or more .
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par­
t ic ularly sensitive to improper inflation pres ­
sure.
It is the refore important that low aspect
ratio tire s are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressur e is regularly
checked and maintained . T ir e pressures should
b e c hec ked at l east on ce a month and alway s
befor e a long trip
¢ page 246.
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i­
l y by impact with potholes, curbs, gullies or
ridges on the road, particularly if the tire is un­
derinflated.
In orde r to mi nimi ze the occur rence of impact
dam age to the tires of yo ur vehicle, we recom ­
mend tha t you observe the following preca u­
tions:
- Always ma intain recommended i nflation pres­
sures. Check yo ur tir e pressure eve ry 2,0 00
m iles (3,000 km) and add air if necessary .
- Dr ive ca refully on roads w ith potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impac t from dr iv ing
through or over such obstacles can damage
your tires. Impact with a curb may a lso ca use
damage to your ti res.
-After any impact, immediate ly inspect you r
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au­
thorized A udi dealer. Replace a damaged tire as
soon as possible.
- Inspect your tires every 2,000 mi les (3,000 km)
for damage and wear. Damage is not always
easy to see . Damage can lead to loss of air and
underinflation, wh ich could eventually cause
tire fa ilure . If you be lieve that a tire may have .,.

the recommended tire pressure for you r ve hicle
¢ page 246, fig . 208.
T ire tread circumference and v ibrat ion character­
istics can change and cause a ti re pressure warn­
ing if :
- the tire p ressure in one o r more tires is too low.
- the tire has structura l damage .
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored¢
page 255 .
-the spare t ire* is installed.
Ind icat or light s
IE Loss of press ure in at least one tire q &. .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of a ll four tires and
store the pressure again in the Infotainment sys­
tem ¢
page 255.
ffim (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressu re: Sys tem malfunction !.
Iffflm appears
after switching the ignition on or wh ile driving
and the
IE indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks for approximate ly one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction . Try to
store the correct tire pressures¢ page 255 . If
the indicator light does tur n off or t urns on again
a fte r a short period of time, dr ive to you r author­
ized A udi dealer or qualified repair fac ility imme­
diate ly to have the ma lfunction co rrected.
&_ WARNING
- If the tire pressu re indicator appears in the
display, reduce your speed immed iate ly and
avoid any hard steer ing or braking maneu­
vers. Stop as soon as possib le and check the
t ir es and their press ure .
- The driver is responsib le for maintaining the
correct tire pressure. You must check the
t ir e pressu re regu la rly .
- Under certa in conditions (such as a sporty
dr iv ing style, wi nter cond itions or unpaved
roads), the tire p ressure monitoring system
indicator may be de layed.
- Do not use r un-flat tires on your vehicle. Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
vehicle damage or accidents.
Wh eel s
(D Tips
-The tire p ressure monitoring system can al­
so stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow c hains may result in a system
ma lf u nction.
- The tires wit h the identification "AO" or
"RO"
q page 243 have been matched wit h
your Audi t ire press ure monitoring system.
We recommend that you use these tires.
Storing tire pressures
If the tire pressure changes or a tire is replaced,
it must be confirmed in the Infotainment sys­ tem.
.,. Ma ke sure befo re storing t hat the t ire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adapted to the load ¢
page 244.
.,. Switch the ignit ion on .
.,. Select: the
I CAR ! funct io n button > Car Systems
cont rol button > Serv icing & check s > Tire
pressure monitoring > Store tire pressures >
Ye s, store now .
(j) Tips
Do not sto re the tire pressures if snow chains
are ins talled. Ot he rw ise the system could
malfunc tion.
255

Depending on the equipment, the vehicle tool kit
may be located under the spare tire under an ad­
d itional cover or in the too l box. The position of
the vehicle jack* may vary.
A WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause se­
r ious personal injuries.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
t ighten wheel bolts, since the bolts cannot
attain the necessary tighten ing torque if you
use the hex head, potentia lly causing an ac­
c ident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on ly
for your vehicle model. Under no circum­
stances should it be used to lift heavy
vehicles or other loads; yo u risk injuring
yo urself.
- Never start the engine whe n the vehicle is
raise d, which could ca use a n accident.
- Support the veh icle secure ly with appropr i­
a te stands if wor k is to be perfo rmed u nder ­
neath the veh icle; otherwise, the re is a po­
tential risk for in jury.
- Never use the jack s upplied with your Audi
on another vehicle, particularly o n a heav ier
one. The jack is only suitab le for use on the
vehicle it came wit h.
@ Tips
The vehicle j ack* in your vehicle is mainte ­
nance -free.
Em ergen cy a ssis tanc e
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire)
Applies to: vehicles with space-saving spare tire
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover . It is
intended for short-term use only.
Fig . 21 4 Spare tire
Ta king out the spare tir e
... Lift the cargo floor by the p lastic handle
q fig. 214.
.,. Hook the handle into the luggage compartment
weather strip.
.,. Turn the large screw
r:=;, fig . 214 cou nter-clock­
w ise.
.,. Take ou t the spare tire.
.,. Always s to re the vehicle too l kit, the jac k* and
the rep laced tire i n the luggage compartment
r:::;, page 135.
.,. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the rear
lid.
Using the spare tire (compact spare tire )
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for emer­
gencies until you can reach a repair shop . Rep lace
it as quick ly as poss ible with a standard wheel
and tire.
T here are some restr ictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spa re tire has
been designed specifically for your type of vehi­
cle . It must not be swapped with a compact
spare tire from another type of vehicle.
Snow chains
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains on
the compact spare tire is
not permitted. .,..
257

Emerg ency assis ta nce
If you do have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel with tire
instead of a rear tire . Install the snow chains on
the rear tire and use it to replace the defective
front tire.
A WARNING
- Never use the spare tire if it is damaged or if
it is worn down to the tread wear indicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and ca refu l dr iving .
- The spare tire is intended only for tempora­
ry and short-term use . It should be replaced
as soon as possible with the normal wheel
and t ire.
- After mounti ng the compact spare t ire, the
tire pressure must be checked as soon as possible. The tire pressure of the compac t
spare tire must be 4.2 bar; otherwise, you risk having an accident.
- Do not drive faster than SO mph (80 km/h).
Yo u risk hav ing an accident.
- Avoid full-throttle accelerat ion, heavy brak­
ing, and fast cornering. You risk having an
acc ident .
- Never dr ive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You risk having an acciden t.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not be
mounted on the compact spare wheel rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire chains
on the spare tire is not pe rm itted. If it is
necessary to drive with tire chains, the spare
wheel m ust be mounted on the front ax le in
the event of a flat in a rear tire. The new ly
available front wheel must then be insta lled
in place of the rear wheel with the flat t ire.
Installing the tire chain before mounting
the wheel and t ire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compartment
can cause ser ious personal injury during
hard braking or in an accident. Never store
the inflatable spare t ire or jack and too ls in
the passenger compartment.
258
Spare wheel
Applies to: vehicles with spare whee l
The spore wheel is stored in the wheel well un­
derneath the floor panel in the luggage
com­
portment.
Fig . 215 Luggage compartmen t: spare whee l
Taking out th e spar e wh eel
.. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
¢ fig. 215.
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compartment
weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw
¢fig. 215 counter-clock­
wise .
.,. Take out the spare tire.
.,. Always store the vehicle tool kit , the jack* and
the rep laced tire in the luggage compartment
¢page 135.
.. Unhook the cargo floo r before clos ing the rear
lid.
A WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compartment
can cause serious personal injury during hard braking or in an acc ident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
too ls in the passenger compartment .
(D Tips
Check the inflation pressure of the spare tire
periodically to keep the tire ready for use.
-