2016 AUDI S8 brake

Automatic transmission
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive .
Transmission malfunction
[O] Transmission: please press the brake pedal
and select the position again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
lector lever position aga in. You can then continue
driving .
[O] Transmission hot: please modify driving
style
The transmission temperature has increased sig­ nificant ly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
sw itches of .
Dt) Gearbox malfunction : you can continue driv­
ing
There is a system malfunction in the transm is­
sion. You may continue driving. Drive to your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility
soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[0]/(i) Gearbox malfunction: you can continue
driving in D only until engine is off
There is a system malfunctio n in the transmis­
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode . If you turn the engine off, you will not be
ab le to select any other selector lever positions
after starting the engine again. Drive to your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility
immed iately to have the malfunction corrected .
[O] Gearbox malfunction: you can continue driv­
ing (limited functionality)
There is a system malfunction in the transmis ­
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode . This mode only shifts into certain gears or
will not longer shift at all. The engine may stal l.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified
repair fac ility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
116
~Ii) Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear
(you can continue driving)
There is a system malfunction in the transm is­
sion. The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only shi fts into certain gears or
will not longer shift at all. You cannot engage the
reverse gear. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer
i mmediately to have the malfunction corrected.
Dt) Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- Th e parking lock was re leased using the emer­
gency release~
page 117. Or
- Th e parking brake cannot engage automatical­
ly. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied repair facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
Dt) Gearbox malfunction: Stop and shift to P
Do not continue dr iving . Se lect the P selector lev­
er posit ion and see your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified repair facility fo r ass istance.

Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle .
®
Fig. 127 Dr iver's s ide footwell: releas ing the par king lock
us ing the eme rge ncy re lease
F ig . 128 D rive r's s ide foo twe ll: rese tt in g th e pa rking lock
The emergency release is located under the floor
ma t on t he d river's side . Yo u opera te the emer­
gency release from the dr iver's seat .
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
... To prevent the vehicle from rolling uni nte ntion­
ally, set the pa rking brak e<®>
r=.> page 83 or
press the brake ped al.
... The re are tw o sli ts on t he cove r. Po sition the
s c rew driver from the vehicle tool kit i n one o f
the slits on the cover and pry the cover off .
... Pull the band@ in the direct ion of t he a rrow
unt il the re lease lever locks in place
r=.> fig . 127 .
... Fold the upper section of the release leve r
down into the recess.
Resetting the parking lock
... Press t he b utton @ and the re lease lever at the
same t ime . Yo u can now push the leve r back in ­
to its or iginal position . Make sure the lever
locks in p lace
<=.> fig. 128 .
Automatic transmission
... Insta ll the cover .
T he in dicator light@] and the N position indica­
tor in the ins trument cluster t urn on when the
parki ng lo ck is re leased usi ng the eme rgency re ­
lease . The message
Risk of rolling! P not possi­
ble. Please set the parking brake
a lso appears .
A WARNING
--
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, sec ure yo ur vehicle with
the parking brake or the brake peda l if the
p arking brake is not wo rking. The ve hicle can
r o ll away if i t is no t secured and cause a crash .
117

Driving sa fe ty
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the r isk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seat ing position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
Always ma ke sure that the knee airbag can in­
flate without inter ference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an acc ident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (children) or animals shou ld ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat. If the airbag dep loys, th is can result in
serious or fatal injuries .
- No objects of any k ind shou ld be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat . Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or p revent
prope r deployment of the airbag. Small ob­
jects can be th rown through the vehicle if
the a irbag deploys and injure you or your
passengers.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any o ther object.
Make sure that all peda ls move freely without in­
terference and that noth ing prevents them from
returning to the ir origina l positions.
O nly use floor mats that leave the peda l area free
and can be secured w it h floor mat fasteners.
134
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav ­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a fu ll stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle contro l and increase the r isk of seri­
ous injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the drive r's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal funct ion. In case of
sudden braking or an acc ident , you would
not be able to b rake o r acce le rate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely a t­
tached to the floor mat fas teners and do not in­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals .
.,. Make sure that the floor mats are properly se­
cured and cannot move and in terfere w ith the
pedals ¢_& .
Use only floor mats that leave the peda l area un­
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they can not s lip out of position . You can obtai n
su itable floor mats from your author ized Audi
Dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Aud i.
Floor mats used in yo ur vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly secur ing the floor
mats will prevent them from sliding into posi­
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im­
pair safe operat ion of your vehicle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle contro l and increase the r is k of
serious pe rsonal injury.
- Always make sure that floo r mats are prop­
erly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to preven t them
from s lipping and interfer ing wi th the ped­
als or the ab ility to cont rol the vehicle .

-Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning.
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving . Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of veh icle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment.
L oose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
teristics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a collision.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
possible.
.,. Secure luggage items using the tie-downs pro­
vided
¢ page 68, Luggage compartment .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps .
Driving safety
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control lead ing to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in m ind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible .
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 129.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
f itting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation
,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof and the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to reduce the r isk of
in jury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
-
135

Smart Technology Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E vent Dat a Recorder
This vehicle is equipped wi th an Event Data Re­
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa­
tions, such as an a irbag deploym ent or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a veh icle 's systems performed . The EDR
is designed to record data related to veh icle dy­
n amics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
ve hicl e is designed to reco rd such data as :
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far ( if at all) the dr iver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake peda l; and,
- How fast the ve hicle was trave ling.
These data can he lp provide a better understand­
ing of the c ircumstances in which crashes and in ­
juries occur. NOT E: EDR data are recorded by yo ur
veh icle only if a non-triv ia l crash situation occurs;
no da ta are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g .,
n ame, gender, age, and crash location) a re re­
corded . H oweve r, other pa rties, such as law en­
fo rcement, cou ld combi ne the EDR data w it h the
t ype of personally iden tifying dat a routine ly ac­
q ui red during a crash invest iga tion .
To read data reco rded by an EDR , specia l equip­
men t is req uired, a nd access to the ve hicle or the
E DR is needed. In add it ion to the vehicle man u­
facturer, other parties, s uch as law enforcement,
that have the specia l equipment, can read the in­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the E DR .
Some state laws restrict the re trieval or down ­
l oading of data stored by ED Rs insta lled in a vehi ­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af-
Sma rt Technology
ter an accident or cras h event without the own ­
er 's consent.
Audi will not a ccess the EDR and/or sim ilar data
o r give it to o thers -
- unless the vehicle owne r (o r lessee if the vehi­
cle has been leased) ag rees; o r
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the jud ic ia l
discovery process.
- Aud i may a lso use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
prov ide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identify ing the specific veh i­
cle or info rmat io n about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only afte r th e re co rded veh icle
d ata has been a ccessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equ ipped w ith a number of
electronic control modules for va rious vehicle
systems, such as engine ma nagement, emiss io n
contro l, airbags , and s afety be lts .
These elec tronic control modules record data
dur ing no rma l vehicle operation that may be
neede d by trained tech nicians for diagnost ic and
r e pa ir purposes. The re co rding c apab il ity of these
modules is lim ite d t o dat a (no sound is record­
ed). Only a sma ll amount of data is actua lly re­
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor­
ed when a system fault is detected by a contro l
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as re­
straint system use and performance in the eve nt
of a crash . Stored da ta ca n also on ly be read a nd
down loaded w it h specia l equipment that is d i­
r ectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped w ith Aud i con­
nect . Your use of certai n Aud i connec t fea-
tures requi res wire less serv ices tha t are pro-
v ided by a third party wireless telecomm uni­
cations provi der. For de tails regarding how in­
formation obtained through Aud i connect is
collected, p rocessed, transmitted, used, and ..,.
189

Smart Technology
shared, please see your contract with the
wireless te lecommunications provider and the
"About Audi connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect> About
Audi connect.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid­
ding and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is running. ESC detects certain
difficult dr iving situations, including when the
veh icle is beginn ing to spin (yaw) out of contro l
and helps you to get the vehicle back under con­
trol by se lectively braking the wheels, and/or re­
ducing engine power and providing steering as­
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the driver's
intended course. The indicator light
GI in the in­
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not always be able to help out under all con­
ditions you may come up against . For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coefficient of friction of the road surface. When
there is a section of dry road that is suddenly cov­
ered with water, slush o r snow , ESC cannot per­
form the same way it wou ld on the dry surface. If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa­
ter instead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
able to he lp you steer the vehicle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
vehicle cannot be braked or steered. During fast cornering, part icularly on w inding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effective ly w ith difficult
driving situat ions than at lower speeds . When
towing a trailer, ESC is not able to help you re­
ga in control as it would if you were not towing a
trai ler.
Always adjust your speed and driving sty le to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical limits, increase the
190
available traction, or keep a vehicle on the road if
road departure is a result of driver inattention.
Instead, ESC improves the possib ility of keeping
the vehicle under control and on the road during extreme maneuvers by using the driver's steering
inputs to help keep the vehicle going in the in­
tended direction . If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can provide any assistance, you may not exper i­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switched on all the time. In certa in s itua­
tions when you need less traction, you can sw itch
off ASR by press ing the button above
~ page 192, fig. 186 the selector lever. Be sure
to switch ASR on again when you no longer need
l ess traction.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up when
braking. The vehicle can still be steered even dur ­
i ng hard braking . Apply steady pressure to the
brake pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates that the system is help ­
i ng you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases braking power when the dr iver
presses the brake pedal quickly in emergency sit­
uations. You must press and hold the brake pedal
u nt il the situation is over. In vehicles with adap ­
tive cruise control*, the brake assist system is
more sensitive if the d ista nee detected to the ve­
hicle ahead is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine powe r when the dr ive wheels
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
cond itions. This makes it easier to start, acceler­
ate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels.
This function is not available at higher speeds .

In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on aga in a utomati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Ste ering recommendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by chang ing
the s teering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
h e lps to s tabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Selective wh eel torqu e control
Select ive whee l torque control is used when driv­
in g on curves . T he front wheel on the inside of
the cu rve or both wheels o n the inside of the
curve are br aked selec tively as needed . This al ­
l ows more precise driv ing in curves . The applica­
b le system may not activate when driving in wet
or snowy conditions.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-co llision bra king system"
can help to reduce the ris k of slid ing and of other
coll is ions after an accident. If the airbag contro l
module detects a col lision above a certain vehicle
speed, the vehicle is b raked by t he ESC.
The vehicle does not b rake automatica lly if :
- the driver p resses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greate r than the brak ing force
that wou ld be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri ­
ca l system are not f unction ing .
Sma rt Technology
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural physi­
cal laws . This is especia lly important on s lip­
pe ry o r we t roads .
If the systems beg in act­
i n g to stab iliz e your ve hicle, yo u should im­
mediately change yo ur speed to ma tch the
road and traffic con dit ions . Do not let the
increased safety provided by these systems
tempt you to take r isks. Do ing so will in­
crease the r isk of a loss of vehicle contro l,
coll is ion and serious pe rsonal in juries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con­
trol of the vehicle increases when driving too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehi cles up ahead. The ESC and its
i n teg ra ted systems ca nnot alw ays preven t
coll is io ns -the re is s till a risk of accide nts!
- Always accelerate w ith specia l care on even,
smooth s urfaces su ch as those that are wet
or covere d wi th ice and snow. The d rive
whee ls can spin eve n wit h these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle contro l.
(D Tips
-ABS a nd ASR only wo rk cor rec tly when all
four wheels a re equipped wi th identi cal
tires. Diffe rent tire s izes can lead to a red uc­
tion i n engine power .
- You may hear noises when the systems de ­
scribed are working .
191

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. ..,.