2016 AUDI S8 traction control

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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 .

.,.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

been damaged, replace the t ire as soon as
possible .
- T hese tires may wear more q uickly than others.
- Please a lso remembe r th at, while these tires
deliver responsive handling, they may r ide less
comfortab ly and make more noise than other
choices .
Reduc ed performance in wint er/ cold sea son
condit ions
All ti res are designed fo r ce rtain purposes. The
l ow aspect ratio, ultra high performance tires
originally insta lled on your vehicle are intended
for maximum dry and wet road performance and handling . They are not suitable for cold, snowy or
i cy weather cond it ions. If you dr ive under those
circumstances, you should equ ip your vehicle
with a ll-season or winter tires, wh ich offer better
traction under those condit ions. We suggest you
use the recommended snow or all-season tires
specified for yo ur vehicle, or the ir eq uivalent.
Refer to
c::;, page 251 for more detai led informa­
tion rega rding winter tires.
Uniform tire quality grading
- T read wear
- T raction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and maximum sect ion w idth
c::> page 236, fig . 205.
For e xample: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA , Tem­
perature A.
All passenger car tires m ust conform to Federa l
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades .
Tread wea r
The
tread wear grade is a comparat ive rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tes ted
under cont ro lled conditions on a specified gov ­
ernment test course.
F or examp le, a t ire graded
150 would wear one
and one h alf
(1 1/2) times as well on the govern­
ment course as a tire g raded
100 .
Wh eel s
The re lat ive pe rformance of tires depends upon
the actual cond itions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driv ing habits, service practices and
differences in road character istics and cl imate.
T raction
The
traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, Band
C. Those grades rep resent the tire's
ability to stop on wet pavement as measured un­
der controlled cond itions on specified govern­
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
c::;, .&_ .
Te mperature
The
temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire 's resistance to the
generat ion of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the mate­
rial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure c::;, .&. .
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un­
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No.
109 . Grades Band A represent higher levels
of pe rformance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minim um req uir ed by law.
A WARNING
-
The t ract io n grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight -ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, co r­
nering, hydroplaning or peak traction charac­
terist ics.
A WARNING
-The temperature grade for this tire is estab­
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla­
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
i n comb inat ion, can cause heat bu ildup and
-
possib le tire fai lure. ~
253