2017 AUDI A4 brakes

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
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, econo­my and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail ­
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use 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 b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck that all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If you r trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
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The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us­
i ng t he regular outs ide mirrors, then yo u
must in­
stall ex tended mirrors . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
Afte r remov ing the tra ile r hi tc h, do not s tore
it i n y our vehicle. In case o f su dden brak ing,
the hitch could fly fo rward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra iler f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t rai le r i s he ld se curely in
pla ce to p reve nt i t from shi fting forwar d, bac k­
ward or si deways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driver messages on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towi ng a tra iler makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure tha t
the coo ling system has enoug h fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire p ressure listed under "Full
load" on the t ire press ure label. The t ire pressure
1111-

label is located on the driver's side B-pillar. In­
f late trai ler tires to trailer and tire manufactur­
ers' specifications.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the tra iler to the hitch on the vehicle.
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Driver messages
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car results
in a high ly unstable dist ribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easier to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping th e trailer as light as possib le under the
circumstances . Whenever possib le, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle whi le observing tong ue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
<( conditions are unfavorable -particularly when a,
;::; going downhill. ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
Trailer towing
Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the eng ine
braking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coolant temperature gauge~ page 11 must
be obse rved carefully. The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds . Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
play turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to.
~ page 31 .
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 Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit ional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your trailer and operate you r rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract ic ing until you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-trailer combination behaves and responds.
91

Trailer towing
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action oppos ite to that when backing up your
veh icle w ithout a trailer .
Maintain a g reater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You w ill need more
room to stop. To compensate for the tra iler, you
will need a larger than normal turn ing radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel ­
erate as fast as you norma lly would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your tra iler before chang ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes .
@ Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break -in per i­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance d ue to the ex ­
tra load
~ page 363.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only o~er doing the following:
When parking:
.. Apply t he foo t brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both t he ve­
hicle and the tra ile r whee ls .
.. With chocks in p lace, slowly release t he brakes
u ntil the whee l chocks absorb the load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after pa rking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Start the engine .
.. Move the selector lever to D/S .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retrieve t he wheel
chocks .
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Ass is t
The stored speed and the [ij;ji j~i4 (USA models)/
Ill (Canada mode ls) indicator light appear in the
instrument cluster disp lay . An add itiona l indica­
tor appears in the Head -up display*.
The speed is maintained by modifying engine power or through an active brake intervention.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to the traffic around
you when the cruise control system is in op­
eration. You are always responsible for your
speed and the distance between your vehi­
cle and other veh icles .
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traffic, on
winding roads and when road condit ions are
poo r (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplaning), because t his increases the
risk of an accident.
- Switch the cruise cont rol off temporar ily
when d riving i n turn ing lanes, h ighway exits
or in construction zones .
- Please note tha t unconsciously "resting"
yo ur foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be ­
cause pressing the acce lerato r pedal ove r­
rides the cruise contro l system.
- If a brake system ma lf u nction such as over ­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is sw itched on, the braking function in
the system may be sw itched off. The rest of
the cruise control system functions remain
active as long as the
[ij;(l)~i4 (USA models) I
i:I (Canada models) indicator light is on.
(D Note
Before driving a long d istance on a steep
downward hill, decrease your speed and se­
lect a lower driving gea r. This makes use of
the engine b raking effect and relieves the
brakes.
(0 Tips
The b rake lights turn on when the brakes are
app lied automatically .
94
· Changing the speed
Applies to: vehicles with cruise control system
.,. To increase/decrease the speed in 1 mph (1
km/h) incremen ts, briefly
tap the lever toward
0 10 c::> page 93, fig . 88 to the first level.
.. To increase/decrease the speed in
S mph (10
km/h) increments, briefly tap the lever toward
0 10 to the second leve l.
.. To increase or decrease the speed qu ickly,
hold
the lever toward 0 10 to the first or second
level unt il the desired speed is reached .
Overriding the speed
Applies to: vehicles with cruise control system
You can press the acce lerator pedal down to in­
c rease yo ur speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed yo u sto red earl ie r w ill
r esume as soon as yo u release the acceler ator
pedal.
Howeve r, if yo u are exceedi ng the stored speed
by a considerable amount fo r a long time, the
c ruise contro l system will temporarily switch off.
The m:iJm (U SA mode ls) ! Ill (Canada models) in­
dicator light in the instrument cl uster turns off
and the stored speed is retained.
Preselecting a speed
App lies to: vehicles wit h cruise control system
You can pre -select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.,. Switch o n the ignition.
.. Pull the lever into pos ition
(I) c::> page 93,
fig. 88 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed, tap the lever
in the
0 10 direction.
This function makes it possible, for example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the highway. Once on the expressway, act ivate the
cruise contro l by pull ing the lever into posit ion
(I) .

Ass is t
A WARNING
Pay att ention to traffic a nd the area ar ound
yo ur vehicle wh en th e effici ency assist is
switched on . The dr iver is always respon sible
for correctly assess ing the traffic situation .
@ Tips
- The wording of the message may vary de­
pending on the driving mode set in dr ive se­
l ect*
r::::> page 121 and the current selector
l eve r pos ition . No messages a re displayed
whe n in the S selector leve r pos ition or in
d ynami c mode.
- When a route is planned using the naviga­
tion system*, then the message fee d is
b ased on this rou te. W ithout rou te g uid­
ance, the system uses an assumed ro ute for
the message feed.
- T here will not be a message for every si tua­
tion ahead, for examp le if there is not
eno ugh distance remaining to react to the
situation.
- No messages are displayed when at s peeds
under 20 mph (30 km/h) .
Settings in the Infotainment system
A ppl ies to: ve hicles w ith predi ctive e fficiency assist
.. In the Infotainment system, select: I MENU I
button > Vehicle > left contro l button > Driver
assist
> Effi ciency assist .
Predictive messages are shown when this f unc­
tion is sw itched on.
{D) Tips
No p redictive messages are shown on veh icles
w ithout a navigation system.
96
Audi adaptive cruise
control
Description
App lies to : vehicles wi th Audi adap tive c ru ise con trol
Fi g. 89 Detect io n range
The adaptive cru ise cont rol system is a comb ina­
tion of speed and dis tance regu lation.
It ass ists
t h e d river by bo th regu lating the speed and
maintain ing a d is ta nce to the vehicle driv ing
ahead, within the limits of the system. If the sys ­
tem detects a vehicle d riving ahead, the adaptive
cruise contro l can brake and accelerate yo ur vehi­
cle. T his makes driving more comfo rtable both
o n long st retches of hig hway and in stop-and-go
traffic .
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cru ise control system uses video, ra­
dar, ultrasound and navigat ion data . Vehicles
driv ing ahead can be recognized up to 650 feet
(200 m) away .
Pred ictive functions offer the drive r additional
comfort and contr ibute to the reduct ion in fuel
consumption a nd CO2 em issions
r::::> page 102.
On open roads with no traffic, it functions like a
cruise contro l system. The stored speed is main ­
ta ined . When approaching a vehicle d riving
ahead, the adaptive cruise contro l system auto­
matically brakes to match that vehicle's speed
and then maintains the set dis tance. As soon as
the system do es not detect a vehicle dr iv ing
ahea d, adaptive cruise cont rol accelerates up to
t h e s to red spee d.
In stop-a nd-go traffic, adap tive cruise control can
brake until the veh icle is sta tionary a nd then can .,.

Assist
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper , whee l housing and
underbody. This can impair the adaptive
cruise control. Have an authorized Audi dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Fac ility check their
function .
In curves
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig . 9 1 Exa mple: drivin g in to a curve
When driving into a curve<=> fig. 91 and ou t of a
curve, the adaptive cruise control may react to a
veh icle in the neighboring lane and apply the
brakes . You can prevent that by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal b rief ly.
Stationary vehicles
Applies to : vehicles with Aud i adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 92 Example: vehicl e chang ing lane s and sta tiona ry ve ­
hi cle
Adaptive cruise control can react to a limited ex­
tent to stationary vehicles
c:> fig . 92, as long as
you are driving slow er than SO km/h and the sys­
tem classifies as possible passing maneuver as
low . For example, if a vehicle that was already
detected @turns or changes lanes, the adaptive
98
cruise contro l reacts to the stationary vehicle
ahead of it@ .
Switching on/off
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 93 Operating lever : sw itc hin g on and off
Fig. 94 Inst rument cluster : adap tive cr uise cont rol
You can set any speed between 20 and 9S mph
(30 and lSO km/h).
Indicator lights and messages in the instrument
cluster display inform you about the cu rrent sit­
uation and setting .
An add itional indicator appears in the Head-up
display *.
Switching adaptive cruise control on
.. Pull the lever toward you into position (D
c=> fig. 93. ACC: standby appears in the display.
Saving the speed and activating regulation
.. To store the current speed, press the ISE TI but­
ton
c:> fig . 93 . The stored speed is shown in the
speedometer in the LED line@ and appears
briefly in the status line
@ c:> fig. 94.
.. To activate the regulation while sta tionary, also
press the brake pedal. .,.

Switching adaptive cruise control off
• Push the lever away from you into position @
unti l it clicks into place. The message
ACC: off
appears.
@ Indicato r lights
I'll -adaptive cru ise control is switched on. No
vehicles are detected ahead. The stored speed is
maintained.
• -A vehicle driving ahead was detected. The
adapt ive cr uise control system regulates the
speed and distance to the vehicle dr iv ing ahead
and accelerates/brakes automatically.
• -adaptive cru ise cont rol is switched on . Ave­
h icle was detected ahead. Yo ur vehicle is stat ion­
ary and will not star t driving automatically.
(-j -adaptive cru ise control is switched on . No
vehicles we re detected ahead . Your vehicle is sta­
tionary and will not start dr iving automati cally.
• -T he automatic brak ing is not enough to
maintain a sufficient distance to a veh icle dr iving
ahead . You must intervene
¢ page 102, Request
for driver intervention.
© In strum ent cluster display
If Dr ive r assis t is not shown in the instrument
cluster display, you can open it using the multi­
function steering wheel buttons
¢ page 12.
Based on the graphic display, you can determine
if the system is maintaining a distance to the ve­
h icle dr iving ahead and what that distance is .
No vehicle -no vehicle was detected driving
ahead .
Silver vehicle -a vehicle was detected driv ing
ahead.
Red vehicle -request for the dr iver to take action
¢page 102.
The five distance bar s on the gauge© rep resent
the set d istance (refer to
~ page 101 for infor­
mat io n on how to change the dis tance) . If you
fa ll below the se lected distance, the distance
bars become red from the bottom upward.
A ss ist
A WARNING
If you press the !SET ! button when driv ing at
speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h), the veh icle
accelerates automatically up to 20 mph (30
km/h), wh ich is the minim um speed that can
be set.
@ Tips
- If you switch the ignition or the adaptive
cruise cont rol sys tem off, the set speed is
erased for safety reasons.
- The e lectronic stabilization control (ESC)
and the an ti-slip-regula tion (ASR) are auto­
matically switched on when the adap tive
cruise cont rol is swit ched on.
Changing the speed
Appl ies to: vehicles wit h Aud i ada ptive cru ise control
0
f
'
0
Fi g. 95 Operat ing lever: changing the speed
"'To increase/decrease the speed in 1 mph (1
km/h) increments, b riefly
t a p the lever toward
0 10 ¢ fig. 95 to the firs t level.
• To increase/dec rease the speed in 5 mph
(5 km/h or 10 km/h) increments, brief ly
tap
the lever toward 0 10 to the second level.
• To increase or decrease the speed quick ly,
hold
the lever toward 0 10 up to the first or second
level unt il the red LED@ reaches the desired
speed¢
page 98, fig . 94 .
You can also preselect the speed when adaptive
cruise contro l is not act ive by moving the lever in
the des ired direction
0 10 . Activate the previ­
ously selected speed by pulling the lever into po ­
sition
(D ¢ page 98, fig . 93 .
After every adjustment, the new stored speed ap­
pears briefly in the status line ¢
page 98, fig. 94 ..,.
99

.. To resume cruise control, release the lever or
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal.
Canceling cruise control while driving
.. Move the lever into posit ion @. The message
ACC: standby appears. Or
.. press the brake pedal.
.. To resume the stored speed, move the lever in­
to position @.
Canceling cruise control when stopped
.. Push the lever away from you into position @.
The message
ACC : standby appears.
.. To resume cruise control, press the brake pedal
and pull the lever toward you into position@
A WARNING
It is dangerous to activate cruise control and
resume the stored speed when the current
road, traffic or weather conditions do not per­
m it this . This increases the risk of an acc ident.
Setting the distance
A ppl ies to: ve hicles with Audi adaptive cruise co ntro l
,
0
Fig . 98 Operating lever: sett ing the dista nce
.. Tap the rocker switch to display the current set
distance
c:> fig. 98.
.. To increase or reduce the distance in incre­
ments, tap the switch upward/downward
again . The distance between the two vehicles
will change in the instrument cluster display.
When approaching a veh icle driving ahead, the
adapt ive cruise control system brakes to match
that vehicle's speed and then adjusts to the set
d istance. If the vehicle driv ing ahead accelerates,
then the adaptive cruise cont rol w ill also acceler­
ate up to the speed that you have set.
Assist
The higher the speed, the greater the distance
c:> &. The Distance 3 setting is recommended.
That is equal to the general recommendation of "ha lf the speed shown on the speedometer" .
T he distances provided are specified values. De­
pending on the driving situation and how the ve­
hicle ahead is driving, the actual distance may be
more or less than these target distances.
If you change the time gaps, the newly set value
appears brief ly in the instrument cluster display
II for example for Distance 3. This only occurs if
Driver assist is current ly not shown in the display
c:> page 98, fig. 94 .
Distance 1: this setting corresponds to a distance
of 92 feet (28 meters) when traveling at 62 mph
(100 km/h), or a time distance of 1 second .
Distance 2: this setting corresponds to a distance
of 118 feet (36 meters) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), or a time distance of 1.3 sec­
onds.
Distance 3: this setting corresponds to a distance
of 164 feet (SO meters) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), or a time distance of 1.8 sec­
onds.
Distance 4: this setting corresponds to a distance
of 210 feet (64 meters) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), or a time distance of 2 .4 sec­
onds.
Distance 5: this setting corresponds to a distance
of 328 feet (100 meters) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), or a time distance of 3 .6 sec­
onds.
A WARNING
-When setting the distance, the driver is re-
sponsible for adheri ng to any applicable legal
regulations.
@ Tips
- Distance
3 is set automatically each time
you switch the ignition on. If you would like
to set another distance as the standard set­
ting, you can have the
Adaptive cruise con­
trol
menu enabled by an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
101