2017 AUDI A7 tow

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.
@ Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the tra ile r operation mode
¢ page 82, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trai ler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your ve hicle 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 chec k w it h t he t rail ­
er hitch man ufactur er to make s ure t hat you a re
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch m ust be installed i n such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper sys tem . N o mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck t hat all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely faste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from ca using damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from behind¢ &..
82
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped wi th a bra king sys tem,
c h ec k t o be sure that it con forms to all regu la ­
tions.
The trailer hydrau lic br ake system mus t not be
directly connecte d to the vehicle's hydr auli c
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
a nd t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check w ith your Aud i dea ler for correct wir ing,
switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unab le to see the traffic behind you us­
i ng the regular outs ide mir rors, 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 ile r hi tch, do not s to re
i t in yo ur vehicle. In cas e of sudden brak ing,
the hit ch could fly fo rwa rd and injure you or
your pas sengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r f or yo ur vehicle is lim ite d to a typical
cla ss 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trai ler is held sec urely in
place to p revent it from shifting forward , back­
ward or si deways .
Never allow a pas senger to ride in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driving instructions on page 84.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra ile r makes the engine wor k harder . It
i s impo rtant that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Ma ke sure that
the cooling system has enoug h fluid.
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\.J ' Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label
¢page 221. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions .
Lights
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 trailer to the hitch on the vehicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will 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 separation
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 weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
¢page 105, ¢0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment , select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
If you must drive under poor road conditions , you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjusting the tongue weight ¢page 107.
0 Note
-Changes in temperature or load can affect
the height of the vehicle.
- Always select
auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tongue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicable.
Trailer towing
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a highly unstable 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 should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances . Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loading considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control 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
going downhill.
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 engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Air suspension*
When driving with a trailer, activate the trailer
mode of the air suspension. Switch the air sus ­
pension trailer mode on when you are towing a
trailer. This will limit the regulation by the air
suspension while driving . Select in the MMI:
I CAR ! function button > (Car)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On. 1J,,
83

Trailer towing
Coolant t emperatur e
The coolant temperatu re gauge <=? page 9 must
be observed ca refully. The coo lant tempe rature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine sp eeds. Reduce your sp eed
immed ia te ly if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information abo ut indicator lights, re­
fe r to . <=?
page 14.
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 towing information
Important to know
-
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing a
tra ile r because of the additional weight and d if­
fe rent we ight d istr ib ution. Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend o n how careful­
ly you load yo ur trailer and ope rate your r ig .
Before you actually tow your tra iler, practice
turn ing, stopp ing and bac king up in an area away
from t raff ic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come comple tely fami liar with t he way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat ion behaves and responds.
Backing up is d iffic ult and requires pract ice .
Backing up with a tra iler gene rally requires steer­
i n g ac tion oppos ite to tha t when backing up yo ur
veh icle w it h out a trailer .
M aintain a g reater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You w ill need more
room to stop . To compensa te fo r th e tra ile r, you
will nee d a larger than no rma l tur ning rad ius.
When pass ing , remembe r that you ca nnot accel­
e rate as fast as you no rma lly would because of
the adde d load . Make s ure yo u have eno ugh room
to pass . After passing, allow plenty of room for
your trai ler before chang ing lanes again.
84
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
c h anges.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer dur ing the brea k-i n pe ri­
od of your veh icle.
- I f you tow a tra ile r, your A udi m ay requi re
more frequent ma intenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 264.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope wi th a trailer . If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have so meone p lace cho cks unde r bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer w heels.
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly rele ase the brakes
until the w heel chocks abso rb the load .
.,. Turn th e whee ls towards the curb.
.,. App ly the par king b rake .
.,. Select the P se lecto r lever posit ion.
When restarting after parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Start the engine .
.,. Sele ct the D/S se lector l ever position.
.,. Re lease the par king brake and s low ly pull o ut
and away from the whee l chocks.
.,. Stop and have someone re trieve the wheel
chocks .
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P befo re applying the park­
i ng brake and before blocking the whee ls, yo u
may have to use more force la ter to move the
l eve r o ut of the P pos it io n.

Ass is t
- Please note that unconsciously "resting"
your foot on the accelerator pedal prevents
the cruise control from braking. This is be­ cause pressing the accelerator pedal over­
rides the cruise control system .
-If a brake system malfunction such as over­
heating occurs when the cruise control sys­
tem is sw itched on, the braking function in
the system may be switched off. The rest of
the cruise control system f unctions remain
a ct ive as long as the
[l!jl!)~1j (USA models) /
Bl (Canada models) indicator light is on .
@ Tips
The brake lights turn on when the brakes a re
app lied automatically.
Changing speed
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith c ruise control system
.. To inc rease or decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever toward
0 10 ¢ page 85,
fig . 86 .
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 direction until the de­
s ired speed is displayed.
You can a lso press the accelerator pedal down to
increase your speed, for example if you want to
pass someone. The speed you set earlier w ill re­
sume as soon as you release the accelerator ped­
al.
However, if you exceed your saved speed by 5
mph (10 km/h) for longer than 6 minutes, the
cru ise control system turns off temporarily.
The green
1ij;(l )~14 (USA models) t BI (Canada mod ­
els) indicator light in the speedometer turns off
and the stored speed is maintained.
Preselecting the speed
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith c ruise control system
You can pre-select your desired speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
.. Switch the ignition on .
.. Pu ll the lever into position@~
page 85,
fig. 86.
86
.. To increase or decrease the speed, tap the lever
toward
0 10 .
.. To store the speed d isp layed, release the lever.
This function makes it possible, fo r example, to
save the speed you want before driving on the
highway. Once on the highway, activate the
cruise contro l by pull ing the lever toward@.
Switching off
App lies to : vehicles with c ruise co nt rol system
Temporary deacti vation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the lever into position @(not clicked into
place)
¢ page 85, fig . 86, or
.. Dr ive for longer than 5 minutes faster than 5
mph (10 km/h) above the stored speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press the lever into position @(clicked into
place), or
.. Switch the ignit io n off.
The speed you stored will be maintained if the cruise contro l has been switched off temporarily .
To resume the stored speed, release the brake pedal and pull the lever to position @.
Switch ing the ignit ion off w ill erase the stored
speed .
A WARNING
You should only resume the stored speed if it
is not too high for existing traff ic conditions.
Othe rw ise you can inc rease the risk of an acc i­
dent.

Ass is t
_&. WARNING
- Improper use of adaptive cruise control can
cause collis ions, other accidents and serious
personal injury .
- Never let the comfort and convenience that
adaptive cruise control and braking guard
offer d istract you from the need to be alert
to traff ic conditions and the need to rema in
in full control of your vehicle at all times,
- Always remember that the adaptive cruise
contro l and braking guard have limits - they
will not slow the veh icle down or ma intain
the set distan ce when you drive towards a n
obstacle or something on or near the road
that is not moving, such as vehicles stopped in a traffic jam, a stalled or disabled vehicle .
If registered by the radar sensors, vehicles
or obstacles that are not moving can trigger
a collision warn ing and if confirmed by the
video camera, a n acute collision warning .
- Never follow a veh icle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safe ly . The adap ­
t ive cr uise control cannot slow or brake the
vehicle safely when you fo llow another veh i­
cl e too close ly. Always remember that the
automa tic braking func tion cannot br ing the
vehicle to a sudden or emergency stop un­
der these condit ions .
- T o prevent unintended operation, always
switch ACC off when it is not being used .
(U) Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumpe r, whee l housing and
underbody. That cou ld affect t he adaptive
cruise control system and braking guard .
Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Serv ice Facility check their function.
90
In curves
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 92 Ex am ple: dri ving into a curv e
When dr iving into a curve c:::> fig. 92 and out of a
curve , the adapt ive cruise control may react to an
object in the neighboring lane and apply the brakes . Yo u can prevent that by pressing the ac­
ce le ra to r peda l br iefly.
Stationary objects
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
F ig . 93 Exam ple: object chang ing la nes a nd stat ion ary ob ·
jec t
The adaptive cru ise control system only reacts to
objects that are moving or t hat the system has
already detected as moving . For example, it can
react when a vehicle that has already been de­
tected @ turns or changes lanes, but adaptive
cruise control does not react to a stationary veh i­
cle @.

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Switching on/off
App lies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig. 9 4 Operat ing leve r: sw itching o n and off
Fig. 95 Inst rument cluste r: adaptive cruise contro l
You can set any speed between 20 mph (30 km/
h) and 95 mph (150 km/h) .
Indicator lights and messages in the instrument
cluster display inform you about the current sit­
uation and setting.
An addit ional indicator appears in the Head-up
d isplay* .
Switching adaptiv e cruise control on
.,. Pull the lever toward you into position @
¢
fig . 94. ACC: standb y appears in the display.
Saving the speed and activating regulation
.. To save the current speed, p ress the ISETI
¢ fig . 94 button . The stored speed is shown in
the speedometer in the L ED l ine @ and appears
briefly in t he information line @ ¢
fig. 95 .
.,. To activate the regu lation whi le stationary, also
press the brake peda l.
Switching adaptive cruis e control off
.,. Push the lever away from you in to posi tion @
u nt il it clicks i nto place. The message
ACC : off
appears.
A ss ist
@ Indic ato r light s
•-adaptive cruise control is switched on. No
objects are detected ahead . The stored speed is
maintained .
• - An object ahead was detected . The adaptive
c ruise contro l system regu lates the speed and
distance to the object ahead and accelerates/
brakes automatically .
f:i-adaptive cruise control is switched on. An
object ahead was detected. Your vehicle remains
stopped and will not sta rt driving automatically .
• -The automatic braking is not enough to
mai ntai n a sufficie nt dis tance to an obje ct ahead.
You must intervene ¢
page 94, Request for
driver intervention .
© Instrument cluster display
If adaptive cru ise control is not shown in the in­
strument cl uster d isplay, you can call it up using
t h e m ultif unction steer ing whee l butto ns
¢page 21.
Based on the graphics in the display , you can de­
te rm ine if the system is maintain ing a distance to
t h e object ahead and what that d ist ance is .
No vehicle -No object ahead was detected .
White veh icle -An object ahead was detected.
Red vehicle -Request for driver intervention
~page 94.
Both arrow s on the scale © indicate the distance
to the object ahead. No arrow appears w hen the
vehicle is on an open road and t here is no object
ahead . If an object is detected ahead, the arrow
moves on the sca le .
The green zone on the s cale i ndicates the store
distance . For information on changing the dis ­
tance, refer to ¢
page 93. If the distance se ­
lected is exceeded or not reached , the arrow
moves into the red zone on the scale .
A WARNING
~~ --
If you press the !SET ! button when driv ing at
speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h), the vehicle
accelerates automatically up to 20 mph (30
91

Ass is t
km/h), which is the minimum speed that can
be set.
(D Tips
- If you switc h the ignition or the adapt ive
cruise control system off, the set speed is
erased for safety reasons.
- The electronic stabilization control (ESC)
and the anti-slip -regulation (ASR) are auto­
matically sw itched on when the adaptive
cruise control is switched on.
Changing the speed
Applies to: vehicles with Aud i adapt ive cruise control
0
,
•
0
F ig. 96 Operat ing lever: changing the speed
~ co N
0
±
~
.. To increase or red uce the speed in increments,
tap the lever up or down.
.. To increase or decrease the speed quickly,
hold
the lever up or down until the red LED@ reach­
es the desired speed
¢ page 91, fig . 95 .
After each change, the new stored speed appears
briefly in the information line ¢
page 91, fig. 95
@.
Driving in stop-and-go traffic
Applies to: veh icles with Aud i adapt ive cruise control
The adaptive cruise contro l system also assists
you in stop-and-go t raff ic.
Stopp ing automatically
If an object ahead stops, your veh icle w ill brake
and stay at a stop, w ith in the limits of the sys­
tem. The Start/Stop system* can be used as usu­
al.
92
Driving m anually
.. Tap the accelerator pedal, or
.. pull the lever toward you into pos ition @.
@ Tips
If an obst acle is detected when you r vehicle
starts moving, the dr iver intervent ion reques t
appears¢
page 94 . Your vehicle will drive
more slowly when starting. T his may a lso
h appen in some situations when there is no
apparent obstacle.
Interrupting cruise control
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
F ig . 9 7 Se lector lever
Requirement: adaptive cruise control must be
switched on .
Overriding cruise control
.. To accelerate ma nually, pull the lever toward
you into posit ion @ and hold it there . The mes­
sage
ACC: override appears. Or
.. press the accelerator peda l.
.. To resume cruise control, release the lever or
take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Cancelin g cruise control whil e dri ving
.. Move the lever into position @. The message
ACC: standb y 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 @.
T he message
ACC : standby appears. ..,.

.. To resume cr uise control, press the b rake 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
App lies to: veh icles with Audi adaptive cruise contro l
Fig . 98 O perat 1ng leve r: set ting the d ista nce
.. Tap the switch to display the current set dis­
tance¢
fig. 98.
.. To increase or reduce the distance in incre­
ments, tap the switch again to the right or left .
The distance between the two vehicles w ill
change in the instrument cluste r d isplay.
When approach ing an object ahead, the adaptive
cru ise control system b rakes to match that speed
and the n adj usts to the set distance . If the ob ject
a head acce le ra tes, adapt ive cruise control will a l­
so acce le ra te up to the s to red speed .
The higher the speed, the greater the d istance in
meters ¢,&. . The
Distance 3 sett ing is recom­
mended. That i s equal to the genera l recommen­
dation of "ha lf the speed shown on the speedom ­
eter".
The distances prov ided are specified values . De­
pending on the d riving si tuation and the way the
ob ject ahead is d riving , the act ual d istance may
be mo re o r less t han t hese targe t dista nces.
co ~ The various symbols for the time increments ap-
~ pea rs briefly in the information line @
8 ¢ page 91, fig. 95 when yo u change the set tings. 00 <..:l 'SI"
A ss ist
c:::::, _c:::::, ___ Distance 1: this sett ing corresponds
to a distance of 92
ft (28 m) when traveling at 62
mph (100 km/h), for example (time between: 1
second).
c:::::, __ c:::::, __ Distance 2: this setting cor responds
to a distance of 118 ft (36 m) when traveling at
62 mp h (100 km/h), for example (time between:
1.3 seconds).
c:::::, ___ c:::::,_ Distance 3: this setting corres ponds
to a distance of 164 ft (SO m) when trave ling at
62 mp h (100 km/h), for example (time between:
1.8 seconds).
c:::::, ____ c:::::, Distance 4: This sett ing correspon ds
to a distance of 210 ft (6 4 m) when traveling at
62 mp h (100 km/h), (time distance of 2 .3 sec­
onds).
A WARNING
-Following other ve hicles too close ly incre .ases
the r isk of collisions a nd serious personal in­
ju ry.
- Sett ing s hort d ista nces to the traff ic ahead
reduces the time and distance available to b ring yo ur vehicle to a safe stop and makes
it even more necessa ry to pay close atten­
tion to t raffic.
- Always obey app licab le traffic laws, use
good judg men t, a nd se lect a safe following
di stance f or the traff ic, ro ad an d wea ther
condi tion s.
@ Tips
- Distance 3
is s et au tomatically each time
you swi tch the ign ition on.
- Yo ur sett ings a re automat ica lly stored and
assigned to the remote control key be ing
used .
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
.. Select the desire d driving mode in dr ive select
¢page 105 . ..,.
93