2017 AUDI A7 brake

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.

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Assist Speed warning system
Applies to: vehicles with speed warning system
The speed warning system helps you to stay un­
der a specified maximum speed.
The speed warning system warns you if you are
exceeding the maximum speed that you have set.
A warning tone will sound as soon as your speed
exceeds the stored value slightly.
The . (USA models)/ . (Canada models) indi­
cator light and a message appear in the instru­
ment cluster display at the same time. The./
• indicator light and the message turn off if the
speed falls back below the stored maximum
speed .
Setting a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
to do so include driving in a country with a gener­
al speed limit or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system.
.. Select: the
ICARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems control button > Driver assistance >
Speed warning.
@ Tips
Regardless of the speed warning system, you
should always monitor your speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
Assist
Cruise control system
Switching on
Applies to: vehicles with cruise control system
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h) .
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Fig. 86 Operating leve r: cru ise cont rol system
.. To switch the cruise control on, pull the lever
into position @~ fig. 86.
.. Drive at the speed to be maintained .
.. To store the speed, press the button @.
Th e stored speed and the
[lljlfJ~il (USA models) /
l'I (Canada models) indicator light are displayed
in the instrument cluster.
T his information is also shown briefly 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 vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traffic, on
winding roads and when road conditions are poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy ra in and
hydroplaning), because this inc reases the
risk of an accident.
- Switch the cruise control off temporarily
when dr iv ing in turning lanes, highway exits
-
or in construction zones . ~
85

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.

Assist
Timing laps
.. To start timing, press the thumbwheel.
.. To stop t iming for this round, press the thumb­
whee l again. This starts timing the next lap at
the same time. The last recorded t ime will
move up one line. The lap number is displayed
in front of the time measurement.
Di splaying intermediate time and pausing
timing
.. To display a split time, press the thumbwheel.
The timing continues to run in the background .
.. To interrupt the timing, for example to insert a
pause, press the thumbwheel.
.. To resume timing , press the thumbwheel
again.
If timing is paused, you can continue it later even
if you switch the ign ition off .
Evaluating , resuming or resetting timing
App lies to: ve hicles with lap timer
You can evaluate the fastest, slowes t and aver­
age lap times .
Fig. 89 Display: eva lu ating a recorded time
.. To eval uate a recorded time (view the statis­
tics), press the thumbwheel. The number of
laps driven, the fastest lap"+", the slowest lap
"-", and the average lap time "0" appear in the
display.
• To continue timing for additional laps, press
the thumbwheel.
.. To reset the timing to zero, press the thumb­
whee l aga in. The lap timer switches off.
88
@ Tips
- Saved lap times cannot be individually de­
leted from the total results.
- The saved lap timer va lues wi ll remain after
switching the ignition off.
Audi adaptive cruise
control
Description
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adapt ive cruise control
Fig. 90 Detectio n ra nge
The adaptive cru ise control system is a combina­
tion of speed and dis tance regulation .
It assists
the driver by both regulating the speed and
maintaining a distance to the vehicle driving
ahead, within the limits of the system.
If the sys­
tem detects and object ahead, adaptive cruise
control can brake and accelerate your vehicle .
This makes driving more comfortable both on
long stretches of highway and in stop-and-go
traffic .
What can adaptive cruise control do?
The adaptive cruise control system uses video, ra­
dar and ultrasound. Objects driving ahead can be
recognized up to 650 feet (200 m) away.
On open roads with no traffic, it functions like a
cruise control system. The stored speed is main­
tained . When approaching an object ahead, the
adaptive cruise control system automatically
brakes to match that object's speed and then
maintains the stored distance . As soon as the
system does not detect an object ahead, adaptive
cruise contro l accelerates up to the stored speed.
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In stop-and-go traffic, adaptive cruise control can
brake until the vehicle is stationary and then be­
gin driving again under certain conditions
¢page 92.
Audi braking guard can warn you about an im­
pending collision and initiate braking maneuvers
¢page 94.
Which functions can be controlled?
When you switch adaptive cruise control on, you
can set the current speed as the "control speed"
¢ page 91, Switching on/off.
When driving, you can stop cruise control
¢
page 92 or change the speed ¢ page 92 at
anytime.
You can also set the distance to the object mov­
ing ahead and set the driving mode of the adap­
tive cruise control¢
page 93 .
General information
Applies to: veh icles with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 91 Front of t he vehicle: sen sors and video came ra
The areas that contain the radar and ultrasonic
sensors and the video camera¢
fig. 91 must not
be covered by stickers, deposits or other objects
because they can interfe re with the function of
the adaptive cruise control system and braking
guard. For information on cleaning, refer to
¢
page 235. The same applies for any modifica­
tions made in the front area.
The function of the adaptive cruise control sys­
tem and brak ing guard is limited under some
conditions.
- Objects can only be detected when they are
within the sensor range¢
page 88 , fig. 90 .
Assist
- The system has a limited ability to detect ob­
jects that are a short distance ahead, off to the
side of your vehicle or moving into your lane.
- Objects th at are difficult to detect such as mo­
torcycles, vehicles with high ground clearance
or an overhanging load are detected late or not
detected at all.
- When driving through curves
¢page 90.
-With stationary objects ¢ page 90.
A WARNING ~
Always pay attention to traffic when adaptive
cruise control is switched on and braking
guard is active. As the driver, you are still re­
sponsible for starting and for maintaining
speed and distance to other objects. Braking
guard is used to assist you . The driver must
always take action to avoid a collision. The
driver is always responsible for braking at the
correct time.
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condition and/or in bad weather (such
as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and hydroplan­ ing). Using the system under these condi­
tions increases the risk of an accident.
- Switch adaptive cruise control off tempora­
rily when driving in turning lanes, on ex­
pressway exits or in construction zones. This
prevents the vehicle from accelerating to
the stored speed when in these situations.
- The adaptive cruise control system will not
brake by itself if you put your foot on the ac ­
celerator pedal. Doing so can override the
speed and distance regulation.
- When approaching stationary objects such as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise control
will not respond and braking guard will have
limited function.
- The adaptive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people, ani­
mals, objects crossing the road or oncoming
objects.
- The function of the radar sensors can be af­
fected by reflective objects such as guard rails, the entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain or
ice.
~
89

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 @.