2017 AUDI A8 engine

Driving
-Do not inadvertent ly press the acce lerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, eve n if the parking brake is set. This
cou ld resu lt in a crash .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the dr iver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle .
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control activates when the transmis­
sion is in the Dor S pos ition and you press the
brake pedal. The transmiss ion automatically se­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill . H ill de­
scent control tries to mainta in the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within phys ical and
technical limi tations. If may sti ll be necessary to
adj ust the speed with the b rake pedal.
H ill descent contro l switches off o nce the hill lev­
e ls out o r you press the accelerator peda l.
When operating the cruise contro l system
i::> page 92, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
H ill descent control cannot overcome phys ica l
lim itations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all condit ions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
86
Manual shifting
The shi~ paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 98 Steer ing whee l: s hifting man ually
.., To shift to a higher or lowe r gear temporari ly,
tap the
0 or 0 shift padd le i::> fig . 98 .
.., To switch manua l mode on , press the~ but­
ton. Mand the gear that is currently engaged
@ appear in the instrument cluster display
i::>page 83, fig. 95.
I :i: .. m
.., To shift up one gear, tap the right shift paddle
G) c::>fig . 98.
.., To shift down one gear, tap the left shift pad­
dle
Q .
.., To switch manua l mode off, press the ~ but-
ton again, or
.., Move the se lector lever back and re lease it.
When yo u accelerate or reduce the speed, the
transmission au tomatically shifts into the correct
gear shortly before reaching the RPM limit. If yo u
select a lower gear than the one currently shown
in the disp lay, the automatic transmission will
only shift down once there is no dang .er of ex­
ceeding the maximum RPM.
The eng ine braking effect increases when you
downshift when going downh ill.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When yo u press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the res istance point, the automatic trans­
mission downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
gine ut ilizes its full power, depending on vehicle
speed and engine RPM. It shifts up into the next .,,_

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' higher gear once the maximum spec ified engine
R PM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Applies to: S8 plus
The max imum engine torque is tempo rar ily in­
creased in ove rboost . Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operat ing temperat ure.
A WARNING
Ple as e note th at the wheel s co uld s pin o n
s lick or sli ppery roads when over boost is ac ­
t ive.
Transmission malfunction
Transmission: selector lever in drive!
-
If t h e se lec to r l ever is not in the P posi tion when
you o pen t he dr iver's door, the ve hicle could roll.
Selec t the P se lector lever posi tion.
rm Transmission : Please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Press the brake pedal and se lect t he des ired se ­
lecto r lever pos it io n aga in. You can t hen continue
d riving.
rm Transm ission over heating : Please dr ive con­
servatively
The transm ission temperature has increased s ig­
n ificantly due to the sporty driving manne r. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the ind icator light
sw itches o f.
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving
There is a system malfunct ion in the t ransmis­
sion. Yo u may continue dr iving. D rive to your au ­
thor iz ed Audi dealer or author ized A udi Service
Faci lity soon to have the ma lfu nction co rrected.
D riving
rm Ii) Transmission malfunct ion: You can con­
tinue driving in
D until engine is off
T he re is a syste m malfu ncti on in t he tra ns mis­
s io n. The tran sm ission is swi tc hi ng to eme rge ncy
mode . If you tu rn the engine
off , you w ill not be
able to se lect any othe r se lector lever positions
a fter starting the engine a ga in . Drive to an a u­
t h ori zed Audi dea le r or a uthori zed Audi Service
Fac ility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunction cor­
rected .
rm Transmission malfunction: You can continue
driving with limited functionality
T he re is a system malfunction in t he transmis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rgency
mode. Th is mode only sh ifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
rm ffl Transmiss ion malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driv ing
T he re is a system malfunction in the transmis ­
s io n. The transmission is switc hing to eme rgency
m ode. Th is mode only shifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Yo u cannot engage the reve rse gear. Dr ive to an
a utho rized Aud i dea le r o r auth orized Aud i Serv ice
Fac ility immed iate ly to hav e the ma lfunction co r­
r ec ted .
[O] Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P. Please
apply parking brake
- The parking lock was re leased using the emer­
ge ncy release¢
page 88. Or
- The pa rking loc k can no longer be engage d.
Dr ive to an a uth ori zed Audi dea ler or author­
ized Aud i Service Fac ility immediately to have
the ma lfu nction corrected .
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue dr iving. Select t he P selector lev ­
er posit io n and contact an authorized A udi dealer
o r authorized Audi Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
87

Trailer mode
Trailer load distribution
Be s ure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p lace to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways .
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 91.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the eng ine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's perform­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has eno ugh fluid.
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load " on the label ¢
page 293 . Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tir e 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 cha ins, make
sure they w ill 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 adjust ing the
tongue weight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not raised
o:,;, page 110, o:,;, 0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function button> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the vehicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ¢ page 112.
([) 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 app licab le .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
i n a high ly unstable distribution of we ight . If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, wh ile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow veh icle 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 cond it ions are unfavorable - particularly when
go ing downh ill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
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. ..,.

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' Air suspension*
When driv ing 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:
ICARI function button > (Ca r)* systems control
button
> Vehicle settings > Air susp.: towing >
On.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 9 must
be observed carefully . The coolant temperature
can increase if you drive on long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds. Reduce your speed
i mmed iately if the LEDs in the top part of the dis­
p lay turn on.
For more information about indicator lights, re­
fer to. ¢
page 20.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
de nt. Never let anyone ride in you r car who is
not properly wearing the restraints p rovided
by Audi.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know -
Your veh
icle handles differently when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and d if ­
ferent weight distr ibut ion. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly yo u load you r trailer and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopp ing and back ing up in a n area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be­
come completely fami liar with the way your vehi­
cle-trailer comb inat io n behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires pract ice.
Backing up with a trailer gene rally requires steer­
ing action opposite to tha t when backing up your
ve hicl e without a trailer .
Maintain a greater d istance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You w ill need more
Trailer mode
room to stop . To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius .
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­
erate as fast as you normally wo uld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again .
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
-If you tow a trailer, your Audi may requ ire
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load ¢
page 336.
Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
" Apply the foot brake .
" Have someone place chocks under both the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels.
"W ith chocks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
" Tur n the whee ls towards the curb.
" App ly the parking brake.
" Select the P selector lever position.
When restarting after parking:
"App ly the foot brake.
" Start the engine .
"S elect the D selector lever position .
" Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks.
" Stop and have someone retrieve the wheel
chocks.
(D Tips
If you move the selector lever of the automat­
i c transmission to P before applying the park­
in g brake and before blocking the wheels, you
may have to use more force later to move the
lever out of the P posit ion.
91

Ass is t
Assist
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)
I. (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 ge ner ­
al speed limit or if the re is a specified max imum
speed for winter tires.
Setting the warning threshold
The warning threshold is set in the Infotainment
system .
.,. Se lect :
!CAR I function button > Car s ystems
control button > Dri ver assi st > Speed warning .
(D Tips
Regardless of the speed wa rning system, you
should always monitor yo ur speed using the
speedometer and make sure you are following
the legal speed limit.
92
Cruise control system
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at 20 mph (30
km/h) .
0
f
®l
0
Fig. 102 Ope rat ing leve r: cru ise co ntrol sys tem
g M 0 ±
~
.,. To switch the cr uise control on, pull the lever
into position
(D ¢ fig . 102.
.,. Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.,. To store the speed, press the button @.
The stored speed and the
[t!jl!)~i~ (USA models) I
&I (Canada models) ind icator light are d isp layed
in the instrument cluster.
This information is also shown briefly in the Head-up d isp lay* .
The speed is mainta ined by modifying engine
power or through a n active brake interven tion.
_& WARNING
-Always pay atten tion to the traffic around
you when the cruise contro l system is in op­
erat ion. You are always respons ible for your
speed and the distance between your ve hi­
cle and other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, cruise control should not
be used in the city, in stop-and-go traff ic, on
w inding roads and when road conditions are
poor (such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplaning), because this increases the
r is k of an a ccident.
- Switch t he cruise control off temporarily
when dr iving in turning lanes, highway exits
or in construction zones.
...

Ass is t
Switching on /off
Applies to: vehicles with night vision assist
Fig. 128 Area aro und th e light sw itc h: n ight v is ion assist
butto n
Requirement: sw itch the ignition on and turn the
light switch to the
AUTO position.
• Press the
[g button 9 fig . 128 . The heat image
from the nig ht vision camera appears in the in ­
s t ru me nt cluster d isplay.
• Press the
(g button again to switch the night
vision assist off .
If condit io ns are b right enough, night vision as­
sis t can be sw itched on withou t mov ing the light
switch to the
AUTO position. Pedestrian and wild
an imal highlighting and warnings are only active
when it is da rk outs ide and the headlights are
sw itched on .
Adjusting the contrast
Applies to: vehicles with night vision assist
• Select : the ICARI function button > Car systems
contro l button > Driver a ssist > Night vision
a ssi st cont rast .
When the night vision assist is switched on and
the image is visible in the instrument cluster d is ­
p lay, you can adjust the contrast in the image
from
Min to Ma x.
Messages
Applies to: vehicles with night vision assist
Ni ght vision assist : System fau lt
The system cannot guarantee correct function
and is switched off . See an author ized Audi deal-
110
er or authori zed Aud i Service Facility for assis ­
tance .
Night vi sion a ssis t: Current ly unavailable
The system cannot guarantee correct funct io n at
th is time and is switched off .
Night vision assist: O nly a vailabl e a t n ight with
lights turned on
N ight vision assist only works whe n it is dark out­
s ide and the headlights are on.
Night vis ion a ssist: Pede stri an marking current­
l y unavailab le
The pedestrian and wi ld animal marki ng was
swi tched off by the system .
Audi drive select (drive
settings)
Introduction
D rive select makes it possib le to exper ience dif­
f erent types of ve hicle settings in one veh icle .
The dr iver can se lect
Comfort , Auto and Dynamic
modes in the Infotainment system to switch be­
tween, for example, a sporty and a comfortab le
driv ing mode .
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your per ­
sona l preferences in the
Ind ividual mode . This
makes it possible to comb ine sett ings su ch as a
sporty engine setting with light steer ing .
Description
The following systems, among ot her things, are
i nfluenced by dr ive select:
Eng ine and tr an smis sion
Depend ing on the mode, th e engine and trans­
mission respond more q uick ly or in a more bal­
a nced manner to accelerator pedal movements.
In the sporty dynamic mode, the transm ission
shifts at higher speed ranges.
Air suspen sion
T he adaptive air suspens ion/adapt ive a ir suspen­
sion sport* is an electronically controlled air sus- pension and damping system . The adjustment ..,

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' depends on the driving mode selected, steering
movements, the driver's braking and accelera­
tion, and as the road surface, vehicle speed and load. A sporty setting is generally used in vehicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*.
The vehicle ground clearance depends on the
mode selected and the speed. When you are in
the auto or dynamic mode, the highway setting is
activated when you drive above 75 mph (120 km/
h) for more than 30 seconds. The ground clear­
ance is increased automatically if the speed
drops below 44 mph (70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds .
Steering
The power steering adapts. Indirect steering that
moves easily as in comfort mode is especially
suited to long drives on a highway. The dynamic
mode provides sporty, direct steering .
Applies to: vehicles with dynamic steering
The steering ratio changes based on vehicle
speed in order to maintain optimum steering ef ­
fort for the driver at all times . This sets the steer­
ing to be less sensitive at higher speeds in order
to provide improved vehicle control. At reduced
speeds, steering is more direct in order to keep
the steering effort as minimal as possible when
the driver is maneuvering the vehicle. At low and
average speeds, dynamic steering* additionally
provides more responsive steering performance.
Sport differential*
As a component of the all wheel drive system
(quattro)
~ page 130, the sport differential dis­
tributes the driving power to the rear axle de­
pending on the situation. The distribution of
power varies from balanced (comfort) to sporty
(dynamic) depending on the selected mode. The
goal is a high level of agility and ability to accel ­
erate on curves. The vehicle is very responsive to
steering .
Cornering light*
The cornering light adapts the high beams to the
direction of the curve depending on the speed.
The pivoting action and the lighting also adapt to
the mode .
Assist
Adaptive cruise control*
The behavior when accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortable to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode. Adaptive cruise control also
responds to the driving behavior of the vehicle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner.
Engine sound*
The engine sound adapts to the current mode
and can be subtle to sporty.
(D Note
- Make sure there is enough clearance above
and below the vehicle when parking. The
height of the vehicle can change once it is
parked due to temperature fluctuations,
changes to the load conditions and changes
to the driving modes, which can affect clear­
ance.
- When transporting the vehicle on a car car­
rier, train, ship or by other means, only tie
the vehicle down at the running surface of
the tires, which is the outer circumference.
Securing the vehicle at the axle compo­
nents, suspension struts or towing eyes is
not permitted because the pressure in the
air suspension struts can change during
transport. The vehicle may not be secured
sufficiently if this happens.
@ Tips
- In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the auto and
dynamic modes.
- The S selector lever position automatically
engages if the dynamic mode is selected.
- In vehicles that have dynamic steering*, op­
erating noise is heard when starting or stop­
ping the engine. This does not indicate a
problem.
111

Ass is t
Selecting the driving mode
Fig . 129 In fotainme nt system: drive se lect
• To se lect the mode, select the following in the
Infotainment :
ICARI function button> C omfort ,
Auto , Dynam ic
or Individua l.
You can change the driving mode when the vehi­
cle is stat ionary or wh ile driving. If traffic per-
Adjusting the individual mode
mits, after changing modes, briefly take your
foot off the accelerator pedal so that the recently
se lected mode is also activated for the engine.
Comf ort -prov ides a comfort-or iented vehicle
setup and is s uited fo r long drives on highways.
Auto -provides an overa ll comfortab le yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for everyday use.
Dynamic -gives the dr ive r a sporty driving feel
and is suited to a sporty driving style .
Indivi dual -¢ page 112 .
_& WARNING
Pay attention to traff ic when ope rating the
d rive select to reduce the r isk of an accident .
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
• Se lect : the ICARI function button > Set indi vid·
ual
control button . Once you select the menu,
yo u will automatically drive in the
Individual
mode .
Comfort
Engine /t ransmi ssion
balanced
Air su spension comfo rtable
Steering comfortable The equipment in your vehicle will determine
which sett
ings you can adjust. The fo llowing ta­
ble gives an overview of the characteristics .
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
balanced sporty
Dynamic steering
* comfortable/ i ndi- ba la need/d irect sporty/direct
r ect
Spo rt differ ential * balanced
Adaptiv e cruise con trol * comfo rtable
Engine sound* subtle
a l Sub tle in the sele ctor leve r posi tio n D and sp orty in S.
(D Tips
Your Indi vidua l mode settings are automati­
cally stored and assig ned to the remote con­
trol key be ing used .
112 agile
sporty
balanced sporty
subtle/sportyal sporty
Raising/lowering the vehicle
Raising the vehicle
.. Select the fo llowing in the Info tainment sys­
tem: the
ICAR I function button> Raise contro l
button .
.. Wait for the arrows in the display to stop blink-
ing and the vehicle to reach i ts f inal position . ..,.