2017 AUDI S4 ABS

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 .
90
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-

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 .
92

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) suppo rts
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves dr iving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as when the vehicle is oversteering
a nd understeering or the wheels are spinning.
The vehicle is stabilized by applying the brakes or reducing eng ine torq ue. When the ESC engages,
the
Ji) i n d icator light blinks in the instrument
cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC :
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS p revents the whee ls from locking whe n brak­
ing. The vehicle can sti ll be steered even during
hard brak ing. Apply steady press ure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in t he
b rake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
s tabilize the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis­
tance . It increases brak ing power when the d river
presses the brake pedal q uick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold t he b rake pedal
until the dangerous sit uat io n is over . In veh icles
with adapt ive c ruise control*, the bra ke as sist
sy stem is more sensitive if t he di sta nce detec ted
t o the vehicle dr iv ing ahead is too small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive wheels
beg in sp inning a nd adapts the force to the road
conditions . T his makes it easie r to sta rt, acceler­
a te and dr ive up h ills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes w heels that a re spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if t he ve hicle is equipped with a ll
wheel drive*) . T his funct ion is no t av ail able at
h igher spee ds.
134
In extreme cases, EDL automat ically switches off
to keep the b rake on the bra ked whee l from over­
heating. The veh icle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switc h on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The E SC he lps to stabili ze the vehicle by changing
the steer ing torque.
I n veh icles with dyn amic steer ing *, ES C also
helps to sta bilize the s teer ing in cr it ic al situa ­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Se lective wheel to rque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng on curves. The fron t whee l on the ins ide of
t h e curve or both wheels on t he i nsi de of the
curve are braked se lective ly as needed. This al­
l ows mo re precise driving in c urves.
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "a utomat ic post-collis io n braking system"
c a n help to reduce t he risk of sliding and of addi ­
tiona l co llisions after an acc ident. If th e airbag
contro l modu le de te cts a collision, t he ve hicle is
bra ked by the ESC.
The veh icle does not br ake automatically if:
- the dr iver presses the acce lera tor pedal, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the veh icle electri-
cal system are not functioning.
&_ WARNING
- The ESC and i ts integ ra ted systems cannot
overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
phys ical laws. This is es pec ially impo rtan t
o n s lippery or we t road s. If the sy stems be­
gin ac ting to s tabilize yo ur vehicle, you
should immediately a lter your speed to
match the road and traffic conditions . Do
not let t he inc reased safety provided tempt
you into taking risks. This could increase
your r isk of a coll is ion.
- Please note the r is k of a coll is ion increases
when dr iv ing fast, especially t hrough c urves
and on sli ppery or wet roads, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead . T he ESC a nd
its integrated systems cannot always

prevent collisions -there is still a risk of ac­
cidents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on smooth, slippery surfaces
such as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin even when these control systems are
installed and this can affect driving stability
and increase the risk of a coll ision.
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
(D Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels have a sim ilar wear
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
--- --function of the ESC is limited or switched off . The
amount of stabilization control wi ll differ de­
pending on the level.
--~
· :.__r" ,? .:'~~
,; ~ ... ,1
·· ----- ~
Fig. 138 Center co nso le w it h button ~ OFF
The following examples are unusua l situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode on in order to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
E SC is designed to function in levels. Depending
on the level that is selected, the stabilization
ESC levels
Sport mode on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza-
tion funct ions are limited
~ .&. .
Operation Press the lfl OFFI button
briefly .
Indicator II turns on.
lights
Messages Stabilization control (ESC):
sport. Warning! Reduced
stability
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ ASR off if your driving abilities and road conditions permit.
ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
The stabilization function is The full stabilization func-
no longer available ~.&. . tion of the ESC and ASR is
ESC and ASR are switched available again.
off.
Press and hold the
! fl O FFI Press the lfl OFFI button
button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds.
II and lf'tl•U~ turn on. fl turns off or fl and
lf'tl•l~~ turn off.
Stabilization control (ESC):
Stabilization control
off. Warning! Reduced sta- (ESC): on
bil ity
-The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The driving
wheels could spin and the vehicle could swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
135

-Audi AG simply makes the access to online
media services possible through the MMI
and does not take any respons ibility for the
contents of the online media services.
- Always read the chapter
c;, page 178, Audi
connect (Infotainment ) information .
-Depending on the mobile device being used,
interruptions in media playback can occur.
To avoid interruptions when using a mobile
device, do not lock the screen on your mo­
bile device and keep the
Audi MMI connect
app in the foreground .
- Contact your authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for additional
information about online media .
Multimedia connections
USB adapter for Audi music interface
You con connect your mobile devices (such as o
smortphone or MP3 player) to the Audi music in­
terface and charge them using o special
USB
adopt er.
Fig. 194 Audi USB adapt ers
CD USB adapter for devices with a micro USB con­
nect ion
@ USB adapter for devices with an Apple Light­
ning connection
@ USB adapter for devices with an Apple Dock
connector
You can purchase the USB adapter from an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or at spec ialty stores .
Use the USB adapter for the
Audi music interface
,=;,page 215.
Media
(D Note
Handle the USB adapter carefully . Do not al­
l ow it to be pinched .
Audi music interface
Connect your mobil e devices to the Audi music
interfac e in order to operate them through the
MMI and charge the battery.
Fig. 195 Conn ect ing mob ile device s
The Audi music interface is located under the
armrest in the center console @,=;,
page 8, fig. 2.
-Connecting a mobile device using a USB
adapter:
connect the applicable USB adapter @
c;, fig. 195 to the port on the Audi music inter­
face @ and then connect the adapter to the
mobile device
CD (such as an iPod).
- Charging a mobile device using a USB adapter :
when you connect a mobile device to the Audi
mus ic interface @ using the applicable USB
adapter @,=;,
fig. 195 , the battery will auto­
matically charge .
-Disconnecting a mobile device from the Audi
music interface :
remove the USB adapter@
c;, fig. 195 from the Aud i music interface .
-Disconnecting mobile devices with an Apple
Dock connector :
remove the Apple Dock con­
nector from the Apple device with the release
tabs pressed in@ ¢poge
215 , fig. 194.
The media are started and operated through the
mobile device or the MMI, depending on the de­
vice being used ¢
page 217.
Connecting two mobile devices : if two mobile
dev ices (for example iPod and smartphone) are
connected at the same time , then both devices
can be used as playback sources.
IJl.
215

Driving safety
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All Luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the Luggage compart ­
ment.
Fig. 207 Safe load positio ning: place heavy objects as low
and as far forwar d as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
teristics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a collision.
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
• Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for­
ward as possible
¢ fig. 207.
• Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 66.
• Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­ sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
242
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the
front end of the driver's door. Exceeding
permissible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 236.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the sliding sunroof* and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the risk
of injury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.

Safety belts
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 209 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle headi ng fo r a wall
Fig. 210 T he vehicle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight . Engi­
neers call this energy "k inetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts
r:!) fig. 209, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, unti l something stops them -
here, the wall
r:!) fig . 210.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision . Even
at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
246
(2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more . At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 211 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio len tly
t hrow n forward
Fig. 212 A rear passe nge r not wear ing a sa fety belt will f ly
forward an d str ike the driver
Unbelted occupants a re not able to res ist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel, in­
strument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way
r:!) fig . 211. T h is impact with the vehi ­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash.
liJJ,-

Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even
when they deploy, airbags provide on ly additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the dr iver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in w hich
a ir bags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the vehicle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly . Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not only themse lves
but also the driver and other passengers
¢fig . 212. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
injure the driver and/or front seat passenger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It 's simply
not true!
Fig. 213 Driver is correct ly restra ined in a sudden b rak ing
maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
ence. Safety belts he lp to keep passengers in
thei r seats, gradually reduce energy leve ls ap­
plied to the body in an acciden t, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri ­
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi ­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinetic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to ca use injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety be lts can also substantially re ­
duce the r isk of injury in other k inds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just go ing to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Acc iden t statist ics show that vehi­
cle occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident . Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most count ries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col­
lisions , in rollovers or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other air bag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
247