2017 AUDI S4 tires

Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new vehicle must be broken in, and the break­
in distance should be 1,000 mi les ( 1,500 km). Do
not drive at speeds that w ill exceed
2/3 of the
maximum permitted engine speed (RPM) for the
first 600 miles (1,000 km) , and avoid full accel­
eration during this period . You may gradually
start increasing the RPM and the speed between
600 miles (1,000 km) and 1,000 miles (1,500 km).
During the first hours of use, the engine has a
higher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into place with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven during the first 1,000
miles (1,500 km) also affects the engine quality.
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icularly when running a cold
engine . This will reduce engine wear and improve
the mileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down when the engine no longer runs
"smoothly" . Extremely high engine speeds are
automatically reduced.
Avoid damaging the vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low­
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do not bottom out and get damaged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low-slung
chassis (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of vehicle
damage when driving through water, for examp le
<( on flooded roads : a, .... N
~ -The wate r must not be any higher than the bot-....
g tom of the vehicle body .
3 a,
Driving
- Do not drive faster than walking speed.
A WARNING
After driv ing through water or mud, the effec­
tiveness of the brakes may be reduced due to moisture on the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few careful brake applications should dry
off the brakes .
(D Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspens ion or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water .
- Always switch the Start/Stop system* off
when driving through water
r:';>page 78.
(D Tips
- Determine the depth before driving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water, because
this can cause corrosion .
Economical and environmentally-friendly
dr iving
T he amount of fuel consumpt ion, the environ ­
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and tires depends mostly on your driving
style. With an anticipatory and economic driving
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap­
proximately 10-15%. The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you drive with anticipation, you do not
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less .
When possible, let your vehicle coast with a
gear
engaged,
for example, when you notice that the ..,.
73

Driving
next traffic light is red . This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fue l con ­
sumpt ion to zero (fuel shut-off during decelera­
t ion).
Shift effici ently
An effective way to save fuel is to upshift earlier.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari ­
ly .
P ress down o n the acce lerator peda l slowly and
avoid "kick -down".
Avoid full acceleration
You shou ld rare ly t rave l at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disp roportiona tely
h igh inc rease in fuel consump tion, emissions and
traffic no ise . Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* he lps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles witho ut the Start/
S top system* , it is efficient to swit ch the eng ine
off when stopped at r,;1ilro,;1d crossi ngs and long
red lights . Stopping the engine for 30 -40 sec ­
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the engine.
It t akes a very long time in idle to war m the en ­
g ine up to opera ting tempera ture . Wea r and
emissions are especially high in the warm -up
p hase . Therefore, yo u should begin driving im ­
mediately after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while do ing th is.
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having ma intenance performed regularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce f uel con­
sumpt ion befo re yo u even start to dr ive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects t raffic safety and long-term value but a l­
so impacts
fuel consumpt ion . A poorly main ­
tained engine can lead to f uel consumption that
is 10% higher than normal.
Avoid short trips
The engine and exhaust cleaning system m ust
reach the ir opt imal
operating temperature to ef­
fectively reduce consumption and em iss ions.
74
A cold engine uses a d isproportionately high
amount of fue l. The engine reaches operating
temperat ure and cons umption norma lizes on ly
after approximate ly
four ki lometers.
Check the tire pres sure
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in­
flated to the correct press ure
¢ page 32 7. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by S% if the pres ­
s u re is only 0.5 bar too low. Due to the increased
roll ing resistance, low tire pressures w ill also
l ead to greater tire
wear and will affect dr iving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more f uel.
Eliminate unnecessary we ight
Since eve ry kil og ram o f extra weight in creases
fuel consumption, a quick inspection of the lug­
gage compartment may be worth it to avoid un­
necessary we ight.
When no t be ing used, a roof rack sho uld be re ­
moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle . You will save approx imately
12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph (100-120 km/h).
Save energy
The eng ine drives the generator, which generates
electricity; the fuel consumption also inc reases
with the demand for e lectricity. Therefore, switch
e lectrical equ ipment off when you no longer
need it. Examples of eq uipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating* .
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting . If warning lights shou ld come on to
i ndica te improper operation, they would go
unheeded . Extended idling also prod uces
h eat, w hic h could result i n overheating o r
o ther damage to the veh icle o r othe r prope r­
ty .

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-

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

Assist Electronic speed limiter
Your vehicle may be factory equipped with t ires
that are rated for a maximum speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). This is less than the maximum speed
of your vehicle. To reduce the risk of sudden tire
failure and loss of control if the vehicle is operat­
ed at excessive speeds, your vehicle also has an
electronic speed limiter . The electronic speed
limiter prevents your vehicle from going faster
than the t ire speed rating. For mo re information
¢page 317.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehicle
road speed s ignals, the Malfunction Indicator
L amp (M IL)
¢..ij will illuminate. If this occurs,
contact the nearest autho rized Audi dealer for
assistance.
_& WARNING
Always observe the posted speed limits and
adjust you r speed to suit prevailing road, traf­
fic and weather condit ions. Never drive your
vehicle faster than the max imum speed rating
of the tires installed.
Speed warning system
Introduction
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
stored . You will hear a warning tone when yo ur
speed exceeds the sto red va lue by approximate ly
3 mp h (3 km/h). The indi cator light also tur ns on
in the instrument cluster display
Eel (USA mod­
e ls)/
Hll (Canada mode ls) as well as the message
Manually set speed limit XXX mph (km /h ) ex­
c eeded .
The ind icator light [01 / (OJ turns off
when the speed decreases below the stored max­
imum speed.
Sett ing a threshold is recommended if you would
like to be reminded when you reach a certain
maximum speed. Situations where you may want
A ss ist
to do so include driving in a co untry with a gener­
al speed limit or if there is a specified maximum
speed for winte r tires.
(D Tips
Regardless of t he speed warning system, you
s h ou ld always monitor your speed using the
speedometer and make s ure yo u are fo llow ing
the lega l speed limit.
Setting the warning threshold
Appl ies to : vehicles with speed warni ng system
You can set, change and delete the warning
threshold in the Infotainment system.
.,. Sele ct in the Infotai nment system: I MENU ! but­
ton
> Vehicle > left control b utton > Driver as­
sistance
> Speed warning > Manu al.
You can set a ny thresho ld between 20 mp h
(30 km/h) and lS0 mph (240 km/h) . Settings
can eac h be adjusted in increments of 5 mph (10
km/h).
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 15 mph (20kmlh).
0
f
~
0
Fig. 88 Operating lever: cru ise control system
.,. To switch t he system on, pull the lever into po­
sition
(D ¢ fig. 88.
.,. Drive at the speed to be maintained.
.,. To store the speed, press the button @.
93

<( a, .... N ..... N .... 0 0
3 a,
the engine braking effect and relieves the brakes.
If you need to brake additionally,
brake in interva ls and not continuously .
(D Tips
-If the brake booste r is no t working, you
must p ress the brake pedal with much more
fo rce than norma l.
- If you retrofit you r vehicle with a front spoil­
er, whee l covers or s imilar items, make sure
that the air flow to the front whee ls is not
i nterr upted. Otherw ise the brake system
can become too hot .
Electromechanical power
steering, dynamic
steering
The electrom echanical steering supports th e
driver's steering movements.
P ower steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering : malfunction! Plea se stop vehicle
If th is ind icator lig ht turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steer ing may
h ave fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locat io n as soon as pos­
sib le . Do
not continue dr iving . See an a uthor ized
Aud i deale r or autho rized Aud i Serv ice Faci lity fo r
assistance .
':r-ij Steering: malfunction! You may continue
driving
If the indicator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, the steering w heel may be mo re diffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steer ing whee l may also be at an angle when
d riving s tra ight.
Drive s low ly to an author iz ed Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility to have the ma l­
f u nction corrected .
~ Dynamic steering: correcting steering wheel
position
Intellig ent Technology
If the indicator ligh t turns on and this message
appears, the dynamic steering* is re init ializing.
The steeri ng whee l will be easy to move after
start ing the engine. Reinitiali zation might be
necessary if the steering wheel was moved whi le
the engine was sw itched off . The disp lay turns
off if the initializat ion was successf ul.
(D Tips
- If the . or ':r-ij indicato r light only stays on
for a sho rt time, you may cont inue drivi ng.
- The dynamic steering stability systems
c:.> page 134 are not ava ilable in the event of
a system malfunc tion.
- Fo r add itiona l information on dynamic
steeri ng, refer to
c:.> page 121.
ALL wheel drive (quattro)
App lies to : vehicles wit h all w heel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are pow ered.
General information
In all wheel dr ive, the dr iving power is divi ded be­
tween all four wheels . T h is happens aut omatical­
ly depending on your dr iv ing behav ior as we ll as
the cur rent road condit ions . A lso refer to
c:.> page 134 , Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) .
A center d ifferential d istributes the driving powe r
var iably to the front and rea r axle .
It works to­
ge ther w it h selec tive whee l to rque contro l, w hich
activates when driving thro ugh curves
c:.> page 134.
The all wheel dr ive concept is des igned for high
engi ne power . Yo ur vehicle is exce ptionally pow­
erfu l and has excell ent driv ing cha rac teristics
bot h unde r normal d riving conditions and o n
sn ow and ice. A lways rea d and follow s afety pre­
ca utions
c:.> &. .
Winter tires
By using all wheel dr ive, your ve hicle has good
forward mot ion w it h standard ti res in win ter con­
di tions. However, i n w in te r, we re co m men d using
winter or all sea so n t ires on
all four whee ls, be-
c au se this will improve the
braking effec t. ..,.
137

Intelligent Technology
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with a ll wheel drive
¢ page 332, Snow chains.
Replacing tires
For vehi cles w ith all whee l dr ive, only whee ls with
the same rolling circumferen ce shou ld be used .
Avoid using tires w ith different tread depths
¢ page 324, New tires or wheels .
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle - the re is not
e nough g ro und clea rance. For this reason, avo id
d iffi cult terrain .
_& WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with all wheel drive, adapt
yo ur driving style to the current road and
t raffic conditions . Do not let the increased
sa fety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because th is increases the r isk of an acci­
dent.
- The brak ing ability of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels. In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two whee l dr ive vehi­
cle . Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high spee d when t he road is slippe ry, be­
ca use this increases the risk of an accident.
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hy droplane" if dr iving at speeds that
are too hig h. Unlike front whee l drive
vehicles, the eng ine does no t r ev highe r su d­
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning .
For this reason, pay attention to the road
condit ions regar dless of you r speed to re­
duce the r isk o f an accident.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a ve hicle w ith a co nventional e nergy sys ­
tem is not driven for a long time, the battery is
138
dra ined by equipment (for examp le, the immobi l­
izer) . In certain circ umstances, there could may
not be enough ene rgy to sta rt the eng ine.
Yo ur vehicle is equipped wi th an inte lligen t ener ­
gy management system for dist ributing elec trici ­
ty. This significant ly improves the starting ability
and increases the batte ry life.
The ene rgy management sys tem Is m ade up of
batte ry diagnosis , standby current manage­
ment
and dynamic ene rgy management .
Battery diagnosis
The ba ttery diagnos is determines the batte ry
c ha rge level. The sensor s de ter mine the batte ry
vo ltage, the batte ry cu rrent, and the batte ry
tempera ture. The current cha rge level and the
perfo rmance of the battery a re determined base d
on this .
Idling current management
The idling cur rent m an age ment decreases the
energy used while parked . With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distrib ution
to the different e lectr ica l components. Data from
the battery d iagnosis is taken into account for
th is.
Depend ing on the battery charge leve l, electrical
equipment is switched off one item after the oth ­
er, to prevent the battery from drain ing and to
maintain the sta rting ability.
Dynamic energy management
W hile driv ing, dynam ic energy man agement dis ­
tributes the appropr iate amo unt of energy to the
electrica l eq uipment. It contro ls t he battery
charge level so that mo re energy is not used then
i s be ing generated in order to maintain an opti­
mal battery c harge level.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics. Note that the charge level
and length of the battery life are limited.
- When the sta rting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light t urns on¢
page 31 .

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 a,
-Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions.
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter
c:> page 328.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
c:> page 242, Loading the luggage compar tment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
Driving safety
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
lision like this.
A WARNING
= -
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in­
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com­
plaints, it may open an investiga­
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and ""'
243