2018 AUDI A8 brake

Drivin g
During emergency braking, your vehicle will
brake sim ilar to heavy brak ing. ESC and the
associated components (ABS, ASR, EDL)
cannot overcome the laws of physics . In cor­
ners and when road or weather cond it ions
are bad, a full b rake applicat ion ca n cause
the vehicle to skid o r the rear end to swerve,
wh ic h increases the r is k of an accident.
- If the powe r supply fa ils, you cannot set the
par king b rake if it is re leased. In th is case,
par k the vehicle on level ground and secure
it by placing the selector lever in the P posi­
tion . See an authorized Audi dea ler or a u­
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
- Always take the vehicle key with you when
leaving your vehicle, even fo r a short period
of time . This applies particular ly w hen ch il­
dren rema in in the vehicle. Otherwise ch il­
dren could start the engine, release the
park ing brake or operate electrical eq uip­
ment such as powe r windows, which in­
c reases the risk of an acc ident.
- No one sho uld rema in in the vehicle when it
is locked - especially ch ild ren. Locked doo rs
make it mo re diff icu lt fo r eme rgency wor k­
ers to get into the vehicle, which puts lives
at r is k .
0) Tips
When stopping at a traffic s ignal or stopping
in c ity traffic, you can set the parking b rake
manually. The vehicle does no t have to be
he ld w it h t he br ake peda l. The parking b rake
elim ina tes the tendency to creep when a se ­
lecto r lever position is engaged . As soon as
you p ress t he accelerator pedal, the parking
brake releases automat ica lly and your vehicle
starts to move
c::, page 82.
(D Tips
- Occasiona l noises when the parking brake is
set and re leased a re normal and a re not a
cause for concer n.
- The park ing bra ke goes thro ugh a se lf-test
cycle at regular intervals when the ve hicle is
stopped. Any noises associated w ith this a re
normal.
82
- If there is a powe r fail ure, the par king b rake
wi ll not set if it is released, and it wi ll not
re lease if it is
set ~.&. . See an a uth orized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Se rvice Fa­
cility for assistance.
Starting to drive
Various convenience and safety f unct ions may be
available when the vehicle begins dr iving, de­
pendi ng on vehicle equipment .
Starting on hills with th e pa rking brake set
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the driver's safety belt must be fastened.
.,. To sta rt driving comfortably when on a h ill, set
the parking brake and begin driving as usu a l.
The braking force of the parking brake does not
release automatically unt il the whee ls build up
enoug h driving force.
Starting on hills with hill hold assist
Hill hold assis t makes it easier to start on hills.
Requireme nt: the d rive r's doo r must be closed
and t he engine must be runn ing.
.,. To activate h ill hold assist, press and hold the
brake pedal for several seco nds . The vehicle
m ust be in an uphill d irect io n of t ravel.
After re leas ing the brake pedal, the brak ing pow­
er is maintained for a brief moment
c::, &. to pre ­
vent the veh icle from rolli ng back w hen starting.
Du ring this t ime, you can easily begin to move
yo ur vehicle.
_8. WARNING
Applies to: vehicles with hill hold assist
-If you do not beg in d riving immed iate ly or
the engine stalls after releasing the bra ke
pedal, your veh icle may beg in to roll back­
ward. Press the brake pedal or set the park­
ing brake immedia tely.
- The inte lligent technology of hill ho ld assist
cannot ove rcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural p hys ica l laws. The increased comfort
offe red by hill ho ld assist should not cause
you to t ake safety r is ks.

Drivin g
you can s hift past the N and R se lector lever
positions.
Selector lever lock
The se lector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
ing a posit ion un intent ionally, causing the vehicle
to ro ll. When engaging some selector lever posi­
tions, you must press the button on the selector
lever ¢ fig. 96 and/or press the brake pedal.
You must p ress t he brake pedal to engage a se­
lector lever posit ion when the engine is running
and the vehicle is stationary . The arrows ¢
fig. 97
indicate when you need to press the button on
the selector lever.
The se lector lever does not lock if you shift from
D to R within one second . This a llows you to
"rock" the vehicle to free it when it is stuck.
P - Park
This se lecto r lever position p revents the veh icle
from roll ing. Only s hift into park w hen the veh i­
cle is
stationary ¢.&. . To engage the P selector
lever position, press the button on the selector
lever and s hift into t he P position .
You can on ly shift out of pa rk when the engine is
running and you are pressing the brake peda l. To
release the parking lock . press the b utton on the
selector lever and select the desired position .
P engages automat ically when you switch the en­
gine
off while D, Sor R is engaged or in manual
mode .
I f you sw itch the engine off w hen the N pos ition
is selected, the t ransm iss ion rema ins in N fo r ap ­
p roximate ly 30 minutes and then Pis engaged .
You must use the park ing lock emergency release
befo re towing the
vehicle¢ page 88.
R- Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this pos ition. Only
select reverse gear when the veh icle is stationary
and the eng ine is running at idle
speed ¢.&, . To
e n gage the R selecto r leve r pos it ion, press the
button on the selector lever, p ress the brake ped ­
a l and move the se lector lever into the R pos it io n .
84
The reverse lights turn on when you select the R
selector lever position whi le the engine is run­
ning.
N -Neutral (idle )
The transmission is in idle in th is position. To en ­
gage the N selector leve r position, press the but ­
ton on the selector lever and shift into the N po ­
sition .
If you switc h the eng ine
off when the N pos it io n
i s selected, the transmission remains in N for ap ­
proximately 30 minutes and then Pis engaged.
Yo u cannot se lect t he N pos it ion when the ig ni­
t ion is switched
off. When dr iv ing t hrough an au ­
tomat ic car wash, fi rst select the N position and
t h en turn the engine off ¢
page 306.
For safety reasons, the veh icle cannot be loc ked
whe n the t ransmiss io n is in t he N pos it io n.
D IS -Driving forward
When the transm ission is in the D/S posit ion, it
can be operated e ither in the normal D mode or
i n the S sport mode. Move the selector lever back
to engage the S sport mode. You ca n only select
t h e S se lector lever position when D is engaged.
To se lect the D selector lever position again w hen
S is engaged, move the selector lever
back¢ &..
To s hift from N to D w hen traveling at speeds be­
l ow 1 mp h (2 km/h), press the br ake pedal and
shi ft into the D
position ¢.&. .
In the normal mod e D, the transmission auto­
matically selec ts the su itable gear ratio .
It de­
pends on engine load , veh icle speed a nd d rivi ng
sty le.
Se lect the
s port mod e S for spo rty d riving. The
vehicle makes f ull use of the eng ine's power.
S hi ft ing may become no ticeable when acceler at­
i ng .
The S se lecto r lever posit io n engages automat i­
ca lly w hen you sele ct dynamic mode in d rive se­
l ect .
& WARNING
-The vehi cle can roll even if the ignit ion is
switched
off .
-

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' -To reduce the risk of an accident, never se ­
lect the R or P posit ions w hile d riving.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the w heels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle. To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake i n all se lector
lever posi tions (except P and N) when the
eng ine is ru nning. Do not inadvertent ly
press the acce le ra to r pedal whe n the veh icle
is sta tionary. Oth e rw ise the vehicle will s tart
to move immed iate ly, even if t he pa rking
bra ke is set . This could r esult in a crash.
- B efore open ing the hood, se lect t he P s ele c­
to r leve r pos it ion and se t the pa rk ing br ake.
T his red uces the r is k of an accident. Always
read and fo llow the applicable warnings
¢ page 2 72, Working in the engine com ­
partment.
- Never leave yo ur vehicle with the engine
running wh ile in gear. If yo u must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is ru nning, set
the parking brake and move t he se lector lev­
er to the P pos ition .
(D Tips
If you accidentally se lect N w hile driving, take
your foot off the acce lerato r peda l and wa it
for the engine to s low down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.,. T he selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
s it ion.
St arting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Start the engine¢ page 76.
.. Press the button o n the selector lever and se ­
lect the D, Sor R selector lever pos ition
¢ page 83 .
.,. Wait a moment unt il the t ransm iss ion shifts .
Yo u will no tice a slight movement when t he
gear engages.
.. Release t he brake pedal and press the acce le ra­
tor pedal
¢ ,&. .
Driving
Various convenience functions are available for
starting on hi lls
¢ page 82.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Press the bra ke pedal to stop the ve hicle, for
examp le a t a tra ffic lig ht. Do not press the ac­
celerator pedal when doing this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from ro ll ing when you
start driving, set the pa rking brake when stop ­
ping on steep
hills ¢&. and ¢@ .
.. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start movi ng once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /par king
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle cou ld roll.
The message
V ehicle may roll! Selector le ver not
in P
appears.
.. Press and hold the b rake peda l¢ ,&. .
.. Set the park ing brake.
.. To engage the P selector lever position, press
the button on the selector lever and shift into
the P position ¢ page 83 .
Under certain conditions, such as driving in the
mountains or when towing a trai ler, it may be
helpful to switch to manual mode temporar ily
and shift manually to adapt to the drivi ng cond i­
tions ¢ page 86 .
On hills, activate the park ing brake first and then
shift into the P
position ¢ page 81 . This prevents
too much stress from being p laced on the lock ing
mechan ism .
.&, WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even if t he ignit ion is
sw itche d off .
- D o not press the acce le rato r peda l when
cha ng ing the se lec to r lever posi tion while
t he ve hicle is s ta ti onary and the engi ne is
r u nning . This could result in a crash.
- T o redu ce the r is k of an accident, neve r se ­
lec t the R o r P posi tions while driv ing.
- P owe r is still tr ansmit ted to t he wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle . T o pr e­
vent the vehicle from "creepi ng", yo u must
-
85

Driving
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except P and N) when the
engine is running.
- Do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could result in a crash.
~ Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­ lected . This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it . Set the parking
brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is fastened.
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 position and you press the
brake pedal. The transmission automatically se­
lects a gear that is suitable for the hill. Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
When operating the cruise control system
c::> page 93, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
86
A WARNING
, -
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shifting
The shi~ paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually.
Fig. 98 Steering whee l: shi fting manually
.. To shift to a higher or lower gear temporarily,
tap the
0 or 0 shift paddle <=:>fig. 98.
.. To switch manual mode on, press the ~ but­
ton. Mand the gear that is currently engaged
@ appear in the instrument cluster display
c::> page 83, fig. 95 .
.,. 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
0 .
.,. To switch manual mode off, press the ['.fl but-
ton again, or
.. Move the selector lever back and release it.
When you accelerate or reduce the speed, the
transmission automatically shifts into the correct
gear shortly before reaching the RPM limit. If you
select a lower gear than the one currently shown
in the display, the automatic transmission will
only shift down once there is no danger of ex­
ceeding the maximum RPM.
The engine braking effect increases when you
downshift when going downhill.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­ miss ion downshifts into a lower gear and the en­
g ine utilizes its full power, depend ing on veh icle
speed and engine RPM . It shifts up into the next
h igher gea r once the maximum spec ified eng ine
RP M i s reached .
A WARNING
Please note tha t the wheels could sp in o n
slick or slippery roads when kick -down is ac­
tive.
Overboost
Applies to: S8 plus
-
The maximum engine torque is temporarily in ­
creased in overboost. Overboost is activated
when nearing full throttle in the S position and
when the engine is at operat ing temperature .
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin o n
slick or sl ippery roads when overboost is ac­
t ive.
Transmission malfunction
Tran sm iss ion : selector l eve r in drive!
-
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
Select the P se lector lever position .
rm Transm issio n: Please p res s bra ke pedal and
s e lect ge ar aga in
Press the brake pedal and se lect the desired se ­
lector lever posit ion aga in. You can then continue
driving.
rm T ransmi ssion o verh ea ting : Ple ase d rive con­
servat ively
The t ransm iss ion tempera ture h as increased s ig ­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re -
Driving
turns to the normal range and t he indicator light
switches of .
rm Transmi ssion malfunction : You can continue
driving
T here is a system malfu nction in the transmis­
s io n. You may cont inue d riving. Dr ive to an au­
thorized Aud i dea le r or a uthorized Audi Serv ice
F ac ility soon to have t he malfunct io n cor rected.
[O] liJ Transmission malfunc tion: You can con­
tinu e driving in D un til engine i s off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion . The transm ission is switch ing to emergency
mode .
If you turn the engine off, you w ill not be
able to select any othe r se lector lever positions
after sta rting the engine ag ain. Drive to an a u­
tho rized Aud i de aler or authorized Audi Serv ice
F acility immediate ly to have the ma lfunction cor ­
rected .
rm Transmi ssion malfunction : You can continue
driving with limited functionalit y
There is a system malfu nction in the transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. This mode only sh ifts i nto ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift a t all. T he eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
[O] liJ Tran smi ssio n malfunction : No rev ers e
g ear. You can c ontinue dri ving
T he re is a system malfu nction in t he transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rge ncy
mode. This mode only sh ifts into ce rtain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The engine may sta ll.
You cannot engage the reverse gear . Drive to an
authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facility immed iate ly to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
[O] Vehicle ma y roll! Cannot sh ift to P. Please
appl y par king brake
-The parking loc k was released using the emer -
gency
re lease ¢ page 88 . Or ..,.
87

Driving
-The park ing lock can no longer be engaged.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immed iately to have
the malfunction corrected.
rm Transmission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to park.
Do not continue driving. Select the P selec tor lev­
er position and contact an authorized Audi dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for assistance.
Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle.
®
Fig. 99 Drive r's side footwe ll: releasin g t he parking lock
u sin g th e emergency release
Fig . 100 Dr iver's s ide footwell: resett ing the park ing lock
The emergency re lease is located under the floor
mat on the driver 's side. You operate the emer­
gency release from the driver's seat.
Releasing the parking lock using the
emergency release
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the parking brake(®)
¢ page 81 or
press the brake pedal.
88
.,. Th ere are two slits on the cover. Position the
screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit in one of
the s lits on the cover and pry the cover off.
.,. Pull the band ® in the direction of the arrow
until the release lever locks in place
¢ fig. 99 .
.,. Fold the upper sect ion of the release lever
down into th e recess.
Resetting the parking lock
.,. Press the button @ and the release lever at the
same time. You can now push the lever back in­
to its original posit ion. Make sure the lever
locks in
place ¢ fig. 100 .
.,. Install the cover .
When the parking lock emergency release is
used, the
rm indicator light and the N selector
lever posit ion turn on in the instrument cluster.
The message
Vehicle may roll! Cannot shift to P.
Please apply parking brake
also appears .
.&, WARNING
-
If you release the parking lock using the
emergency release, secure your vehicle with
the pa rking brake or the brake pedal if the
parking brake is not working. The vehicle can
ro ll away if it is not secured and cause a crash.

lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c ' 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, econo­ my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trailer, you must ac­
tivate the trailer operation mode
c:> page 89, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount. Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
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 modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the trailer hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from behind
£:=? .&, .
Trailer towing
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions.
T he trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be sure
to check with your Audi dealer for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear .
.,&. WARNING
-After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instruction s
Fig. 101 MMI display: towing mode o n
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
89

Trailer towing
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
p la ce 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 engine work harder . It
is important that the coo ling system's perform­
ance is up to t he 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 ma nufactu rers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
Check to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly .
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are proper ly 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 we ight. The vehicle must be in
auto or
comfort driving mode and not ra ised
~ page 111, ~0 .
Make sure that the vehicle is lowered. In Info­
tainment, select:
ICARI function butto n> Lower
control button.
90
If you must drive under poor road conditions, you
can raise the ve hicle
after coupling the trailer or
after adjust ing the tongue we ight ~ page 113.
@ Note
-Changes in temperature or load can aff ect
the height of the vehicle .
-Always select auto or comfort mode. Other­
wise, the tong ue load specified for your ve­
hicle will no longer be applicab le .
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 hig hly unstable distribution of we ight. If th is
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid t he risk of losing steering contro l.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle s hould be loaded
to
the extent possible and permissib le, w hil e
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 difficu lt 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 whe n
go ing down hill.
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.
A lways 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.
ll-