2018 AUDI A8 ground clearance

Cockpit overview
A WARNING
Do not tow your veh icle when there is a mal­
function in the electronic steering lock
-this
increases the risk of an accident.
@-Engine start system
-
• Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
Do not switch the ignit ion off because you may
not be able to switch it o n aga in .
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected.
ml Engine start system fault. Please contact
dealer
There is a malfunction in the engine starting sys­
tem .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected .
0 Air suspension
• Air suspension: System fault You can contin­
ue driving slowly (max. speed 35 mph)
There is a malfunction that can result in restrict­
ed driving stability .
Drive to an autho rized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Service Facility immediately at a maximum
speed of 35 mph (60 km/h) to have the ma lf unc­
tion corrected.
• Air suspension: Service mode. Vehicle can
only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to
have the serv ice mode deactivated.
rl Air suspension : System fault
There is a system malfunction that can result in
restricted driving stability or reduced ground
clearance.
22
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
rl Air suspension: Vehicle too low Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a system
malfunction . Wait u ntil the air su spension sys­
tem has restored normal gro un d clearance. Oth­
erwise, conditions s uch as an uneven road surface
can lead to ve hicle damage.
;;.I C; Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC)
If the bl indicator light blinks while driving, the
ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is act ively regu­
lating.
If the
Jjj indicator light turns on, the system has
switched the ESC off. In this case, you can switch
the ignit ion off and then on to switch the ESC on
again. The indicator light turns off when the sys­
tem is functioning fully .
If the
II indicator light turns on, the ESC was
switched off using the
Im button Q page 12 7.
Stabilization control (ESC/ ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the bl ind icat or light and the ABS indicato r
li ght
fJ] (U SA mode ls)/ [iJ (Canada models)
turn on and this message appears, there is a mal ­
function in the ABS system or electronic differen­
tia l lock. This also causes the ESC to malfunction .
The brakes still function with their normal power, but ABS is not active .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
If the la (USA mode ls) . (Canada mod­
els) brake system indicator light turns on to­
gethe r with the ABS and ESC indicator lights,
the ABS and ESC r egulating function may
ha ve malfunctioned. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer available. This could
cause the vehicle to swerve, which increases

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Driving
General information
Breaking in
A new veh icle must be broken in for the first
1,000 m iles ( 1,500 km). Do not dr ive at speeds
that will ex ceed 2/3 of the max imum perm itted
engine speed (RPM) for the first 600 miles
(1,000 km), and avoid full acceleration 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
h igher internal friction than later on when all
moving parts have settled into p lace with each
other.
How the vehicle is driven d uring the first 1,000
miles (1 ,500 km) also affects t he engine quality .
Drive at moderate engine speeds after the initial
break-in per iod, part icu larly when running a cold
engine . Th is will reduce eng ine wear and improve
the m ileage .
Do not drive at too
low of an engine speed (RPM).
Shift down if the engine stops running "smooth­ ly". Extremely high eng ine speeds are automati­
cally reduced .
New tires
If your vehicle is running on new t ires, dr ive pa r­
ticularly ca refu l for the first 350 miles (500 kilo­
mete rs) after fi tting .
A WARNING
New tires tend to be s lippery and must also
be "broken -in" . Be sure to remember this dur­
ing the first 350 miles (500 ki lometers).
Brake gently . Avo id following closely behind
other vehicles or other situations that might
require sudden, hard brak ing .
-
Driving
Reducing the risk of vehicle damage
(UJ) Note
When dr iv ing o n poor roads, by curbs and on
steep ramps, make sure that low -hanging
components such as the spoiler and exhaust
system do not come into contact with these
or they co uld be damaged. This espec ia lly ap­
plies to vehicles w ith low ground clearance
and vehicles that are heav ily loaded.
Driving through water on roads
Note the following to reduce the risk of veh icle
damage when dr iving through wate r, fo r example
o n flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the bot­
tom of the veh icle body .
- Do not dr ive faster than walk ing speed .
A WARNING
-
After driv ing through water or mud, the effec ­
tiveness of the b rakes may be reduced due to
moisture o n the brake rotors and brake pads.
A few ca refu l bra ke app lications sho uld d ry
off the brakes and restore the fu ll braki ng ef ­
fect.
(UJ) Note
- Vehicle components such as t he e ng ine,
t ra nsmission, suspe nsion or elect rical sys­
t em can be seve re ly damaged by driv ing
throug h water .
- Alw ays sw itch the Start/Stop system off
w hen driv ing th ro ugh water
q poge 78.
(D Tips
- Determine the depth before d riving throug h
wate r.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
sw itch t he e ngine off when d riving through
wate r.
- Keep in mind that o ncom ing vehicles may
cr eate waves that raise the wa ter level and
m ak e it too deep for yo ur vehicle to drive
throug h safe ly.
73

Ass is tanc e system s
In the sporty dynamic mode, the transmission
shifts at higher speed ranges.
Air su spen sion
The adaptive air suspension/adaptive air suspen­
sion spo rt* is an e lectron ica lly contro lled a ir sus ­
pens ion and damping system . The adjustment
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 sett ing is generally used in vehicles
with adap tive a ir suspension sport*.
The vehicle ground clearance depends on the mode se lected and the speed . When you are in
the auto or dynamic mode, the h ighway sett ing is
activated when you dr ive 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 .
Stee ring
The power steer ing adap ts . Indirect steer ing that
moves easily as in comfort mode is especially
suited to long drives on a h ighway . The dynam ic
mode p rovides spo rty , d irect steering.
Applies to: vehicles with dynamic steering
The steering ratio changes based on vehicle
speed in order to ma intain optimum steering ef­
fort for the dr ive r at all times . This sets the steer­
i n g to be less sensit ive at hig he r speeds in o rder
to p rovide imp roved vehicle contro l. At reduced
speeds, steer ing is more direct in order to keep
the steering effort as minima l as possib le when
the driv er is maneuvering the v ehicl e. At low and
average speeds, dynamic steering* addit ionally
provides more responsive steering performance.
Sport diff ere ntial *
As a component of the all wheel drive system (quattro)
¢ page 131, the sport differential dis ­
tributes the driving power to the rear axle de ­
pending on the situation. The distribution of
power va ries from balanced (comfort) to sporty
(dynamic) depending on the selec ted mode . The
goal is a high level of agility and ab il ity to accel ­
erate on curves . The ve hicle is very respons ive to
steer ing .
112 Corn
ering light *
The co rnering ligh t adapts the hig h beams to the
direction of the curve depending on the speed.
The pivoting action and the lighting also adapt to
the mode.
Adaptive cruise cont rol*
The be hav io r whe n accelerat ing ca n 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 cons ervative or sporty manner.
Engine sound *
The eng ine sound adapts to the c urrent mode
and can be subtle to spo rty.
{[» Note
- Make s ure there is enough clearance above
and be low the vehicle when pa rk ing . T he
heig ht of t he ve hicle can change on ce it is
parked d ue to temperature fluctuations,
changes to the load conditions and changes
to the driv ing modes, which can affect clear­
ance .
- When transporting the vehicle on a car car ­
rier, train, ship or by other means, on ly tie
the vehicle down at the runn ing surface of
the tires, which is the outer c ircumference.
Securing the vehicle at the axle compo­
nents, suspens ion struts o r tow ing eyes is
not pe rm itted because the p ressure i n the
air suspe nsion s truts ca n change d uring
t ra nspo rt. The vehi cle may not be secu red
sufficiently i f th i s happens.
(D Tips
- In some mo dels, the max imum ve hicle
speed can only be reached in t he auto and
dynamic modes.
- Th e S se lector lever posi tion a utomat ic all y
engages if the dynami c mode is selected.
- In ve hicl es tha t h ave dynam ic stee rin g*, op ­
erat ing no ise is he ard when sta rting o r stop ­
ping the engine . This does no t indi ca te a
prob lem.

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' Selecting the driving mode
.,. To se lect t he mode , se lect the following in the
Infota inment : ICAR !f u nct io n button>
Comfort ,
Auto , D ynami c or Individual.
You can change t he d riving mode when the vehi­
cle is stat ionary o r w hil e d riving. If traffic per­
m its, after cha ng ing modes, br iefly take yo ur
foot off the accelerator peda l so that t he recen tly
se lected mode is a lso activated for the engine.
Comfort -provides a comfort-o rie nted ve hicle
setup and is su ited for long dr ives on hig hways .
Adjusting the Individual mode
Ass istance systems
Auto -provides an overa ll comfortab le yet dy ­
namic driving feel and is suited for everyday use .
Dynamic -gives the dr ive r a spo rty d riving fee l
and is suited to a sporty driv ing style .
Individual -~page 113 .
A WARNING
Pay attention to t raff ic w hen ope rating the
dr ive sele ct to redu ce the r is k of a n accident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,. Select : the !CA RI fu nction button > Set individ­
ual
control button . Once you select the me nu,
you w ill automatically d rive in t he
Individual
mode.
comfort
Engine /transmission
balan ced
Air suspension comfortable
Steering co mfo rtable The equ
ipment in you r vehicle will determ ine
wh ich sett ings you can adjust . The follow ing ta­
ble g ives a n overv iew of t he cha racte ristics.
auto dynamic
balan ced sporty
b alanced sporty
ba lan ced sporty
Dynamic steering * comfortable/ ind i- balanced/direc t sporty/direct
rect
Sport differential * balanced
Adaptive cruise control * comfortable
Engine sound* subtle
a> Sub tle in t he se lector leve r po sit io n D and sporty in S.
(D Tips
Your Individual mode settings are automati ­
cally stored an d assigned to the remote con ­
trol key be ing used.
Raising/lowering the vehicle
Raising the vehicle
.,. Se lect the following in the Infota inment sys­
tem : the
!CAR! function button> Raise control
button .
.,. Wait for the arrows in the display to stop blink ­
i ng and the vehicle to reach its fi nal posit ion . ag
ile sporty
balanced sporty
subt le/spor ty al
sporty
Lowering the vehicle
.,. To lower the vehicle, se lect t he follow ing in the
I nfota inment system: the
ICAR! f u nct ion bu tto n
>
Lower cont ro l button .
.,. Wait for the a rrows i n the display to stop blink ­
ing and the veh icle to lower comp letely .
@ Note
-Remember t hat yo ur vehicle is not s uitab le
for driving offroa d eve n when it is ra ised.
There is not enough ground clearance.
- If the vehicle is raised, it wi ll lower auto ­
matically when driving 62 mph (100 km/h)
o r faster.
113

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' The steering wheel will be easy to move after
starting the engine. Re-initialization might be
necessary if the steering whee l was moved hard
to the left and right while the vehicle was not
moving . The display turns off if the initia liz ation
was successful.
(D Tips
- If the . or l;:r-ij indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
-The dynamic steering stability systems
<=>page 127 are not available in the event of
a system malfunction.
-For additional informat ion on dynamic
steering, see
<=> page 111.
ALL wheel drive (quattro)
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered .
General information
In all wheel drive, the driving power is divided be­
tween a ll four wheels . This happens automatical ­
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
the current road conditions. Also see
<=> page 12 7, E lectronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) .
With the sport differential*, power distri­
bution to the rear wheels is variable and can be
adjusted using the drive select
<=>page 111.
The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power . Your vehicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and follo w safety pre ­
cautions<=>.&. .
Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward mot ion with standard tires in winter con­
ditions. However, in winter we recommend using
winter or all season tires on all four wheels, be­
cause this will improve the braking effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow cha in laws, snow chains must
a lso be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
<=> page 298, Snow chains .
Intelligent Technology
Replacing tires
For vehicles with all wheel drive, only wheels with
the same rolling circumference should be used.
Avoid using tires with different tread depths
<=> page 2 90, New tires or wheels.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle -there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficu lt terrain .
A WARNING ~ -
-Also, in vehicles with all whee l drive, adapt
your driving style to the current road and
traffic cond itions. Do not let the increased
safety prov ided tempt you into taking r isks,
because this increases the risk of an acci ­
dent.
- The braking ability of your vehicle is limited
to the traction of the wheels. In this way, it
is not different from a two wheel drive vehi­
cle. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slipp ery, be­
cause this incr eases the risk of an accident.
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydrop lane" if dr iv in g at speeds that
are too high . Unlike front wheel drive
vehicles, the engine does not rev higher sud­
den ly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning.
For this reason, adapt your speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci­
dent.
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 vehicle with a conventiona l energy sys­
tem is not driven for a long t ime, the vehicle bat­
te ry is drained by equipment (for example, the
immobilizer). In certain circumstances, there
cou ld may not be enough energy to start the en-
gine.
.,.
131