Audi A8 2018 Owner's Manual page 92

Trailer towing
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place 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 t he additional load . Make sure that
the cooling system has enough fluid .
Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label ~ page 293 . Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and t ire 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 will 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
~ 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 vehicle
after
coupling the trailer or
after
adjust ing the tongue weight ~ page 113.
@
Note
- Changes in temperature or load can affect
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 highly unstable distr ibut ion of weight. 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 t hat the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissib le, while
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle 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
condit ions are unfavorable - particularly whe n
going downhill.
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 engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fail.
ll-