Four-Wheel Drive (Quattro®); Power Management - Audi A4 Owner's Manual

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226 Intelligent technology
Applies to vehicles: with four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive (quattro
On quattro models the engine power is distributed to all
four wheels
General notes
On four-wheel drive vehicles, the engine power is distributed to all
four wheels. The distribution of power is controlled automatically
according to your driving style and the road conditions. Also refer
to ⇒ page 222, "Description".
The four-wheel drive is specially designed to complement the supe-
rior engine power of your Audi. This combination gives the car
exceptional handling and performance capabilities – both on
normal roads and in more difficult conditions, such as snow and ice.
Even so (or perhaps especially for this reason), it is important to
observe certain safety points ⇒
Winter tyres
Thanks to its four-wheel drive, your car will have plenty of traction
in winter conditions, even with the standard tyres. Nevertheless, we
still recommend that winter tyres or all-season tyres should be fitted
on all four wheels when winter road conditions are expected, mainly
because this will give a better braking response.
Snow chains
On roads where snow chains are mandatory, this also applies to cars
with four-wheel drive ⇒ page 273, "Snow chains".
Replacing tyres
On vehicles with four-wheel drive, all four tyres must have the same
rolling circumference. Also avoid using tyres with varying tread
depths ⇒ page 270, "Replacing wheels and tyres".
Off-roader?
®
)
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an
off-road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and
uneven terrain as much as possible.
speed to suit the conditions. Do not let the extra safety provided
tempt you into taking any risks when driving – this can cause acci-
dents.
In this respect, your car is no different from a car without four-
wheel drive. So do not be tempted to drive too fast on icy or slip-
pery roads just because the car still has good acceleration in these
conditions (accident risk).
.
"aquaplane" and lose contact with the road if the car is driven too
fast. If this should happen, there will be no sudden increase in
engine speed to warn the driver, as with a front-wheel drive car. So
do not drive too fast in the wet: adjust your speed to suit the
conditions (accident risk).

Power management

This system helps to ensure reliable starting
The power management controls the distribution of elec-
trical energy and thus helps to ensure that there is always
enough power available to start the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional electrical system is left parked for a
long time, the battery will gradually lose its charge because certain
electrical equipment (such as the immobiliser) continues to draw
WARNING
Even with four-wheel drive, you should always adjust your
The braking ability of your car is limited by the grip of the tyres.
On wet roads bear in mind that the front wheels may start to