- Industry: Automotive
- Number of terms: 4813
- Number of blossaries: 0
- Company Profile:
A subsidiary of Volkswagen, the Audi Group, comprising the two brands Audi and Lamborghini, is one of the world’s leading carmakers in the premium and supercar segment. The core of the Company is the Audi brand. It offers its products under both the Audi and Lamborghini brands, as well as sells ...
Tiptronic, which is available with six speeds, features dynamic shift program (DSP), key lock, and shift lock. All gear changes take place without any interruption in engine power. Tiptronic also allows the driver to override automatic mode by moving the lever into a second shift gate, which permits, for example, downshifting on winding mountain roads to increase the braking effect of the engine, or a particularly sporty driving style. Six-speed Tiptronic has wider transmission spacing, thus reducing fuel consumption and noise level as it increases ride comfort. On all models, an additional sport program delays upshifts for a sportier driving style. Shift quality has been further improved thanks to electronics integrated directly into the transmission.
Industry:Automotive
The tire mobility system is a repair kit with which the driver can quickly and easily fix air leaks. The kit contains sealant and a 12-volt compressor to inflate the tire. In this way damage caused by foreign objects (up to 6 mm in diameter) can be reliably sealed. The tire mobility system is thus a lightweight, space-saving alternative to the conventional spare tire. It makes it possible to drive (at a maximum of 80 km/h) to the nearest workshop. Models having the tire mobility system as standard equipment can be supplied instead with a temporary spare wheel.
Industry:Automotive
The tire pressure monitoring system notifies drivers when tire pressure is above or below acceptable levels. It oversees the pressure in all four tires while the car is being driven and warns the driver in the event of pressure loss with symbols in the driver information display. The system is intended to assist drivers in monitoring tire pressure, but is not a substitute for regular maintenance of the correct tire pressure.
Industry:Automotive
The tool kit lets the driver perform simple servicing tasks such as changing tires. It contains all the necessary items including the jack, screwdriver and wrenches as well as wheel mounting aid and tow-rope eye. Wheel changes are not always necessary: Audi vehicles can also be equipped with the tire mobility system.
Industry:Automotive
Torque is what causes rotational speed to change. Just as greater net forces cause greater linear accelerations, greater torques cause greater rotational or angular accelerations. Usually noted in pound/feet, torque is particularly significant when a vehicle moves from rest to motion, as in acceleration. Along with horsepower, torque is a key measure of engine performance.
Industry:Automotive
For today’s typical high-torque engines, a form of wheelslip regulation or traction control (ASR) can increase both comfort and safety, particularly on surfaces with differing coefficients of friction or on slippery roads. It makes smooth starts and acceleration possible through all speed ranges without wheel-spin or fishtailing.
ASR only operates in conjunction with the electronic accelerator (E gas) and uses components of the anti-lock brake system (ABS). If one wheel suddenly begins to rotate faster than the others (slip), ASR intervenes in the engine management system and reduces power until the wheel stops spinning.
ASR improves traction and can help the driver maintain control even if the limit of adhesion is inadvertently reached while cornering. In addition, it reduces tire wear. ASR activation, is indicated by a flashing light in the instrument cluster; it works with the electronic differential lock (EDL) and it is also part of the electronic stabilization program (ESP). ASR can be deactivated with the ESP switch.
Industry:Automotive
Trapezoidal-link rear suspension permits excellent performance, handling, and comfort. The rear wheel is fixed by an upper lateral control arm and a trapezoidal lower link with a tie rod behind it. For reduced weight on Audi models, the trapezoidal link is a hollow aluminum casting. The upper control arm is also hollow.
Industry:Automotive
Turbochargers are the most usual means of forced aspiration used on motor vehicles. They work as follows: a turbine wheel uses the energy in the exhaust to drive a compressor wheel on the same shaft, (but in the intake air flow). It compresses the intake air and forces it into the cylinders. This supplies the engine with more oxygen for the combustion process. Compared with a naturally aspirated engine with the same displacement, the turbocharger increases power and torque as well as efficiency. Exceptionally high-performance engines in certain Audi models even have two turbochargers (“biturbo”).
In the past, increased power was the main reason for using a turbocharger, but today energy conservation and reduced emissions are the primary reasons, together with good performance. Many modern diesel engines have turbochargers with variable turbine geometry (VTG). The angle of the blades changes according to engine load.
Industry:Automotive
In addition to the dynamic cornering light, the adaptive light of the Audi A8 contains a turning light. The turning light is an additional headlight that allows the driver to see round corners when turning off in the dark. It is located in the headlight unit of the Audi A8 between the dipped and main-beam lights. The turning light is only active at speeds below 40 mph and with the dipped beam switched on. It comes on automatically if the indicator is activated for some time or if the driver steers sharply. The new direction of travel is illuminated as soon as the indicator is activated. If reverse gear is engaged, the turning light is activated automatically on both sides of the vehicle to improve orientation when reversing.
Industry:Automotive
If a collision should occur, intelligent sensors trigger off the occupant restraint systems at the correct moment. The heart of the system is the airbag control unit, which decides whether or not the airbag should be inflated and ignites the safety belt pretensioner and the airbag inflating system according to the nature and severity of the crash. This system has two decentral sensors and is capable of determining the pattern and violence of a frontal impact at a very early stage.
Since these sensors, which measure acceleration, are located in the vehicle’s front impact-absorbing zone, they are referred to as ‘up-front’ sensors. They supply signals to the control unit that enable it to detect the severity of the impact as early as possible.
Further information to enable crash severity to be measured and plausibility checked is obtained by measuring vehicle deceleration in the central control unit.
Industry:Automotive
