911 Crazy

Was out teaching my boy about driving and was showing him the emergency brake and pedal and how to use in an emergency when the regular brakes would fail. So I was thinking about the electronic parking brakes that the A8/S8's have and wonder if they can be used in an emergency situation to slow the vehicle? Searched and could not find anything. TIA

Jack88

Yes they can. When you finally get one, the owners manual will go over the operation in detail. If I recall, the gist of it is just pull on the button as if you were setting the brake and it will engage and slow you down. I think you can even 'pump' it to avoid overheating it, but I'd have to pull out a manual and check.

mishar

A8 parking brake actually can be used as emergency brake. If actuated while driving it use ABS system just like you pressed brake pedal as hard as you can. In very unlikely case that main system fails it would still work like parking brake but that won't be much of braking.

mishar

If you pull the switch for just a second or so at the time you can control braking. Pull it longer and your passenger will kiss the windshield.

You can brake with your cruise control switch too.

the_duke

Even if cruise isn't engaged? And I'm assuming this only works if equipped with ACC.

uberwgn

DJ, all cars sold in the USA since Jan 1968 must have some sort of emergency braking system (FMVSS 105).

911 Crazy

All great answers and much appreciated. I guess for as advanced as the car is, it figures that Audi had that covered.

mishar

I think that cruise control should be engaged but it could be just regular one.

Greybeast

Interesting. Now, how about if you did the 'Parking Brake Launch' modification? Any different?

aTOMic

Okay, I guess my (Grumpy Old Man) age is showing since I have to ask; is this actually "something"?
I've missed a lot since I've been spending far too little time on the 'net lately. Computer problems combined with life challenges...
As for the G.O.M. aspect, does the car really need to launch any harder? Are you a top fuel dragster professionally and so the 8 seems slow off the line for ya?

My understanding (from owner's manual and SSP research) is that pulling the parking brake at speed for emergency braking would be a good way to clean out your trunk (everything - including leaves, lint, etc. - would be vertically stacked against the trunk/seatback divider), as well as to find everything you and the previous owner(s) ever dropped under the seat.
Lastly any rear seat passengers who were stupid enough to ride unrestrained would find themselves in a windshield kissing (read: breaking) contest with any stupids in the front.

Last week some typical Tennessee driver decided to glance up from her texting at 50 MPH just in time to discover the rude folks in front of her had stopped for a traffic light! Her solution was to jerk the wheel right into my lane which was unimpeded, and to do it so hard that her car was travelling sideways blocking any evasive action I could've taken.. I stood on the brakes and cleaned out my trunk (and nearly my rectum), found my old pocketknife and $~2.00 in change, and - what really pissed me off - my 66 pound Lab pup found herself thrown from the couch the folded down rear seats create (I was in the Passat) to the passenger floorboard so fast I didn't even see it happen! Luckily I know just who to call in such situations and THP had her not even two miles from the scene as I returned from picking up my kid. Evidently they were thoughtfully helping her clean her car out, too; they had many different glass bud vases, bottles and bric-a-brac on the roof of her car! How thoughtful! They even indulged her S&M proclivities by handcuffing her and laying her face-down onto the hood of her car! Carma (sic): the THP had their own K9 helping out! Not normally one to indulge in das schadenfreude, I resisted the urge to stop and introduce myself to her didn't even honk).
But I digress...

That said, there has been more than one occasion while travelling alone on a deserted highway when I've eyed that switch and wondered if the previous owners ever lost any expensive jewelry in the car...

-Tom