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VEHICLE CARE 
TIRES/WHEELS 
New tires 
New
 tires
 do not
 possess
 maximum trac
tion
 and
 should
 be
 driven
 at
 moderate 
 speeds
 and
 with
 caution
 for the
 first
 100 
miles (160 kilometers). 
Tire traction 
WARNING 
When driving on wet or slushy roads, a wedge of
 water
 may build up
 between 
the tires and the road. This phenome non is known as aquaplaning or hydro
planing and may cause
 partial
 or
 com
plete
 loss
 of traction, vehicle control or 
stopping ability. Always reduce speed 
on
 wet roads. 
 Tire service life 
The service
 life
 of
 your tires depends
 for 
the most
 part
 on the following factors: 
Tire pressures 
WARNING 
•
 Incorrect
 tire
 pressures cause 
increased
 tire
 wear
 and adversely 
affect
 road holding of the vehicle, lead ing to
 loss
 of control and personal 
injury. 
•
 Incorrect
 tire
 pressures can also 
lead to
 sudden
 deflation, resulting
 in
 an 
accident and personal injury. 
Check
 your
 tire
 pressures twice
 a
 month, 
and especially before taking
 a
 long
 trip.
 Be 
sure
 not to
 forget
 to
 check
 the
 spare tire. 
Always check
 tire
 pressures when the tires  are cold. When
 the
 tires
 are
 warm,
 the 
pressure
 will
 be
 higher.
 Do not
 reduce
 the 
pressure
 of
 warm tires. 
Use
 an accurate
 tire
 pressure gauge when 
checking inflation pressures.
 Do not 
exceed
 the
 maximum
 tire
 inflation pres sure listed
 on the
 tire
 sidewalk Cold
 tire 
inflation pressure means: when
 a
 vehicle 
has
 been standing
 for at
 least
 3
 hours
 or 
driven
 for
 less than 1 mile. 
Always include the spare
 tire
 during
 a
 pres sure check. 
Driving habits 
Fast
 cornering, heavy acceleration
 and 
hard braking all increase
 tire
 wear. 
Wheel balancing 
The
 front
 wheels
 on new
 vehicles
 are 
 balanced.
 When driving, however, various 
conditions can cause
 a
 wheel
 to
 become 
 unbalanced.
 This may
 be
 noticed as vibra
tions
 in the
 steering. 
Since
 tire
 imbalance
 can
 cause wear
 or 
the steering, suspension
 and
 tires,
 you 
should have your wheels rebalanced.
 A 
wheel should always
 be
 balanced
 if a
 nev, 
tire
 has
 been mounted
 or a
 tire
 was re
 paired. 
114 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
Tire
 care 
 Inspect your tires at least every 2,000 
miles (3,000 km) for wear and damage. 
WARNING 
• Avoid
 damaging
 tires
 and
 wheel 
rims.
 If you
 must
 drive
 over
 a
 curb
 or 
other
 obstacle,
 drive
 slowly
 and at an 
 angle.
 Frequently
 check
 tires
 for un
even
 wear
 and
 damage. 
•
 Remove
 imbedded
 material. 
•
 Replace
 worn
 or
 damaged
 tires 
immediately. 
•
 Replace
 missing
 valve
 dust
 caps. 
• Keep oil,
 fuel,
 brake
 fluid,
 etc.
 away 
from
 tires. 
• Keep
 tires
 inflated
 correctly. 
• Mark tires before removing them. 
Remount tires on the same vehicle side 
because
 the rotation direction should stay 
the same. 
• Store removed tires in a
 cool,
 dry and 
preferably dark place. Tires which are not 
on wheels should be stored standing up. 
Tires
 age even if they are not being
 used. 
Tires
 which are older than 6 years should  only be used cautiously in an emergency. 
 Wheels
 and
 tire
 replacement 
Wheels
 and tires approved by the manu
facturer have been specially matched to 
your vehicle and contribute largely to the  road-holding and driving characteristics of 
the vehicle. 
• Fitting and repairing tires requires 
expert knowledge and special tools. This 
work should only be performed by a
 spe
 cialist. 
• For safety reasons, tires should be 
replaced
 in pairs and not individually. The 
tires
 with
 the deepest tread should always  be mounted on the
 front
 wheels. 
• In the interest of maximum safety and 
best all-around vehicle handling, always 
buy replacement radial tires
 that
 have the 
same
 specifications
 with
 regard to
 tire 
size,
 design, load carrying capacity, tread  pattern, tread depth etc. This also applies 
to Volkswagen recommended alternate  replacement tires. 
• Never mount used tires if you are not 
sure of their previous history. 
• Whenever replacing a tubeless tire, 
always install a new valve stem. Tire repair 
should only be performed by a specialist. 
 WARNING 
•
 Never
 mix
 tires
 of
 different
 design 
such as
 steel
 belted
 radials
 with
 radial 
 bias
 belted
 or
 bias
 ply
 tires
 etc.
 Mixing 
tire
 types
 will
 adversely
 affect
 road 
 holding
 and can
 lead
 to loss of
 vehicle 
control
 and
 personal
 injury. 
• New
 tires
 do not possess
 maximum 
traction.
 They
 tend
 to be
 slippery. 
 Break
 new
 tires
 in by
 driving
 cautiously 
at
 moderate
 speed for the
 first
 100 
miles
 (160
 kilometers). 
Applies
 additionally
 to the Syncro: 
All
 four wheels on the vehicle must always  have tires of the same
 size,
 construction 
and tread type so
 that
 the viscous coupling 
does
 not abnormally activate the
 front 
wheel drive. Different tires on the
 front
 or  rear wheels exert additional stress on the 
drive
 train
 components, causing increa
sed
 tire
 wear and impair vehicle control. 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
WARNING 
The
 traction
 grade
 is based on
 brak
 ing
 (straightahead)
 traction
 tests
 and 
does not
 include
 cornering
 (turning) 
traction. 
Temperature
 A, B, C 
The temperature grades A (the highest), B  and C, represent the tire's resistance to the 
generation of heat. Sustained high temperatures can reduce
 tire
 life, and lead to 
sudden
 tire
 failure. Grade C corresponds 
to a performance which all passenger car 
tires must meet under the Federal Motor 
Vehicle
 Safety Standard No. 109.
 Grades 
 B
 and A represent higher levels than the minimum required by law. 
WARNING 
The
 temperature
 grade
 for
 this
 tire
 is 
established
 for a
 tire
 that
 is
 properly 
inflated
 and not
 overloaded.
 Excessive 
speed,
 underinflation,
 or excessive  loading,
 either
 separately
 or in combi
nation,
 can cause
 heat
 buildup,
 possi
ble
 tire
 failure,
 loss of
 control
 and
 per
sonal
 injury. 
 Snow
 tires 
The tires for your vehicle were selected for  optimal performance under normal driving 
conditions. 
For
 winter driving, the roadability of your 
vehicle can be improved by installing all 
 season
 tires or radial snow tires (M + S) 
with
 or
 without
 studs1). 
That applies also to the Syncro - see  page 78. 
When installing snow tires, please note  the following: 
• Only radial ply snow tires must be 
installed.
 Ask your Volkswagen dealer for 
the recommended
 tire
 size. 
• Snow tires should be mounted on all 
four wheels. 
• The
 tire
 pressures for snow tires are the 
same
 as for summer tires. However, do not 
exceed
 the maximum
 tire
 pressure listed 
on the sidewalk 
• Snow tires should have the same load 
capacity as original equipment tires and 
should be mounted on all four wheels.  • Snow tires do not
 fulfill
 their purpose, if 
the tread depth is
 less
 than
 %2
 in (4 mm). 
WARNING 
•
 Tires
 with
 badly
 worn
 treads
 and 
studs are
 very
 dangerous.
 Make
 sure 
they
 are
 replaced
 immediately. 
•
 Never
 mix
 tires
 of
 different
 design 
such as
 steel
 belted
 radials
 with
 radial 
 bias
 belted
 or
 bias
 ply
 tires
 etc.
 Mixing 
tire
 types
 will
 adversely
 affect
 road 
 holding
 and can
 lead
 to loss of
 vehicle 
control
 and
 personal
 injury. 
• Snow tires
 with
 studs should be run at 
moderate speeds when new in order to 
give the studs time to settle. 
Do
 not drive a vehicle equipped
 with
 snow 
tires at prolonged high
 speed.
 Snow tires 
do not have the same degree of traction on 
dry, wet or snowfree roads as a normal tire.  Furthermore, snow tires wear rapidly 
under these conditions. 
• Where snow tires are compulsory on 
certain roads, this also applies to vehicles 
with
 all-wheel-drive. 
118  1)
 Check
 with
 your local Motor Vehicle Bureau for 
possible
 restrictions. 
 
 
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TECHNICAL DATA 
ENGINE
 DATA/SPARK PLUGS 
Engine  Maximum
 output
 SAE net  90 hp at 4800 rpm 
Maximum torque SAE net  117,3 ft lb at 3200 rpm 
No.
 of cylinders  4 
Displacement  129 CID (2109 cm3) 
Stroke  2.99 in (76 mm) 
Bore 
 3.70 in (94 mm) 
Compression
 ratio 
 Fuelf) 
 9.0:1 
Compression
 ratio 
Fuelf) 
 Regular
 unleaded 
Sparkplugs 
 Bosch 
 W7CC0 
Beru 
 14L-7CU/14L-7C 
Champion 
 N288 
1) Minimum octane rating and
 further
 details see page 86. 
Notes 
Spark
 plugs are replaced during the Volks
wagen scheduled Maintenance service. If 
you replace the spark plugs between the 
Volkswagen
 Maintenance services, the 
following should be noted:  • Engine, spark plugs and the ignition 
system are matched. To avoid faulty opera
tion
 or engine damage, use only Original 
Volkswagen
 spark plugs. It is especially  important to note the number of electrodes 
and heat value.  • Since spark plug specifications may 
change
 for technical reasons during a cur
 rent
 model year, we recommend
 that
 you 
obtain your spark plugs from a Volks
wagen dealer who has the latest informa
tion. 
146 
 
 
www.westfaliaT3.info  - a  useful  website  for owners  and enthusiasts  of VW  Westfalia  T25 / T3  Campervans