2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Owners Manual

AND
Tires
They not
fort and ride. but perform safety tions. This sectio n is intended to provide
you
with important informat ion regard ing
their proper use. care and
Be sure to inspect your tires at (3 for wear
and damage.
Damage to
th at a t ire or has been damaged. it is best to
ve it
it can get worse over time. to tire
your authorized for advice and
Mark tires before removing them.
mount tires on the same side se the rotation direction must stay the
Avoid damaging tires and wheel rims.
Frequently check tires for uneven wear and damage.
Remove embedded
Replace missing valve dust caps.
which are not on New tires be stored standing up.
New tires may have different tread
depths due to the configuratio n
and design
by the tire manu facturers. Whe n
and cannot fer
be
tion for the first miles
lometres). Brake gently. Avoid lowing closely behind other

lire service life
The service of your tires depends for the
most part on the
sted on a sticker on the
flation, causing loss of vehicle
control.
Low tire pressures increase fuel
consumption which is
tal to the environment.
tir e inflation
sure means: the has been standing for at than 1
(1 km).
Do not forget to stem
caps after checki ng tire pressure.
Driving habits
Fast cornering, heavy acceleration and hard
brak ing
on new
have your re-balanced. A
be checked at
check tire pressures when the tires
are
sure be higher. Do not reduce the
pressure of warm tires.
Don't forget to check the spare
alignment causes excessi-
ve and uneven tire wear, impairing the ty of the vehicle.
WAGEN
I

Tire wear
The original tires on you r vehicle have built­
in wear indicators . They are molded into the
bottom of the tread g rooves and appear as approximately 1
/2 inch (12 mm) bands
when the tire tread dep th wears down to
dicators evenly spaced around the ference of the tire. Markings on the sides
of the tires (e.g. the letters
bruises or other damage may
The
Check the
affect the safe

Tire rotation
tires have
Tires should always remain on same
side of vehicle.
when tires show
may be equipped with
tires which have a specified rotation
in doubt, discuss any
service department.
After rotation adjust tire pressure and torque wheel bolts
ging a
Wheel and tire replacement
and tires approved by the
turer have been matched to your
(for
tire with a tire match ing the others
on your as soon as
Fitting and repairing tires requires expert
We recommend that you have your tires
changed by a authorized VOLKSWAGEN
WAGEN stocks a range of tires and
For safety reasons. tires ced in pairs and not individually. The tires
with the deepest tread

Tire specifications
width ratio in %
R lire construction:
15 Rim diameter in inches
91 Load rating code
H Speed rating code
The speed rating code indica tes the
maximum road speeds:
Summer tires:
S-up to h)
T-up to 118 mph (190 km
h)
V-up to
over mph (240 km h).
ter
Winter tires see page 64.
AND
is
driving characteristics and give your
optimum driving comfort.
T he speed of this tire is mph (210 km h).
nal injury. Always observe speed limits and adjust your vehicle speed to prevailing road and

The manufacturing date on the tire Uniform Tire
... ... means that the tire was pro- shoulder and maximum section width.
duced in the 25th week of
strength and performance decline with
age-even if the tires are not used.

Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative
ting based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under cified government test course. for
ment course as a tire graded 1 The
ces and differences in road characteristic s
and
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest.
are AA,
A. Band C. Those grades represent
t h e tir e's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under
phalt and concrete. A tire marked C may
ve poor traction performance .
you wish to equip your
the correct
They have
the
WHAT