2004 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR rims

121
DRIVING TIPS
The full braking effect may also be delayed
when the car has been driven for some time
on heavily salted roads without using the
brakes, because the layer of salt on the
discs and pads has to be removed first.Warning
If a front spoiler, full-size wheel trims
etc., are retrofitted, it is necessary to
ensure that the flow of air to the front
brakes is not restricted - otherwise
the brakes may overheat.
Brake booster
The braking force boosts the pressure,
which you generate with the brake pedal.
The necessary pressure is only generated
when the engine is running. Warning
The brake booster only operates
when the engine is running.
Never switch off the engine before
the vehicle is stationary.
In the case that the brake booster is
not operating - e.g. because the vehi-
cle has to be towed or because there
is damage to the brake booster - the
brake pedal has to be depressed with
a significantly greater force, in order
to balance out the missing brake
boosting effect.Because if you do not stop as nor-
mal, this can cause an accident and
severe injuries.
Brake Assist*
The Brake Assist boosts the brake servo
effect during a brake application in a haz-
ardous situation and is able in this way to
assist the rapid build-up of brake pressure.
In emergency situations the majority of car
drivers do apply the brakes in time, but not
with the brake pedal force which is neces-
sary for achieving maximum deceleration.
Valuable braking distance is lost as a result!The Brake Assist is activated as soon as the
brake pedal is depressed very rapidly. A hig-
her brake servo assistance than is usual in
normal brake applications, is then available.
Consequently, it is possible to build up
within a very short time the brake pressure
which is required for achieving maximum
deceleration with only a correspondingly
slight counterforce on the brake pedal.Depress the brake pedal further for achiev-
ing the shortest possible braking distance. Do
not reduce the foot pressure on the pedal!The Brake Assist is able in this way to help
you in critical situations by building up the
brake pressure more rapidly and shorten-
ing the stopping distance. The advantages
offered by the ABS are fully exploited by the
Brake Assist. As soon as the brake pedal is
released, the Brake Assist function is swit-
ched off then automatically and the usual
service brake function is again available.
Warning

The Brake Assist is also not in a
position to overcome the physical
limits which apply to the braking dis-
tance.

This is something you should re-
member particularly when driving on
smooth or wet road surfaces.

Adapt your style of driving always
to the road condition and the traffic
situation. The increased safety which
the Brake Assist offers you must not
lead you to take any safety risk!

154GENERAL MAINTENANCE
If the tyres are not adequately in-flated, your fuel consumption will
be higher and you will be unnecessarily polluting the environment.
Driving style
Driving fast through curves, sharp accelera-
tion and sharp braking increase tyre wear.
Balancing wheels
The wheels of a new car are balanced. Va-
rious factors when driving may, however,
produce an imbalance which makes it felt
by steering wobble.
In such a case, the wheels should then be
re-balanced as any imbalance in the
wheels also results in increased wear and
tear to the steering, suspension and tyres.
In addition, a wheel has to be re-balanced
after fitting a new tyre and each time any
repairs are carried out.
Wheel alignment errors
Faulty alignment of the wheels and suspen-
sion not only increases tyre wear, often on
only one side, but also affects the handling
of the car. If any unusual tyre wear exists,
contact a Škoda Dealer.
Wear indicators
The base of the tread of the original tyres
contains 1.6 mm high „wear indicators“ at
right angles to the direction of running - see
illustration. These wear indicators are
spaced evenly around the circumference of
the tyre 6 to 8 times - depending on the
make. Markings on the tyre walls, for ex-
ample the letters „TWI“ or triangle symbols,
indicate the position of the wear indicators. Warning


New tyres during the first 500 km
do not offer optimal grip and should
therefore be run appropriately - risk
of accident!

The tyres should be renewed with-
out delay no later than when they are
worn down to the wear indicators.

Worn tyres are detrimental to
road-holding particularly at high
speeds on wet roads. In addition, the
vehicle tends to aquaplane sooner.

Never drive with damaged tyres -
risk of accident!

Immediately replace the damaged
rims or tyres.

157
GENERAL MAINTENANCE

If wheel trims are subsequently fit-
ted, it is essential to ensure that the
air flow remains adequate for cool-
ing the brakes.
Škoda Dealers are informed of the techni-
cal possibilities for converting and retrofit-
ting tyres, wheels and wheel trims.Winter tyres
1)
Warning
In winter conditions, winter tyres will
significantly improve the handling of
your car.

Only radial-type winter tyres may be fit-
ted.1)Pay attention to any varying legal requirements
when using winter tyres.
Snow chains
2)
It is possible to fit snow chains to all the
tyre sizes listed (with the exception of tyre
sizes 205/60 R15 and 205/55 R16).
5.5J x 16 ET 36 wheels (Genuine Access-
ories) when used in combination with 205/
55 R16 tyres enable snow chains to be fit-
ted to the Octavia RS including other vehi-
cle models Octavia and Octavia Estate.
The chains must only be fitted to the
front wheels.
Use only fine-link chains which do not ex-
ceed more than 15 mm (including chain
lock).
We recommend purchasing the snow chains
as Genuine Accessories from a Škoda Dea-
ler.
The full wheel trim should be removed when
driving with snow chains.
Snow chains should be taken off when driv-
ing on roads free of snow as they other-
wise impair the handling of the car, dam-
age the tyre and are quickly destroyed.2)Please observe any varying legal requirements
in respect of the approved vehicle speed when
driving with snow chains.

To achieve the best possible handling
and grip, fit winter tyres to all four wheels
(same manufacturer, tyre size, tread pat-
tern).

Winter tyres largely lose their good grip
properties in winter if the tyre tread has
worn down to a depth of 4 mm. The follow-
ing speed restrictions apply to winter tyres.

You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed
category provided that you also do not drive
at a speed in excess of the maximum speed
for these tyres even if your car is able to be
driven at a higher actual maximum speed.
The tyres may be damaged if you drive at
a speed beyond the maximum speed rat-
ing of the tyres.

All-weather tyres may be used in winter
in place of winter tyres.

In the event of a puncture, refer to the
information for using the spare wheel on
page 156.
Summer tyres should also be fitted again in good time as an environ-
mental protection measure as the roll-
ing noises are normally less, tyre wearis reduced and fuel consumption is im-proved.
Further information is available from Škoda
Dealers.

162DO-IT-YOURSELF
Tyre repair spray*
The tyre repair spray is precisely for fast
repairs on small tyre defects up to 5 mm.
The spray does not replace a permanent
tyre repair, the repair serves only as an in-
termediate solution until the next service.

The repair can be directly performed on
the vehicle. Carefully read the enclosed in-
structions for direction of use.
On front-wheel drive vehicles, the spray is
located in the well at the front right of the
polypropylene part behind the spare wheel,
and on 4x4 vehicles, in the boot on the left.
Certain models are equipped with a tyre
repair set which includes a compressor and
a repair flask, instructions and accessories.
On front-wheel drive vehicles this set is lo-
cated in the well at the front right of the
polypropylene part behind the spare wheel,
and on 4x4 vehicles, in the boot on the left
next to the first-aid box.

Apply the handbrake before jack-
ing up the car. Never start the engine
when the car is jacked up - risk of
accident.

If it is necessary to carry out work
underneath the vehicle, ensure that
it is supported on suitable stands.
Spare wheelThe spare wheel is stowed in the well below the
floor covering of the luggage compartment and
is secured by a handwheel.

To ensure that the spare wheel is always
ready for use, check the inflation pressure at
regular intervals.
Vehicles with tyres 205/60 R15 and wheel trims
6.5Jx15 have an emergency wheel as a spare
wheel, which has different dimensions and which
is provided with a warning sticker.
Please pay attention to the following instructions,
if you are going to use an emergency wheel:

After fitting on the wheel, the warning sticker
must not be concealed (e.g. by the wheel trim).

Do not drive with this spare wheel at more
than 80 km/h - risk of accident.
Avoid acceleration at full throttle, sharp braking
and fast cornering.

The inflation pressure for this spare wheel is
identical to the inflation pressure of the standard
tyres.

Use this spare wheel only to reach the near-
est service station, as it is not intended for con-
tinuous use.
Tyre repair set*

165
DO-IT-YOURSELF

Jack up car until the wheel is just clear
of the ground.

Remove wheel bolts (after slackening)
1),
place them down on a clean surface (cloth,
paper, wheel cap) next to the car jack and
take off wheel.

Fit on spare wheel and attach wheel
bolts
1).

Tighten all the wheel bolts slightly. The
wheel bolts should be clean and turn freely.

On no account grease or oil them!

Lower car and tighten the wheel bolts
diagonally.

Press on the full wheel trim* first at the
valve opening and then apply pressure
around the entire circumference so that the
trim locks in position.
1)In order to accelerate the screwing out and in,
use the handle part of the screwdriver from the
car tool kit, which has on its end a hexagon
socket for the screw head.

Place the wheel removed in the spare
wheel well and secure with the handwheel.
Notes

After changing a wheel, pay attention to
the following points:
- Check the inflation pressure of the spare wheel fitted.
- Have the tightening torque of the wheel bolts checked with a torque wrench as
soon as possible. The tightening torque
for steel and light alloy wheels is 120 Nm.

Have the faulty wheel repaired as quickly
as possible. Warning
In case of incorrect treatment of the
wheel bolts, the wheel can loosen
when the car is moving - risk of acci-
dent!
Wheel bolts must be clean and must
turn easily. However
, they must never
be treated with grease or oil.
If the wheel bolts are tightened to a
too low tightening torque, the trims
can loosen when the car is moving -
risk of accident! A tightening torque,
which is too high, can damage the
bolts and threads and this can result
in permanent deformation of the con-
tact surfaces on the trims.
If it is intended to subsequently fit
wheels or tyres other than the factory-
fitted versions to the car, it is essen-
tial to read the remarks on page 156.