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Tire labeling (ex
ample)
Meaning
A Temperature stabili ty of the tir e a t in creased
tes t bench sp ee ds (A, B or
Additional numbers found on the tire could either be tire manufac
turer internal labels or country-specific labels (e.g. for Brazil and
TIN repr esents serial number tire.
Unidirectional tires
Unidirectional tire s are designed
to rot ate
only in one d irection .
Unidirectional tires have arrows
on the sidewall s that show the di
r
ection of rotation. Unidirectional
tires must a lways be mounted ac
cordin g to the s pecified direction
of rotation in order to deli ve r their
best g rip, braking p erformance,
low
road noise, and good wear as
well as good hydro planing re sis
tance.
Load rating
code
The load index indicates the max
imum p ermissibl e load per indi
vidual tir e in pounds ( kg).
91 1,356 lbs (615 kg)
93 1,433 lb s
kg)
97 1,609 lbs kg)
99 lbs (775 kg)
Speed rating code
The speed ra tin g co de lette r indi
cates the maximum permissibl e
ro
ad speed of the tir es.
up to 93 mph
km/h)
core and main tenance
R up to mph
mph km/h)
V up to 149 mph km/h)
over 149 mph km/h)
W
up to 168 mph km/ h )
Y
up to 186 mph
km/h) with the letter combination
292 29 3
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All four wheels must be fitted
with radial tires of the same type,
size (rolling circumference)
and
the same tread pattern. Driving
with different tires reduces the
vehicle handling and can lead to
a los s
of control.
Winter tires
informati o n and heed th e on page 276.
W int er tires im
prove the handli ng c ha ra cte ristics of your ve hicle sig nifi cantly whe n driv in g under wintry of their desig n
(w idth, rubber compositi on, tread desig n). swage n stro ng ly recommend s that yo u always
have w int er tires or all-seaso n tires in stalle d on all
four wheels on yo ur ve hicle, especially when
winter road cond itions are ex pected. W inter tires also improve the ve hicle's braking performance an d help reduce stoppin g d is ta nces d uring winter wea ther. Volkswage n recommends in stalli n g
w inter tires o nce temperatures a re below
Wint er tires are no lo nge r suitabl e fo r w inter
dri vin g o nce the tread pattern is worn down to a
d epth o f 1 /16 in (4 mm). In add ition, w inter tir e
p erformance decreases w ith age- ind ependently
o f the tread
sta te country-specific lega l ments.
Core, maint enance
Never drive faster than the
maximum speed for which the
winter or other tires installed on
your vehicle are rated because
tires that are driven faster than
their rated speed can fail sud
denly.
Over-loading tires can cause
heat build-up, sudden tire
failure, including a
blowout and
sudden deflation and loss of con
trol.
Temperature grades apply to
tires
that are properly inflated
and not over-or under-inflated.
w int er tires on all fo ur wheels .
Use w int er tires only under w in try road
Usc only w inter tires w it h dim en sio n s p roved fo r the veh icle.
Usc only win ter tires of the same t ire belt
speed restri ctio ns acco rding to the
winte r tire's speed ra tin g code
restrictions
W in t
er tires cert ifie d up to a top speed fied by speed p age293.
so me vehicle m odels it is possible to se t a s pee d wa rnin g with the multi-function disploy in the page 21.
Top s peed ratin g and tire infl ation press ure fo r
or a uthorized Volk swagen Service about the m aximum permissib le speed a n d quired tir e infl ation press ure for th e winter tires yo u to use.
Page 292 of 541

Drivin g faster than the speed fo r
w hich the winter tires on your vehicl e were
serious person al injuries.
Winter tire s have speed be lower your vehicle's maximum speed.
Never drive faster than the s peed fo r w hich the winter or other tires in stalled on your ve hicle are because tires that arc drive n faster than their speed can fail denl y.
Snow chains
first r ead an d n ote the introductory information and heed th e on pagc276.
local re g ul ations as w ell the applicable sp ee d lim its w hen driv in g with snow ch a in s.
wheel tions:
Tire
dimensions Rim
1 9
5/6 5 x 15 ET47
1 9
5/6 5 6 t/2 l x 15 ET5 0
6 x 15 ET 4 7
205/55
x 16 ET50
6 x 17 ET 48.5a l
are not
thic ke r
contact yo ur authorized V olk swage n deal er or authorize d Vo lk swagen s now chain sio ns.
possib le, use o nl y c hain s w ith lo w profile link s that are not thi cke r than37 /64 in mm) cluding th e te n sio ner.
core and maintenance
Never exceed the maximum load for
t h e winter tires install ed on vehicle .
tires offe r be tt er ha ndling teris tics for tcmpe ralll res abo ve T hey are quieter, do not wear as quickly , reduce fuel
cons umption.
In ve hicles with indirect T ir e Monitoring th e sys te m must be each tire page 222.
I f necessa ry , a sk your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volk swagen
Remove hubcap s and deco rative rim rings before
in sta llin g sno w Ho wever, for safet y
r e a sons, must be in stall ed on th e wheel b o lts. These are ava ilabl e from authorize d Volk swage n
deal ers and authorized Volk swage n ties.
Compact spare w heel
F o r t
echnical r easons, snow ch ain s canno t b e use d
o n the compact spare page 288 .
I f y
ou mus t u se snow chains
front tir e has to be placed. In stall tha t rear w heel in pla ce of the ag ed fron t wheel. Be sure to install the un id ire c
tional tires s o that they will run in the proper tion. Volkswagen recommends in sta lli ng the snow chains be fo re mounting th e wheel to the ve hicl e.
the wrong snow chains or in sta lling snow chains improperly can cause accidents and rious personal injuries.
A lways usc th e proper snow chain s.
the insta llation in structi o ns pro vided by the s now chain manufacturer.
Neve r exceed th e permis si bl e speed lim it when driving with snow ch ains.
Neve r usc snow ch ai ns on tires.
294
295
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Note
Remove sno w c hain s w hen road s are free or snow. the chains ca n damage tires, impair vehicle handling and ca n be qui ck ly worn
down.
-------chain s they h ave direct contact w ith th e rims. Volk swage n recommend s usin g coa te d sn ow
chains .
c hain s are available in different sizes
Please first read and note the
introductory information
and heed the WARNINGS on
page 276.
Accessory weight
The combine d weight (in excess of
those standa rd items which may
be re placed) of automatic tra n s
mission, electro-mechnical power
stee ring, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and
heater, to th e extent that these
items are availabl e as factory-in
stall ed equipme n t (w hether in
s tall ed or not).
Aspect ratio
The ratio of sidewall heig h t to tir e
w
idth, expressed as a p ercentage.
A number o r or
lower indicates a low-profile tire
with a shorter sidewall for im
proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavem ent.
Bead
The part of a tire made of steel
wires, wrapped or reinforced b y
ply cords, with the shape and
structure to en sure proper fit to the
w h
eel rim.
maintenance
Bead separation
A breakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
The tire structure, excep t tread
and s id ewall rubber which, when
infl ate d, bears the lo ad.
The breakjng away of pieces of the
tread or sidewall.
The strands of materia l forming
the plie s in the tir e.
An y parting within the tread,
s id
ewall, or inne r lin er of the tire
ex te
nding to cord material.
at low
speeds in the three hour p e riod be
fore
the tire pressure is measured
o r a
djuste d.
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Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the
maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and
coolant, air conditioner, and addi
tional weight
of optional equip
ment.
Extra load tire
A tire designed to operate at higher
lo
ads and at higher inflation pres
sures than the corresponding stan
dard tire.
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR)
The load-carryin g capacity of a
single axle system, measured
where the tire contacts the ground.
Gross
The maximum loaded weight of
the vehicle.
Groove
The space between two adjacent
tread rib s.
Load rating (code)
The maximum load that a tir e is
rated to carry for a given inflation
pressure.
You may not find this in
formation on all tires because it is
not required by law.
Maximum load rating
The load rating for a tire at the
maximum permissible inflation
pressure for
that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
The total of:
Curb weight
Accessory weight
Vehicle capacity weight
Production options weight
Maximum (permissible) inflation
pressure
The maximum cold inflation
pressure
to whic h a tire may be
inflated.
Also ca lled
inflation
Normal occupant weight
Means 150 lbs (68 kilograms) times
the number of occupants seated in
the veh icle
up to the total seating
capacity
of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
The placement of passengers in a
veh icle.
pounds or less.
Ply
A layer of rubber- coated parallel
cords.
Ply separation
A parting of rubber compound bet-
ween adjacent plies.
296 297
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