Seats and Storage
60
Seats and StorageFront seatsBasic informationThe front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be matched to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger. Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for:•
safely and quickly reaching the controls;
•
a relaxed, fatigue-free body position;
•
achieving the maximum protection offere
d by the seat belts and the airbag
system.
WARNING
•
Never transport more occupants than the maximum seating in the
vehicle.•
Each occupant must correctly fasten
the seat belt belonging to the seat.
Children must be fastened
⇒page 123, “Transporting children safely” with
a suitable restraint system.•
The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.•
Always keep your feet in the footwel
l when the vehicle is being driven -
never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces of the seats. This is particularly important for the front seat passenger. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries
when adopting an incorrect seated
position!•
It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a distance
of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel
or dash panel. Not maintaining this
minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to prop- erly protect you - hazard! The front
seats and the head restraints must
always also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.•
Ensure that there are no objects in
the footwell as any objects may get
behind the pedals during a driving or
braking manoeuvre. You would then
no longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or accelerate.Adjusting the front seatsAdjusting a seat in a forward/back direction – Pull the lever
⇒
fig. 59
up and push the seat into the desired posi-
tion.
– Release the lever and push the seat further until the lock is heard
to engage.
Adjusting height of seat* – Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever upwards.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 59 Controls at seat
A1
A1
A2
s2g8.b.book Page 60 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Passive Safety
104
•
Ensure that the lighting and the turn signal system are functioning properly.
•
Inspect the tyre inflation pressure.
•
Ensure that all the windows offer a good visibility to the outside.
•
Safely attach the items of luggage
⇒page 68, “Loading the luggage compart-
ment”.•
Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedal.
•
Adjust the mirror, the front seat and the head restraint to match your body size.
•
Point out to your occupants that the head restraints must be adjusted to match
their body size.•
Protect the children in suitable child se
ats with correctly fastened seat belts
⇒ page 123, “Transporting children safely”.•
Adopt the correct seated position
⇒page 104, “Correct seated position”. Also
inform your occupants to adop
t the correct seated position.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly. Also inform your occupants to properly fasten the
seat belts
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
What influences the driving safety? The driving safety is primarily dete
rmined by the style of driving and
the personal behaviour of all the occupants.The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety is effected, you place yourself and the oncomi
ng traffic at risk. Please refer to the
following guidelines.•
Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
occupants or mobile phone calls.•
Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication,
alcohol, drugs.•
Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
•
Adjust the driving speed at all times to the road condition as well as to the traffic
and weather conditions.•
Take regular breaks on long journe
ys - at the latest every two hours.
Correct seated positionCorrect seated position for the driver Correct seated position for the dr
iver is important for safe and
relaxed driving.For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident, we recommend the following setting:•
Adjust the steering wheel so that the distance between the steering wheel and
your chest is at least 25 cm
⇒fig. 111
.
•
Position the driver seat in the forward/back direction so that you are able to fully
press the pedals with your legs at a slight angle.
Fig. 111 The correct distance of the driver from the steering wheelFig. 112 The correct head restraint adjustment for the driver
s2g8.b.book Page 104 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Passive Safety
105
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
Adjust the seat backrest so that you are able to reach the highest point of the
steering wheel with your arms at a slight angle.•
Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head
⇒page 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. Manual driver seat adjustment
⇒page 60, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical driver seat adjustment
⇒page 61, “Adjusting front seats electrically*”.
WARNING
•
The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.•
The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering
wheel
⇒page 104, fig. 111
. Not maintaining this minimum distance will
mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!•
When driving, hold the steering whee
l with both hands firmly on the
outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel firmly in the 12 o'clock position or in another way (e.g. in the middle of the steering wheel or at the inner
steering wheel edge). In such cases,
injuries to the arms, the hands and the head can occur when the driver airbag is deployed.•
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!•
Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get
behind the pedals during a driving or
braking manoeuvre.
You would then
no longer be able to operate the
clutch, to brake or accelerate.
Correct seated position for the front passenger The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25°cm from the dash panel so that the combination of the airbag and the seat belt offers the greatest possible sa
fety when an airbag is deployed.
For the safety of the front passenger and to
reduce the risk of injury in the event of
an accident, we recommend the following setting:•
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as possible to the rear.
•
Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head
⇒page 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. In exceptional cases the front pass
enger airbag can be deactivated
⇒page 120,
“Deactivating an airbag”. Manual front passenger adjustment
⇒page 60, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment
⇒page 61, “Adjusting front seats electri-
cally*”.
WARNING
•
The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.•
The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the
dash panel. Not maintaining this mi
nimum distance will mean that the
airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!•
Always keep your feet in
the footwell when the vehicle is being driven -
never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces of the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fata
l injuries when adopting an incorrect
seated position!
s2g8.b.book Page 105 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Airbag system
118
Important safety information regarding the front airbag system Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of injury!
WARNING
•
Never transport children on the front seat of a vehicle without using a
proper restraint system. If airbags are
deployed in the event of an accident,
the child might suffer severe
or even fatal injuries!
•
For the driver and front passenger it is important to maintain a distance
of at least 25 cm from the
steering wheel or dash panel
⇒fig. 125
. Not main-
taining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints must always also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occu- pant.•
It is essential to always switch off
the front passenger airbag and/or side
airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some coun- tries also when the child is facing the direction of travel)
⇒page 120, “Deac-
tivating an airbag”. If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries if the
front passenger airbag is deployed. In
certain countries national legal provisions also require that the side passenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, please comply with
the appropriate nati
onal regulations
regarding the use of child safety seats.•
There must not by any further persons, animals or objects positioned
between the front seated occupants and
the deployment area of the airbag.
•
The steering wheel and the surface of
the airbag module in the dash
panel on the passenger side must not be stuck onto, covered or modified in any other way. These parts should only be cleaned with a dry cloth or a cloth moistened with water. No objects such as cup holders, mobile phone mounts, etc. may be attached to the covers of the airbag modules or be located within the immediate area.•
No modifications of any kind may be made to parts of the airbag system.
Any work on the airbag system including installing and removing system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing the steering wheel) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.•
Never carry out changes on the front bumper or on the body.
•
Never place any objects on the surface of the front passenger airbag
module in the dash panel.
Fig. 125 Safe distance to steering wheel
WARNING (continued)
s2g8.b.book Page 118 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Wheels and Tyres
173
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Wheels and TyresWheelsGeneral information•
New tyres do not offer optimal grip at first and should therefore be run in for
about 500 km at a moderate speed and an
appropriately cautious style of driving.
You will also profit from longer tyre life.•
The tread depth of new tyres may differ
because of design features and the
configuration of the tread (depending on
the type of tyre and the manufacturer).
•
Drive over curbs on the side of the road
and other such obstacles slowly and,
where possible, at a right angle in order to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.•
Inspect your tyres from time to time
for damage (punctures, cuts, splits and
bulges). Remove foreign bodies from the tyre profile.•
Damage to tyres and wheels is frequent
ly not visible. Unus
ual vibrations or
pulling of the vehicle to one side
could be a sign of tyre damage.
Please reduce
your speed immediately and stop if
you suspect that a wheel is damaged.
Inspect the tyres for signs of damage (bulges,
splits, etc.). If no
visible damage is
present, please drive at an appropriatel
y slow speed and carefully to the nearest
specialist garage in order to have your vehicle inspected.•
Also protect your tyres from contact with oil, grease and fuel.
•
Immediately replace any dust caps of the valves which have got lost.
•
Mark wheels before removing them so th
at their previous direction of running
can be maintained when mounted them again.•
Always store wheels or tyres which been removed in a cool, dry and, where
possible, dark place. Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.
WARNING
•
New tyres during the first 500 km do not offer optimal grip and should
therefore be run appropriately - risk of accident!•
Never drive with damaged tyres - risk of accident!
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.Tyre lifeThe life of your tyres very much depends on the following points: Tyre pressure The working life of tyres will be shortened considerably if the tyres are insufficiently or over-inflated and this will have an advers
e effect on the handli
ng of your vehicle.
Correctly inflated tyres are of partic
ular importance when travelling at
high speeds
.
It is therefore good to check the pressure at least once a month and also before setting off on a long trip. Please do not
forget the spare wheel* when checking the
tyres. The tyre inflation pressures for
summer tyres
are indicated on the inside of the fuel
filler flap
⇒fig. 159
. The inflation pressures for
winter tyres
are 20 kPa (0.2 bar)
higher than those for summer tyres
⇒page 177.
The tyre pressure should be at the highest
pressure specified for your vehicle at all
times.
Fig. 159 An opened fuel filler flap with a tyre size and tyre inflation pressure table
s2g8.b.book Page 173 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Wheels and Tyres
175
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Changing wheels aroundIf significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend changing the front wheels around with the rear wheels as shown in the diagram
⇒fig. 161
.
You will then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres. It may be advantageous to swap the tyre
s over “crosswise” when certain types of
wear characteristic arise on
the running surface of the tyres (but not in the case of
unidirectional tyres). Specialist garages are familiar with details. We recommend that you change the wheels around every 10 000 km in order to achieve even wear on all wheels and to obtain optimal tyre life.New tyres and wheelsTyres and wheel rims are important design
elements. One should therefore use the
tyres and wheel rims which have been released for use by Škoda Auto. They are exactly matched to the vehicle type and th
erefore contribute significantly to good
road holding and safe driving characteristics
⇒
.
Only fit radial tyres of the same type on
all 4 wheels, size (rolling circumference)
and, if possible, the same tread pattern on one axle. The specialist garages have access to the most current information about which tyres we have released
for use on your vehicle.
We recommend that you have any work rela
ting to tyres or wheels carried out by a
specialist garage
. Specialist garages have all of the necessary special tools and
replacement parts available plus the requir
ed specialist knowledge and are also in
a position to properly dispose of the old tyres. A large number of specialist garages also have an attractive range of tyres and wheels available. The tyre/wheel combinations which are appr
oved for your vehicle are indicated in
your vehicle documents. Approval and lice
nsing may differ according to the legis-
lation prevailing in individual countries. Proper knowledge of the tyre data makes it easier for you to select the correct type of tyre. Tyres do, for example, have the following
inscription
on their walls:
195 / 65 R 15 91 T
What this means is: The following
speed restrictions
apply to tyres.
Fig. 161 Changing wheels around
195
Tyre wid th i n m m
65
Height/width ratio in %
R
Code letter for the type of tyre -
R adial
15
Diameter of wheel in inches
91
Load index
T
Speed symbol
Speed symbol
Permissible maximum speed
R
170 km/h
S
180 km/h
T
190 km/h
H
210 km/h
V
240 km/h
W
270 km/h
s2g8.b.book Page 175 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Wheels and Tyres
177
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Winter tyresThe handling of your vehicle will be significantly improved when driving on wintry roads if you fit winter tyres. Summer tyres do not offer the same grip on ice, snow and at temperatures below 7 °C because of
their construction (width, rubber blend,
tread pattern). This partic
ularly applies to vehicles
which are equipped with
low-
profile tyres
or high-speed tyres
(code index H or V on wall of tyre).
Winter tyres must be mounted on all four wheels to obtain the best handling char- acteristics. You must only fit those types of winter tyre which are approved for your vehicle. The permissible
sizes of winter tyres
are stated in your vehicle documents. Approvals
may differ because of national legislation. Please remember that the tyres should be in
flated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar) more than is
the case for summer tyres
⇒page 173, fig. 159
.
Winter tyres no longer
offer the same winter performance once the
tyre tread
has
worn down to a depth of about 4 mm. Ageing
also causes winter tyres to lose most of their winter performance properties
- even in cases where the remaining tread depth is still clearly more than 4 mm. Speed restrictions
apply to winter tyres as well as to summer tyres
⇒page 175,
⇒
.
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed ca
tegory to your vehicle provided that you
also do not drive faster than the permis
sible maximum speed fo
r such tyres, even
if the possible maximum speed of your ve
hicle is higher. The corresponding tyre
category can damage the tyres when ex
ceeding the permissi
ble maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if
you decide to fit winter tyres
⇒page 173.
You can also fit so-called “all-year tyres” instead of winter tyres.Please contact your specialist garage if
there are any points which are not clear who
will be able to provide you with information regarding the maximum speed for your tyres.
WARNING
You must on no account drive your car at more than the permissible maximum speed for your winter tyres - risk of an accident resulting from tyre damage and loss of control over your car.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres on again in good ti
me since summer tyres offer you better
grip and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well as ar tempera-tures below 7 °C - the braking distance is shorter, there is less tyre noise, tyre wear is reduced and fuel consumption is reduced.
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.Snow chainsSnow chains must only be mounted on the front wheels. When driving on wintry roads, snow chains
improve not only traction, but also the
braking performance. For technical reasons, it is only permissi
ble to fit snow chains with the following
wheel/tyre combinations: Only use
fine-link snow chains
. They must not project more than 15 mm -
including the chain lock. Remove the
full wheel trims
if you wish to fit snow
chains to the wheels.
Wheel size
Depth (D)
Ty re s i z e
6J x 14
38 mm
175/80
6J x 15
38 mm
195/65
5.5J x 16
36 mm
205/55
s2g8.b.book Page 177 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM