2012 SKODA OCTAVIA wheel alignment

Wheels
Tyres and wheel rims
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Tyre life
182
New tyres and wheels
183
Unidirectional tyres
184
Spare wheel
184
Full wheel trim
185
Wheel bolts
185
Tyre control display
185
Wheel bolts
186
Winter tyres
186
Snow chains
186WARNING■ During the first 500 km, new tyres do not offer optimum grip and appropri-
ate care should therefore be taken when driving – risk of accident!■
Never drive with damaged tyres – risk of accident!
■
Never exceed the maximum permissible load bearing capacity of mounted
tyres.
■
Immediately replace damaged wheel rims or tyres.
■
On all four wheels, use only radial tyres of the same type, size (rolling cir-
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
■
Only use those tyres or wheel rims which have been approved by ŠKODA for
your model of vehicle. Failure to observe this instruction will adversely affect the road safety of your vehicle – risk of accident!
■
The maximum permissible speed for your tyres must not be exceeded under
any circumstances – risk of an accident resulting from tyre damage and loss of
control of the vehicle.
WARNING (Continued)■ If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre must perform a greater rolling
resistance. At higher speeds the tyre will warm up as a result of this. This can
result in tread separation and a tyre blowout.■
For safety reasons, do no replace tyres individually.
■
Never use tyres if you do not know anything about the condition and age.
■
You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the
wear indicators have been worn down.
■
Worn tyres do not provide the necessary adhesion to the road surface par-
ticularly at high speeds on wet roads. One could experience “aquaplaning” (uncontrolled movements of the vehicle – “swimming” on a wet road surface).
■
Do not use summer or winter tyres that are older than 6 years or 4 years re-
spectively.
■
The wheel bolts must be clean and must turn easily. Never treat them with
grease or oil.
■
If the wheel bolts are tightened to a too low tightening torque, the rim can
come loose 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 per-
manent deformation of the contact surfaces on the rim.
■
In case of incorrect treatment of the wheel bolts, the wheel can loosen
when the car is moving – risk of accident!
■
Never drive with more than one spare wheel mounted.
■
Only use the spare wheel while absolutely necessary.
■
The snow chains cannot be used on the spare wheel.
■
An incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear impairs handling - risk of
accident!
■
The tyre control display does not absolve the driver of the responsibility to
ensure the correct tyre inflation pressure. Check the tyre inflation pressure at
regular intervals.
■
Unusual vibrations or pulling of the vehicle to one side could be a sign of
tyre damage. If there is any doubt that a wheel is damaged, immediately re-
duce your speed and stop! If no external damage is evident, drive slowly and
carefully to the nearest ŠKODA specialist garage to have the vehicle checked.
■
To low or too high inflation pressure impairs handling - risk of an accident!
■
The national legal requirements must be observed for the use of tyres.
■
Observe the national legal regulations relating to the use of snow chains
and the maximum vehicle speed with snow chains. 
181Wheels

Always check the inflation pressure when the tyres are cold. Do not reduce the
higher pressure of warm tyres.
With greater payload, adjust the tyre inflation pressure accordingly.
Driving style
Fast cornering, sharp acceleration and braking increase the wear of your tyres.
Balancing wheels
The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. When driving, there are a wide range
of influences which may result in an imbalance. This may make itself felt by a vi-
bration in the steering.
Have the wheels rebalanced after replacing the tyres.
Wheel alignment errors
An incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear leads to excess wear on the tyres.
Tyre damage
Drive over curbs and other such obstacles slowly and, where possible, at a right
angle in order to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.
We recommend checking your tyres and wheel rims for damage (punctures, cuts,
splits and bulges, etc.) on a regular basis. Remove foreign bodies (e.g. small
stones) from the tyre profile immediately.
Changing wheels around
If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend chang-
ing the front wheels around with the rear wheels as shown in the dia- gram » Fig. 156 . You will then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres.
We recommend that you change the tyres around every 10 000 km in order to
achieve even wear on all tyres and to obtain optimal tyre life.
Storing tyres
Mark them previously used tyres so that you are able to fit them on again to run in the same direction.
Always store wheels or tyres in a cool, dry and, where possible, dark place. Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.
Wear indicators
The base of the tread of the tyres has 1.6 mm high wear indicators installed.
These wear indicators are located multiple times depending on the make and are evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre » Fig. 155 – 
. Markings on
the walls of the tyres through the letters “TWI”, triangular symbols or other sym-
bols identify the position of the wear indicators.
New tyres and wheels
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 181.
Only fit radial tyres of the same type, size (rolling circumference) and the same
tread pattern on one axle on all 4 wheels.
The tyre/wheel combinations which are approved for your vehicle are indicated in
your vehicle documents.
Where possible replace tyres by axle. Always fit the tyres with the deeper tread
depth to the front wheels.
Explanation of tyre markings 195/65 R 15 91 T
What this means is:
195Tyre width in mm » Fig. 155 on page 182 - 65Height/width ratio in % » Fig. 155 on page 182 - RCode letter for the type of tyre – Radial » Fig. 155 on page 182 - 15Diameter of wheel in inches » Fig. 155 on page 182 - 91Load index » TSpeed symbol »
The date of manufacture is stated on the tyre wall (possibly only on the inside of
wheel ). e.g.
DOT ... 20 12...
means, for example, that the tyre was manufactured in the 20th week of 2012.
Speed symbol
This indicates the maximum permissible vehicle speed with mounted tyres for the respective category.
160 km/h
170 km/h
180 km/h
190 km/h
200 km/h
210 km/h 
QRSTUH183Wheels