Wheels
Tyres and wheel rims
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Service life of tyres
213
New tyres
214
Unidirectional tyres
215
Tyre pressure monitor
215
Spare wheel
216
Full wheel trim
217
Wheel bolts
217
Wheel bolts
217WARNINGThe national legal regulations must be observed for the use of tyres.WARNINGInstructions for the use of tyres■For the first 500 km, new tyres do not yet provide optimum grip, and appro-
priate care should therefore be taken when driving – risk of accident!■
Only use radial tyres of the same type, size (rolling circumference) and tread
pattern on all four wheels.
■
For reasons of driving safety, do not replace tyres individually.
■
Never exceed the maximum permissible load bearing capacity for fitted
tyres – risk of accident!
■
Never exceed the maximum permissible speed for fitted tyres – risk of acci-
dent!
■
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear impairs handling – risk of acci-
dent!
WARNING (Continued)■ 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 specialist garage to have the vehicle checked.■
Only use tyres or wheel rims that have been approved by ŠKODA for your
model of vehicle. Failure to observe this instruction may impair the road safety
of your vehicle – risk of accident!
WARNINGInformation regarding tyre damage or wear■Never use tyres if you do not know anything about the condition and age.■
Never drive with damaged tyres – risk of accident!
■
Immediately replace damaged wheel rims or tyres.
■
You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the
wear indicators have been worn down.
■
Worn tyres impair necessary adhesion to the road surface, particularly at
high speeds on wet roads. This could lead to “aquaplaning” (uncontrolled ve- hicle movement – “swimming” on a wet road surface).
WARNINGInformation on tyre pressure■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.■
Insufficient or excessive inflation pressure impairs handling – risk of acci-
dent!
■
If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre will have to overcome a higher
rolling resistance. This will cause a significant increase in the temperature of
the tyre, especially at higher speeds. This can result in tread separation and a
tyre blowout.
212General Maintenance
WARNINGInformation on the wheel bolts■The wheel bolts must be clean and must turn easily. Never treat them with
grease or oil.■
The prescribed tightening torque of the wheel bolts for steel and light alloy
wheels is 120 Nm.
■
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!
WARNINGInformation on the spare wheel■Only use the spare wheel while absolutely necessary.■
Never drive with more than one spare wheel mounted.
■
The snow chains cannot be used on the spare wheel.
CAUTION
■ If a spare wheel is used that is not identical to the fitted tyres, the following
must be observed » page 216, Spare wheel .■
Protect the tyres from contact with oil, grease and fuel.
■
Replace lost valve caps.
■
If, in the event of a puncture, it is necessary to fit a spare wheel with a tyre
without a dedicated running direction or with the opposite direction of rotation, drive carefully as the optimal characteristics of the tyre are no longer applicable in
this situation.
For the sake of the environment
Tyres that are insufficiently inflated increase your fuel consumption.
Note
■ We recommend that any work on the wheels or tyres be carried out by a spe-
cialist garage.■
We recommend that you use wheel rims, tyres, full wheel trims and snow chains
from ŠKODA Original Accessories.
Service life of tyresFig. 165
Principle sketch: Tyre tread with wear indicators/open fuel filler
flap with a table detailing the tyre sizes and tyre inflation pressures
Fig. 166
Replacing wheels
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 212.
The service life of tyres depends on the inflation pressure, driving style and other
circumstances. Following the advice below can extend the service life of your
tyres.
Tyre pressure
Check the tyre pressure, including that of the spare wheel, at least once a month and also before setting off on a long journey.
The tyre pressures for tyres are shown on the inside of the fuel filler
flap » Fig. 165 –
.
The tyre pressure for the spare wheel should correspond to the highest pressure
specified for your vehicle.
213Wheels
Always check the inflation pressure when the tyres are cold. Do not reduce the
higher pressure of warm tyres.
With greater additional load, 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, however, there are a
range of factors that may result in an imbalance. This may become apparent by a
“vibration” in the steering.
Have the wheels rebalanced after replacing the tyres.
Wheel alignment errors
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear leads to excess wear of the tyres.
Tyre damage
Drive over kerbs and other such obstacles slowly and perpendicularly wherever
possible 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 tread immediately.
Replacing wheels
If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend replac-
ing the front wheels with the rear wheels as shown in the diagram » Fig. 166. You
will then obtain approximately the same life for all the tyres.
We recommend that you swap the tyres every 10,000 km in order to achieve even
wear on all tyres and to ensure optimal service life for the tyres.
Storing tyres
Identify disassembled tyres so that the previous direction of rotation can be
maintained if the tyres are reassembled.
Always store wheels or tyres in a cool, dry place that is as dark as possible. 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. 165 -
. Markings on
the walls of the tyres through the letters “TWI”, triangular symbols or other sym- bols identify the position of the wear indicators.Tyre age
Tyres age and lose their original characteristics, even if they are not being used.
Therefore, we recommend not using summer or winter tyres older than 6 or 4 years old respectively.
New tyres
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 212.
Only use radial tyres of the same type, size (rolling circumference) and tread pat-
tern on one axle on all four 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
225/50R 17 91 T
What this means is:
CaptionMeaning225Tyre width in mm » Fig. 165 on page 213 - 50Height/width ratio in % » Fig. 165 on page 213 - RCode letter for the type of tyre – Radial » Fig. 165 on page 213 - 17Diameter of wheel in inches » Fig. 165 on page 213 - 91Load index » TSpeed symbol »
The date of manufacture is stated on the tyre wall (possibly on the inside). e.g.
DOT ... 10 13...
means, for example, that the tyre was manufactured in the 10th week of 2013.
Load index
This indicates the maximum permissible load for each individual tyre. 580 kg
615 kg
630 kg
899192214General Maintenance
Washing182
Automatic car wash system188
by hand188
Chrome parts190
High-pressure cleaner188
Waste container76
water Crossing
134
Wax treatment See Taking care of your vehicle
189
Weights244
Wheel bolts Anti-theft wheel bolt
224
Caps217
Loosening and tightening223
Wheel rims212
Wheels Bolts
217
Changing221
Full trim217
General information212
Load index214
Replacing wheels213
Service life of tyres213
Snow chains218
Spare wheel216
Speed symbol215
Storing wheels213
Temporary spare wheel216
Tyre pressure213
Tyre sizes213
Tyre wear indicator213
unidirectional tyres215
Winter tyres218
Wi-Fi109
Windows191
Deicing191
See electric power windows41
Windscreen Deicing
191
Heater55
Windscreen washer fluid Checking201
Replenishing201
Warning light21
Winter201
Windscreen washer system201
Windscreen washers57
Windscreen wiper Replacing the rear window wiper blade
235
Windscreen wipers automatic rear window wipers
57
Cleaning windscreen wipers235
Replacing the front windscreen wipers235
Service position of windscreen wiper arms235
Windscreen washer fluid201
Windscreen wipers and washers56
Winter Deicing windows
191
Winter operation217
Snow chains218
Winter tyres218
Winter tyres See Wheels
218
Wiping interval57
WLAN109
MAXI DOT110
Network connection109
Switching off109
Switching on109
260Index