2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE weight

d Properly fasten your safety belt before driving the vehicle and wear your safety belt properly at all
times while driving. Make sure that all passengers do the same
d Only transport as many passengers as there are seats and safety belts available.
d Never drive if your driving ability has been impaired, for example by medication, alcohol or illegal
drugs.
d Never let passengers or phone calls distract you while driving, and never take your attention off the
road while using vehicle software or adjusting vehicle equipment or accessories.
d Always adapt your speed and driving style to visibility, weather, road, and traffic conditions.
d Always obey traffic laws and speed limits.
d On long trips make frequent rest stops – at least once every 2 hours.
d Secure animals in the vehicle with a system that corresponds to weight and size.
WARNING
Always observe traffic rules and posted speed limits and use common sense. Your good
judgment can mean the difference between arriving safely at your destination and being seri-
ously injured in a crash or other kind of accident.
Regular service and maintenance of your vehicle is important both for operational and driving
safety and to help prolong your vehicle's service life. Always follow the scheduled maintenance inter-
vals in the 

WARNING
Not wearing a safety belt or wearing an improperly positioned safety belt increases the risk of
severe personal injury or death. Safety belts offer optimum protection only when they are
used properly.
x Properly worn safety belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of
serious injury and death in a collision or other accident. For this reason, always wear your
safety belt properly and make sure all passengers wear their safety belts properly as well
whenever the vehicle is moving.
x The driver must always make sure that every person in the vehicle is properly seated on a
seat of his or her own, properly fastens the safety belts belonging to that seat before the
vehicle starts to move, and keeps the belts properly fastened while riding in the vehicle. This
applies even when just driving around town. Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
x Always secure children in the vehicle with a restraint system appropriate for their age,
weight and height
x Always fasten safety belts correctly before driving off and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained.
x Never attach the safety belt to the buckle of another seat. Attaching the safety belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
x Never let any objects or liquids get into the safety belt latch and prevent it from working
properly.
x Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
x Never strap more than one person, including small children, into any single safety belt.
x Never let children or babies ride sitting on your lap, and never place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap.
x Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your clothing, such as eyeglass-
es, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause injury.
x Several layers of heavy clothing (such as a coat worn over top of a sports jacket) may
interfere with proper positioning of the safety belt and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system.
x Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the shoulder belt. However, special
clips may be required for the correct use of some child restraint systems.
x Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat backrest is upright and belts are
correctly positioned on the body.

The physical principles of a frontal collision are simple. Both the moving vehicle and the passenger
possess energy ⇒ fig. 46, which varies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engineers call this energy
“kinetic energy.”
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy has to be
“absorbed” in a crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor. If your speed doubles (for example, from 15 mph to
30 mph – 25 km/h to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the occupants of the vehicle in the above example are not using safety belts, they are not
“attached” to the vehicle. In a frontal collision, they will keep moving at the same speed the vehicle
was moving just before the crash, until something stops them - here, the inside of the passenger
compartment. Because the occupants of the vehicle in the example are not wearing safety belts, their
entire kinetic energy will be absorbed by impact with the wall ⇒ fig. 47.
The same principles apply to people in a vehicle that is in a frontal collision on the highway. Even at
city speeds of 20–30 mph (30–50 km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000 lbs or
1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even higher.
Of course, the laws of physics don't apply just to frontal collisions; they determine what happens in all
kinds of accidents and collisions.
What happens to passengers not wearing a safety belt

Fig. 48 The unbelted driver is thrown forward.

Fig. 49 Unbelted passengers in the rear seats are thrown forward on top of the belted driver.

WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles and increase stopping distances.
Heavy loads that are not properly stowed or secured can cause loss of control and serious
injury.
x Secure the load properly to keep it from shifting.
x Always remember when transporting heavy objects that a change in the center of gravity
also changes the way your vehicle handles:
– Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
– Secure heavy objects properly as far forward in the luggage compartment as possible.
– Always tie down heavy items securely with suitable straps.
x Securely latch the rear seat backrest in the upright position.
x Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating on the
safety compliance sticker on the left door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight can cause the
vehicle to skid and handle differently.
x Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and the weight distribution in the
vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
x Always accelerate gently and avoid sudden braking and driving maneuvers.
x Always brake earlier than you would if you were not driving a loaded vehicle.
Stowing luggage

Please refer to the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross front and rear Axle Weight
Ratings (GAWR) for your vehicle, which are printed on the vehicle's Safety Compliance Certification
Label on the driver door jamb.
WARNING
Exceeding maximum permissible weight ratings can result in vehicle damage, accidents, and
serious personal injury.
x Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed the permissible Gross Axle
Weight Rating. Also, never let the total of these actual weights exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating.
x Always remember that the vehicle's handling and braking will be affected by extra load
and the distribution of this load. Adjust your speed accordingly.
NOTICE
x Always distribute the load evenly and as low as possible in the vehicle. The vehicle capacity
weight figures apply when the load is distributed evenly in the vehicle (passengers and
luggage).
x When transporting a heavy load in the luggage compartment, carry the load as close to the
rear axle (as far forward) as possible so that the vehicle's handling and braking are affected as
little as possible.

Fig. 109 Fuel consumption in l/100 km at 2 different outside air temperatures.
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNINGS
Driving defensively and economically can easily reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 15%.
The vehicle consumes the most fuel when accelerating. Defensive driving requires less braking and
therefore less acceleration. If possible, coast the vehicle to a stop, for example, when you can see that
the next traffic light is red or about to turn red.
Avoid traveling short distances
A cold engine consumes significantly more fuel immediately after starting. It takes a few miles (km)
before the engine is warmed up and fuel consumption is stabilized.
To reduce fuel consumption and the emission of pollutants effectively, the engine and catalytic
converter must reach their optimal operating temperature. Critical in this context is also the outside
air temperature.
fig. 109 and display the varying fuel consumption rates for the same distance driven, once at +68 °F
(+20 °C) and once at +14 °F (-10 °C).
Therefore, avoid driving short distances unnecessarily and consolidate routes.
Under the same conditions, the vehicle consumes more fuel in winter than in summer.
“Letting the engine run to warm up” is not only illegal in some places, but also technically not
necessary and wastes fuel.
Adjust the tire pressure
The proper tire pressure helps reduce rolling resistance as well as fuel consumption.
When purchasing new tires, always make sure that the tires are optimized for lower rolling resistance.
Use low viscosity engine oil
Fully “synthetic,” low viscosity engine oils that expressly comply with Volkswagen oil quality standards
reduce fuel consumption. Low viscosity engine oils reduce the frictional resistance on the engine and
are distributed more evenly and quickly, particularly when cold-starting the engine. The effect is
particularly apparent in vehicles that frequently travel short distances.
Always ensure the right engine oil level is maintained and keep to the scheduled service intervals
(engine oil changes).
Make sure the engine oil that you purchase expressly complies with Volkswagen oil quality standards
and is the oil approved by Volkswagen for your vehicle.
Avoid unnecessary weight
The lighter the vehicle, the more economical and eco-friendly it will be. For example, an extra 220 lbs
(100 kg) of weight increases fuel consumption by up to 1 pint per 60 miles (0.3 l/100 km).

Remove all unnecessary items and unnecessary dead weight from the vehicle.
Remove unnecessary aftermarket components
The more aerodynamic the vehicle, the less fuel it will consume. Aftermarket components such as
bicycle racks reduce its aerodynamic performance.
Therefore, remove unnecessary structures and unused rack systems, particularly if planning to drive at
higher speeds.

WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains or installing snow chains improperly can cause accidents and
severe personal injuries.
x Always use the proper snow chains.
x Follow the installation instructions provided by the snow chain manufacturer.
x Never exceed the permissible speed limit when driving with snow chains.
NOTICE
x Remove snow chains when roads are free of snow. Otherwise, the chains can damage the
tires, impair vehicle handling and can be quickly worn down.
x Snow chains can scratch or damage wheel rims if they have direct contact with the rims.
Volkswagen recommends using coated snow chains.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNINGS
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those standard items which may be replaced) of automatic
transmission, electro-mechanical power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, radio,
and heater, to the extent that these items are available as factory-installed equipment (whether
installed or not).
Aspect ratio
The ratio of sidewall height to tire width, expressed as a percentage. A number of 70 (0.7:1 or 70%) or
lower indicates a low-profile tire with a shorter sidewall for improved steering response and better
overall handling on dry pavement.
Bead
The part of a tire made of steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords, with the shape and structure
to ensure proper fit to the wheel rim.
Bead separation
A breakdown of the bond between components in the bead.
Carcass
The tire structure, except tread and sidewall rubber which, when inflated, bears the load.
Chunking
The breaking away of pieces of the tread or sidewall.
Cord
The strands of material forming the plies in the tire.
Cord separation
The parting of cords from adjacent rubber compounds.
Cracking
Any parting within the tread, sidewall, or inner liner of the tire extending to cord material.