2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC Indicator

Tread depth and tread wear indicators

Fig. 113 Tread pattern: Wear indicator.

WARNING
Worn tires are dangerous and can cause loss of vehicle control
including serious personal injuries.
Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators, replace them sooner.
Worn tires do not grip the road properly, especially on wet
roads, increasing your risk of “hydroplaning” and loss of con-
trol.
Worn tires reduce the ability of your vehicle to handle well in
normal and difficult driving situations and increase braking dis-
tances and the risk of skidding.
Tire wear and damage

WARNING
Improper use of a spare wheel or a compact spare wheel can
cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or other accident, and se-
rious personal injury.
Never use a spare wheel or compact spare wheel if it is dam-
aged or worn down to the wear indicators.
In some vehicles, the spare wheel or compact spare wheel is
smaller than the original tire. A smaller compact spare wheel is
identified with a sticker and the words “50 mph” or “80 km/h”.
This is the maximum permissible speed when driving with this
tire.
Never drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h) with a compact
spare wheel. Avoid full-throttle acceleration, heavy braking, and
fast cornering!
Never drive more than 125 miles (200 km) if a compact spare
wheel is installed on the front axle (drive axle).
Replace the compact spare with a normal wheel and tire as
soon as possible. Compact spare tires are designed for brief
use only.
Regularly check the U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
to determine the age of the compact spare wheel ⇒  Tire label-
ing. Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail sud-
denly, especially at higher speeds.
Tires that are more than 6 years old can only be used in an
emergency and then with special care and at lower speeds.
The compact spare wheel must always be secured with the
wheel bolts provided by the factory.
Never drive using more than one compact spare wheel.
After installing the compact spare wheel, the tire pressure
must be checked as soon as possible ⇒  Tire inflation pressure.
Snow chains cannot be used on the compact spare wheel. If
you must use snow chains and have a compact spare wheel
mounted, move the compact spare wheel to the rear axle if a
front tire has to be replaced. The tire taken off the rear axle can
then be used to replace the flat front tire. Be sure you do not
change the tire's direction of rotation. Install the snow chains
on the full-sized road tire.

NOTICE
When the spare wheel or compact spare is being used, the TPMS
indicator light can come on after a couple of minutes ⇒ Tire
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
If possible, attach the spare wheel, compact spare wheel, or the
wheel you took off the vehicle securely in the luggage compartment.
Tire labeling

Fig. 116 International tire labeling.

Tire labeling
(example)
Meaning
DOT
The tire complies with the require-
ments of the United States Depart-
ment of Transportation, responsible
for issuing safety standards.
BT Identification letter of the manufactur-
ing site.
RA Manufacturer information regarding
tire dimensions.
TY5 Tire characteristics provided by the
manufacturer.
1709 Manufacturing date: 17th week in
2009.
TWI Marks the position of the treadwear indicator
Made in Germany Country of manufacture.
MAX LOAD 615 KG
(1356 LBS)
United States maximum load rating per
wheel.
MAX INFLATION
350 KPA (51 PSI)
United States maximum permissible inflation
pressure.
ROTATION Rotation direction (unidirectional tires)
SIDEWALL 1 PLY
RAYON
Tire ply composition and materials used:
1 layer of rayon.
TREAD 4 PLIES
1 RAYON + 2 STEEL
+ 1 NYLON
Tire tread composition and materials used:
In this example there are 4 layers under the
tread: 1 layer of rayon, 2 layers of steel belt
and 1 layer of nylon.

Speed rating (letter code)
A standardized letter code indicating the maximum speed at which a
tire is designed to be driven for extended periods of time. The ratings
range from 93 mph or 150 km/h (“P”) to 186 mph or (300 km/h) “Y”.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is molded on the tire
sidewall. You may not find this information on all tires because it is
not required by law.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
A system that detects when at least one of a vehicle's tires is underin-
flated and illuminates a low tire-pressure warning light.
Tread
The portion of a tire that normally touches the road.
Tread rib
A tread section running circumferentially around a tire.
Tread separation
Tire failure caused by the tread pulling away from the tire carcass.
Tread wear indicators (TWI)
Raised areas within the main tread grooves that show, visually, when
tires are worn and near the end of their useful life ⇒ page 261.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
A tire information system developed by the U.S. National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to help buyers
compare tires. UTQG is not a safety rating, nor is it a guarantee that a
tire will last for a certain number of miles or perform a certain way. It
gives tire buyers more information to compare with factors such as
price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufacturers in 3 areas: tread wear, traction
and temperature resistance. UTQG information is molded into the tire
sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
A tire's serial number. It begins with the letters “DOT” (“Department of
Transportation”) and indicates that the tire meets all federal stand-
ards. The next 2 numbers or letters indicate the plant where the tire

There may be differences between the pressure readings from a
tire pressure gauge and the pressures registered by the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System. The electronic TPMS is more accurate.
If you have work done on your wheels or tires, inform the work-
shop that the vehicle is equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring
System that has sensors in the wheels.
Indicator light (telltale)

The Tire Pressure Monitoring System uses a pressure sensor in each
wheel. Signals from the sensors are transmitted to the TPMS.
The TPMS checks the tire pressure of all 4 tires while you are driving
and warns if there is a loss of pressure while the vehicle is moving.
Pressure loss that is 25% or more of the benchmark value pro-
grammed into the system is signaled by the indicator light (telltale)
described above, by acoustic warnings, and by text messages in the
instrument cluster display.
If you mount tires of a different size than the factory installed tires, an
authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service
Facility can adjust the benchmark TPMS tire pressure to match the
new tires. Without this adjustment, TPMS may not work correctly or at
all.
The tire pressure recommended for the tires originally installed on the
vehicle is on a sticker on the driver door jamb ⇒  Tire inflation pres-
sure.
Display in the instrument cluster
The display in the instrument cluster shows the vehicle with the actual
and benchmark tire pressures of all 4 road wheels ⇒ fig. 117

Tire pressure display screen
⇒ fig. 117 Meaning
(1) Tire pressure warning, left rear
tire.
(2) Current tire pressure, front left
tire.
(3) Benchmark pressure, front tires
(4) Current tire pressure, front right
tire.
(5) No data received, right rear tire.
(6) Benchmark pressure, rear tires