Loading ...
Loading ...
Loading ...
Practical tips
driving in winter, in cold temperatures and on
w
et r
oads
›
››
.
The minimum tr
ead depth r
equir
ed by law in
the majority of cases is 1.6 mm (1/16 of an
inch), measured in the tread grooves next to
the tread wear indicators. Observe legal re-
quirements in each country.
Winter tyres lose much of their performance
when their tread has worn to 4 mm
(5/32 inch).
The tread depth of new tyres may vary, ac-
cording to the type and make of tyre and the
tread pattern.
Wear indicators on the tyre
The original tyres on your vehicle have
1.6 mm (1/16 inch) high
›››
Fig. 302 tread wear
indicators running across the tread. A number
of these indicators are equally spaced
around the tyre tread. Certain marks on the
tyre walls (e.g. the letters “TWI” or other sym-
bols) indicate the position of the wear indica-
tors.
Tread wear indicators indicate if a tyre is
worn. They must always be replaced before
the tyre tread has worn to the level of the in-
dicator.
WARNING
Driving with worn tyres is dangerous, and
may lead to l
oss of control of the vehicle
with serious consequences.
●
Tyres must be replaced before the wear
indicators are at the same level as the
tread pattern.
●
Worn tyres have significantly reduced
grip, especially on wet surfaces, increasing
the risk of “aquaplaning”.
●
Worn tyres make control of the vehicle
more difficult in normal or difficult driving
conditions, increasing the braking distance
and the risk of skidding.
Tyre damage
Damage to wheels and tyres is often invisible
t
o the nak
ed eye
. If you notice unusual vibra-
tion or the car pulling to one side, this may
indicate that one of the tyres is damaged
›››
.
●
Slow down immediately if you think you
hav
e a damaged wheel.
●
Check the wheel
s and t
yres for damage.
●
If tyres are worn, stop driving and seek
qualified assistance.
●
If there is no visible exterior damage, drive
slowly and carefully to the nearest special-
ised workshop and have the vehicle checked.
Foreign bodies in the tyre
●
Do not remove foreign bodies if they have
penetrated through the tyre wall!
●
If the vehicle comes with a tyre mobility
system, where necessary seal the damaged
tyre as shown in section
›››
page 88. Use a
specialised workshop for repair or replace-
ment. SEAT recommends visiting a SEAT
dealership for this.
The sealant at the lower part of the tyre tread
wraps around the foreign body and provision-
ally seals the tyre.
Tyre wear
The wear of tyres depends on a number of
factors, for example:
●
Driving style.
●
Unbalanced wheels.
●
Running gear settings.
Driving style: driving round bends quickly or
sudden acceleration or braking speed accel-
erates tyre wear. When the driving style is
normal, if the tyres wear too quickly, have the
running gear settings checked at a special-
ised workshop.
Eccentricity of the wheels: the wheels of a
new vehicle are balanced. However, certain
circumstances may lead to imbalance (run-
out), which is detected as vibrations in the
steering wheel. Run-out leads to wear of the
344
Loading ...
Loading ...
Loading ...