Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen Tires And Wheels 2013 Owner's Manual
Tires and wheels
Introduction
In this section you’ll find information about:
Tire and wheel handling
Wheel rims
Tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure in cold tires
Tire inflation pressure in cold tires
Tread depth and tread wear indicators
Tire wear and damage
Spare wheel or compact spare wheel
Tire labeling
Winter tires
Snow chains
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Tires and vehicle load limits
Determining the correct load limit
Volkswagen recommends that all work on tires and wheels be done by an authoriz ed Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. They are familiar with the technical requirements
and recommended procedures, have the necessary special tools and spare parts, and can properly
dispose of old tires.
More information:
Transporting
Trailer towing
Braking, stopping and parking
Tire Pressure Monitorin g System
Exterior care and cleaning
Vehicle tool kit
Consumer information
Wheel covers
Changing a wheel
WARNING
New tires or tires that are old, worn or damaged canno t pr o vide maximum control and
braking performance.
Improper care and handling of tires and wheels can reduce driving safety and cause
accidents and severe injuries.
Install only radial tires of the same make, the same dimension s (tread circumference), and
similar tread profile on all 4 wheels.
New tires tend to be slippery and must be broken in. Always drive with special care for the
first 350 miles (560 km) to help reduce the risk of losing control, a collisi on, an d serious
personal injuries.
Check tire inflation pressure regularly when the tires are cold and always main tain t he
prescribed tire pressure. Low tire pressure can cause tires to get too hot, resulting in tread
separation, sudden loss of pressure, and bl owouts. Tires with excessively low pr essure flex
(bend) more, which can cause t he tir e to overheat and fail suddenly wi th out warning.
Check tires regularly for wear and damage.
Never drive with worn or damaged tires (for example, tires with punctures, cuts, cracks,
blisters, or bumps). Driving with worn or damaged tires can lead to loss of vehicle control,
sudden tire failure including blowouts and sudden deflation, crashes, and serious personal
injuries.
Have worn or damaged tires replaced immediately.
Never exceed the maximum speed rating or the maximum load rating of the tires on your
vehicle.
The effectiveness of the driver assistance systems and the braking support systems
depends on the tire traction.
If you notice unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side when driving, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and ti r es for da mag e.
To reduce the risk of losing control, crashes, and serious personal injuri es, ne ver loosen
the bolts on wheels with bolted rim rings.
Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of their past use. Old, used
tires and wheels may have damage that cannot be seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly, especially at high speeds,
causing loss of vehicle control, accidents, and severe personal injuries. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can be used only in an emergency and even then only with special care and
at low speed.
For technical reasons it is usually not possible to use wheel rims from other vehicles. Even wheel
rims from the same model may not fit properly. Check with an authorized Volkswagen dealer or
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility if necessary.
Tire and wheel handling
Fig. 164 Tire rotation diagram.
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNING S .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most abused pa rt s of a mot or vehicle. Tires are very important,
since their small patches of rubber are the only contact between your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining correc t ti re pre ss ure, making sure th at your vehicle and its t i res do not have to carry more
weight than they can safely handle, and regularly inspecting tires fo r damag e (su ch as cut s, slashes,
irregular wear, and overall condition) are the most important things that you can do to help avoid
sudden tire failure, including tread separati on and blo w out.
The tires and wheels are essential parts of the vehicle's design. The tires and wheels approved by
Volkswagen are specially matched to the characteristics of the vehicle for good road holding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly inflated.
Avoiding tire damage
If you must drive over a curb or other obstacle, drive very slowly and as much as possible at a right
angle to the curb with the tire tread of both front wheels cont acti ng the curb at the same time.
Regularly check tires for damage, such as punctures, cuts, tears and blisters.
Remove embedded material in the tread profile that has not yet penetrated the inside of the tire
.
Heed all warning messages from the Tire Pressure Monitoring System .
Replace worn or damaged tires immediately .
Damage to tires and wheels is often not readily visible . If you notice unusual vibration or the
vehicle pulls to one side, this may indicate that one of the t ire s is damaged. The tires must be checked
immediately for hidden damage by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volksw agen
Service Facility. See also .
Never exceed the load and permissible maximum speed rating of the tires .
Always keep aggressive chemicals including grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid off the tires,
including the compact spare wheel ⇒
Replace missing valve caps immediately.
.
Unidirectional tires
Unidirectional tires are designed to rotate only in one direction. U nidir ectional tires have arrows on the
sidewalls that show the direction of rotation . Unidirect i onal ti re s must always be mounted according
to the specified direction of rotation in order to deliver their best grip, braking performance, low road
noise, and good wear as well as good hydroplaning resistance.
If you have to mount a tire opposite to its proper direction of rotation, you must drive more carefully,
since the tire is no longer being used as designed. This is particularly impo rtant o n wet ro a ds. Yo u
must replace or remount the tire as soon as possible in order to restore the correct direction of
rotation.
Rotating tires
To help ensure even wear on all tires, regular tire rotation according to the diagram ⇒ fig. 164 is
recommended. In this way all tires can have about the same service life.
Volkswagen recommend s that you have your tires rota ted by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Tires more than 6 years old
Tires age even if they are not being used. Physical and chemic al proc esse s reduce tire strength and
performance and cause them to harden and become brittle. Old tires can fail suddenly and without
warning.
Volkswagen recommends replacing tires that are 6 years and olde r. This also applies to tires that look
new (including the tire on the compact spare wheel) or that seem to still be usable with tr e ad dept h
that has not yet reached the legal minimum depth ⇒
The age of each tire can be determined with the manufacturing date that is part of the U.S. DOT tire
identification number (TIN) .
.
Tire storage
Mark tires before removing them to help make sure that the previ ou s locati on (left, right, front, rear)
and rolling direction can be maintained when remounting them. Store tires in a cool, dry and preferably
dark place. Do not store tires mounted on wheels standing up.
Tires not mounted on wheels should be covered to help protect them from dirt and stored vertically
(sitting on the tread).
WARNING
Aggressive fluids and materials can cause visible and invisible tire dam age th at can cause
tire blowouts.
Always keep chemicals, oils, grease, fuels, braking fluids and other aggressive
substances away from tires.
WARNING
Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly, especially at high speeds,
causing loss of vehicle control, accidents, and severe personal injuries.
Tires that are more than 6 years old can be used only in an emergency and even then only
with special care and at low speed.
Always dispose of old tires in accordance with legal requirements.
Wheel rims
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNING S .
The design of the wheel bolts is matched to the factory-installed wheels. If different wheels are
installed, wheel bolts with the right length and bolt head shape must be used. This helps to ensure that
wheels can be mounted securely and that the brakes will work correctly .
In most cases, you cannot use wheel bolts from a different vehicle. Even wheel rims from the same
model may not fit properly.
Tires and wheel rims approved by Volkswagen have been matched precisely to your vehicle model
and contribute considerably to good handling and safe vehicle performance.
Tightening to r q ue
Wheel bolts must always be installed with the correct tightening torque . The required tighte ning
torque for your vehicle's wheel bolts is 88 ft-lbs (120 Nm). After changing a wheel, the bolt torque
must be checked as soon as possible with an accurate torque wrench. See an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Wheel rims with bolted rim rings
Wheel rims with bolted rim rings have several parts. The parts are bolted together with special screws
in a special process. This helps to ensure that they will work properly, prevent leaks, run true and
safely. Damaged wheel rims must be replaced, and you must never take them apart or try to repair
them yourself. Have an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility
repair them for you ⇒
.
Wheel rims with bolted decorative covers
Light-alloy wheels may have interchang eable decorative covers attached to th e rim with self-locking
screws. If you want to replace damaged wheel cover s, contact your authorized Volkswagen dealer or
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
WARNING
Using improper or damaged wheel rims can affe ct dr iving sa fe ty, cause accidents and severe
personal injury.
Use only wheel rims approved for the vehicle.
Regularly check wheel rims for damage and replace them if necessary.
WARNING
Improper loosening and tighte ning of the bolts on wheel rims with bolted rim rings can cau s e
accidents and severe personal injury.
Never loosen bolted connections on wheel rims with bolted rim rings.
Have all work on wheel rims with bolted rim rings performed by an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Tire inflation pressure
Fig. 165 Location of the tire inflation pressure label.
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNING S .
The correct tire inflation pressure for the factory-installed tires is listed on a label. The factory-installed
tires may be summer, winter, or all-season tires. Th e l ab el ⇒ f i g. 165 is on th e dri ve r door jamb.
Under- or over-inflation significantly shortens th e service life of your tires and affects the handling of
the vehicle ⇒
higher speeds. Incorrect tire pressure cause s incr ea sed wear and even sudden tire failure and
blowouts.
Therefore, tire pressure should be checked at least on ce a month and always before long trips.
The specified tire inflation pressure applies to a cold tire. When tires are warm, the p ress ure will be
higher than when the tires are cold.
Do not reduce the tire pressure on warm tires to match the required col d t ire infl ation pres sure. The
tire inflation pressure would then be too low and could cause sudden tire failure and blowout.
Applicable only in the United States
. The correct tire pressure is very important, particularly when the vehicle is driven at
Tire inflation pressure in cold tires
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNING S .
Model Engine Tire size Tire pressure
bar psi kPa
Jetta
SportWagen
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System is configured at the factor y with the correct tire inflation
pressure applicable for the vehicle model, engine and factory-in st alled tires. The tire inflation
pressure is listed on the tire inflation pressure label on the driver door jamb ⇒ fig. 165. The tire
inflation pressures for the road tires are listed on this label. The inflation pressure for the compact
spare is as specified on the tire pressure label or on a separate label for the compact spare, if there
is one. In the event of a discrepancy between the above figures and the tire pressures listed on the
tire inflation pressure label, the pressures listed on the label are the ones you should use. The listed
pressure applies to all road tires. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System m ust be rec alibr ated usin g
the SET button whenever you change or adjust the cold tire inflation pr essu res or remove and
remount or change any wheel or tire on the vehicle, even if the reinstalled or replacement wheels
and tires are identical to those that were removed and even if the tire pressure does not change .
Applicable only in Canada
2.5 l/170 hp (125 kW)
2.0 l/140 hp (103 kW)
195/65 R15 2.3 34 230
205/55 R16 2.3 34 230
225/45 R17 2.3 34 230
225/45 R17 2.4 35 240
205/55 R16 2.4 35 240
Tire inflation pressure in cold tires
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNING S .
Model Engine Tire size Tire pressure
bar psi kPa
Golf Wagon
The tire inflation pressure is also listed on the sticker inside the driver door jamb ⇒ fig. 165. The tire
inflation pressures for the road tires are listed on this label. The inflation pressure for the compact
spare is as specified on the tire pressure label or on a separate label for the compact spare, if there
is one. In the event of a discrepancy between the above figures and the tire pressures listed on the
tire inflation pressure label, the pressures listed on the label are the ones you should use. The listed
2.5 l/170 hp (125 kW)
2.0 l/140 hp (103 kW)
pressure applies to all road tires.
195/65 R15 2.3 34 230
205/55 R16 2.3 34 230
225/45 R17 2.3 34 230
225/40 R18 2.6 38 260
225/45 R17 2.4 35 240
205/55 R16 2.4 35 240
Tread depth and tread wear indicators
Fig. 166 Tread pattern: Wear indicator.
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNING S .
Tread depth
Most driving situations require as much tread depth as possible and similar tread depth for the tires on
the front and rear wheels. This is especially true when driving in winter weather, at low temperatures
and under wet conditions ⇒
In most countries the legally permissible minimum tread depth is 1/ 16 in (1.6 mm ), as mea sure d in
tread grooves next to the wear indicators. Please be sure to obey country-specific l eg al re quir em ents.
Winter tires are no longer suitable for winter operation once the tread p att er n is worn down to a depth
of 3/16 in (4.8 mm).
The tread depth of new tires can differ between tire models and manufacturers because of the
different design features and tread p at ter ns.
.
Tread wear indicator (TWI) in the tire
The 1/16 in (1.6 mm) high wear indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread grooves of the
original tires running across the treads ⇒ fig. 166. Several wear indicators are evenly spaced around
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