___ T_i_r_e_s_ a_n_d_vv_ h_e_e_ ls _________________________________________________ _
Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of different things
including proper installation and balancing, correct tire
pressure and driving style .
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Trea d W ear Ind ica t or (TWll
ij
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.,
m
Fig. 209 Tire t read:
t read wear indicators
(TWIJ
Fig. 210 Rotati ng ti res
for more even w ear
The orig inal tires on your vehic le have 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear
indicators " ~ fig. 209 running across the tread . Depending on the
make , there will be six to eight of them evenly placed around the
tire . Marks on the tire sidewall (for example "TWI" or other symbo ls)
indicate the positions of the tread wear indicators . Worn tires must
be replaced. Diff erent figures may apply in other countries ~ & .
T ire pre ss ur e
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudden tire blow-out . For this reason , t ire pressure mus t be checked
at least once a month ~
page 274.
Dri vi ng st y le
Driving fast around curves, heavy acce leration and hard braking
increase tire wear .
Ro t ating t ires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the same service life, we
recommend that the front and rear tires are rota ted according to the
tire manufacturer's suggested tire rotation interva ls. Please
remember the following:
• Tire rotation interva ls may differ from the vehicle service inter-
vals out lined in your Warran ty
& Maintenance Booklet .
• The longer one tire is used in one locat ion on the vehicle, the
more it wears at certain po ints; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufacturer 's suggested t ire rotation intervals .
• Vehicles with front -wheel drive experience more tread wear on
the front wheels compared to all-wheel drive (quattro®) .
• Please rotate t ires as shown ~
page 278, fig. 210.
• Ext ra care must be taken wh en rotat ing dir ection -specific tires
~
page 298.
Wheel balan c ing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various situa-
tions during everyday dr iving can cause them to become unbal -
anced, resulti ng in vibra t ions you can usually feel through the
ste ering whee l.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to avoid excessive wear on
steering , suspension and tires . A wheel must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is installed.
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