Seat ALTEA Owner's Manual page 228

226 Wheels and tyres
Note
● The run-flat tyres do not "deflate" on losing pressure because they are
supported on the reinforced sides. Therefore defects in the tyre cannot be
detected with a visual inspection.
● Snow chains must not be used on front tyres used in emergency condi-
tions.
New tyres and wheels
New tyres and wheels have to be run in.
The tyres and wheel rims are an essential part of the vehicle's design. The
tyres and rims approved by SEAT are specially matched to the characteris-
tics of the vehicle and make a major contribution to good road holding and
safe handling ⇒
.
Tyres should be replaced at least in pairs and not individually (i.e. both front
tyres or both rear tyres together). A knowledge of tyre designations makes it
easier to choose the correct tyres. Radial tyres have the tyre designations
marked on the sidewall, for example:
195/65 R15 91T
This contains the following information:
195 Tyre width in mm
65 Height/width ratio in %
R Tyre construction: Radial
15 Rim diameter in inches
91 Load rating code
T Speed rating
The tyres could also have the following information:
● A direction of rotation symbol
● "Reinforced" denotes heavy-duty tyres.
The manufacturing date is also indicated on the tyre sidewall (possibly only
on the inner side of the wheel).
"DOT ... 1103 ..." means, for example, that the tyre was produced in the

11th week of 2003.
We recommend that work on tyres and wheels be carried out by a Technical
Service. They are familiar with the procedure and have the necessary spe-
cial tools and spare parts as well as the proper facilities for disposing of the
old tyres in a manner that protects the environment.
Any Technical Service has full information on the technical requirements
when installing or changing tyres, wheels or wheel trims.
On vehicles with all-wheel drive, all four tyres must always be fitted with
tyres of the same type, make and tread pattern, as otherwise the driveline
can be damaged by continuous differences in the wheel speeds. For the
same reason, only use a spare wheel with the same tyre dimensions as the
normal road wheels. You may also use the factory-supplied compact tempo-
rary spare wheel.
WARNING
● We recommend that you use only wheels and tyres which have been
approved by SEAT for your model. Failure to do so could impair vehicle
handling. Risk of accident.
● Avoid running the vehicle on tyres that are more than 6 years old. If
you have no alternative, you should drive slowly and with extra care at all
times.
● Never use old tyres or those with an unknown "history of use".
