Seat Ibiza Owner's Manual page 192

Unbalanced wheels should be rebalanced, as
they otherwise cause excessive wear on
steering, suspension and tyres. A wheel must
also be rebalanced when a new tyre is fitted.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect running gear alignment causes ex-
cessive tyre wear, impairing the safety of the
vehicle. If tyres show excessive wear, you
should have the wheel alignment checked by
a Technical Service.
WARNING
There is a serious danger of accidents if a tyre
bursts during driving!
The tyres must be replaced at the latest
●
when the tread wear indicators are worn
›››
page 189. Failure to follow this instruction
could result in an accident. Worn tyres do not
grip well at high speeds on wet roads. There
is also a greater risk of "aquaplaning".
● At continuously high speeds, a tyre with in-
sufficient pressure flexes more. This causes it
to overheat. This can cause tread separation
and tyre blow-out. Risk of accident. Always
observe the recommended tyre pressures.
If tyres show excessive wear, you should
●
have the running gear checked by a Technical
Service.
● Keep chemicals such as oil, fuel and brake
fluid away from tyres.
Damaged wheels and tyres must be re-
●
placed immediately!
190
Advice
For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase fuel con-
sumption.
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. Those approved
by SEAT are specially matched to the charac-
teristics of the vehicle and make a major con-
tribution to good road-holding and safe han-
›››
dling .
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 des-
ignations makes it easier to choose the cor-
rect tyres. Radial tyres have the tyre designa-
tions 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 infor-
mation:
● 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 special tools and spare
parts as well as the proper facilities for dis-
posing of the old tyres.
Any technical service has full information on
the technical requirements when installing or
changing tyres, wheels or wheel trims.
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 alterna-
tive, you should drive slowly and with extra
care at all times.