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T _i _ r_ e _ s _ a_ n _d _ w _ h _ e_ e_ l_ s _ __._
Tire service
life
The service life of tire s depen ds on a lot of diffe ren t things
inclu ding prope r inst allation and bal ancing, co rr ect tire
pressure and driving sty le.
Tread
Wear
Indicator
(TWI)
Fig. 126 Tire tread:
tr ea d w ear indic ato rs
(TWII
The orig inal tires on your veh icle have 1/16 inc h (1.6 m m) high "w ear
indicators"=:- fig. 126 running across the tread. Depending on the
make, t here will be six to eight of t hem evenly place d aro und t he
tire. Marks on the tire sidewall (for examp le "TWI" or other symbo ls)
ind icat e t he pos it ions of th e t read wear ind icato rs. Wor n t ires must
be rep laced. Different figures may app ly in other countries=:> & .
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear and can cause
sudd en t ire blow-out . For this reason, ti re pres sure mu st be checked
at least once a month=:> page 213.
Driving
style
Driving fast around curves, heavy acceleration and hard braking
incr ease tire wea r.
Wheel
balancing
The w heels on new veh icles are balance d. However, vario us situa-
tions du ring everyday driving can cause them t o become unbal -
anced, resu lt ing in v ibrations you can usual ly fee l through the
steer ing w h eel.
Un balanced wheels must be reba lanced to avoid excessive wear on
stee r ing, suspension and tires . A whee l must also be rebalanced
w hen a new t i re is i nsta lled.
Incorrect
wheel
alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause excess ive tire wear, impairing
the safety of t he vehic le. If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l al ignment chec ked by an authoriz ed Aud i deal er or qua lified
workshop.
All Wheel
Drive
Only t he w heel/ti re sizes specifie d by the manuf act urer may be used
on veh icles wit h all -wheel dr ive. For deta i ls see=:> page 171.
&
WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of control , a crash and serious
personal injury!
•
Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down
to the wear indicators.
•
Worn tires are a safety hazard , they do not grip well on wet
roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning " and loss of control.
•
Always keep chemicals that can cause tire damage , such as
grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
•
Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly,
especially at high speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years old can
only be used in an emergency and then with special care and at
lower speeds .
•
Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of
their "previous history." Old used tires may have been damaged
even though the damage cannot be seen that can lead to sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control. •
Vehicle care
I
I
irechnical data
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