Unidirectional Tyres - Skoda Fabia Owner's Manual

182 Wheels and Tyres
Winter tyres
The handling of your vehicle will be significantly improved when driving on wintry
roads if you fit winter tyres. Summer tyres do not offer the same grip on ice, snow and
at temperatures below 7 °C because of their construction (width, rubber blend, tread
pattern). This applies in particular to vehicles which are equipped with low-profile
tyres or high-speed tyres (code index H, V or W on wall of tyre).
Winter tyres must be mounted on all four wheels to obtain the best handling charac-
teristics.
You must only fit those types of winter tyre which are approved for your vehicle. The
permissible sizes of winter tyres are stated in your vehicle documents. Approvals may
differ because of national legislation.
Please remember that the tyres should be inflated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar) more than is the
case for summer tyres  page 178.
Winter tyres no longer offer the same winter performance once the tyre tread has
worn down to a depth of about 4 mm.
Ageing also causes winter tyres to lose most of their winter performance properties -
even in cases where the remaining tread depth is still clearly more than 4 mm.
Speed restrictions apply to winter tyres as well as to summer tyres  page 180,

.
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed category to your vehicle provided that you also
do not drive faster than the permissible maximum speed for such tyres, even if the
possible maximum speed of your vehicle is higher. The corresponding tyre category
can damage the tyres when exceeding the permissible maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if you decide to fit winter tyres  page 178.
You can also fit so-called "all-year tyres" instead of winter tyres.
Please contact your specialist garage if there are any points which are not clear who will
be able to provide you with information regarding the maximum speed for your tyres.
WARNING
You must on no account drive your car at more than the permissible maximum
speed for your winter tyres - risk of an accident resulting from tyre damage and
loss of control over your car.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres on again in good time since summer tyres offer you better grip
and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well as ar temperatures below
7 °C - the braking distance is shorter, there is less tyre noise, tyre wear is reduced and
fuel consumption is reduced.
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.

Unidirectional tyres*

The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by arrows on the wall of the tyre. This
indicates the direction of rotation of the tyre, and it is essential that the tyres are fitted
on to run in this direction. Only then are the tyres able to provide the optimal proper-
ties in terms of grip, low noise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Should it be necessary to fit on a spare wheel* in the event of a puncture with a tyre not
dedicated to the running direction or in opposite running direction, please adopt a
cautious style of driving as the tyre is no longer able to provide optimal grip and
handling in such a situation. This particularly important on wet roads. Please refer to
the additional instructions  page 186, "Spare wheel*".
You should have the defective tyre replaced as soon as possible and restore the correct
direction of rotation on all tyres.
Snow chains
Snow chains must only be mounted on the front wheels.
When driving on wintry roads, snow chains improve not only traction, but also the
braking performance.
For technical reasons, it is only permissible to fit snow chains with the following
wheel/tyre combinations.