Car wheels and tires (VW Passat B3)

General instructions

New tyres only achieve optimum grip after about 100 km, so during this period you should drive carefully, at a reduced speed. This also has a positive effect on the durability of the tyres.

Depending on the design features, material and tread pattern, the wear rate of different tires (of different types and from different manufacturers) may vary.

Check the integrity of the tires periodically (presence of cuts, punctures, swellings). Remove foreign bodies stuck in the rubber.

To avoid damaging tires and wheel rims, curbs and other similar obstacles should be driven over slowly and at an angle close to right angles.

Damage to tires and rims is often invisible to the eye. If you suspect damage, be sure to have the wheel checked at a service station. Protect tires from contact with oil, fuel and other petroleum products.

Replace missing valve caps immediately.

When removing tires and wheels, they should be marked so that the original direction of rotation of the tire is maintained during subsequent installation.

Always store removed wheels and tires in a cool, dry and, if possible, dark place. Tires without rims should be stored in an upright position.

Durability of tires

The durability of tires depends significantly on the following factors:



Air pressure in tires. Recommended pressure values are indicated on the inside of the fuel tank cap. Tire pressure is especially important at high speeds. Therefore, you should check the pressure at least once a month and before each long trip.

Don't forget to check the spare tire:

• On a compact spare tire, the pressure is indicated on the sidewall of the tire.
• The pressure in the spare wheel with a regular tire should be the maximum recommended for the given vehicle model.
• Check the pressure only when the tire is cold. Do not reduce the pressure if it was measured immediately after driving.

Adjust the pressure in a timely manner according to the vehicle load.

Too low or too high pressure reduces the service life of the tread and negatively affects the dynamic properties of the car.

Attention: At low pressure, the tire experiences increased deformation, which during prolonged movement at high speed leads to its overheating. This can cause the tread to peel off and even a sudden rupture of the tire while driving. At low pressure in tires, fuel consumption increases significantly.

Driving style

Fast cornering, frequent sharp acceleration and braking significantly reduce the service life of tires.

Wheel balancing

The wheels of a new car are balanced at the factory. However, during operation, due to various factors, their imbalance may occur, which is expressed in the beating of the wheel during movement (felt by vibration of the steering wheel or the entire car with the rotation speed of the wheel).


Wheel imbalance causes accelerated wear of steering components, suspension, as well as wheel hubs and tires themselves, so such wheels must be rebalanced. In addition, the wheel must be rebalanced after installing a new tire and after each tire repair.

Chassis defects (wheel alignment errors)

Wheel alignment errors due to chassis faults not only cause accelerated (usually one-sided) tire wear, but also reduces traffic safety. Therefore, if uneven tire wear occurs, contact a service station.

Wear indicators

On the base of the tread of most modern tires there are transversely located "wear indicators" 1.6 mm high - see the picture. These indicators - depending on the model there can be 6-8 of them - are located on the tire at the same distance from each other and appear when the remaining depth of the tread pattern reaches 1.6 mm.

Markings on the sidewall of the tire (such as the letters "TWI" or a triangle) indicate the location of the wear indicators.

Caution: When wear indicators appear, it is imperative to replace the tire. Worn tires do not provide the necessary grip on the road surface, especially at high speeds. In addition, with a small tread depth, the aquaplaning effect occurs at lower speeds.

Note: The minimum permissible tread depth is 1.6 mm (in some countries these indicators may have different values).

Wheel rotation

If the front tires are predominantly worn, it is recommended to swap the front and rear wheels according to the diagram provided. This way, all tires will have approximately the same service life.

Under certain conditions, it may be rational to use a diagonal wheel rotation. You can find out the details of this procedure at a Volkswagen service station.

Wheel/Tyre Replacement

Tires and rims (disks) of wheels are important structural elements and play a vital role in ensuring safe driving. Therefore, it is necessary to use wheels and tires recommended by Volkswagen, information about which can be obtained at service stations.

Mounting and repairing tires requires special skills and tools, so only specialists should perform these jobs. Repairs, as well as replacement of wheels and tires, are best done at service stations.

To ensure the stability of the car, it is better to replace the wheels not one by one, but at least in pairs. Always install tires with a greater tread depth on the front wheels.

Install only radial tires of the same design and size on all 4 wheels (with the same outside diameter), and, if possible, with the same tread pattern.

All-wheel drive (syncro) vehicles must have identical wheels (all four) of the same manufacturer. Otherwise, the viscous coupling, due to the resulting difference in wheel speeds, will excessively increase the torque on the rear axle, which can lead to premature failure of the mechanisms.

To avoid unnecessary stress on the transmission mechanisms when installing the spare wheel, the syncro model is equipped with a normal-sized spare wheel, unlike other Volkswagen Passat models, which are equipped with small-sized spare wheels.

Compact spare wheels from regular Volkswagen Passat models should not be used on all-wheel drive Sincro models.

If the spare tire model and tread pattern are different from the tires installed on the vehicle (for example, if winter or wide-profile tires are installed), the spare wheel can only be used in an emergency for a short time, with special care when driving. The normal wheel should be installed as soon as possible.

Never install used tires on your vehicle whose history you do not know.

Correct reading of the inscriptions on the tire will make your choice easier. Radial tires have the following markings on the sidewalls:



The date of manufacture is also indicated on the sidewall of the tire (usually only on the inside of the wheel): DOT...123 - means that the tire was manufactured in the 12th week of 1993.

Caution: Use tires older than 6 years only as a last resort, and drive with caution.

When installing new tires and rims on your vehicle, please consider the following:

Attention: For technical reasons, it is not recommended to install rims from other cars, sometimes even of the same model! Rims and their mounting bolts must match each other. When rearranging wheels, (for example, when installing alloy wheels or replacing wheels with winter ones) make sure that the mounting bolts are suitable for these wheels in length and shape of the spherical part of the head. The reliability of the wheel mounting and the operation of the brakes depend on this! The use of tires and rims not recommended by Volkswagen for your car model may lead to an unacceptable decrease in traffic safety.

When installing decorative caps on wheels, please note that sufficient air access is required to cool the brake discs.

Winter tires

In winter road conditions - even with all-wheel drive - the dynamic properties of a car equipped with special winter tires are significantly improved. This is especially true for cars with wide-profile or high-speed tires (designation H or V). Winter tires are less slippery on ice and snow due to their design (width, rubber composition, tread pattern shape).

When converting to winter tires, please consider the following:

• Only winter tyres with belted construction may be used. The tyre sizes recommended by the manufacturer are listed below.
• To ensure the best dynamic properties, winter tyres should be installed on all four wheels.
• The pressure in winter tires should be 0.2 atm higher than in summer tires - see technical specifications.
• Winter tyres significantly deteriorate in performance when the tread depth is reduced to 4 mm.

The following speed limits apply to winter tires:

Marking	Maximum speed
Q	160 km/h
T	190 km/h
N	210 km/h

Regardless of the tires installed, traffic regulations must be followed.

• All-season tires can be used instead of winter tires.
• If there is a requirement in the traffic regulations that winter tires must be used, this also applies to vehicles with all-wheel drive.
• If a wheel breaks down, follow the instructions for using the spare wheel!
• Do not use winter tires in summer, as the vehicle's dynamic properties on a road free of snow and ice are reduced when using winter tires.

Using summer tires also reduces noise, tire wear and fuel consumption.

Anti-skid chains

The use of snow chains is possible for all tyre sizes. Chains can only be installed on the front wheels, even on syncro models.

For technical reasons, it is not possible to use a snow chain on a small spare wheel.

It is recommended to use chains with small links (no longer than 15 mm, including the locking link).

When using chains, remove decorative caps from the wheels. Wheel mounting bolts should be covered with caps for reliability.

When driving on a road without snow cover, chains must be removed, as they impair dynamic properties, damage tires and quickly fail themselves.