winter tyres Seat Ibiza 5D 2012 Owner's manual

172Driving and the environment
Avoid short journeys
To reduce the consumption and emission of polluting exhaust gases, the
engine and the exhaust gas filtration systems should reach the optimum
service temperature.
With the engine cold, fuel consumption is proportionally higher. The engine
does not warm up and fuel consumption does not normalise until having
driven approximately four kilometres (2.5 miles). This is why we recommend
avoiding short trips whenever possible.
Maintain the correct tyre pressures
Bear in mind that keeping the tyres at an adequate pressure saves fuel. If
the tyre pressure is just one bar too low, fuel consumption can increase by
as much as 5%. Due to the greater rolling resistance, under-inflation also
increases tyre wear and impairs handling.
The tyre pressures should always be checked when the tyres are cold.
Do not use winter tyres all year round as they increase fuel consumption by
up to 10%.
Avoid unnecessary weight
Given that every kilo of extra weight will increase the fuel consumption, it is
advisable to always check the luggage compartment to make sure that no
unnecessary loads are being transported.
A roof rack is often left in place for the sake of convenience, even when it is
no longer needed. At a speed of 100-120 km/h (60-75 mph) your vehicle
will use about 12% more fuel as a result of the extra wind resistance caused
by the roof rack even when it is not in use.
Save electricity
The engine activates the alternator, which produces electricity. With the
need for electricity, fuel consumption is also increased. Because of this, al-
ways turn off electrical components when you do not need them. Examples
of components that use a lot of electricity are: the fan at high speeds, the
rear window heating or the seat heaters*.
Note
● If you vehicle has Start-Stop, it is not recommended to switch this func-
tion off.
● It is recommended to close the windows when driving at more than
60 km/h (40 mph)
● Do not drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal, as the pressure
can make the plate spin, more fuel will be used and it can burn the clutch
plate lining, causing a serious fault.
● Do not hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch, use the foot brake or
hand brake, using the latter to start. The fuel consumption will be lower and
you will prevent the clutch plate from being damaged.
● On descents, use the engine brake, changing to the gear that is more
suitable for the slope. The fuel consumption will be lower and the brakes
will not suffer. 
Environmental friendliness
Environmental protection is a top priority in the design, choice of materials
and production of your new SEAT.
Design measures for economical recycling
● Joints and connections designed for easy dismantling
● Modular construction to facilitate dismantling
● Increased use of single-grade materials
● Plastic parts and elastomers are marked in accordance with ISO 1043,
ISO 11469 and ISO 1629
Choice of materials
● Nearly all materials used can be recycled
● Similar types of plastics grouped together for easy recycling
● Recycled materials used in manufacture 

181
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
CAUTION
To prevent scratching chrome surfaces:
● Never use an abrasive cleaning product on chrome.
● Do not clean or polish chrome parts in a sandy or dusty environment. 
Steel wheel rims
– Clean steel wheel rims regularly using a separate sponge.
Use an industrial cleaner to remove brake dust. Any damage to the paint on
steel wheel rims should be repaired before starting to rust.
WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a cylindrical jet. Even at large spraying distan-
ces and short cleaning times, visible and invisible damage can occur to
the tyres. This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can reduce braking effective-
ness. Risk of accident. Directly after washing, avoid sudden and sharp
braking. Dry the brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 168, Braking ca-
pacity and braking distance.

Alloy wheel rims
Every two weeks
– Wash salt and brake dust from alloy wheels.
– Use an acid free detergent to clean the wheel rims. Every three months
–
Apply a hard wax compound to the wheels.
Alloy wheels require regular attention to preserve their appearance. If road
salt and brake dust are not often removed, the aluminium finish will be im-
paired.
Always use an acid-free detergent for alloy wheel rims.
Car polish or other abrasive agents should not be used for maintaining the
rims. If the protective coating is damaged, e.g. by flying stones, the dam-
aged area should be repaired immediately.
WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a cylindrical jet. Even at large spraying distan-
ces and short cleaning times, visible and invisible damage can occur to
the tyres. This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can reduce braking effective-
ness. Risk of accident. Directly after washing, avoid sudden and sharp
braking. Dry the brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 168, Braking ca-
pacity and braking distance.

Underbody protection
The vehicle underbody is coated to protect it from chemical
and mechanical damage.
The protective coating can be damaged when driving. We recommend you
to check the protective coating under the body and on the running gear, and
reinstated if necessary, before and after the winter season.
We recommend you to go to your Technical Service to carry out repair work
and additional anti-corrosion work. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

215
Checking and refilling levels
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.
● If wheel trims are retrofitted, you must ensure that the flow of air to
the brakes is not restricted. This could cause the brake system to over-
heat.
● All four wheels must be fitted with radial tyres of the same type, size
(rolling circumference) and the same tread pattern.
For the sake of the environment
Old tyres must be disposed of according to the laws in the country con-
cerned.
Note
● For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to use the wheels from
other vehicles. This can also apply to wheels of the same model. The use of
wheels or tyres which have not been approved by SEAT for use with your
model may invalidate the vehicle's type approval for use on public roads.
● If the spare wheel is not the same as the tyres that are mounted on the
vehicle (e.g. winter tyres) you should only use the spare tyre for a short peri-
od of time and drive with extra care. Refit the normal road wheel as soon as
possible. Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be tightened to the correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the rims. If different wheel rims are
fitted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped
bolt heads must be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted securely and
that the brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you should not use wheel bolts from a different
vehicle, even if it is the same model ⇒ page 185.
WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not tightened correctly, the wheel could become
loose while driving. Risk of accident.
● The wheel bolts must be clean and turn easily. Never apply grease or
oil to them.
● Use only wheel bolts which belong to the wheel.
● If the prescribed torque of the wheel bolts is too low, they could loos-
en whilst the vehicle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tightening tor-
que is too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged.
CAUTION
The prescribed tightening torque for wheel bolts for steel and alloy wheels
is 120 Nm. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

216Checking and refilling levels
Winter tyres
Winter tyres will improve the vehicles handling on snow and
ice.
In winter conditions winter tyres will considerably improve the vehicle's han-
dling. The design of summer tyres (width, rubber compound, tread pattern)
gives less grip on ice and snow.
Winter tyres must be inflated to a pressure 0.2 bar higher than the pres-
sures specified for summer tyres (see sticker on fuel tank flap).
Winter tyres must be fitted on all four wheels.
Information on permitted winter tyre sizes can be found in the vehicle's reg-
istration documentation. Use only radial winter tyres. All tyre sizes listed in
the vehicle documentation also apply to winter tyres.
Winter tyres lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to a depth
of 4 mm.
The speed rating code ⇒  page 214, New tyres and wheels determines the
following speed limits for winter tyres: ⇒ 
max. 160 km/h (100 mph)
max. 180 km/h (110 mph)
max. 190 km/h (120 mph)
max. 210 km/h (130 mph)
In some countries, vehicles which can exceed the speed rating of the fitted
tyre must have an appropriate sticker in the driver's field of view. These
stickers are available from your Technical Service. The legal requirements of
each country must be followed.
Do not have winter tyres fitted for unnecessarily long periods. Vehicles with
summer tyres handle better when the roads are free of snow and ice. Q
S
T
H If you have a flat tyre, please refer to the notes on the spare wheel
⇒ page 214, New tyres and wheels.
WARNING
The maximum speed for the winter tyres must not be exceeded. Other-
wise, this could lead to tyre damage and risk of accident.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres again as soon as possible. They are quieter, do not
wear so quickly and reduce fuel consumption. 
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front wheels, and only for the follow-
ing tyres:
175/70R14
185/60R15Chains with links not exceeding 15 mm (including the chain
closure)
215/45R16Chains with links not exceeding 9 mm (including the chain
closure)
215/40R17Chains with links not exceeding 7 mm (including the chain
closure)
Remove wheel hub covers and trim rings before fitting snow chains. For
safety reasons cover caps, available in any Technical Service, must then be
fitted over the wheel bolts.
WARNING
Snow chains should be correctly tightened in accordance with the manu-
facturer's instructions. This will prevent the chains coming into contact
with the wheel housing. 

268Technical specifications
Dimensions and capacities
Dimensions
Length, width 4061 mm/1693 mm
Height at kerb weight 1445 mm
Front and rear projection 857 mm/735 mm
Wheelbase 2469 mm
Turning circle 10.7 m
Track width a) Front
Rear
1465 mm 1457 mm
Capacities
Fuel tank 45 l. Reserve 7 l.
Windscreen washer fluid container with headlight washer 2 l/4.5 l
Tyre pressure
Summer-grade tyres:
The correct tyre pressure can be seen on the sticker on the inside of the tank flap.
Winter tyres:
The pressure of these tyres is the same as the summer tyre pressure plus 0.2 bar.
a) This data will change depending on the type of wheel rim. 

Vehicle paintworkMaintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . 176
Vehicle tools Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Vehicle washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Ventilation slits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
W Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Warning messages Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Warning symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Warning triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Washing by hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Washing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Washing tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Washing with high pressure cleaners . . . . . . . 178
Water in the windscreen washer tank . . . . . . . 204
Wear indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Wearing suitable shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221, 252 Tightening torque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211, 252
Why assume the correct sitting position? . . . . . 29
Why should head restraints be correctly adjus- ted? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Why wear seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 20, 29
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Windscreen defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Windscreen washer fluid
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Windscreen wiper blades Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Changing blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Changing the rear wiper blade . . . . . . . . . 207
Winter driving Diesel engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Winter tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Wooden trim cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . 195
276 Index