four wheel drive SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR 2009 1.G / (1U) Owner's Manual

Seat belts111
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
The physical principle of a frontal collisionThe physical principle of a frontal a ccident can be explained quite simply:
Motion energy, so-called kinetic energy, is produced as soon as the vehicle is
moving, both for the vehicle and its occupants. The magnitude of this kinetic energy
depends essentially on the speed at which the vehicle is travelling and on the
weight of the vehicle and the occupant s. The greater the speed and weight increase, the greater the amount of energy which has to be absorbed in the event
of an accident.
The speed of the vehicle is, nevertheless,
the most important factor. Doubling the
speed of the vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy
four times.
The common opinion that it is possible to support your body in a minor accident
with your hands, is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces
acting on the body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed within the range from 30 km/hour to 50 km/hour,
the forces which are produced on your body in the event of an accident can easily
exceed 10.000 N (Newton). This equals a weight of one tonne (1 000 kg).
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt, are
thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the car,
such as steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen, ⇒fig. 116 . The occupants of a
vehicle who have not fastened their seat belts may even be thrown out of the
vehicle. This can resu lt in fatal injuries.
It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they will other-
wise be thrown through the vehicle in an uncontrolled manner in the event of an
accident A rear seat passenger who has not fastened the seat belt is a danger not
only to himself but also fo r those seated at the front ⇒fig. 117 .
Important safety information regarding the use of seat beltsThe correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•
The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or
twisted, or chafe ag ainst any sharp edges.
•
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts
are to offer their maximum protection ⇒page 112, “How are seat belts
correctly fa stened?”.
Fig. 116 The driver is thrown
forward if not wearing a beltFig. 117 The rear seat occu-
pant is thrown forward if not
wearing a belt
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Intelligent Technology
134•
when driving with snow chains
•
when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface
•
when it is necessary to rock a ca r free when it has become stuck.
then you should switch on the ESP again.
WARNING
It is also not possible for the ESP to overcome the physical limits of the
vehicle. Even if a vehicle fitted with ESP you should still always adapt your
style of driving to the condition of the road surface and the traffic situation.
This particularly applies when driving on slippery and wet roads. The
increased safety offered must not tempt you to take greater risks than
otherwise - risk of an accident!
Note
•
All four wheels must be fitted with the same tyres in order to achieve problem-
free operation of the ESP. Differing rollin g circumferences of the tyres can lead to
an undesirable reduction in the engine output.
•
Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or other assign-
ment of tyres and wheels) can influence the function of the ESP ⇒page 181,
“Accessories, changes and replacement of parts”.
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)*
The electronic differential lock pr events an individual wheel from
slipping.Vehicles fitted with ABS* can be equipped with electron ic differential lock (EDL).
General
The EDL makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, accelerate
and climb a steep hill when the conditio ns of the road surface are unfavourable. Operating principle
The EDL is activated automatically, that is
without any action on the part of the
driver. It monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of the ABS sensors.
Should only one drive wheel begin spinning on a slippery surface there will be an
appreciable difference in the speed of the driven wheels. The EDL function brakes
the slipping wheel and the differential transmits a greater driving force to the other
driven wheel. This control proces s is also accompanied by noises.
Overheating of the brakes
The EDL switches off automatically if unusually severe stresses exist in order to
avoid excessive heat generation in the disc brake on the wheel which is being
braked. The vehicle can continue to be dr iven and has the same characteristics as
a vehicle not fitted with EDL.
The EDL switches on again automatically as soon as the brake has cooled down.
WARNING
•
Depress the accelerator carefully when accelerating on uniformly slip-
pery road surfaces, such as ice and sn ow. The driven wheels might still spin
despite the EDL and affect the stability of the vehicle - risk of an accident!
•
You should always adapt your style of driving to the condition of road
surface and to the traffic situation even when your vehicle is fitted with EDL.
The increased safety offered must not tempt you to take greater risks than
otherwise - risk of an accident!Note
•
If the ABS warning light comes on, this ma y also indicate a fault in the EDL.
Please have the car inspected as soon as possible by a specialist garage.
•
Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or other assign-
ment of tyres and wheels) can in fluence the function of the EDL ⇒page 181,
“Accessories, changes and replacement of parts”.
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Intelligent Technology135
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Traction control system (TCS)
The traction control system prevents the driven wheels from spinning
when accelerating.General
The TCS makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, accelerate
and climb a steep hill when the conditio ns of the road surface are unfavourable.
Operating principle
The TCS switches on automatically when th e engine is started and then conducts a
self-test. The system monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of the
ABS sensors. If the wheels are spinning, the force transmitted to the road surface is
automatically adapted by redu cing the engine speed. This occurs at all speeds.
The TCS operates in combination with the ABS ⇒page 137, “Antilock brake system
(ABS)*”. The TCS will not function if a fault exists in the ABS system.
The TCS warning light ⇒page 33 lights up in the instrument cluster when there is a
fault on the TCS.
Switching off
You can switch the TCS off and on again as you wish by pressing the button
⇒ fig. 142 . The TCS warning light ⇒page 33 lights up in the instrument cluster
when the TCS is switched off. The TCS should normally always be switched on. It may be good practice in certain
exceptional cases, such as when you wish
to have wheel slip, to switch off the
system.
Examples:
•
when driving with snow chains
•
when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface
•
when it is necessary to rock a car free when it has become stuck.
then you should switch on the TCS again.
WARNING
You should always adjust your style of driving to the conditions of the road
surface and the traffic situation. The increased safety offered must not
tempt you to take greater risks than otherwise - risk of an accident!
Note
•
All four wheels must be fitted with the same tyres in order to achieve problem-
free operation of the TCS. Differing rolling circumferences of the tyres can lead to
an undesirable reduction in the engine output.
•
Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or other assign-
ment of tyres and wheels) can in fluence the function of the TCS ⇒ page 181,
“Accessories, changes and replacement of parts”.
BrakesWhat has a negative effect on braking efficiency?Wear-and-tear
Wear-and-tear to the brake pads is greatly dependent on the operating conditions
of the vehicle and your style of driving. Particularly if you drive a great deal in towns
and over short distances or if you adopt a sporty style of driving, it may be neces-
sary to have the thickness of the brake pads inspected at a specialist garage
between the service inspections.
Fig. 142 TCS switch
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Wheels and Tyres179
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Winter tyresThe 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 partic ularly applies to vehicles which are equipped with low-
profile tyres or high-speed tyres (code index H or V on wall of tyre).
Winter tyres must be mounted on all four wheels to obtain the best handling char-
acteristics.
You must only fit those type s of winter tyre which are approved for your vehicle.
The permissible sizes of winter tyres are stated in your vehicle documents.
Approvals may differ becaus e of national legislation.
Please remember that the tyres should be in flated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar) more than is
the case for summer tyres ⇒page 175, fig. 161 .
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 mo st of their winter performance proper-
ties - 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 177,
⇒ .
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed ca tegory to your vehicle provided that you
also do not drive faster than the permis sible maximum speed for such tyres, even
if the possible maximum speed of your ve hicle is higher. The corresponding tyre
category can damage the tyres when exceeding the permissi ble maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if you decide to fit winter tyres ⇒page 175.
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 ti me since summer tyres offer you better
grip and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well as ar tempera-
tures 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.Snow chainsSnow 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 permissi ble to fit snow chains with the following
wheel/tyre combinations:
Only use fine-link snow chains . They must not project more than 15 mm -
including the chain lock.
Remove the full wheel trims if you wish to fit snow chains to the wheels.
Wheel size
Depth (D)
Ty re s i z e
6J x 14
38 mm
175/80
6J x 15
38 mm
195/65
5,5J x 16
36 mm
205/55
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