axle VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 2012 Owners Manual

Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight ing or the Gross
Always adapt your speed and driving to
the heavier load and the weight distribution in the vehicle . Take road, weather , traffic, and visibility conditions into account as
Please first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 137.
Always stow luggage securely in the
Distribute the load in the vehicle, on the roo f,
and in the trailer as evenly as possible .
Put heavy objec ts as far forward as possib le in
the luggage compartmen t and securely latc h t he
rear seat backrest in the upright position .
luggage in the luggage compartmen t to
the tie-downs with su itable straps
Adjust the headlig ht range 122 .
Check the pressure in 4 tires when the tires
are
P ay especially close att enti on to your vehicle 's Tire Pressu re M on itoring
Driving with an open rear hatch
tory information and heed the on page 137.
D rivi ng with
an ope n rear hatch can lead to se riou s
personal injury. if you have to drive with an ope n
rear hatc h, make sure t hat objec ts and the
hatch it sel f are properly secured and take
Before d riving
den braking and driving maneuvers .
Always brake earlier than you would if you were not driving a loaded vehicle. <1
The defroster heating wires or antenna in the rear window can be damag ed by objects that rub against them.
Please review the in forma tion on loadi ng a tr ai le r 149 and a roof rack 146. <1
Driving with a n unlatched or open rear hatch
ca n lead to serious personal injury.
After clo sing the rear hatch, always

the rear seat backrest in the upright position.
Weight Rating on the
safety sticker on the door j amb. Exceeding
ad apt speed and driving to the heavier and the weight distribution in the Tak e road , weather , traffic, and
Weights and axle weights
first read and note the
on page 137 .
T he
gross weight of any depends on
the eng ine. basic equipme nt, an y fac tory-installed equipment for the given and any
ac cessories tha t have been The Gross Weigh t Rat ing (GVWR) an d t he G ross front
a nd Rea r
are p rinted on th e S afety on the driver door ja mb.
The Gross the
weight of the a t ank of the
e ngine and
Weight R atings specify th e
may not be increased by using
a roo f rac k withou t commens urate ly red ucing th e
weig ht fr o m D ete rmi ning the Gross
Passe ngers.
Roo f
Factory-insta lled or re trofitted accesso ries.
H itch weight and tongue weight for
and avoid den braking and driving maneuver s.
brake than you Weight Rating
(GVWR) and the Gross fr ont and rear
which are printed
on the Certification on the driver door jamb .
damage, accidents,
and seriou s
Never the exceed the Gross Weight Rating. never the weights exceed the Gross Weight Rating .
remember that the and braking be affected by extra Adjust your s p ee d
distribute the as in the The
in the (passengers and
When transporting a heavy in the ga ge compartment, c arry the as to the rear so that the and braking are af-
f ec ted as

Maximum permissible
The tong ue load or tongue weight is the load pressing down on the
trailer hitch 156 .
T he maximum permissible trailer weight and
tongue weight for your vehic le are listed on
the vehicle -specific ures are listed in the official vehic le documents .
Spec ifications in officia l vehicle documents always
take precedence.
To help ensure optimum handling and driving ty, Volkswagen recommends always using the
maximum permissible tongue weight. the
tongue weight is too low, the vehicle and trailer will
not handle as well.
T ongue weight increases the load on the rear axle
and , in turn , reduces the remain
ing load your
trailer and must never be retrofitted to tow a
Class trai ler. Always make sure that your vehicle
has been designed to tow the trailer you want to
use and that it is legal to tow the trailer where you
will be driving .
Loading the
The weight distribution in th e vehicle and traile r
must be balanced. Use the maximum permissible
tongue weight and make sure that the load in the
trailer is evenly distributed and th at it
is not heavy or tail-h eavy:
Driving with a trailer
on page 149.
152 Before driving
Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy
objects are directly above the axle or as close as
possible to the axle.
258.
able, undamaged straps that can be tightened so that the load cannot shift. Headlight settings
Towing a trai le r can ra ise the front end of the

Wheel size designation
Wheel rim diameter and width .
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various
designated seating capacities
Designated seating ca-Vehicle
normal load, Occupant
distribution
pacity, number of occu- number of occupants
in a normally loaded
pants
2 ,3 or 4 2
5 3
Tires and vehicle load limits
on
page 258.
There are limits to the load any
or any tire can carry . A vehicle that
is overloaded
Overloading can also lead to
blowout, sudden loss
of pressure or
other tire failure that can cause loss
of
control.
Your safety and the safety
of your
passengers depends on making sure
that load
ing capacity) with an assumed weight
of (68 kg) for each passenger
at a designated seating position and
the total weight
of any luggage in the
vehicle.
you tow a trailer, the weight
of the trailer hitch and the tongue
weight
of the loaded trailer must be
included as part
of the vehicle weight.
At altitudes above
for
every
ft m) .
The Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR)
is the maximum load that
can be carried at each
of the vehicle's
2 axles (by the front or rear tires) .
GVWR and GAWR are listed on the
safety compliance
cleaning, maintenance

Fig. 164 Chang ing a whee l: remove previous ly
loos ened wheel bolts using the screwdrive r hand le .
on page
Removing the wheel
Review the checklist 311.
Loosen the wheel
Lift the
Completely unscrew and remove the previously
l oosened wheel
164. Place the
wheel
Remove the wheel.
the tire is a unidirectional ti r e , be sure to
Place the spare wheel or compact spare wheel
on the ax le.
in posit ion 161 in relation to the position of the
tire valve Hand tighten it using the adapter by
turning clockwise .
on page
Lower the vehicle with the jack .
Use the lug wrench to firmly tighten wheel Do not tighten them in sequence! Tighten any wheel to begin , then
tighten the wheel
and so forth .
caps , center wheel
Wheel bolts that are tightened or
Always keep wheel bolts and threads in the whee l hub clean and free of
Improper use of a compact s pare wheel can
cause loss o f vehicle control, a crash or other accident , and serious person al injury.
nering!
km ) with a compact spare wheel that is on the front axle (drive axle).
Replace the compact spare with a normal wheel and tire as soon as possible. Compact spa re tires are designed for brief use only.
Practical tip s 3 15