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Service & Appearance Care
Loading Your Vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how
much weight
it may properly carry. The
Tire-Loading Information label found on
the driver’s door lock pillar tells you the
proper size, speed rating and
recommended inflation pressures for the
tires on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number
of people that can be in your vehicle and
the total weight that you can carry. This
weight is called the Vehicle Capacity
Weight and includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options. The other
label is the Certification label,
11
found on the rear edge of the driver’s
door. It tells you the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle, called the
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
The GVWR includes the weight of the
vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your
vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
And, if you do have a heavy load, you
should spread it out. Don’t carry more
than
900 pounds (408 kilograms) in your
rear area.
1
CAUTION
Do not load your vehicle any
heavier than the GVWR or
the
maximum front and rear I
GAWRs. If you do, parts on you]
vehicle can break, or it can chang
the way your vehicle handles.
These could cause you to lose
control. Also, overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle.
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Service & Appearance Care
A
Poorly maintained and improperly used tires are dangerous.
9 Overloading your tires can cause overheating as a result of too much
friction. You could have an air-out and a serious accident. See “Loading
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
resulting accident could cause serious injury. Check all tires frequently to
maintain the recommended pressure. Tire pressure should be checked
when
the tires are cold.
Overinflated tires are more likely to be cut, punctured, or broken by a
sudden impact, such as when you hit a pothole. Keep tires at the
recommended pressure.
your tires have been damaged, replace them.
the correct high speed rated tires.
* Underinflated tires pose the same danger as overloaded tires. The
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If your tread is badly worn, or if
Don’t drive over 85 mph (135 kmh) even if it’s legal, unless you have
Inflation - Tire Pressure
The Tire-Loading Information label
which
is on the driver’s door lock pillar
shows the correct inflation pressures for
your tires, when they’re cold. “Cold”
means your vehicle has been sitting
for
at least three hours or driven no more
than a mile.
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NO TIC€
I Don’t let anyone tell you that
underinflation
or overinflation is
If your tires have too rnllrh air
(overinflation), y
Unusual wear
Bad handling When
to Check: Check your tires once
a month or more.
How to Check: Use a good quality
pocket-type gage to check tire pressure.
Simply looking at the tires will not tell
you
the pressure, especially if you have
radial tires
- which may look properly
inflated even
if they’re underinflated.
If your tires have valve caps, be sure to
put them back on. They help prevent
leaks by keeping out dirt and moisture.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
To make your tires last longer, have
them inspected and rotated at the mileages recommended
in your
Maintenance Schedule. See “Scheduled
Maintenance Services”
in the Index.
Use this rotation pattern.
255 - -
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I
- 256
If your spare wheel does not match your
other wheels, you may want to use this
pattern.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust
the front and rear inflation pressure as
shown
on the Tire-Loading Information
label. Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut
Torque’’ in the Index.
CA U TION
A
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on
the parts
to which it is
fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The
wheel could come off and cause an
accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt
from places where the wheel
attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use
a cloth or
paper towel to
do this; but be sure
to use a scraper or wire brush
later,
if you need to, to get all the
rust or dirt
off. (See “Changing a
Flat Tire” in the Index.)
I
When It’s Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s time for new
tires is to check the treadwear
indicators, which will appear when your
tires have only
2/32 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.
You need a new tire if
You can see the indicators at three
You can see cord or fabric showing
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut
places around
the tire.
through the tire’s rubber.
or snagged deep enough to show cord
or fabric.
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The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut, or other
damage that can’t be repaired well
because of the size or location of the
damage.
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires
you need, look at the Tire-Loading
Information label. The tires installed
on
your vehicle when it was new had a Tire
Performance Criteria Specification (TPC
Spec) number on each tire’s sidewall.
When you get new tires, get ones with that same TPC
Spec number. That way,
your vehicle will continue to have tires
that are designed to give proper
endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during
normal service on your vehicle. If your
tires have
an all-season tread design, the
TPC number will be followed by a
“MS” (for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those
not having a TPC Spec number, make
sure they are the same size, load range,
speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted
or radial) as your original
tires.
Mixing tires could cause you
- to lose control while driving.
I€ you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted
tires), the vehicle may not handle
properly, and you could have a
crash. Be sure to use the same size
and type tires on all four wheels.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the
system developed by the United States
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature
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Service & Appearance Care
performance. (This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States.)
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded
150 would
wear one and a half
(1 1/2) times as
well on the government course as a tire
graded
100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction - A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest are:
A, B, and C. They represent
the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement
as measured under controlled conditions
on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on braking
(straight-ahead) traction tests and does
not include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature - A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest),
B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of heat and
its ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material
of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive
temperature can lead
to sudden tire
failure. The grade
C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by
law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that is
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Service & Appearance Care
nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous. It could affect the
braking and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air
and make you lose control.
You
could have a collision in which
you or others could be injured.
Always use the correct wheel,
wheel bolts, and wheel nuts for
replacement.
NOTlCE
= 260
The wrong wheel can also cause
problems with bearing life, brakc
cooling, speedometer/odometer
calibration, headlight aim, bump
height, vehicle ground cleara
and tire or tire chain clearance
tc
the body and chassis Used
Replacement Wheels
I
Ab
Putting a used wheel on your
vehicle is dangerous. You
can’t
know how it’s been used or
how many miles it’s been driven.
It could fail suddenly and
cause an
accident. If you have to replace a
wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
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Service & Appearance Care
NO TIC€
Don't use any of these unless thi
manual says you can. In
monv
uses, thev will damage vnl
vehiclc
Laundrv Soan
Blec-'-
Reauc: gents
Cleaning the lnside of Your Geo
Use a vacuum cleaner often to get rid of
dust and loose dirt. Wipe
vinyl with a
clean, damp cloth.
Your Geo dealer has two GM cleaners
- a solvent-type spot lifter and a
Foam-type powdered cleaner. They will
:lean normal spots and stains very well.
Here are some cleaning tips:
Always read the instructions on the
Clean up stains as soon as you can -
cleaner label.
before
they set.
Use a clean cloth or sponge, and
change to a clean area often.
A soft
brush may be used if stains are
stubborn.
Use solvent-type cleaners in a well
ventilated area only.
If you use them,
don't saturate the stained area.
clean the entire area immediately or
it
will set.
If a ring forms after spot cleaning,
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