1993 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE wheel

Problems on the Road
210
Changing a FIat Tire (CONT:)
1 6. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly in a
crisscross sequence as shown. Don’t
try to put a wheel cover on the
compact spare tire. It won’t fit. Store the
wheel cover securely in the rear of the
vehicle until
you have the flat tire
repaired or replaced.
..;~ compact spare. If you try to 1
I-
.- wheel cover on your compact
spare, you could damage the cover
Stop somewhere as soon
as you can and
have the nuts tightened with a torque
wrench. The torque setting should be
100 pound-feet (140 Nom).
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17. Lay the flat tire near the rear of the
vehicle with the valve stem down.
Slide the cable retainer through the
center
of the wheel and raise the flat
tire until you hear the hoist
mechanism click twice. This means
the wheel is firmly stored against
the underside of the vehicle.
When storing the spare tire, be certain
to turn the spare so the valve stem is
near the rear
of the vehicle. This will
help you to check and maintain tire
pressure in the spare.
Push against the tire to be certain it is
stored firmly.
18. Replace all jacking tools as they
were stored in the jack storage
compartment and replace the
compartment cover.
Be sure to also store the nylon nut caps.
When you replace the compact spare
with a full-size tire, replace the nylon
nut caps over the wheel nuts. Tighten
them “hand tight” using the folding
wrench (see step
7).
Storing a jack, a tire or other
- equipment in the passenger
compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
~dlision, loose equipment could
>trike someone. Store all these in
the proper place.
211
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Problems on the Road
Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare was fully
inflated when your vehicle was new, it
can lose air after a time. Check the
inflation pressure regularly. It should
be
60 psi (420 Pa). The compact spare is
made to go up to
3,000 miles (5 000 km),
so you can finish your trip and have
your full-size tire repaired or replaced
where you want.
Of course, it’s best to
replace your spare with a full-size tire as
soon as you can. Your spare will last
longer and be
in good shape in case you
need it again.
Your anti-lock brake system warning
light may come on when you are driving
with a compact spare. See the
Index
under Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light.
Don’t use your compact spare on some
Don’t take your compact spare other vehicle.
through an automatic car wash
with guide rails. The compact
spare can get caught on the rails.
That can damage the tire and
wheel, and maybe other parts
of
your vehicle. And don’t
mix your compact
spare or
wheel with other wheels
or tires. They
won’t fit. Keep your spare
and its wheel
together.
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If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your
vehicle is stuck is to spin your wheels.
The method known as “rocking” can
help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
‘ If you let your tires spin at
high speed, they can explode
and
you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That could
cause an engine compartment fire
or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin
the wheels
above
35 mph (56 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
.~.. .. . .
$ back and forth, you can desi
F$ your transaxle.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and
right. That will clear the area around
your front wheels. Then shift back and
forth between
R (Reverse) and a
forward gear, spinning the wheels as
little as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while
you shift, and press lightly
on
the accelerator pedal when the
transaxle is
in gear. If that doesn’t get
you out after a few tries, you may need
to be towed out. If you do need to be
towed out, see the
Index- under Towing
Your Oldsmobile.
213
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Tire lnspection and Rotation
ro make your tires last longer, have them
[nspected and rotated at the mileages
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule. See the
Index under
Ycheduled Maintenance Services.
Use this rotation pattern. After the tires
nave been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressure
as shown on the
Zertification/Tire label. Make certain
:hat all wheel nuts are properly
ightened. See the
Index under Wheel
Vut Torque.
1
b the parts to which it i
astened, can make wheel
3ecome loose after a time.
wheel could come off and cause an
dccident. When you change a
wheel, remove any
rust or dirl
from places where the wheel
ttaches
to the vehicle. In ar
ergency, you can use a clot1
L paper towel to do this; but b
sure
to use a scraper or wire 1:
later, if you need to, to get all the '
rust or die off. (See the Idex
under Changing a Flat Tire).
When lt'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.
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.
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Sewice & Appearance Care
250
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires
you need, look at the Certification/Tire
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.
If 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.
It’s all right
to drive with your
compact spare, though.
It was
developed for use on your vehicle.
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
performance. (This applies only to
vehicles sold
in the United States.)
u
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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%) 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.
251
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Service & Appearance Care
252
Temperature-A, B, C (CONT)
Warning: The temperature grade for
this tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat buildup
and possible tire failure.
Those grades are molded on the
sidewalls of passenger car tires.
While the tires available as standard or
optional equipment on General Motors
vehicles may vary with respect to these
grades, all such tires meet General
Motors performance standards and have
been approved for use on General Motors vehicles.
All passenger type
(P Metric) tires must conform to Federal
safety requirements in addition to these
grades.
Wheel Alignment and
Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were
aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to have
your wheels aligned again. However,
if
you notice unusual tire wear or your
vehicle pulling one way or the other, the
alignment may need to be reset. If you
notice your vehicle vibrating when
driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked
or badly rusted. If wheel nuts keep
coming loose, the wheel, wheel bolts,
and wheel nuts should be replaced. If
the wheel leaks air out, replace it
(except some aluminum wheels, which
can sometimes be repaired). See your
Oldsmobile dealer
if any of these
conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel
you need.
Each new wheel should have the same
load carrying capacity, diameter, width,
offset, and be mounted the same way as
the one it replaces.
If you need
to replace any of your
wheels, wheel bolts, or wheel nuts,
replace them only with
new GM
original equipment parts.
This way, you
will be sure you have the right wheel,
wheel bolts, and wheel nuts for your Oldsmobile model.
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