1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX wheel

14. Remove any rust or dirt from the
wheel bolts, mounting surfaces or
spare wheel. Place the spare on the
wheel mounting surface.
--
, Never use oil or grease on I
studs or nuts. If you do, i 3
luts might come loose. Your wheel
.Id fall off, causing a seril 1
accident. I
15. Replace the wheel nuts with the
rounded end
of the nuts toward the
wheel. Tighten each nut by hand
until the wheel is held against the
hub.
16. Lower the vehicle by rotating the
wheel wrench countercloclwise.
Lower the jack completely.
205
u
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Problems on the Road
Changing a Flat Tire (CONT.)
17. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly in a
criss-cross sequence as shown.
11 CAUTION 'I
Incorrect wheel nuts or
improperly tightened wheel
nuts can cause the wheel to become
loose and even come off. This could
lead to an accident. Be sure to use
the correct wheel nuts.
If you have
to replace them, be sure to get the
right kind.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can
and have the nuts tightened with a
torque wrench to
100 pound-feet
(140 Nmm).
Don't try to put a wheel cover on your
compact spare tire.
It won't fit. Store
the wheel cover in the trunk until you
have the flat tire repaired or replaced.
I meel covers won't fit on your
compact spare. If you try to put
a
wheel cover on your compact
spare, you could damage the cover
or the spare.
I
18. Store the flat tire as far forward in
the trunk as possible. Store the jack
and wheel wrench in their
compartment in the trunk.
Storing
a jack, a tire or other
equipment in the passenger I
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury.
In a sudden stop or I
collision, loose equipment could
strilce someone. Store all these
in
the proper place. I
The compact spare is for temporary use
only. Replace the compact spare tire
with a full-size tire as
soon as you can.
See
Compact Spare Tire later in this
section.
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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 1tPa). The compact spare is
made to go up to 3,000 miles (5 000 lm),
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.
take your compact spare
through an automatic car wash
with guide rails. The compac
spare can get caught
on the r
That can damage the tire and
wheel, and ma
your vehicle
Don’t use your compact spare on some
other 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.
NU I IL‘t
Tire chains won’t fit your compact
spare. Using
them will damage
your vehicle and destroy the chains
too. Don’t use tire chai
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Problems on the Road
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.
CAUTION
~ Spinning your wheels can destroy
parts
of your vehicle as well as the
tires.
If you spin the wheels too
fast while shifting your transaxle
back and forth, you can destroy
your transaxle.
If
you let your tires spin at
b high speed, they can explode
llyu 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 h/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
I
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 (or with a manual
transaxle, between First or Second gear
and Reverse), 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 Pontiac.
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§ervice & Appearance Care
.a.
.............. ............. .... ............
Tire Inspection and Rotation
To make your tires last longer, have
them inspected and rotated at the
mileages recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule. See the
Index
under Scheduled Maintenance
Services.
Use this rotation pattern.
If you don't have P245/50ZR16 size
tires, use the rotation pattern shown
above for your size tires.
256
If you have P245/510ZR16 size tires,
they must roll
in a certain 'direction for
the best overall performance. The
direction is shown
by an arrow on both
sidewalls. Because these tirles are
directional, they should be rotated
as
shown in the example above. These
tires should only be moved
from front
to rear and rear to front
on the same
side
of the vehicle.
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 the Index
under Wheel Nut Torque.
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on
ri the parts to which it is
fastened, can make 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 a 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
the
Index under Changing a Flat
Tire.)
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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.
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.
‘1 Mixing tires could cause you
A 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 wheels. It’s all
right to drive with your compact
spare, though. It was developed for
limited use on vour vehicle.
r
257 =a
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Service &.Appearance Care
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.)
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),
€3, 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.
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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 AIignrnenf 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
Pontiac dealer if any
of these conditions
exist.
Your dealer will how the kind
~f 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
to have the right wheel, wheel
bolts, and wheel nuts
for your Pontiac
model.
259
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