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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TIRES
We don’t make tires. Your new vehicle comes with high quality tires made
by
a leading tire manufacturer. These tires are warranted by the tire
manufacturers and their warranties are delivered with every new Cadillac.
If your spare tire is a different brand than your road tires, you will have a
tire warranty folder from each of these manufacturers.
n
i -4
Inflation = Tire Pressure I
The Tire-Loading Information label which is located on the driver’s door
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.
-
Li
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NOTICE:
Don’t let anyone tell you that underinflation or overinflation is
all right. It’s not.
If your tires don’t have enough air
(underinflation) you can get:
Too much flexing
Too much heat
Tire overloading
Bad wear
Bad handling
Bad fuel economy.
If your tires have too much air (overinflation), you can get:
Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards.
When to Check Check your tires once a month or more.
The tire pressures are:
Front - 30 psi (207 kPa)
Rear - 30 psi (207 kPa)
Recommended tire size
is:
Michelin XW4 Blackwall (P215/70R15)
T125/70RIS (Compact Spare)
c-
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 andxotated. at the
mileages recommended
in the Maintenance Schedule.
Use this rotation
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When It3 Time for New Tires
You need a new tire if
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 can see the indicators at three or more places around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the tire’s rubber.
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep enough to show
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
cord
or fabric.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
sf 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 €ailure. 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 properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation,
or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.
These grades are molded on the sidewalls of passenger car tires.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine While the tires ava.ilable 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, replace
it (except some aluminum wheels,
which can sometimes be repaired). See your Cadillac 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 to have the right wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel nuts for your
Cadillac model.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts, or wheel nuts
on your vehide 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 iqjured.
Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts, and wheel nuts for replacement.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can also cause problems with bearing life,
brake cooling, speedometer/odometer calibration, headlight
aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clearance, and tire
or tire
chain clearance to the body and chassis.
Used Replacement Wheels
I
I A CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is dangerous. You can’t
know how it% 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 GM original equipment wheel.
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