1996 CHEVROLET CORVETTE tires

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tires
We don’t make tires. Your new Corvette comes with
high-quality tires made by a leading tire manufacturer.
If you ever have questions about your tire warranty and
where to obtain service, see your Corvette Warranty
booklet for details.
Poorly maintained and improperly used tires are
dangerous.
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.
CAUTION: (Continued) CAUTION: (Co
Underinflated tires
pose the same danger as
overloaded tires. The resulting accident
could cause serious injury. Check all tires
frequently to maintain the recommended
pressure. Tire pressure should be checked
when your tires are cold.
cut, punctured or broken by a sudden
impact
-- such as when you hit a pothole.
Keep tires
at the recommended pressure.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If your
tread
is badly worn, or if your tires have
been damaged, replace them.
Overinflated tires are more likely to be
See “1nfla.tion
-- Tire Pressure” in this section for
the correct inflation pressure for competitive or
high-speed driving.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Extended Mobility Tires (Option)
If your Corvette has optional Goodyear Extended
Mobility Tires
(EMT’s), the tires will have “EMT”
molded on the sidewalls. Your vehicle may also have a
spare tire delete option. With the spare tire delete option,
there’s no spare tire,
no tire changing equipment and no
place to store
a tire in the vehicle. Extended Mobility
Tires perform
so well without any air that a Low Tire
Pressure Warning System (LTPWS) is used to alert you
if a tire has lost pressure. A LOWFLAT TIRE light will
appear on your Driver Information Center if a tire’s
inflation pressure is less than
25 psi (170 kPa). If the
LOWFLAT TIRE light comes
on, check your tire
pressures as soon as you can. See
“Low Tire Pressure
Warning Light” in the Index for additional information.
When the LOWELAT TIRE warning light is on,
your vehicle’s handling capabilities will be
reduced during severe maneuvers.
If you drive
too fast, you could lose control of your vehicle.
You or others could be injured. Don’t drive over 1 ,
55 mph (90 kmh) when the LOWLFLAT TIRE
warning light
is on. Drive cautiously, and check
your tire pressures as soon as you can.
I
6-47

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If a tire goes flat, you won’t need to stop on the side of
the road to change the tire.
You can just keep on driving.
The shorter the distance you drive and the slower the
speed, the greater the chance that the tire will not have
to be replaced. If you drive on a deflated EMT for
distances of
50 miles (80 km) or less and at speeds of
55 mph (90 km/h) or less, there is a good chance that the
tire can be repaired. The tire can operate effectively with
no air pressure for up to 200 miles (320 km) at speeds
up to
55 mph (90 km/h), but the tire would then have to
be replaced. Also remember: When a tire is filled with
air, it provides a cushion between the road and the
wheel. Because you do not have this cushion when
driving on a deflated tire, try to avoid potholes that
could damage your wheel and require replacement of it.
Some road hazards can damage a
tire beyond repair. This
damage could occur before you’ve driven on the tire in a
deflated condition. Whenever a tire has been damaged, or
if you’ve driven any distance on a deflated
EMT, check
with a Goodyear EMT Service Center to determine
whether the tire can be repaired or should be replaced. To
maintain your vehicle’s extended mobility feature,
all
replacement tires must be Extended Mobility Tires.
See the Goodyear Extended Mobility Tire Owner’s
Manual and Limited Warranty supplied with your
Corvette for additional information.
Inflation -- Tire Pressure
The Tire-Loading Information label, which is on
the rear edge of 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
1 mile (1.6 km).
For competitive driving or high-speed driving (over
150 mph or 240 km/h), make sure your tires are inflated
to 35 psi
(240 kPa). When you end this type of driving,
reduce the cold inflation pressures (if necessary) to those
listed on the Tire-Loading Information label.
I 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 the following:
0 Too much flexing
Too much heat
0 Tire overloading
0 Bad wear
0 Bad handling
Bad fuel economy.
NOTICE: (Continued)

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I NOTICE: (Continued) I
If your tires have too much air (overinflation),
you can get the following:
Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards.
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
If you have a compact spare tire, it should be at
60 psi (420 Wa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t tell if your tires are properly inflated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inflated even when they’re underinflated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve
stems. They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt
and moisture.
Tire Rotation
The tires on your Corvette are directional, asymmetrical
and are different sizes front to rear. Due to this, your
tires should not be rotated. Each tire and wheel should
be used only in the position it is in.
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 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or less of tread remaining.
6-49

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You need a new tire if any of the following statements
are true:
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 cord or fabric.
0 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 an
“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.
A CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes (other
than those originally installed on your Corvette)
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle
may not handle properly, and you could have a
crash. Using tires of different sizes (other than
those originally installed on your Corvette) may
also cause damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use
the correct size and type tires on all four wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare
(if you have one). It was developed for use on
your vehicle.
6-50

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls
of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does
not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary
use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to
30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may
vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
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, and 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 (straightahead) 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.
6-51

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Used Replacement Wheels
L
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel 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.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can also cause problems with
bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odometer
calibration, headlamp
aim, bumper height, vehicle
ground clearance
and tire clearance to the body
and chassis.
See “Changing a Flat Tire” in the Index for more
information.
r
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.
rire Chains
NOTICE:
Don’t use tire chains. They can damage your
vehicle.
6-53

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Cleaning the Outside of Your Corvette
The paint finish on your vehicle providqs beauty, depth
of color, gloss retention and durability.
Washing Your Vehicle
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s finish is to keep
it clean
by washing it often with lukewarm or cold
water.
Don’t wash your vehicle in the direct rays of the sun.
Don’t
use strong soaps or chemical detergents. Use
liquid hand, dish or car washing (mild detergent) soaps.
Don’t
use cleaning agents that are petroleum based,
or that contain acid or abrasives. All cleaning agents
should be flushed promptly and not allowed to dry on
the surface, or they could stain. Dry the finish with a
soft, clean chamois or a
100% cotton towel to avoid
surface scratches and water spotting. High
pressure car washes may cause water to enter your
vehicle.
NOTICE:
Conveyor systems on some automatic car washes
may damage a Corvette. They may not have enough clearance for the undercarriage or for the
extra wide rear tires
on Grand Sport Coupe
models.
Check with the manager before using a car wash,
I
Finish Care
Occasional waxing or mild polishing of your Corvette
by hand may be necessary to remove residue from the
paint finish. You can get GM-approved cleaning
products from your dealer. (See “Appearance Care and
Materials” in the Index.)