Page 218 of 372
6. Remove all the wheel
nuts, and take
off the
flat tire.
7. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
I
A C it 'ION:
-
Rust or dirt on the 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 the 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.
~~
A CAUTION:
7
Never use oil or g;,ase on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come
loose. Your wheel could
fall
off, causing a serious accident.
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Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop
or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the proper place.
I. Put the tire on the ground at the rear of the vehicle,
with the valve stem pointed down.
2. Pull the retaining bar through the center of the
wheel, making sure
it is properly attached.
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Page 223 of 372

5. Put the flat end of the extension on an angle through
the hole in the rear door frame, above the bumper.
Turn the ratchet clockwise until the tire is against the
underside
of the vehicle.
You will hear two “clicks” when the tire is up all the
way. Try
to move the tire with your hands to make
sure it is securely in place.
Return the jacking equipment to the proper location.
Secure the items and replace the jack cover.
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 too fast. 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 transmission 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 (55 kmh) as shown
on the speedometer.
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Page 265 of 372

Tires CAU’ ON: (Continued)
We don’t make tires. Your new vehicle 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 GM Warranty booklet
for details.
1
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)
0
0
0
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.
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.
Worn,
old tires can cause accidents. If your
tread is badly worn, or if your tires have
been damaged, replace them.
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Inflation -- Tire Pressure
The Certification/Til-e-~ 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 1mre than
1 mile (1.6 ktn).
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
Bad wear
0 Bad handling
Bad fuel economy.
NOTICE: (Continued)
I NOTICE: (Continued) I
If your tires have too much air (overinflation),
you can get the following:
0 Unusual wear
0 Bad handling
0 Rough ride
0 Needless damage from road hazards.
When
to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Also, check the
tire pressure
of the spare tire.
Haw to Check
Use a
good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure.
You can’t tell if yom 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.
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nspectior
1 Ires should be inspected every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(I 0 000 to 13 000 km) for any signs of unusual wear. If
unusual wear is present, rotate your tires as soon as
possible and check wheel alignment. Also check for
damaged tires
or wheels. See “When It’s Time for New
Tires” and “Wheel Replacement” later
in this section for
more information.
If your vehicle has dual rear wheels,
also see “Dual Tire Operation“ later
in this section.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear
for all tires on the vehicle. The first
rotation is the most important. See “Scheduled
Maintenance Services”
in the Index for scheduled
rotation intervals.
If your vehicle has single rear wheels, always use one of
the correct rotation patterns shown here when rotating
your tires.
If your vehicle has dual rear wheels, always use one of
FRT FRT the. correct rotation patterns shown here when rotating
KC
your tires.
When you install dual wheels, be sure the vent
holes in
the inner and outer wheels on each side are lined up.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressures as shown on
the
CertificatidTire label. Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel
Nut Torque” in
the Index.
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A CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on 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
“Changing a Flat Tire” in the Index.) 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.
Some commercial truck
tires may
not have
treadwear indicators.
You need a new tire if any of the following statements
are true:
0 You can see the indicators at three or more places
0 You can see cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s rubber.
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to
show cord or fdbric.
0 The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
around the
tire.
can’t
be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
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Dual Tire Operation
When the vehicle is new, or whenever a wheel, wheel
bolt or wheel
nut is replaced, check the wheel nut torque
after
100, 1,000 and 6,000 miles ( 160, 1 600 and
10 000 km) of driving. For proper torque, see “Wheel
Nut Torque”
in the Index.
The outer tire
on a dual wheel setup generally wears
faster than
the inner tire. Your tires will wear more
evenly and last longer if
you rotate the tires periodically.
If you’re going to be doing a lot of driving on
high-crown roads, you can reduce tire wear by adding
5 psi (35 kPa) to the tire pressure in the outer tires. Be
sure to return
to the recommended pressures when no
longer driving under those conditions. See “Changing a
Flat Tire” in the Index for more information.
A CAUTION:
If you operate your vehicle with a tire that is
badly underinflated, the tire can overheat. An
overheated tire can lose air suddenly
or catch
fire. You or others could be injured. Be sure all
tires (including the spare) are properly inflated.
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 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.
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