1996 TOYOTA SUPRA ground clearance

128
Compact spare tire
The compact spare tire is designed for
temporary emergency use only.
The compact spare tire is identified by the
distinctive wheel design and color and
special wording TEMPORARY USE
ONLYº molded into the side wall of the tire.
The standard tire should be repaired and replaced as soon as possible.
To keep the compact spare tire notice-
able, do not hide the wheel by a wheel cover or such.
The compact spare tire saves space in your luggage compartment, and its lighter
weight helps to i mprove fuel economy and
permits easier installation in case of a flattire. The compact spare
tire can be used many
times, if necessary. It has tread life of up
to 4800 km (3000 miles) depending on
road conditions and your driving habits.
When tread wear indicators appear on the
tire, replace the tire.
See also the tire section in Chapter 7-2 for
details on the tread wear indicators and other service information.
The compact spare tire was de-
signed especially for your Toyota. Do not use it on any other vehicle.
Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph)
when driving with the compact spare tire. CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is reduced when the compact spare tire is
installed so avoid driving overobstacles and drive slowly on rough, unpaved roads and speedbumps. Also, do not attempt to go through an automatic car wash asthe vehicle may get caught, resulting
in damage.
1. Get the wheel nut wrench, jack, jack
handle and spare tire.
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you should familiarize yourself with the
use of the jack, each of the tools and their storage locations.
ÐRequired tools and spare tire

131
6. After making sure that no one is in
the vehicle, raise it high enough so
that the spare tire can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare tirethan when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle
into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it
clockwise. As the jack touches the vehicle
and begins to lift, double-check that it is
properly positioned.
Never get under the vehicle when it is supported by the jack alone. CAUTION
!
7. Remove the wheel nuts and change tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the
wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least thetop bolt started through its hole. Wigglethe tire and press it back over the other bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any
corrosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metal-to-metal contact at
the mounting surface can cause wheel
nuts to loosen and eventually cause a
wheel to come off while driving. Therefore
after the first 1600 km (1000 miles), check
to see that the wheel nuts are tight.
ÐRaising your vehicle ÐChanging wheels

159
Your Supra has been fitted with specially
developed
tires which provide exceptional
dynamic performance under general road
conditions. However, you may also notice
that your tires wear more rapidly than standard tires as a result of their superiorperformance. The effectiveness of snow tires is lost
if the tread wears down below 4 mm(0.16 in.).
Check the tires regularly for damage
such as cuts, splits and cracks. If anydamage is found, consult with a tech-
nician and have the tire repaired or re- placed. Even if the damage does not appear seri-
ous, a qualified technician should ex-
amine the damage. Objects which havepenetrated the tire may have caused in- ternal damage.
Any tires which are over six years old
must be checked by a qualified techni-
cian even if damage is not obvious.
Tires deteriorate with age even if they
have never or seldom been used.
This also applies to the spare tire and tires
stored for future use. REPLACING YOUR TIRES
When replacing a tire, use only the
same size and construction as origi-
nally installed and with the same or
greater load capacity.
Using
any other size or type of tire may se-
riously affect handling, ride, speedome-
ter/odometer calibration, ground clear-
ance, and clearance between the body
and tires or snow chains.
CAUTION
Do not mix radial, bias belted, or
bias-ply tires on your vehicle. It can cause dangerous handling charac-
teristics, resulting in loss of control.!
Toyota recommends all four tires, or at least both of the front or rear tires be
replaced at a time as a set.
See If you have a flat tireº in Part 4 for tire
change procedure.
When a tire is replaced, the wheel
should always be balanced.
An unbalanced wheel may affect vehicle
handling and tire life. Wheels can get out
of balance with regular use and should
therefore be balanced occasionally.
When replacing a tubeless tire, the air
valve should also be replaced with a
new one.
Do not perform rotation of the tires,
from front to rear or from left to right,
or using the compact spare tire. Per-forming such tire rotation may result
in the tires interfering with the body or
in uneven wear of the tires, so that
steerability of the vehicle is impaired.
Tires with turning direction indicatorÐ
The tire is a uni-directional type and can-not be used for tire rotation. Using the tire
on the opposite side to the designated
side will impair the tire performance. The compact spare tireÐ
The tire is designed for temporary use
only and cannot be used for tire rotation.
Rotating tires

161
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS
If you have wheel damage such as
bending, cracks or heavy corrosion,
the wheel should be replaced.
If you fail to replace damaged wheels, the
tire may slip off the wheel or they may cause loss of handling control. WHEEL SELECTION
When replacing wheels,
care should be
taken to ensure that the wheels are re- placed by ones with the same load ca-
pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset. This must be observed on compact spare
tires, too.
Correct replacement wheels are available
at your Toyota dealer.
A wheel of a different size or type may ad-
versely affect handling, wheel and bear-
ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/
odometer calibration, stopping ability,
headlight aim, bumper height, vehicle
ground clearance, and tire or snow chainclearance to the body and chassis. Replacement
with used wheels is not rec-
ommended as they may have been sub-jected to rough treatment or high mileageand could fail without warning. Also, bent
wheels which have been straightened
may have structural damage and there-
fore should not be used. Never use an in-
ner tube in a leaking wheel which is de-
signed for a tubeless tire.
After driving your vehicle the first 1600
km (1000 miles), check that the wheel
nuts are tight.
If you have repaired or changed your
tires, check that the wheel nuts are still
tight after driving 1600 km (1000miles).
When using tire chains, be careful not
to damage the aluminum wheels.
Use only the Toyota wheel nuts and
wrench designed for your aluminumwheels.
When balancing your wheels, use only
Toyota balance weights or equivalent
and a plastic or rubber hammer.
As with any wheel, periodically checkyour aluminum wheels for damage. If
damaged, replace immediately.
Replacing wheels
Aluminum wheel precautions