1997 GMC SIERRA flat tire

For an underbody spare tire carrier, stow the tire under
the rear
of the vehicle in the spare tire carrier. To store
the tire:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Put the tire on the ground at the rear of the vehicle
with the valve stem pointed down and
to the rear.
Tilt
the retainer downward and through the wheel
opening. Make sure that the retainer
is fully seated
across the underside of the wheel.
Attach the ratchet, with the
UP mark facing you,
near the hook at the end
of the jack handle. Insert the
other end, on an angle, through
the hole in the rear
bumper and into the hoist shaft.
Raise the tire fully against the underside
of the
vehicle. Continue turning the ratchet
until there are
two “clicks” or “ratchets.” The spare tire hoist
cannot be over-tightened.
Grasp and push against the tire to be sure it is stored
securely and does not move.
I Lower Raise
H
r-
F- e>&
E
A. Hoist Assembly
B. Ratchet
C. Jack Handle
D. Hoist Shaft
E. Valve Stem,
Pointed Down
E Flat or Spare Tire
G. Retainer
H. Hoist Cable
Return
the jack, ratchet, wheel wrench and jack extensions
to their location behind the passenger’s seat. Secure the
items and replace the jack cover, if there
is one.
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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.
-
A CAUTION:
Poorly maintained and improperly used tires
are dangerous.
0 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 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.
0 Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If your
tread
is badly worn, or if your tires have
been damaged, replace them.
0 Overinflated tires are more likely to be
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Inflation -- Tire Pressure
The Certificationmire label, which is on the rear edge of
the driver’s door, or on the incomplete vehicle document
in the cab, 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).
You can operate some vehicles at reduced inflation
pressures only when you’ll be carrying reduced loads.
On those vehicles, the minimum cold inflation pressures
for
a typical reduced load are printed on the Improved
Ride Tire Pressure label located on the driver’s door.
Weigh the vehicle to find the load on each tire and see
the label for the minimum cold inflation pressures for
that load.
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:
Too much flexing
Too much heat
0 Tire overloading
Bad wear
Bad handling
Bad fuel economy.
If your tires have too much air (overinflation),
you can get the following:
Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards.
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When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more. Also, check the
tire pressure of the spare tire.
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 Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(10 000 to 13 000 km). Any time you notice unusual
wear, 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.
I FRT FRT
I
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 front tires with different load ranges
or tread designs (such as all season vs. odoff road)
than
the rear tires, don’t rotate your tires front to rear.
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111
V
n
111
If your vehicle has dual rear
wheels and the load range
or tread design for your
front tires is different from
your rear tires, always use
the correct rotation pattern
shown here
when rotating
your tires.
If your vehicle has dual rear wheels and the load range
and tread design for your front tires is the same as your
rear tires, always use one of the correct rotation patterns
shown here when rotating your tires. The dual tires are rotated as
a pair, and the inside rear
tires become the outside rear 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
Certificatiomire label. Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” in
the Index.
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When It’s Time for New Tires
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.)
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
around the tire.
0 You can see cord or fabric showing through the
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
tire’s rubber.
enough
to show cord
or fabric.
0 The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
0 The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because
of the size or location
of the damage.
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Dual Tire Operation Buying New Tires
To find
out what kind and size of tires you need, look
at the CertificationEire label. When the vehicle is new, or whenever a wheel, wheel bolt
or wheel
nut is replaced, check the wheel nut torque after
100,
1,OOO and 6,000 miles (160, 1 600 and 10 OOO 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.
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,
if any) are properly inflated.
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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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. 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.
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. Scheduled
wheel alignment and wheel balancing are not
needed. 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
or corroded. 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
GM 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 vehicle.
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