
NOTICE: (Continued)
If your tires have too much air (overinflation),
you
can get the following:
Unusual wear
0 Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards.
When
to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Don’t forget your 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 Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles
(10 OOO to 13 O00 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.
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.
When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
6-38 -

When It’s Time for New Tires Don’t include the compact spare tire in your
tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that
all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” in
the Index.
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.
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.
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
0 The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
deep
enough to show cord or fabric.
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
6-39

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.
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires
on all wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed for use on your vehicle.
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply
tires with the wheels
on your vehicle.
6-40

Tires ....................................... 6-49
Vinyl
....................................... 6-46
Wheels
..................................... 6-49
Windshield and Wiper Blades
................... 6-47
Climate Control System
........................... 3-2
Clock. Setting the
................................ 3-6
Comfort Controls
................................ 3-2
Compact Disc Care
............................. 3-20
Compact Disc Player
............................ 3- 1 1
Compact Disc Player Care ........................ 3-20
Compact Spare Tire
............................. 5-36
Control of a Vehicle
.............................. 4-6
Convex Outside Mirror
.......................... 2-42
Coolant Heater. Engine
............................... 2-17
Surge Tank Pressure Cap
....................... 6-25
Cooling System
................................ 5-17
Courtesy Transportation
........................... 8-6
Cruise Control
................................. 2-33
Cruise Light
................................... 2-59
Customer Assistance Information
................... 8- 1
Customer Satisfaction Procedure .................... 8-2
SurgeTank
.................................. 5-17
Customer Assistance for
Text Telephone Users ......... 8-4
Damage. Finish
............................... 6-50
Damage. Sheet Metal
............................ 6-50
Daytime Running Lamps
......................... 2-38
DeadBattery
................................... 5-3
Defects. Reporting Safety ..................... 8.8. 8.9 Defensive Driving
............................... 4-2
Defogger. Rear Window
.......................... 3-5
Defogging
..................................... 3-4
Defrosting ..................................... 3-4
Dimensions. Vehicle
............................ 6-59
Dolby
B Noise Reduction ........................ 3-14
DoorLocks
..................................... 2-4
Driver Position
................................. 1 . 12
Driving
City
........................................ 4-20
Defensive
.................................... 4-2
Drunken
..................................... 4-3
Freeway
.................................... 4-21
InaBlizzard
................................. 4-27
In Foreign Countries
........................... 6-5
IntheRain .................................. 4-17
Night
...................................... 4-15
OnCurves
.................................. 4-10
On Grades While Towing
a Trailer ............... 4-38
On Hill and Mountain Roads
.................... 4-23
OnSnowandIce
............................. 4-26
Throughwater
............................... 4-19
WetRoads .................................. 4-17
Winter
...................................... 4-25
With a Trailer
................................ 4-37
Drunken Driving
................................ 4-3
Electrical Equipment. Adding
..... 2- 15. 2- 16. 3-19. 6-52
Electrical System
............................... 6-52
9-3

Second Gear. Automatic Transaxle ................. 2-22
Service
........................................ 6-2
Bulletins. Ordering
............................ 8- 10
Manuals. Ordering
............................ 8- 10
Parts Identification Label
....................... 6-52
Publications. Ordering
......................... 8- 10
Work. Doing Your Own
......................... 6-2
Service and Appearance Care
...................... 6-1
Service and Owner Publications
................... 8- 10
Service Publications
............................. 8- 10
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Oldsmobile
........ 1-27
Sheet Metal Damage
............................ 6-50
ShiftLever .................................... 2-18
Shifting
Automatic Transaxle
.......................... 2- 18
Into Park (P)
................................. 2-24
OutofPark
.................................. 2-26
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
..................... 1 - 15
Signaling Turns
................................ 2-30
Skidding
...................................... 4-14
Sound Equipment. Adding
........................ 3- 19
Spare Tire. Compact.
............................ 5-36
Specifications and Capacities
...................... 6-58
Specifications. Engine
........................... 6-58
Speech Impaired. Customer Assistance
............... 8-4
Speedometer
................................... 2-49
Stains. Cleaning
................................ 6-45
Starter Switch Check
............................ 7-32
Starting Your Engine .................. 2- 14.2-15. 2- 16
Steam
........................................ 5-15
Steering ...................................... 4-10
SRS ......................................... 1-21 In
Emergencies
............................... 4- 11
Power
...................................... 4-10
Tips
........................................ 4-10
Wheel. Tilt
.................................. 2-29
Storage Compartments
........................... 2-43
Storage. Vehicle
................................ 6-31
Stuck: In Sand. Mud. Ice or Snow
.................. 5-37
Sunvisors
.................................... 2-45
Sunglasses Storage .............................. 2-43
Supplemental Restraint System
.................... 1-21
Surge Tank. Coolant
............................. 5-17
Surge
Tank Pressure Cap ......................... 6-25
Symbols. Vehicle
.................................. v
Tachometer .................................. 2-50
Taillamp Bulb Replacement
....................... 6-34
TapePlayerCare
............................... 3-19
Theft
......................................... 2-11
Theft-Deterrent Feature. CD Player
................ 3-16
THEFTLOCK"
................................ 3-16
Thermostat
.................................... 6-25
Third Gear. Automatic Transaxle
................... 2-21
Tilt Steering Wheel ............................. 2-29
Time. Setting the
................................ 3-6
Tirechains
.................................... 6-43
TireLoading
................................... 4-31
Tire-Loading Information Label
.................... 4-31
Tires
......................................... 6-36
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-42
BuyingNew
................................. 6-40
Chains
..................................... 6-43
9-9

Tires (Continued)
Changing a Flat
.............................. 5-25
Compact Spare
............................... 5-36
Cleaning
.................................... 6-49
Inflation
.................................... 6-37
Inflation Check
............................... 7-30
Inspection and Rotation
........................ 6-38
Loading
.................................... 4-31
Pressure
.................................... 6-37
Temperature
................................. 6-42
Traction
.................................... 6-41
Treadwear
................................... 6-41
Uniform Quality Grading
....................... 6-41
Used Replacement Wheel
...................... 6-43
Wear Indicators
.............................. 6-39
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-42
When It’s Time for New
....................... 6-39
TopStrap
..................................... 1-44
TorqueLock
................................... 2-25
Torque, Wheel Nut
......................... 5-33. 6-58
Towing
From the Front (Automatic Transaxle)
............ 4-29
From the Rear
............................... 4-30
Recreational Vehicle
.......................... 4-29
Towing a Trailer
................................ 4-33
Towing Your Vehicle
............................ 4-29
Towing Your Vehicle
............................. 5-8
Towing Your Vehicle From the Front
(Automatic Transaxle)
.......................... 4-29
Towing
Your Vehicle From the Rear ................ 4-30 Trailer
Backingup
................................. 4-37
Brakes
..................................... 4-36
Driving on Grades
............................ 4-38
Driving with a
............................... 4-37
Following Distance When Driving with a
.......... 4-37
Hitches
..................................... 4-36
Maintenance When Towing
..................... 4-40
Making Turns with a
.......................... 4-38
Parking on Hills
.............................. 4-39
Passing with a
............................... 4-37
Safety Chains
................................ 4-36
Tongueweight
............................... 4-35
Total Weight on Tires
.......................... 4-36
Towing
..................................... 4-33
Turnsignals
................................. 4-38
Weight
..................................... 4-34
Transaxle Automatic
.......................... 6-18
Transmitters. Remote Lock Control
.................. 2-6
Transportation. Courtesy
.......................... 8-6
Lock ....................................... 2-10
Release. Remote
.............................. 2-10
TTYUsers
..................................... 8-4
Turn Signal and Lane Change Signals
............... 2-30
Turn Signal On Chime
........................... 2-31
Turn Signalhlultifunction Lever
................... 2-30
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
................ 4-38
Underbody Flushing Service
..................... 7-33
Underbody Maintenance
......................... 6-50
9-10