1998 PONTIAC FIREBIRD spare tire

Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be 60 psi
(420 kPa).
After installing the compact spare on your vehicle, you
should stop
as soon as possible and make sure your spare
tire is correctly inflated. The compact spare is made to
perfom well at speeds up
to 65 mph (105 km/h) for
distances
up to 3,000 miles (5 OOO km), so you can finish
your trip and have your full-size tire repaired or replaced
where you want. (When the compact spare is used on the
rear axle, see Notice following.) Of course, it’s best to
replace
your spare with a full-size tire as soon as you can.
Your spare will last longer and be in good shape in case
you need it again.
NOTICE:
If the compact spare is used as a rear tire, do not
drive faster than
50 mph (80 M). Damage to
the rear axle may occur if the compact spare is
driven faster than
50 mph (80 km/h).
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle through
an automatic car wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts of your vehicle.
5-40

Don’t use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don’t mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together. 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,
NOTICE: but you must use caution.
Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
the chains too. Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.
A CAUTION:
m
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.
5-41

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 Pa).
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.
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.
6-46

If you don’t have P245/50ZR16 Goodyear Eagle GS-C
tires or
P27Y4OZR17 Goodyear Eagle F1-GS tires, use
the rotation pattern shown above for
your tires.
1
c
LI
If you have P245/50ZR16 Goodyear Eagle GS-C tires
or P275/4OZR17 Goodyear Eagle F1-GS tires, they
must roll in a certain direction for the best overall
performance. The direction is shown by an arrow on
the sidewall. Because these tires are directional, they
should be rotated
as shown here. These tires should
only be moved from front to rear and rear to front on
the same side of the vehicle.
Don’t include the compact spare tire in your
tire rotation.
6-47

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 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.
’ A, CAUTION:
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.
6-49

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.
%action -- 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 (straight ahead) traction tests and
does not include cornering (turning) traction.
6-50

Fabric ...................................... 6-54
Glass
....................................... 6-56
Inside
of Your Pontiac ......................... 6-54
Instrument Panel
............................. 6-55
Interior Plastic Components
..................... 6-55
Leather
..................................... 6-55
Outside of Your Pontiac
........................ 6-57
Removable Roof Panel
......................... 6-57
Special Problems
............................. 6-54
Stains
...................................... 6-54
Tires
....................................... 6-59
Vinyl
....................................... 6-55
Wheels
..................................... 6-59
Windshield
and Wiper Blades ................... 6-56
Clock. Setting the
................................ 3-7
Close-Out Panel
................................ 2-59
Clutch. Hydraulic
............................... 6-26
Comfort Controls
................................ 3-2
Compact Disc
............................. 3.11. 3.12
CareofYour
................................. 3-22
Player
................................. 3.11. 3.12
Player Errors
........................... 3.13. 3.15
Trunk Mounted Player
......................... 3-14
CareofYour
................................. 3-22
Compact Spare Tire
............................. 5-40
Alarm/PanicMode
............................. 2-8
Feature Customization
......................... 2- 18
Content Theft-Deterrent System
................... 2- 14
Control of a Vehicle .............................. 4-5
Convertible Top
................................ 2-69 Convex Outside Mirror
.......................... 2-58
Coolant
....................................... 6-27
Bleed Valves
................................. 5-22
Heater. Engine
............................... 2-29
RecoveryTank
............................... 5-19
Cooling
........................................ 3-3
Cooling System
................................ 5-17
Courtesy Lamps
................................ 2-55
Courtesy Transportation
........................... 8-8
Cruise Control
................................. 2-49
Customer Assistance for Text Telephone Users ......... 8-5
Customer Assistance Information ................... 8-1
Customer Satisfaction Procedure .................... 8-3
Damage. Finish
............................... 6-60
Damage. Sheet Metal
............................ 6-59
Daytime Running Lamps ......................... 2-53
DeadBattery ................................... 5-3
Defects. Reporting Safety
........................ 8-10
Defensive Driving
............................... 4-2
Defogger. Rear Window
.......................... 3-5
Defogging
..................................... 3-4
Defrosting
..................................... 3-4
Delayed Illumination
............................ 2-55
Dimensions. Vehicle ............................ 6-70
Dolby@
B Noise Reduction ....................... 3-10
Door Last Door Closed Locking
.................. 2-5. 2-19
Lockout Prevention ....................... 2-6. 2-19
Locks
....................................... 2-4
9-3

Remote
Hatch Release ..................
Keyless Entry Lock Verification ...
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools ...
........... 2-12
........... 2-20
........... 5-28
Replacement Bulbs
...................... ........... 6-68
Wheel
.................................... 6-51
Replacing Safety Belts
....................... 1-47
Parts
....................................... 6-70
Reporting Safety Defects ........... ......... 8-10
Restraints Checking
. . ............................. 1-47
Head
........................................ l-7
Child ....................................... 1-34
Replacing Parts After a Crash
................... 1-47
System Check
................................ 7-33
Reverse, Automatic Transmission
.................. 2-3 1
Right Front Passenger Position .................... 1-22
Roadside Assistance
.............................. 8-6
Rocking Your Vehicle
........................... 5-42
Roof Panels. Twin Lift-off
....................... 2-59
WheretoPut
................................ 1-38
................................. Rotation, Tires 6-46
Safety Belt Extender
............................ 1-47
.................................... Safety Belts 1-8
Care
....................................... 6-56
Children
.................................... 1-31
Driver Position
1 - 14
Adults
...................................... 1-14
...............................
.................................. Extender
1-47
How to Wear Properly
......................... 1 . 14
Incorrect Usage
.................... 1.17. 1.45. 1-46
Lap-Shoulder
........................... 1.14. 1-28
Larger Children
.............................. 1-44
Questions and Answers
........................ 1 . 13
Rear Seat Positions
............................ 1-28
Reminder Light .......................... 1.9. 2.80
Replacing After a Crash
........................ 1-47
Right Front Passenger Position .................. 1-22
Smaller Children and Babies
.................... 1-31
They’re for Everyone
........................... 1-8
Use During Pregnancy
......................... 1-21
Safety Defects, Reporting
........................ 8-10
Scheduled Maintenance Services
.................... 7-4
WhyTheyWork
.............................. 1-10
Safety Chains 4-35
Safety Warnings and Symbols
....................... 111
Seatback
..................................
...
..................................
.................................
Folding Rear 1-8
Front Latches 1-7
Reclining Front
............................... 1-5
Seats Four-Way Manual
... .....,............ l-3
Fully Articulating Sport . . ................ l-4
Restraint Systems ....... ,.................. l-1 Seat Controls ................................. 1-2
Six-Way Power 1-3 Manual Front
............ , .................. 1-2
Securing a Child Restraint
...................... 1-38
...............................
9-9