2000 TOYOTA AVALON tire type

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CAUTION
Persons should ride in their seats
properly wearing their seat belts
whenever the vehicle is moving.
Otherwise, they are much more likely
to suffer serious bodily injury or
death in the event of sudden braking
or a collision.
When using the seat belts, observe
the following:

Use the belt for only one person at
a time. Do not use a single belt for
two or more peopleÐeven children.

Avoid reclining the seatbacks too
much. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the seatbacks
are in the upright position. (Refer
to the seat adjustment instructions.)

Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care that
they do not get caught or pinched
in the seat or side doors.

Inspect the belt system periodically.
Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Damaged parts should be re-
placed. Do not disassemble or
modify the system.

Keep the belts clean and dry. If
they need cleaning, use a mild soap
solution or lukewarm water. Never
use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-
ersÐthey may severely weaken the
belts. (See Cleaning the interiorº
in Section 5.)

Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.
Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out of the retractor and insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may
lock if you lean forward too quickly. A
slow, easy motion will allow the belt to
extend, and you can move around freely.
ÐFront outside and rear seat
belts (3- point type)
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CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the ve-
hicle skid control system. Even if
the vehicle skid control system is
operating, it is not that your vehicle
is absolutely safe. Reckless driving
will result in an unexpected acci-
dent. Always keep safety driving in
mind. If the slip indicator light fla-
shes and/or an alarm sounds, spe-
cial care should be taken while
driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacturer, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use the tires other
than specified, or different type or
size, the vehicle skid control sys-
tem may not function correctly.
When replacing the tires or wheels,
contact your Toyota dealer.VEHICLE SKID CONTROL SYSTEM
FAILURE WARNING
These lights warn that when there is a
problem somewhere in the vehicle skid
control system.
The lights will come on when the ignition
key is turned to ONº, and will go off after
about a few seconds.
If the VSCº warning light and VSC OFFº
indicator light come on, the vehicle skid
control system does not work. However,
as conventional braking operates when ap-
plied, there is no problem to continue your
driving.If either of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle:
The VSCº warning light and/or VSC
OFFº indicator light do/does not come
on after the ignition is turned to on.
The VSCº warning light and VSC
OFFº indicator light are left on after the
ignition is turned to on.
The VSCº warning light and VSC
OFFº indicator light comes on while
driving without pushing VSC OFFº
switch.
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Reference
Type 1: AM´FM ETR radio/cassette player/
compact disc player/compact disc auto
changer controllerType 2: AM´FM ETR radio/cassette player/
compact disc auto changer controller/
compact disc auto changer
This section describes some of the basic
features on Toyota audio systems. Some
information may not pertain to your sys-
tem.
Your audio system works when the ignition
key is in the ACCº or ONº position.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON AND OFF
Push PWR´VOLº to turn the audio system
on and off.
Push AMº, FMº, TAPEº or CDº to turn
on that function without pushing
PWR´VOLº.
You can turn on each player by inserting
a cassette tape or compact disc.
You can turn off each player by ejecting
the cassette tape or compact disc. If the
audio system was previously off, then the
entire audio system will be turned off
when you eject the cassette tape or com-
pact disc. If the another function was pre-
viously playing, it will come on again.
SWITCHING BETWEEN FUNCTIONS
Push AMº, FMº, TAPEº or CDº if the
system is already on but you want to
switch from one function to another.
Using your audio systemÐ
ÐSome basics
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MSG (Message)
This button is used to display a radio text
message. It is also used to store and
recall radio text messages.
To receive radio text, turn RDS on (see
RDSº), and tune to an RDS station that
broadcasts radio text messages. When the
radio receives a radio test message,
MSGº will appear on the display. Push
this button at this time to display the radio
text message. The message display will
be canceled if you activate any function
that affects the display. After the entire
message has been displayed, the mes-
sage will disappear. To view the message
again, push this button a second time.
To store a radio text message, push and
hold this button for more than 1.7 seconds
while the message is being displayed. A
beep will sound, indicating that the mes-
sage has been stored. At this time MSG
STOREDº appears on the display. Up to
three 64- character messages can be
stored. If 3 messages are already in stor-
age, the oldest message will be removed
to make room for a new message.To recall a radio text message, push this
button for less than 1.7 seconds. The
most recently received stored message
will appear on the display, even if it has
already been displayed. Pushing this but-
ton for less than 1.7 seconds while the
most recent message is being displayed
will recall the newest stored message. If
2 or more messages have been stored,
the other stored messages will be toggled
through each time you push this button
(while a stored message is on display).
If no messages have been stored, or if
there are no more messages to be re-
called, NO MSG STOREDº will appear on
the display, and the message display will
be canceled. The display then returns to
show the program service name. The
message display will be canceled if you
activate any function that affects the dis-
play.
Message display can be canceled by
pressing any of the following buttons:
AMº, FMº, CDº, TAPEº, LOADº,
SEEKº, TUNEº, any preset, SCANº, any
audio control, RDSº, SRCHº, or  TYPES>º. If the current station is not a
traffic program and traffic announcements
is off, pushing TRAFº will cancel the dis-
play. The message will be canceled after
the entire message has been displayed. (Program Types)
This button is used for program type
(PTY) search of RDS stations. 32 program
types are available as listed here.
By pushing this button, RDS is turned on
if it was off (RDSº will display), and the
radio is switched to FM type mode. If
program type search has not previously
performed, the radio will start a program
type search (see SRCHº for details on
program type search).
If a program type search has previously
been performed in FM1 or FM2, the radio
will return to the last active program type.
If you are already in FM type mode and
a program type is not already being dis-
played, pushing this button will recall the
display for the current program type.
After a program type is being displayed,
subsequent pushes within 3 seconds will
toggle through the available program
types. Pushing the right or left arrows
repeatedly will increment or decrement the
display through the available program
types in alphabetical order.
If a type search was started, it can be
canceled as described in SRCH.º
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When counting the number of tracks you
want to rewind, remember to count the
current track as well. For example, if you
want to rewind to a song that is two be-
fore the song you are listening to, push
on the down side of the button until REW
3º appears on the display.
If you have pushed the track button more
than you wanted to, push the other side
of the button. The track number will be
reduced.
The track number you select is not valid
if it is higher than the number of tracks
remaining on the current cassette side.
After the beginning of the tape is
reached, the player will automatically
start playing the same side.
After the end of the tape is reached,
the player will automatically reverse
sides and start playing the other side.
There must be at least 3 seconds of blank
space between tracks for the track button
to work correctly. In addition, the feature
may not work well with some spoken
word, live, or classical recordings. SRCH (Search)
This button allows you to search all avail-
able RDS stations out of the entire FM
band and sort them by program type (see
º for details on program
types).
By pushing this button, RDS is turned on
if it was off (RDSº will display). The radio
is switched to FM type mode. During the
program type search, SEARCHING
....º will
show on the display. Also at this time,
FMº and TYPEº will appear on the dis-
play to indicate that the preset buttons are
for program type presets.
After searching for all available RDS sta-
tions, the radio will activate the previously
active program type. If the previously ac-
tive program type is not available, or if
the radio has not yet performed a program
type search, the radio will activate the
first program type, in alphabetical order,
that has stations in memory. The radio will
preset the stations of the current program
type into the preset buttons. If more than 6 stations of a program type
are found, the radio will create a second
bank of presets, such as Rock 1º and
Rock 2º. These are accessible through
the º button. If more than
12 stations are found, the radio will load
the 12 strongest stations of the program
type into the presets.
After the search is complete, the radio will
display the number of RDS stations found
for 3 seconds: for example, Found 19
RDS.º The radio will then display the se-
lected program type for 3 seconds: for
example, ROCK.º After the program type
has been displayed for 3 seconds, the
radio will display the program type name
for 3 seconds. After that, the radio will
display the program service name.
Day mode (headlights off): The radio will
only display the number of presets that
have a frequency for the selected program
type. For example, if program type Rock
is selected, and there are three rock sta-
tions, only preset numbers 1, 2 and 3 will
be displayed. The remaining preset num-
bers will not be displayed and the remain-
ing presets will have no function.
Night mode (headlights on): In addition to
the display described for day mode, the
radio will illuminate the jewels of the pre-
sets that have stations available. The re-
maining presets will have no function.
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INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR
TOYOTA
Break- in period229
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Fuel 229
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Operation in foreign countries 231
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Three- way catalytic converters 231
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Engine exhaust cautions 232
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Facts about engine oil consumption 233
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Iridium- tipped spark plugs 234
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Brake system 234
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Brake pad wear limit indicators 237
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Luggage stowage precautions 238
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Your Toyota's identification 238
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Theft prevention labels 239
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Suspension and chassis 240
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Types of tires 240
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SECTION 2
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Suspension and chassis
CAUTION
Do not modify the suspension/chassis
with lift kits, spacers, springs, etc. It
can cause dangerous handling charac-
teristics, resulting in loss of control.
Types of tires
Make sure what kind of tires your ve-
hicle is originally equipped with.1. Summer tires
Summer tires are high- speed capab ility
tires best suited to highway driving under
dry conditions.
Since summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires, sum-
mer tires are inadequate for driving on
snow- covered or icy roads. For driving on
snow- covered or icy roads, we recom-
mend using snow tires. If installing snow
tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2. All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide
better traction in snow and to be adequate
for driving in most winter conditions, as
well as for use all year round.
All season tires, however, do not have
adequate traction performance compared
with snow tires in heavy or loose snow.
Also, all season tires fall short in accel-
eration and handling performance
compared with summer tires in highway
driving.CAUTION

Do not mix summer and all season
tires on your vehicle as this can
cause dangerous handling charac-
teristics, resulting in loss of con-
trol.

Do not use tires other than the
manufacturer 's designated tires, and
never mix tires or wheels of the
sizes different from the originals.
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Do not drive in excess of the speed
limit. Even if the legal speed limit
permits it, do not drive over 140
km/h (85 mph) unless your vehicle
has high- speed capability tires.
Driving over 140 km/h (85 mph) may
result in tire failure, loss of control
and possible injury. Be sure to con-
sult a tire dealer to determine
whether the tires on your vehicle
are high- speed capability tires or
not before driving at such speeds.

Do not continue normal driving
when the brakes are wet. If they are
wet, your vehicle will require a
longer stopping distance, and it
may pull to one side when the
brakes are applied. Also, the park-
ing brake will not hold the vehicle
securely.
Winter driving tips
Make sure you have a proper freeze
protection of engine coolant.
Your coolant must contain ethylene- glycol
type coolant for a proper corrosion
protection of aluminum components. Use
TOYOTA Long Life Coolantº or equivalent.
See Section 7- 2 for details about coolant
type selection.
NOTICE
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze orplain water alone.
When it is extremely cold, we recommend
to use 60% solution for your Toyota, to
provide protection down to about -50 C
(- 58 F). Do not use more than 70% solu-
tion for better coolant performance.
Check the condition of the battery and
cables.
Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape
to provide enough power for winter start-
ing. Section 7- 3 tells you how to visually
inspect the battery. Your Toyota dealer
and most service stations will be pleased
to check the level of charge. Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See Section 7- 2 for recommended viscos-
ity. Leaving a heavy summer oil in your
vehicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota deal-
erÐhe will be pleased to help.
Keep the door locks from freezing.
Squirt lock de- icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing.
Use a washer fluid containing an anti-
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer 's directions for how
much to mix with water.
NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-age your vehicle's paint.
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