2001 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER Owners Manual (in English)

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1382001 MR2 (OM17482U)
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 on page 195 in
Section 7−2 for details on the tread wear
indicators and other service information.
CAUTION
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.
Avoid sudden acceleration, sudden
deceleration and sharp turns with
the compact spare tire.
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is reduced
when the compact spare tire is
installed so avoid driving over ob-
stacles and drive slowly on rough,
unpaved roads and speed bumps.
Also, do not attempt to go through an
automatic car wash as the vehicle
may get caught, resulting in damage.
SB41053
Compact spare tire
SB41054
Tool bag
Required tools and
compact spare tire

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1392001 MR2 (OM17482U)
1. Get the tool bag and compact sparetire.
You will find a jack in the tool bag.
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you
should fam iliarize yourself with the use of
the jack, each of the tools and their stor-
age locations.
SB41047
To remove the compact spare tire:
1. Open the front box cover in the trunk.
SB41061
2. Remove the spare wheel cover.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
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SB41063
3. Loosen the bolt and remove it.
Then take the compact spare tire out of
the vehicle.
When storing the compact spare tire, put
it in place with the outer side of the wheel
facing up. Then secure the tire by repeat-
ing the above removal steps in reverse
order to prevent it from flying forward dur-
ing a collision or s udden braking.
SB41064
When you store the replaced flat ground
tire in the place where the compact spare
tire was loaded, install the spare wheel
extension to the spare wheel clamp.
NOTICE
The replaced ground tire should be
fixed steadily by the spare wheel
clamp or it may damage the vehicle’s
body.
Blocking the wheel
SB41035
2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite
the flat tire to keep the vehicle from
rolling when it is jacked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel
block from the front for the front wheels
or from the rear for the rear wheels.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1412001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Loosening wheel nuts
SB41027
3. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-
ing the vehicle.
Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise to
loosen. To get maximum leverage, fit the
wrench to the nut so that the handle is
on the right side, as shown above. Grab
the wrench near the end of the handle
and pull up on the handle. Be careful that
the wrench does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yetjust unscrew
them about one−half turn.
Positioning the jack
SB41036
4. Position the jack at the correct jack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on a
level and solid place.
Raising your vehicle
SB41029
5. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high enough so
that the compact spare tire can be
installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the compact
spare tire than 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.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1422001 MR2 (OM17482U)
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when the
vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
Changing wheels
SB41028
6. Remove the wheel nuts and changetires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the compact spare wheel into position
and align the holes in the wheel with the
bolts. Then lift up the wheel and get at
least the top bolt started through its hole.
Wiggle the tire and press it back over the
other bolts.
SB41044
Before putting wheels on, remove any cor-
rosion 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.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1432001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Reinstalling wheel nuts
SB41030
7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts with fin-ger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by finger. Press back on the tire back
and see if you can tighten them more.
Lowering your vehicle
SB41031
8. Lower the vehicle completely and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to
lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and turn
it clockwise to tighten the nuts. Do not
use other tools or any additional leverage
other than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the wrench
is securely engaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in the
order shown. Repeat the process until all
the nuts are tight.
CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle, make sure
all portions of your body and all oth-
er persons around will not be injured
as the vehicle is lowered to the
ground.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1442001 MR2 (OM17482U)
After changing wheels
9. Check the air pressure of the re-placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specification
designated on page 219 in Section 8. If
the pressure is lower, drive slowly to the
nearest service station and fill to the cor-
rect pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation
valve cap as dirt and moisture could get
into the valve core and possibly cause air
leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new
one put on as soon as possible.
10. Restow all the tools, jack and flat tire securely.
As soon as possible after changing
wheels, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 219 in Section
8 with a torque wrench. Have a technician
repair the flat tire and replace the com-
pact spare tire with it.CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools, jack and flat tire are securely
in place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of personal in-
jury during a collision or s udden
braking.
SB41025
Remove the wheel ornament from the flat
tire before restowing the flat tire.

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1452001 MR2 (OM17482U)
SB41037
NOTICE
The size of the front wheel and the
rear wheel is different. In order to
prevent the wrong installation, there
is a pin on the assembly surface in-
side the rear wheel as shown above.
Therefore, the rear wheels cannot be
installed on the front.
SB41062
From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck (a) Towing with wheel lift type truck From front
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or
commercial tow truck service, tow your
vehicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in Emergency
towing" on page 146 in this section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.
TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
If your vehicle needs to be
towed