Page 164 of 234
01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1572001 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. 
     
        
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01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1582001 MR2 (OM17482U)
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. 
     
        
        Page 166 of 234

01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1592001 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. 
     
        
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01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1602001 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. 
     
        
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01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1622001 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. 
     
        
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01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1952001 MR2 (OM17482U)
Checking and replacing tires
SB72007
Tread wear indicator
CHECKING YOUR TIRES
Check the tire tread for the tread wear
indicators. If the indicators show, re-
place the tires.
The tires on your Toyota have built−in
tread wear indicators to help you know
when the tires need replacement. When
the tread depth wears  to 1.6 mm (0.06
in.) or less, the indicators will appear. If
you can see the indicators in two or more
adjacent grooves, the tire should be re-
placed. The lower the tread, the higher
the risk of skidding.
The effectiveness of snow tires  is lost
if the tread wears down below 4 mm
(0.16 in.).Check the tires regularly for damage
such as cuts, splits and cracks.  If any
damage is found, consult with a techni-
cian and have the tire repaired or re-
placed.
Even if the damage does not appear  seri-
ous, a qualified technician should examine
the damage. Objects which have pene-
trated the tire may have caused internal
damage.
Any tires which are over 6 years old
must be checked by a qualified techni-
cian even if damage is not obvious.
Tires deteriorate with age even if they
have never or seldom been used.
This also applies to the spare tire and
tires stored for future use.
REPLACING YOUR TIRES
When replacing a tire, use only the
same size and construction as original-
ly installed and with the same or great-
er load capacity.
Using any  other  size or  type of  tire may
seriously affect handling, ride, speedome-
ter/odometer calibration, ground clearance,
and clearance between the body and tires
or snow chains.
CAUTION
Do not mix radial, bias belted, or
bias−ply tires on your vehicle. It
can cause dangerous handling char-
acteristics, resulting in loss of con-
trol.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacturer’s recom-
mended size.
Toyota recommends all four tires, or at
least both front or rear tires be re-
placed as a set.
See If you have a flat tire" on page
136 in Section 4 for tire change proce-
dure.
When a tire is replaced, the wheel
should always be balanced.
An unbalanced wheel may affect vehicle
handling and tire life. Wheels can get out
of balance with regular use and should
therefore be balanced occasionally.
When replacing a tubeless tire, the air
valve should also be replaced with a
new one. 
     
        
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01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
1982001 MR2 (OM17482U)
NOTICE
Do not attempt to use a tire chain on
the compact spare tire, as it may re-
sult in damage to the vehicle as well
as the tire.
Replacing wheels
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS
If you have wheel damage such as
bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the
wheel should be replaced.
If you fail to replace damaged wheels, the
tire may slip off the wheel or  cause loss
of handling control.
WHEEL SELECTION
When replacing wheels, care should be
taken to ensure that the wheels are re-
placed by ones with the same load ca-
pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset.
This must be observed on  compact  spare
tires, too.
Correct replacement wheels are available
at your Toyota dealer.
A wheel of a different size or type may
adversely affect handling, wheel and bear-
ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odom-
eter calibration, stopping ability, headlight
aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clear-
ance, and tire or snow chain clearance to
the body and chassis. Replacement with used wheels is not rec-
ommended as they may have been sub-
jected to rough treatment or high mileage
and could fail without warning. Also, bent
wheels which have been straightened may
have structural damage and therefore
should not be used. Never use an inner
tube in a leaking wheel which is designed
for a tubeless tire. 
     
        
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01MY MR2(U) L/O 0008
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Tires
Tire size and pressure:
Except compact spare tire
Tire sizeTire pressure
kPa (kgf/cm2 or bar, psi)Wheel size
Front185/55R15 81V180(1.8,26)15 6JJ
Rear205/50R15 85V220(2.2,32)1561/2JJ
Compact spare tire
Tire size
Tire pressure kPa (kgf/cm2 or bar, psi)Wheel size
T125/70D16420(4.2,60)164T
Wheel nut torque, N·m (kgf·m, ft·Ibf):
103(10.5,76)
NOTE: For a complete information on tires (e.g. replacing tires or replacing wheels), see Checking tire pressure" through Alum inum
wheel precautions", page 194 through 199 in Section 7−2.