2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO tires

Temperature ± A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance to the generation
of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested
under controlled conditions on a speci®ed indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly in¯ated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underin¯ation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are
not needed. However, if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need to be reset. If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the
wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted
the same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new GM
original equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for your vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel
bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous. It could affect the braking and
handling of your vehicle, make your tires lose
air and make you lose control. You could have
a collision in which you or others could be
injured. Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts and wheel nuts for replacement.
Notice:The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.Whenever a wheel, wheel bolt or wheel nut is replaced
on a dual wheel setup, check the wheel nut torque
after 100, 1,000 and 6,000 miles (160, 1 600 and
10 000 km) of driving. For proper torque, see ªWheel Nut
Torqueº under
Capacities and Speci®cations on
page 5-118.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-80for more
information.
Used Replacement Wheels
{CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can't know how it's been used
or how far it's been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause a crash. If you have to
replace a wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
5-77

Tire Chains
{CAUTION:
If your vehicle has dual wheels or P265/75R16,
LT265/75R16 or P275/55R20 size tires, don't
use tire chains. They can damage your vehicle
because there's not enough clearance. Tire
chains used on a vehicle without the proper
amount of clearance can cause damage to the
brakes, suspension or other vehicle parts. The
area damaged by the tire chains could cause
you to lose control of your vehicle and you or
others may be injured in a crash.
Use another type of traction device only if its
manufacturer recommends it for use on your
vehicle and tire size combination and road
conditions. Follow that manufacturer's
instructions. To help avoid damage to your
vehicle, drive slowly, readjust or remove the
device if it's contacting your vehicle, and don't
spin your wheels.
If you do ®nd traction devices that will ®t,
install them on the rear tires.²
Notice:If your vehicle does not have dual wheels
and is equipped with a tire size other than
P265/75R16, LT65/75R16 or P275/55R20, use tire
chains only where legal and only when you must.
Use chains that are the proper size for your
tires. Install them on the tires of the rear axle. Don't
use chains on the tires of the front axle. Tighten
them as tightly as possible with the ends securely
fastened. Drive slowly and follow the chain
manufacturer's instructions. If you can hear the
chains contacting your vehicle, stop and retighten
them. If the contact continues, slow down until
it stops. Driving too fast or spinning the wheels with
chains on will damage your vehicle.
5-78

If a Tire Goes Flat
It's unusual for a tire to ªblowoutº while you're driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it's much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a ªblowout,º here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the ¯at tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel ®rmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you'd use
in a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop, well off the road if possible.{CAUTION:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without
the appropriate safety equipment and training.
The jack provided with your vehicle is
designed only for changing a ¯at tire. If it is
used for anything else, you or others could be
badly injured or killed if the vehicle slips off
the jack. Use the jack provided with your
vehicle only for changing a ¯at tire.
If a tire goes ¯at, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a ¯at tire safely.
5-79

Grime from the windshield will stick to the wiper blades
and affect their performance. Clean the blade by
wiping vigorously with a cloth soaked in full-strength
windshield washer solvent. Then rinse the blade
with water.
Check the wiper blades and clean them as necessary;
replace blades that look worn.
Cleaning Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels
Your vehicle may be equipped with either aluminum or
chrome-plated wheels.
Keep your wheels clean using a soft clean cloth with
mild soap and water. Rinse with clean water. After
rinsing thoroughly, dry with a soft clean towel. A wax
may then be applied.
The surface of these wheels is similar to the painted
surface of your vehicle. Don't use strong soaps,
chemicals, abrasive polishes, abrasive cleaners,
cleaners with acid, or abrasive cleaning brushes on
them because you could damage the surface. Do not
use chrome polish on aluminum wheels.
Use chrome polish only on chrome-plated wheels, but
avoid any painted surface of the wheel, and buff off
immediately after application.Don't take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
that has silicone carbide tire cleaning brushes. These
brushes can also damage the surface of these wheels.
Cleaning Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with tire cleaner.
Notice:When applying a tire dressing, always take
care to wipe off any overspray or splash from all
painted surfaces on the body or wheels of the
vehicle. Petroleum-based products may damage the
paint ®nish and tires.
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair shop
applies anti-corrosion material to parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Original manufacturer replacement parts will provide the
corrosion protection while maintaining the warranty.
5-105

It is also important to check your oil regularly and keep
it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must
change your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your
last oil change. Remember to reset the oil life system
whenever the oil is changed. See
Engine Oil on
page 5-16for information on resetting the system.
An Emission Control Service.
Lubricate chassis components with each engine oil
and ®lter change. Vehicles used under severe
commercial operating conditions require lubrication
on a regular basis every 3,000 miles (5 000 km).
Lubricate the front suspension, ball joints, steering
linkage, transmission shift linkage and parking brake
cable guides. Ball joints should not be lubricated unless
their temperature is 10ÉF (-12ÉC) or higher or they
could be damaged.
See the mileage intervals following for additional
services that may be performed with an engine oil
change and chassis lubrication. After the services are
performed, record the date, odometer reading and
who performed the service on the maintenance record
pages in Part E of this schedule.
7,500 Miles (12 500 km)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
qAllison TransmissionžOnly: Replace the external
control-main ®lter.
15,000 Miles (25 000 km)
qInspect engine air cleaner ®lter or change indicator (if
equipped). If necessary, replace the ®lter. If vehicle is
driven in dusty/dirty conditions, inspect ®lter or
change indicator (if equipped) at every engine oil
change. See
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on page 5-21for more information.An Emission Control Service.
(See footnote ².)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
6-6

22,500 Miles (37 500 km)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
25,000 Miles (41 500 km)
qAllison TransmissionžOnly: Change automatic
transmission ¯uid and ®lters if the vehicle is mainly
driven under one or more of these conditions:
þ In heavy city traffic where the outside
temperature regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or
higher.
þ In hilly or mountainous terrain.
þ When doing frequent trailer towing.
þ Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
If you don't use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km).
30,000 Miles (50 000 km)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
qReplace fuel ®lter.An Emission Control Service. (See
footnote ².)
qReplace engine air cleaner ®lter on vehicles without
a restriction indicator. If equipped with a change
indicator, inspect the indicator. If necessary, replace
the ®lter. If vehicle is driven in dusty/dirty conditions,
inspect the change indicator (if equipped) at every
engine oil change. See
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 5-21for more information.An Emission
Control Service. (See footnote ².)
37,500 Miles (62 500 km)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
6-7

45,000 Miles (75 000 km)
qInspect engine air cleaner ®lter or change indicator (if
equipped). If necessary, replace the ®lter. If vehicle is
driven in dusty/dirty conditions, inspect ®lter or
change indicator (if equipped) at every engine oil
change. See
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on page 5-21for more information.An Emission Control Service.
(See footnote ².)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
50,000 Miles (83 000 km)
qChange automatic transmission ¯uid and ®lter if the
vehicle's GVWR is over 8600 lbs, if the vehicle has
an Allison transmission or if the vehicle is mainly
driven under one or more of these conditions:
þ In heavy city traffic where the outside
temperature regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or
higher.
þ In hilly or mountainous terrain.
þ When doing frequent trailer towing.
þ Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
Except Allison Transmissionž: If you do not use your
vehicle under any of these conditions, change the ¯uid
and ®lter at 100,000 miles (166 000 km).
qAutomatic Transfer Case Only: Change transfer case
¯uid.
52,500 Miles (87 500 km)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
60,000 Miles (100 000 km)
qCheck rear/front axle ¯uid level and add ¯uid as
needed. Check constant velocity joints and axle seals
for leaking.
qRotate tires. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-71for proper rotation pattern and additional
information.(See footnote +.)
qReplace fuel ®lter.An Emission Control Service. (See
footnote ².)
6-8