2003 GMC YUKON DENALI tire type

Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens
when the three control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the tires
meet the road
to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying
to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid,
too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid,
too much
throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle
to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for
a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want
to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best
to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting
to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn
to recognize warning
clues
- such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road
to make a “mirrored surface” - and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-1 5

Towing Loading Your Vehicle
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your disabled vehicle towed. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page
7-5.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle
for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome),
see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle
- such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your vehicle
with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly towing”
(towing your vehicle with two wheels
on the ground and
two wheels
up on a device known as a “dolly”).
Your vehicle was not designed
to be towed with any of
its wheels on the ground.
If your vehicle must be
towed, see Towing Your Vehicle on page
4-44.
Notices Towing an all-wheel-drive vehicle with all
four wheels on the ground, or even with only two
of
its wheels on the ground, will damage drivetrain
components. Don’t tow an all-wheel-drive vehicle
if
any of its wheels will be on the ground.
II II
GAWR FRT GAWR RR
!E mNERS MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION[-]
The Certificationmire label is found on the rear edge of
the driver’s door.
The label shows the size of your original tires and the
inflation pressures needed
to obtain the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle. This is called the GVWR (Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
The Certificationmire label also tells you the maximum
weights for the front and rear axles, called Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). To find out the actual loads
on your front and rear axles, you need to go
to a
4-44

Notice: Don’t let anyone tell you that underinflation
or overinflation is all right. It’s not. If your tires
don’t have enough air (underinflation), you can get
the following:
Too much flexing
Too much heat
0 Tire overloading
Bad wear
Bad handling
Bad fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (overinflation), you
can get the following:
Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazards
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Also, check the tire pressure of the spare tire
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 7,500 miles (12,500 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 Is Time
for New Tires on page
5-58 and Wheel Replacement
on page
5-61 for more information.
Make sure the spare tire is stored securely. Push, pull,
and then try to rotate or turn the tire. If
it moves,
use the wheel wrench and jack handle extensions
to
tighten the cable. See Changing a Flat Tire on
page 5-63.
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 “Part
A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services,” in Section
6, for scheduled
rotation intervals.
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When It Is Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is
to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires have only
1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining. Some
commercial truck tires may
not have treadwear indicators.
You need a new tire
if any of the following statements
are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
. The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
tire’s rubber.
deep
enough
to show cord or fabric.
can’t be repaired well because of the size or
location
of the damage.
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the CertificationlTire label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specifications (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.
5-58

Mixing tires could cause you to iose 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. If your vehicle has
17 inch road
tires (those originally installed
on your vehicle)
it is all right to drive with the 16 inch spare tire
that came with your vehicle. When new, your
vehicle included a spare tire and wheel
assembly with the same overall diameter as
your vehicle’s road tires and wheels. Because
this spare tire was developed for use on your
vehicle,
it will not affect vehicle handling or
cause damage to your vehicle.
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
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
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.
5-59

Used Replacement Wheels Tire Chains
-
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. Don’t use
ti., ch; ... s. There’s
not ,..ough
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 find traction devices
that will
fit, install them on the rear tires.
5-62

Yukon XL Denali
A. Bottle Jack
B. Wheel Blocks
C. Wing Nut Holding Tire Blocks
D. Mounting Bracket
E. Removable Tray
F. Retaining Hook
G. Retaining Bracket and Wing Nut
H. Tool Kit with Jack Tools and Gloves
Spare Tire
Your vehicle, when new, had a fully inflated spare tire.
A spare tire may lose air over time, so check its
inflation pressure reguiariy. See infiation
-- Tire Pressure
on page
5-55 and Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-44
for information regarding proper tire inflation and loading
your vehicle. For instruction on how to remove, install
or store a spare tire, see Changing a Flat Tire
on
page 5-63.
After installing the spare tire on your vehicle, you should
stop as soon as possible and make sure the spare is
correctly inflated. Have the damaged or flat road
tire repaired or replaced as soon as you can and
installed back onto your vehicle. This way, a spare tire
will be available in case you need it again.
If your vehicle has a spare tire that does not match your
vehicle’s original road tires and wheels in size and
type,
do not include the spare in the tire rotation.
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