Page 373 of 466

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 specified 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 inflated  and not 
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation,  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. 
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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 
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. 
I 
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. 
See 
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-70 for more 
information. 
Used Replacement WI els 
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. 
Tire Chains 
Notice: Use tire  chains  only  where  legal  and  only 
when  you  must.  Use only  SAE Class 
“S” type  chains 
that  are  the  proper  size  for  your  tires.  Install  them 
on  the  front  tires  and  tighten  them  as  tightly 
as  possible  with  the  ends  securely  fastened. 
Drive  slowly  and  follow  the  chain  manufacturer’s 
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. 
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        Page 383 of 466
Removing the  Wheel Covers 
If the wheel  has  a  center cap,  use  the handle  of the 
folding  wrench  to pry 
it off. Then, with  the other  end of 
the folding wrench, loosen  the nuts. 
If your vehicle  has the plastic “bolt-on”  wheel covers, 
loosen  the  bolts completely using  the folding wrench, 
and  remove  the wheel  cover. 
Removing the  Flat Tire and  Installing 
the  Spare Tire 
1. Loosen  the  wheel 
nuts 
- but  do  not 
remove  them 
- using 
the  folding  wrench. 
(Turn  the  handle  about 
180 degrees,  then  flip 
the  handle  back  to 
the  starting  position. 
This  avoids  taking the 
wrench 
off the  lug nut 
for  each  turn.) 
For  wheels  with 
a wheel  lock  key,  use  the  wheel 
lock key  between  the lock  nut  and  folding  wrench. 
The  key is supplied 
in the front  passenger  door 
pocket. 
Notice: To help  avoid  damage  to lock  nut or wheel 
lock key,  do not 
use an  impact  wrench  with  this key. 
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        Page 385 of 466
3. Attach the folding 
wrench  to the jack, 
and turn the wrench 
clockwise to  raise 
the jack  head  a 
few  inches. 
4. Raise the vehicle  by turning the folding wrench 
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far enough 
off the ground so there  is enough  room for the 
compact  spare tire to 
fit under the wheel  well. 
5. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire. 
6. Remove  any  rust  or  dirt 
from  the  wheel  bolts,  mounting  surfaces 
and  spare  wheel. 
Rust  or  dirt  on  the  wheel, or  on  the  parts  to 
which 
it is fastened,  can  make  the  wheel  nuts 
become  loose  after  a  time.  The wheel  could 
come 
off and  cause  an  accident.  When you 
change  a  wheel,  remove  any  rust  or  dirt  from 
the  places  where  the  wheel  attaches 
to the 
vehicle. 
In an  emergency,  you  can  use  a  cloth 
or  a  paper  towel  to  do  this; 
but be  sure  to  use 
a  scraper  or  wire  brush  later, if  you  need to, 
to  get  all  the 
rust or  dirt off. 
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