2003 SAAB 9-3 Owners Manual

209 Car care
Malfunction
The message shown above will be dis-
played on the SID if:
 a wheel without pressure sensor is fitted
(e.g. spare wheel)
 one, two or three pressure sensors are
broken or missing
 two or more detectors are missing or
broken
 the receiver malfunctions
 a fault arises in the system.
The message shown above is not displayed
if none of the wheels have sensors, such as
if winter wheels without sensors are fitted.
Shifting the wheelsBecause of front wheel drive, the front tires
tend to wear faster than the rear ones. New
tires should always be fitted in pairs, so that
tires on the same axle have the same
amount of tread.
The wheels should be marked, L (left) and
R (right), when changing between summer
and winter (snow) tires. This ensures that
the direction of rotation of the wheels is the
same when they are refitted. Fit the tires in
best condition to the rear wheels.
Store wheels lying flat or hanging – never
standing upright.
Tire markingsAn example of the meaning of the different
markings in a tire size is given below for a
tire size of 195/65 R15 91H: Tire pressure
system failure.
Contact Saab dealer.
WARNING
When fitting just one new pair of tires,
these should be fitted to the rear wheels,
as these are more critical to the direc-
tional stability of the car (e.g. on braking
or in a skid). The existing rear wheels
should therefore be moved to the front.
Always move rear left to front left and rear
right to front right, so that the direction of
rotation remains the same.
195 Tire section width, mm
65 Aspect ratio, i.e. the section height
as a percentage of the section
width
R Radial ply
15 Wheel rim diameter 15 in at bead
seats
91 Tire load index
H Speed rating
Tire load indices
91 Tire approved for max. 1355 lbs.
(615 kg)
93 Max. 1433 lbs. (650 kg)
94 Max. 1477 lbs. (670 kg)
Speed ratings
S Tire approved for speeds up to
110 mph (180 km/h)
T Max. 118 mph (190 km/h)
H Max. 130 mph (210 km/h)
V Max. 149 mph (240 km/h)
W Max. 168 mph (270 km/h)
Y Max. 186 mph (300 km/h)
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210 Car careWinter tiresWinter (snow) tires are recommended for
winter climates where the majority of your
driving will be done on snow and ice. Winter
tires should be fitted to all four wheels to
maintain a proper balance. Your Saab
dealer can advise you of to the correct size
tire for your car (if different from the original
size) and also supply Saab approved winter
tires pre-mounted on steel or alloy rims.Tire quality grading (cars sold in
U.S.)New tires must be graded and labeled in
accordance with new Federal regulations.
Standard tests are conducted to measure
performance in the areas of traction and
temperature resistance. Refer to the tire
sidewall for the specific quality grades of the
tires provided on your new Saab. Compact
spare tires are exempt.
DOT QUALITY GRADES
 Treadwear.
 Traction AA, A, B, C.
 Temperature A, B, C.
All passenger car tires must conform to Fed-
eral safety requirements in addition to these
grades.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading (US)Quality grades can be found where applica-
ble on the tire sidewall between tread shoul-
der and maximum section width. For exam-
ple:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature ATreadwearThe treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
TractionThe traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B and C. These grades represent
the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to a tire is
based on straight-ahead braking, traction
test and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction
characteristics.
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211 Car care
TemperatureThe temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire’s resistance
to the generation of heat and its ability to dis-
sipate 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. 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.
Wear indicatorsThe tires incorporate wear indicators in the
form of smooth, treadless strips across the
width, which become visible when only 2/
32" (1.6 mm) of tread remains. As soon as
the indicators become visible, new tires
should be fitted without delay.
Make sure you are familiar with the legal
limit for minimum tread depth in your
country and also any regulations gov-
erning the use of winter (snow) tires.
WARNING
The temperature grade for a tire is estab-
lished 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 fail-
ure.
Wear indicator
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212 Car careTire date codeTires should be regarded as perishable
goods. As the tires age, the rubber becomes
progressively harder, and the roadholding
ability of the tires diminishes. This is partic-
ularly true on winter tires.
Tires have a code that specifies their date of
manufacture. The first two digits denote the
week number and the last two digits the
year.
Accordingly, a date code of 3701 signifies
that the tire was manufactured in week 37,
2001.
Compact spare wheelCompact spareThe compact spare is light and easy to
handle when changing the wheel. Its use is
only permitted when a standard wheel has
sustained a puncture. The maximum life of
the wheel is only just over 2,000 miles
(3,500 km).
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h) with the
compact spare fitted.
The tire pressure should be 60 psi
(420 kPa). Put the punctured wheel in the
spare wheel well under the trunk floor.
Driving with the compact spare wheel, see
page 167.
Have the standard wheel repaired and refit-
ted as soon as possible.
WARNING
The spare wheel or punctured wheel
must be stowed under the trunk floor, and
secured in place with the retaining nut.
Date code
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213 Car care
The spare wheel, the tools and the jack with
its crank are carried under a panel in the
trunk.
Fold the carpeting forward to ease access to
the tools and spare wheel.
The screwdriver handle has a "button" for
removing plastic rivets. This type of rivet
must be removed when changing the light
bulb in the trunk lid (see page 195).Your Saab is equipped with a trip computer
and you can use its "Speed warning" func-
tion, to monitor driving speed since you
must not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
NOTICETo avoid damaging an alloy wheel with a
flat tire, this can be placed outside up in
the spare-wheel well but only while driv-
ing to the closest workshop.
A general rule is that all heavy loads must
be well secured in the luggage compart-
ment (see page 118).
Spare wheel (under trunk floor)
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214 Car careChanging a wheel
WARNING
 The car jack is designed solely for use
in changing a wheel or fitting snow
chains. It must not be used to
support the car during repair work
or servicing.
Never crawl under a car that is
supported only by a jack.
 Special care must be taken if the car is
on a slope - use wedge-shaped wheel
chocks!
 Position chocks, one ahead and one
behind, the wheel that is diagonally
opposite to the one to be changed.
 Switch on the hazard warning lights if
the car is on a road.
 Apply the parking brake and leave the
car in gear (1st or reverse). Automatic
transmission: move the selector lever
to the P position.
 Ensure that everybody is out of the car
before jacking it up.
 Never start the engine while the car is
jacked up.
 If possible, make sure the jack is
standing on a firm, level surface.
 The jack should be stored correctly
under the carpeting in the trunk. If it
lies loose in the car, it could thrown
forward and cause personal injury in
the event of a crash or if the car rolls
over.
 Do not use the jack on a car other than
your Saab 9-3.
 Grit, salt and rust can clog the inner
threads if the car has been driven for
several years exclusively with alloy
wheels.
If steel wheels are now fitted, the bolt
hole threads in the brake hubs should
be cleaned before the thinner steel
wheels are fitted. It may otherwise not
be possible to achieve the correct
clamping force, despite tightening the
wheel bolts to the correct torque.
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215 Car care
When the car has to be lifted, the jack must
be positioned at one of the four jacking
points (front or rear) under the sill members.
If a floor jack is used, the lifting plate must
be positioned under the normal jacking
points. If the car is equipped with a towbar,
the jack can also be placed under this.
1 Apply the parking brake and engage 1st
or reverse gear (automatic transmis-
sion: select P).
2 Wind the jack up to a suitable height
before placing it under the jacking point.
Each jacking point is indicated by an arrow on the sill (see illustration).
Make sure that the jack fully engages
the jacking point in the underside of the
sill member and that the entire foot of the
jack is steady and flat on the ground.
The jack must not stand on snow, ice or
similar.
Wind up the jack until it just begins to lift
the car.
3 It is not necessary to remove the wheel
cover.
If, none the less, you wish to remove the
wheel cover, take hold of the outer edge
and pull it straight out.
Loosen the wheel bolts half a turn.
4 Wind the jack to raise the wheel clear of
the ground. Remove the wheel bolts and
lift off the wheel.5 Clean any rust or dirt from the contact
surfaces between the wheel and brake
disc. Do not wipe away the grease in the
wheel hub.
6 Fit the wheel and screw in the bolts in the
sequence shown on the following page
(opposite pairs).
Tighten the bolts enough for the bolts
and wheel to be seated correctly.
7 Lower the car and tighten the wheel
bolts to torque in sequence as shown on
the following page.
Tightening torque:
Light-alloy wheels: 110 Nm.
Steel wheels: 110 Nm.NOTICEApply the jack only to the jacking points
indicated on the body.
Jacking points
Marking of jacking points
Clean any rust or dirt from the contact sur-
faces between the wheel and brake disc.
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216 Car care8 Retighten the wheel bolts after twenty or
so miles.
Tightening torque:
Light-alloy wheels: 110 Nm.
Steel wheels: 110 Nm.We advise against using wheels with large
ventilation slots in winter, as the brake com-
ponents are then more exposed to slush,
road salt and grit.
If you fit wheels of a different dimension, the
speedometer can be reprogrammed to
ensure it is as accurate as possible. Contact
a Saab dealer.
Driving with tire chains, see
page 156 NOTICE
 Do not overtighten the bolts using a
impact wrench: not only can this
damage the wheels but it can also
make it impossible to undo the bolts
using the wheel wrench in the car’s
toolkit.
 When refitting a wheel cover, make
sure that the valve protrudes through
the marked recess in the wheel cover.
Tightening sequence, wheel bolts
Do not wipe away the grease in the wheel
hub.
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