2003 VOLVO XC90 flat tire

2003 VOLVO XC90
environmental impact.
Volvo's environmental activities are based on a holistic view, which mea\
ns we consider the overall
environmental impact of a product throughout its complete life cycle. In\
this context, design, production,
product use, and recycling are all important considerations.
In production, Volvo has partly or completely phased out several chemica\
ls including chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), lead chromates, naphtanates, asbestos, mercury and cadmium; an\
d reduced the amount of chemicals
used in our plants 50% since 1991.
Volvo was the first in the world to introduce into production a three-wa\
y catalytic converter with Lambda
Sond, now called oxygen sensor, in 1976. The current version of this hig\
hly efficient system reduces emissions
of harmful substances (CO, HC, NOx) from the exhaust pipe by approxima\
tely 95% and the search to eliminate
the remaining emissions continues. Volvo is the only automobile manufact\
urer to offer CFC-free retrofit kits
for the air conditioning system of all models as far back as the 1975 Vo\
lvo 240. Advanced electronic engine
controls, refined purification systems and cleaner fuels are bringing us\
closer to our goal.
After Volvo vehicles and parts have fulfilled their use, recycling is th\
e next critical step in completing the life
cycle. The metal content is about 75% of the total weight of a vehicle, \
which makes the vehicle among the most
recycled industrial products. In order to have efficient and well contro\
lled recycling, many Volvo variants have
printed dismantling manuals, indicating the weight and material of indiv\
idual components. For Volvo, all
homogeneous plastic parts weighing more than 1.7 oz. (50 grams) are ma\
rked with international symbols that
indicate how the component is to be sorted for recycling.
In addition to continuous environmental refinement of conventional gasol\
ine-powered internal combustion
engines, Volvo is actively looking at advanced technology alternative-fu\
el vehicles.
When you drive a Volvo, you become our partner in the work to lessen the\
car's impact on the environment.
To reduce your vehicle's environmental impact, you can:
l Maintain proper air pressure in your tires. Tests have shown decreased f\
uel economy with improperly
inflated tires.
l Follow the recommended maintenance schedule in your Warranty and Service\
Records Information booklet.
l Drive at a constant speed.
l See an authorized Volvo retailer as soon as possible for inspection if t\
he check engine (malfunction
indicator) lamp illuminates, or stays on after the vehicle has started.\

l Properly dispose of any vehicle-related waste such as used motor oil, us\
ed batteries, brake pads, etc.
l When cleaning your car, use Volvo's own car care products, all of which \
have systematically been adapted to
the environment.
For additional information regarding the environmental activities in whi\
ch Volvo Cars of North America, LLC.
and Volvo Car Corporation are involved, visit our Internet Home Page at:\

http://www.volvocars.com
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2003 VOLVO XC90
Front airbag (SRS) system
As an enhancement to the three-point seat belt system, your Volvo is equ\
ipped with a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS). The Volvo SRS consists of an airbag (2) on b\
oth the driver's and passenger's
sides and seat belt pretensioners in both front door pillars. The system\
is designed to supplement the
protection provided by the three-point seat belt system. All rear seat b\
elts are also equipped with
pretensioners. The SRS system is indicated by the "SRS" embossed on the \
steering wheel pad and above
the glove compartment, and by decals on both sun visors and on the front\
and far right side of the dash.
The airbags are folded and located in the steering wheel hub and above t\
he glove compartment.
Deployment:
The SRS airbags are designed to deploy during certain frontal or front-a\
ngular collisions, impacts, or
decelerations, depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and object \
impacted. The airbags may also
deploy in certain non-frontal collisions where rapid deceleration occurs\
.
The airbag system includes gas generators (1) surrounded by the airbag\
s (2) and front seat belt
pretensioners for both of the front seats. To deploy the system, the sen\
sor (3) activates the gas generators
causing the airbags to be inflated with nitrogen gas.
As the movement of the seats' occupants compresses the airbags, some of \
the gas is expelled at a
controlled rate to provide better cushioning. Both seat belt pretensione\
rs also deploy, minimizing any
seat belt slack.The entire process, including inflation and deflation of\
the airbags, takes approximately
two-tenths of a second.
WARNING!
The SRS is designed to help prevent serious injury. Deployment occurs ve\
ry quickly and with
considerable force. During normal deployment and depending on variables \
such as seating position,
one may experience abrasions, bruises, swellings, or other injuries as a\
result of airbag(s) deployment.
Never try to repair any part of the SRS or SIPS bag systems yourself. Any int\
erference in the system
could cause malfunction and serious injury. All work on these systems sh\
ould be performed by an
authorized Volvo retailer.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
Weight distribution affects handling
At the specified curb weight your vehicle has a tendency to understeer, \
which means that the steering
wheel has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvatur\
e of a bend. This ensures good
stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these p\
roperties can alter with the
vehicle load. The heavier the load in the cargo area, the less the tende\
ncy to understeer.
WARNING!
Driving with the tailgate open: Driving with the tailgate open could lead to poisonous exhaust gases
entering the passenger compartment. If the tailgate must be kept open fo\
r any reason, proceed as
follows
- Close the windows
- Set the ventilation system control to air flow to floor, windshield an\
d side windows and blower
control to its highest setting.
CAUTION
Drive slowly and carefully if going through standing water (i.e. floode\
d roadways, etc.). Damage to
the engine could result if excess water is drawn in through the air inta\
ke system. Never drive the
vehicle in water deeper than 18 inches (48 cm).
pg. 90 Starting and driving
General information (contd)
Handling, roadholding
Vehicle load, tire design and inflation pressure all affect vehicle hand\
ling. Therefore, check that the tires
are inflated to the recommended pressure according to the vehicle load. \
See "Tire pressure" section.
Loads should be distributed so that capacity weight or maximum permissib\
le axle loads are not exceeded.
Driving on rough/unpaved surfaces
The Volvo XC90 is designed primarily for onroad driving, and it has exce\
llent handling characteristics
on very rough or unpaved roads.
When driving on poorly maintained or unpaved roads, please keep the foll\
owing in mind:
l Reduce speed on rough surfaces to minimize possible damage to the vehicl\
e's underbody.
l When driving on soft surfaces such as dry sand or snow, try to avoid sto\
pping if at all possible.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
to spin, an electronically controlled coupling distributes power to the \
wheels that have the best traction.
Tire dimensions
Volvo recommends that you always drive on tires of the same brand, size,\
construction (radial), tread
pattern, load-, speed-, traction-, temperature-, and treadwear rating. N\
ever drive on mixed tires, except
for brief periods when the temporary spare tire is in use. Always use pr\
operly inflated tires of correct
dimensions. Tire size and inflation pressures are shown on the tire pres\
sure label located inside the fuel
filler door.
Tire Rotation
Volvo recommends rotating the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Tir\
es should be rotated front-to-
back/back-to-front only. Tires must maintain the same direction of rotat\
ion throughout their lifetime, and
should never be rotated from one side of the vehicle to the other.
Temporary Spare
The temporary spare tire is for temporary, lowspeed, short-distance use \
only. Replace it with a full-sized
tire as soon as possible, in accordance with "Tire Rotation" in the prev\
ious paragraph. Do not drive on
the temporary spare at speeds above 50 m.p.h. (80km/h) or for distance\
s greater than 50 miles (80 km).
Never install snow chains on a temporary spare.




Contents | Top of Page
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2003 VOLVO XC90
However, for optimum road holding on icy or snow-covered roads, we recom\
mend suitable winter tires
on all four wheels. When replacing tires, be sure that the new tires are\
the same size designation, type
(radial) and preferably from the same manufacturer, on all four wheels\
. Otherwise there is a risk of
altering the vehicle's roadholding and handling characteristics.
NOTE: When storing wheel/tire assemblies (e.g. winter tires and wheels), eit\
her stand the assemblies
upright, or suspend them off the ground. Laying wheel/tire assemblies on\
their sides for prolonged
periods can cause wheel and/or tire damage.
New tires
Remember that tires are perishable goods. As of 2000, manufacturing year\
and week will be indicated
with 4 digits (e.g. 0015 means that the tire is manufactured year 2000,\
week 15).
Improving tire economy:
l Maintain correct tire pressure. See the tire pressure label on the insid\
e of the fuel filler door.
l Drive smoothly: avoid fast starts, hard braking and tire screeching.
l Tire wear increases with speed.
l Correct front wheel alignment is very important.
l Unbalanced wheels impair tire economy and driving comfort.
l If tires are rotated, they must be kept on the same side of the vehicle \
so that they revolve in the same
direction as before rotation.
l Hitting curbs or potholes can damage the tires and/or wheels permanently\
.
Flat spots
All tires become warm during use. After cooling, when the vehicle is par\
ked, the tires have a tendency to
distort slightly, forming flat spots. These flat spots can cause vibrati\
ons similar to the vibrations caused
by unbalanced wheels. They do, however, disappear when the tire warms up\
. The degree to which flat
spots form depends on the type of cord used in the tire. In cold weather\
, it takes longer for the tire to
warm up and consequently longer for the flat spot to disappear.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
l With warm tires, correct only when the pressure is too low. The tire tem\
perature rises after driving
just a few miles.
Vehicle loading
The tires on your Volvo will perform to specifications at all normal loa\
ds when inflated as
recommended on the tire information label located on the inside of the f\
uel filler door. This label lists
both tire and vehicle design limits. Do not load your vehicle beyond the\
load limits indicated.
WARNING!
Improperly inflated tires will reduce tire life, adversely affect vehicl\
e handling and can possibly lead
to failure resulting in loss of vehicle control without prior warning.
Temporary Spare
The spare tire in your vehicle is called a "Temporary Spare".
Recommended tire pressure (see decal on Fuel filler door) should be ma\
intained irrespective which
position on the vehicle the Temporary Spare tire is used on. In the even\
t of damage this tire, a new one
can be purchased from your Volvo retailer.
WARNING!
Current legislation prohibits the use of the Temporary Spare" tire other\
than as a temporary
replacement for a punctured tire. It must be replaced as soon as possibl\
e by a standard tire. Road
holding and handling may be affected with the "Temporary Spare" in use. \
Do not exceed 50 mph (80
km/h). Do not drive farther than 50 miles (80 km) on a temporary spar\
e tire.
CAUTION
The vehicle must not be driven with wheels of different dimensions or wi\
th a spare tire other than the
one that came with the vehicle. The use of different size wheels can ser\
iously damage your vehicle's
transmission.
The temporary spare tire is for temporary, low-speed, short-distance use\
only. Replace it with a full-
sized tire as soon as possible, in accordance with "Tire Rotation" in th\
e previous paragraph. Do not drive
on the temporary spare at speeds above 50 m.p.h. (80km/h) or for dista\
nces greater than 50 miles (80
km). Never install snow chains on a temporary spare.
NOTE: Certain models may be equipped with a full-size spare tire. When used, i\
t should be inflated to
the same pressure as the tire it is replacing.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
TREADWEAR
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of th\
e 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 government course as a t\
ire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, ho\
wever, and many depart
significantly from the norm due to variation in driving habits, maintena\
nce practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
TRACTION
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C, as mea\
sured 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 this tire is based on braking (straight-\
ahead) traction tests and is not a
measure of cornering (turning) traction.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature grades are AA (the highest), A, B, and C, representing\
the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under c\
ontrolled conditions on specified
indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the m\
aterial of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire \
failure. The grade C corresponds
to minimum level of performance that all passenger vehicle tires must me\
et under the Federal Motor
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of perfo\
rmance 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 pr\
operly inflated and not overloaded.
Excessive speed, underinflation, or excessive loading, either separately\
or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire failure.
pg. 119 Wheels and tires
Changing wheels
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2003 VOLVO XC90

Lowering the spare wheel
Changing wheels - lowering the spare wheel
The spare wheel is located under the floor of the rear cargo compartment\
. It can be lowered using the
crank that is stored in the tool bag.
WARNING!
When raising or lowering the spare wheel, please keep in mind that compo\
nents in the exhaust system
may be very hot.
Lowering the spare wheel:
1. Fold down the lower section of the tailgate.
2. Fold up the rear section of the floor in the cargo compartment.
3. Take the two sections of the crank from the tool bag and connect them\
to each other.
4. Insert the hooked end of the crank in the spare wheel retaining attac\
hment (see the illustration above).
5. Lower the spare wheel under the vehicle by turning the crank counterc\
lockwise until it is not possible
to turn it further.
6. Pivot the toggle at the end of the cable 90 degrees to release it fro\
m the spare wheel.
7. Crank up the cable again by turning the crank clockwise.
8. Place the wheel with the flat tire in the vehicle's cargo compartment\
. There is a plastic storage bag for
this purpose in the tool bag. CAUTION
When the spare wheel is mounted on the vehicle, the retaining cable coul\
d damage the underside of
the vehicle if it is not retracted.
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