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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.
{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.
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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.
SeeChanging a Flat Tire on page 5-78for 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.
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
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.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blowout” 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 “blowout,” 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.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes at, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your
hazard warning ashers.
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Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The tools you will need are
located in the storage
compartment at the rear of
the vehicle, on the
passenger’s side.
To remove the tools, do the following:
1. Remove the side convenience net.
2. Open the jack storage compartment by lifting up the
tab and pulling the cover off.A. Jack
B. Strap
C. Bracket
D. Wing Nut
E. Jacking InstructionsF. Bag and Tools
G. Tire Bag and Cable
(All-Wheel Drive
(AWD) only)
3. Remove the jack and jacking tools by loosening the
wing nut and bracket.
4. Separate the plastic pouch from the jack and
remove the jacking tools, including the folding
wrench and extension, from the pouch.
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3. To remove the compact spare tire from the cable,
tilt the retainer at the end of the cable so it can be
pulled up through the wheel opening.4. If your vehicle is an AWD vehicle, after removing
the compact spare tire, turn the wrench clockwise
to raise the cable back up.
On an AWD vehicle, you can not store a full-size
tire under the vehicle. It should be stowed inside the
vehicle by the cable provided. See “Storing the
Flat Tire on an All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle” later in this
section.
If you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the hoist is
used to store a full-size or a at road tire under
the vehicle. See “Storing the Spare Tire and Tools”
and “Storing the Flat Tire on a Front-Wheel Drive
Vehicle” later in this section.
If the compact spare tire will not lower, check under the
vehicle to see if the tire is hanging loose and the
cable end and spring under the wheel plate are missing.
If so, the secondary latch system is engaged. See
“Secondary Latch System” later in this section.
To continue changing the at tire see “Removing the
Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire” later in this
section.
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Secondary Latch System
Your vehicle may have an underbody mounted tire hoist
assembly equipped with a secondary latch system.
It is designed to stop a tire from suddenly falling off your
vehicle if the cable holding the spare tire is damaged.
For the secondary latch to work, the tire must be stowed
with the valve stem pointing down.
Front-wheel-drive vehicles use the underbody tire hoist
assembly to store either the compact spare or a at
road tire. See “Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools”
later in this section for instructions on storing the
spare or at tire correctly.
If your vehicle is equipped with AWD, the underbody tire
hoist assembly stores only the compact spare tire.
See “Storing the Spare Tire and Tools” later in
this section for instructions. To store a at full-size tire
correctly, see “Storing the Flat Tire on an
All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle” later in this section.{CAUTION:
Before beginning this procedure read all the
instructions. Failure to read and follow the
instructions could damage the hoist assembly
and you and others could get hurt. Read and
follow the instructions listed below.
To release the spare tire from the secondary latch, do
the following:
{CAUTION:
Someone standing too close during the
procedure could be injured by the jack.
If the spare tire does not slide off the jack
completely, make sure no one is behind you or
on either side of you as you pull the jack out
from the spare.
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1. Place the jack under the vehicle, ahead of the rear
bumper. Position the center lift point of the jack
under the center of the compact spare tire.
2. Turn the folding wrench clockwise to raise the jack
until it lifts the secondary latch device under the
wheel plate.
3. Keep raising the jack until the compact spare tire
stops moving upward and is held rmly in place,
this lets you know that the secondary latch
has released.
4. Lower the jack by turning the folding wrench
counterclockwise. Keep lowering the jack until the
compact spare tire is resting on the folding wrench.5. Grasp the compact spare tire with both hands and
pull it out from under the vehicle.
6. Reach under the vehicle and remove the folding
wrench and jack.
Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare or at tire using
the hoist assembly until it has been repaired or replaced.
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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
ip 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:If your vehicle has wheel locks and you use
an impact wrench to remove the wheel nuts, you
could damage the lock nut or wheel lock key. Do not
use an impact wrench to remove the wheel nuts if
your vehicle has wheel locks.
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