2004 CHRYSLER 300 M Owners Manual

Spare Tire Usage with Directional Tread Pattern
Tires (300M Special Only)
The 300M Special model offers tires with a directional
tread pattern. These tires are designed to optimize dry
handling as well as wet performance. To obtain the full
benefits of this design, the tires must be installed so that
they rotate in the correct direction. The rotation direction
of this type of tire is indicated by arrows on the side wall
of the tire. The full size spare tire is mounted as a direct
replacement for the right side of the vehicle. For road-
side replacement of a flat tire on the left side of the
vehicle, the full size spare can be used as mounted. If this
is required, correct the rotation as soon as possible to
restore optimum wet performance.
Compact Spare Tire
Maintain the compact spare tire inflation pressure at 60
psi [4.1 bars](414 kPa). Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
while the compact spare is installed on the vehicle.
Do not install a wheel cover or attempt to mount a
conventional tire on the compact spare wheel, since the
wheel is designed specifically for the compact spare.Because of the reduced ground clearance, do not take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with the
compact spare installed.
WARNING!
Temporary-use spare tires are for emergency use
only. With the compact spare tire assembly installed
on your vehicle, do not exceed 50 mph (80 km).
Vehicle handling and braking performance will be
reduced. Also, do not drive more than 50 mph (80
km) with the compact spare installed. Failure to
follow compact spare tire warning may result in an
accident and/or fatal injury. Temporary-use spare
tires have a total tread life of 2,000 miles (3 200 km).
Be sure to follow the warnings, which apply to your
spare. Failure to do so could result in spare tire
failure and loss of vehicle control.
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Tire Spinning
When stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice conditions, do not
spin your vehicle’s wheels above 30 mph. (48 km/h).
See the paragraph on Freeing A Stuck Vehicle in section 6
of this manual.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause tire dam-
age or failure. A tire could explode and injure
someone. Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels faster
than 30 mph (48 km/h) when you are stuck. And
don’t let anyone near a spinning wheel, no matter
what the speed.
Tire Chains
Due to limited clearance, tire chains are not recom-
mended.
CAUTION!
Damage to the vehicle may result if tire chains are
used.
Snow Tires
Some areas of the country require the use of snow tires
during winter. Standard tires are of the all season type
and satisfy this requirement as indicated by the M+S
designation on the tire sidewall.
The 300M Special offers a high performance three
season tire. The performance of this type of tire on
snow and ice is not equivalent to traditional all season
tires.
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WARNING!
The 300M Special is equipped with tires that are
optimized for driving in dry and wet weather con-
ditions. However, these tires have reduced traction
capability in snow and ice. When driving a 300M
Special in these conditions with these tires, you must
take special care to maintain control and avoid
accidents. We recommend that you equip your ve-
hicle with “SNOW” or “ALL SEASON” tires on all
four wheels for driving in snowy and icy conditions.
It is necessary to select tires equivalent in size and
load rating to the original equipment tires. “SNOW”
tires may have lower speed rating than factory
equipped tires and may not match the maximum
vehicle speed. Do not use tires or wheels other than
the size recommended by the manufacturer for this
vehicle.
If you need snow tires, select tires equivalent in size and
load rating to the original equipment tires. Refer to the
tire pressure label for inflation pressure.Snow tires may have a lower speed rating than factory
equipped tires and may not match the maximum vehicle
speed.
Snow tires should not be operated at sustained speeds
over 75 mph (120 km/h).
Tread Wear Indicators
Tread wear indicators are in the original equipment tires
to help you in determining when your tires should be
replaced.
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These indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread
grooves and will appear as bands when the tread depth
becomes 1/16 inch (2 mm). When the indicators appear
in 2 or more adjacent grooves, the tire should be replaced.
Many states have laws requiring tire replacement at this
point.
Replacement Tires
The tires on your new vehicle provide a balance of many
characteristics. They should be inspected regularly for
wear and correct inflation pressure. The manufacturer
strongly recommends that you use tires equivalent to the
originals in size, quality and performance when replace-
ment is needed (see the paragraph on tread wear indica-
tors). Failure to use equivalent replacement tires may
adversely affect the safety, handling, and ride of your
vehicle. We recommend that you contact your original
equipment dealer on any questions you may have on tire
specifications or capability.
WARNING!
•Do not use a tire, wheel size or rating other than
that specified for your vehicle. Some combina-
tions of unapproved tires and wheels may change
suspension dimensions and performance charac-
teristics, resulting in changes to steering, han-
dling, and braking of your vehicle. This can cause
unpredictable handling and stress to steering and
suspension components. You could lose control
and have an accident resulting in serious injury or
death. Use only the tire and wheel sizes with load
ratings approved for your vehicle.
•Never use a tire smaller than the minimum tire
size listed on your vehicle’s tire label located on
the driver’s door. Using a smaller tire could result
in tire overloading and failure. You could lose
control and have an accident.
•Failure to equip your vehicle with tires having
adequate speed capability can result in sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
•Overloading your tires is dangerous. Like under
inflation, overloading can cause tire failure. Use
tires of the recommended load capacity for your
vehicle and never overload them.
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CAUTION!
Replacing original tires with tires of a different size
may result in false speedometer and odometer read-
ings. Check with your dealer before replacing tires
with a different size.
Tire Rotation Recommendations
Tires on the front and rear axles of vehicles operate at
different loads and perform different steering, driving
and braking functions. For these reasons, they wear at
unequal rates, and tend to develop irregular wear pat-
terns.
These effects can be reduced by timely rotation of tires.
The benefits of rotation are especially worthwhile with
aggressive tread designs such as those on all season type
tires. Rotation will increase tread life, help to maintain
mud, snow and wet traction levels, and contribute to a
smooth, quiet ride.Rotate your tires at intervals shown on the maintenance
schedules. More frequent rotation is permissible if de-
sired. The reasons for any rapid or unusual wear should
be corrected before rotating.
The suggested rotation method is the “forward-cross”
shown in the diagram unless your vehicle is equipped
with directional tread pattern tires.
Tire Rotation with Directional Tread Pattern Tires
(300M Special Only)
The 300M Special model offers tires with directional
tread pattern. These tires are designed to optimize dry
handling as well as wet performance. To obtain the full
benefits of this design, the tires must be installed so that
they rotate in the correct direction. The rotation direction
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of this type of tire is indicated by arrows on the side wall
of the tire.
The required rotation method for directional tires is to
swap the front tire with the rear on the same side of the
vehicle. Do not cross switch tires without dismounting
the tires and re-mounting them in the correct rotational
direction.Alignment And Balance
The suspension components of your vehicle should be
inspected and aligned when needed to obtain full tire
tread mileage.
Poor suspension alignment may result in:
•fast tire wear;
•uneven tire wear, such as feathering and one-sided
wear;
•vehicle pull to right or left.
Tires may also cause vehicle to pull to the left or right.
Alignment will not correct this condition. See your dealer
for proper diagnosis.
Improper alignment will not cause vehicle vibration.
Vehicle vibration may be a result of tire and wheel
out-of-balance. Proper balancing will reduce vibration
and avoid tire cupping and spotty wear.
300M Special Only
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FUEL REQUIREMENTS
300M
Your engine is designed to meet all emissions regulations
and provide satisfactory fuel economy and performance
when using high quality unleaded gasoline having an
octane range of 87 to 89 or higher. The manufacturer
recommends the use of 89 octane for optimum perfor-
mance.
300M Special Only
Your engine is designed to meet all emissions regulations
and provide satisfactory fuel economy and performance
when using high quality unleaded gasoline having an
octane range of 87 to 91. The manufacturer recommends
the use of 91 octane premium gasoline for optimum
performance.
Light spark knock at low engine speeds is not harmful to
your engine. However, continued heavy spark knock at
high speeds can cause damage and should be reported to
your dealer immediately. Engine damage resulting from
operating with a heavy spark knock may not be covered
by the new vehicle warranty.Poor quality gasoline can cause problems such as hard
starting, stalling and stumble. If you experience these
problems, try another brand of gasoline before consider-
ing service for the vehicle.
Over 40 automobile manufacturers around the world
have issued and endorsed consistent gasoline specifica-
tions (the World Wide Fuel Charter, WWFC) to define
fuel properties necessary to deliver enhanced emissions,
engine performance, and durability for your vehicle. The
manufacturer recommends the use of gasolines that meet
the WWFC specifications if they are available.
Reformulated Gasoline
Many areas of the country require the use of cleaner
burning fuel referred to as “Reformulated Gasoline”.
Reformulated gasolines contain oxygenates, and are spe-
cially blended to reduce vehicle emissions and improve
air quality.
The manufacturer supports the use of reformulated gaso-
lines. Properly blended reformulated gasolines will pro-
vide excellent performance and durability of engine and
fuel system components.
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Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends
Some fuel suppliers blend unleaded gasoline with mate-
rials called oxygenates such as 10% ethanol, MTBE and
ETBE. Oxygenates are required in some areas of the
country during the winter months to reduce carbon
monoxide emissions. Fuels blended with these oxygen-
ates may be used in your vehicle.
CAUTION!
DO NOT use gasolines containing Methanol. Use of
these blends may result in starting and driveability
problems and may damage critical fuel system com-
ponents.
Problems that result from using methanol/gasoline
blends are not the responsibility of the manufacturer and
may not be covered by the vehicle warranty. While MTBE
is an oxygenate made from Methanol, it does not have
the negative effects of Methanol.
MMT in Gasoline
MMT is a manganese containing metallic additive that is
blended into some gasoline to increase the octane num-
ber. Gasolines blended with MMT offer no performance
advantage beyond gasolines of the same octane number
without MMT. Gasolines blended with MMT have shown
to reduce spark plug life and reduce emission system
performance in some vehicles. The manufacturer recom-
mends using gasolines without MMT. Since the MMT
content of gasoline may not be indicated on the pump,
you should ask your gasoline retailer whether or not
his/her gasoline contains MMT.
MMT is prohibited in both Federal and California refor-
mulated gasolines.
In Canada, MMT can be used at levels higher than those
allowed in the United States. For this reason, it is even
more important to look for gasolines without MMT in
Canada.
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