2005 SAAB 9-2X Owners Manual

11 - 4 4Maintenance and service
18 February 2004
Tires and wheels"Types of tiresYou should be familiar with type of tires present on
your vehicle.
The factory-fitted tires are all-season tires except for
the 17-inch tires that are optional on the Aero (those
are summer tires).
!All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide an adequate
measure of traction, handling and braking perfor-
mance in year-round driving including snowy and icy
road conditions. However all season tires do not offer
as much traction performance as winter (snow) tires in
heavy or loose snow or on icy roads.
All season tires are identified by “ALL SEASON” and/
or “M+S” (Mud & Snow) on the tire sidewall.
!Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed capability tires best suit-
ed for highway driving under dry conditions.
Summer tires are inadequate for driving on slippery
roads such as on snow-covered or icy roads.
If you drive your vehicle on snow-covered or icy roads,
we strongly recommend the use of winter (snow) tires.
When installing winter tires, be sure to replace all four
tires.!Winter (snow) tires
Winter tires are best suited for driving on snow-cov-
ered and icy roads. However winter tires do not per-
form as well as summer tires and all season tires on
roads other than snow-covered and icy roads.
"Tire inspectionCheck on a daily basis that the tires are free from se-
rious damage, nails, and stones. At the same time,
check the tires for abnormal wear.
Contact your Saab dealer immediately if you find any
problem.NOTE!When the wheels and tires strike curbs or are
subjected to harsh treatment as when the vehicle
is driven on a rough surface, they can suffer dam-
age that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This
type of damage does not become evident until
time has passed. Try not to drive over curbs, pot-
holes or on other rough surfaces. If doing so is un-
avoidable, keep the vehicle’s speed down to a
walking pace or less, and approach the curbs as
squarely as possible. Also, make sure the tires are
not pressed against the curb when you park the
vehicle.
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18 February 2004
!If you feel unusual vibration while driving or find
it difficult to steer the vehicle in a straight line, one
of the tires and/or wheels may be damaged. Drive
slowly to the nearest authorized Saab dealer and
have the vehicle inspected."Tire pressures and wearMaintaining the correct tire pressures helps to maxi-
mize the tires’ service lives and is essential for good
running performance. Check and, if necessary, adjust
the pressure of each tire (including the spare) at least
once a month (for example, during a fuel stop) and be-
fore any long journey.Check the tire pressures when the tires are cold. Use
a pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to the
values shown on the tire label. The tire label is located
on the door pillar on the driver’s side.
Driving even a short distance warms up the tires and
increases the tire pressures. Also, the tire pressures
are affected by the outside temperature. It is best to
check tire pressure outdoors before driving the vehi-
cle.
When a tire becomes warm, the air inside it expands,
causing the tire pressure to increase. Be careful not to
mistakenly release air from a warm tire to reduce its
pressure.
NOTE!The air pressure in a tire increases by approxi-
mately 4.3 psi (30 kPa, 0.3 kgf/cm
2) when the tire
becomes warm.
!The tires are considered cold when the vehicle
has been parked for at least three hours or has
been driven less than one mile (1.6 km).
Do not let air out of warm tires to adjust pres-sure. Doing so will result in low tire pressure.
UGB510BA
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11 - 4 6Maintenance and service
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Incorrect tire pressures detract from controllability and
ride comfort, and they cause the tires to wear abnor-
mally.
!Correct tire pressure (tread worn evenly)
Roadholding is good, and steering is responsive. Roll-
ing resistance is low, so fuel consumption is also low-
er.!Abnormally low tire pressure (tread worn at
shoulders)
Rolling resistance is high, so fuel consumption is also
higher.
HSB052AA
HSB053AA
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26 December 2003
!Abnormally high tire pressure (tread worn in cen-
ter)
Ride comfort is poor. Also, the tire magnifies the ef-
fects of road-surface bumps and dips, possibly result-
ing in vehicle damage.
If the tire label shows tire pressures for the vehicle
when fully loaded and for the vehicle when towing a
trailer, adjust the tire pressures to the values that
match current loading conditions.Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire
pressures can cause the tires to deform severe-ly and to rapidly become hot. A sharp increase
in temperature could cause tread separation,
and destruction of the tires. The resulting loss
of vehicle control could lead to an accident."Wheel balanceEach wheel was correctly balanced when your vehicle
was new, but the wheels will become unbalanced as
the tires become worn during use. Wheel imbalance
causes the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at certain
vehicle speeds and detracts from the vehicle’s
straight-line stability. It can also cause steering and
suspension system problems and abnormal tire wear.
If you suspect that the wheels are not correctly bal-
anced, have them checked and adjusted by your Saab
dealer. Also have them adjusted after tire repairs and
after tire rotation.NOTELoss of correct wheel alignment* causes the tires
to wear on one side and reduces the vehicle’s run-
ning stability. Contact your Saab dealer if you no-
tice abnormal tire wear.*: The suspension system is designed to hold each wheel at
a certain alignment (relative to the other wheels and to the
road) for optimum straight-line stability and cornering perfor-
mance.
HSB054AA
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11 - 4 8Maintenance and service
26 December 2003
"Wear indicatorsA) New tread
B) Worn tread
1) Tread wear indicatorEach tire incorporates a tread wear indicator, which
becomes visible when the depth of the tread grooves
decreases to 0.063 in (1.6 mm). A tire must be re-
placed when the tread wear indicator appears as a
solid band across the tread.
When a tire’s tread wear indicator becomes vis-
ible, the tire is worn beyond the acceptable limit
and must be replaced immediately. With a tire
in this condition, driving at high speeds in wet
weather can cause the vehicle to hydroplane.
The resulting loss of vehicle control can lead toan accident.NOTEFor safety, inspect tire tread regularly and replace
the tires before their tread wear indicators become
visible.
A
1B
HSB055BB
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26 December 2003
"Tire rotationTire wear varies from wheel to wheel. To maximize the
life of each tire and ensure that the tires wear uniform-
ly, it is best to rotate the tires every 7,500 miles
(12,500 km). Rotating the tires involves switching the
front and rear tires on the right hand side of the vehicle
and similarly switching the front and rear tires on the
left hand side of the vehicle. (Each tire must be kept on
its original side of the vehicle.)
Replace any damaged or unevenly worn tire at the
time of rotation. After tire rotation, adjust the tire pres-
sures and make sure the wheel nuts are correctly
tightened.After driving approximately 600 miles (1,000 km),
check the wheel nuts again and retighten any nut that
has become loose.
"Tire replacementThe wheels and tires are important and integral parts
of your vehicle’s design; they cannot be changed arbi-
trarily. The tires fitted as standard equipment are opti-
mally matched to the characteristics of the vehicle and
were selected to give the best possible combination of
running performance, ride comfort, and service life. It
is essential for every tire to have a size and construc-
tion matching those shown on the tire label and to
have a speed symbol and load index matching those
shown on the tire label.
Using tires of a non-specified size detracts from con-
trollability, ride comfort, braking performance, speed-
ometer accuracy and odometer accuracy. It also cre-
ates incorrect body-to-tire clearances and inappropri-
ately changes the vehicle’s ground clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of manufactur-
er, brand (tread pattern), construction, and size. You
are advised to replace the tires with new ones that are
identical to those fitted as standard equipment.
For safe vehicle operation, Saab recommends replac-
ing all four tires at the same time.
HSB056BA
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11 - 5 0Maintenance and service
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NOTEUnidirectional tires: Some tires have a specified
direction of rotation. A tire of this type has an ar-
row or other mark on its side wall to indicate the
direction of rotation. Install it so that the direction
of rotation is correct when the vehicle is driven
forward.!All four tires must be the same in terms of
manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), construc-
tion, degree of wear, speed symbol, load index
and size. Mixing tires of different types, sizes ordegrees of wear can result in damage to vehi-
cle’s power train. Use of different types or sizes
of tires can also dangerously reduce controlla-
bility and braking performance and can lead to
an accident.
!Use only radial tires. Do not use radial tires
together with belted bias tires and/or bias-ply
tires. Doing so can dangerously reduce control-
lability, resulting in an accident.
UGB125BA
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18 February 2004
"Wheel replacementWhen replacing wheels due, for example, to damage,
make sure the replacement wheels match the specifi-
cations of the wheels that are fitted as standard equip-
ment. Replacement wheels are available from Saab
dealers.Use only those wheels that are specified for
your vehicle. Wheels not meeting specifica-
tions could interfere with brake caliper opera-
tion and may cause the tires to rub against the
wheel well housing during turns. The resulting
loss of vehicle control could lead to an acci-dent.NOTEWhen any of the wheels is removed and replaced
for tire rotation or to change a flat tire, always
check the tightness of the wheel nuts after driving
approximately 600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is
loose, tighten it to the specified torque.
Aluminum wheelsAluminum wheels can be scratched and damaged
easily. Handle them carefully to maintain their appear-
ance, performance, and safety.
!When any of the wheels is removed and replaced
for tire rotation or to change a flat, always check the
tightness of the wheel nuts after driving approximately
600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is loose, tighten it to
the specified torque.
!Never apply oil to the threaded parts, wheel nuts, or
tapered surface of the wheel.
!Never let the wheel rub against sharp protrusions or
curbs.
!Be sure to fit tire chains on uniformly and completely
around the tire, otherwise the chains may scratch the
wheel.
!When wheel nuts, balance weights, or the center
cap is replaced, be sure to replace them with genuine
Saab parts designed for aluminum wheels.
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