2007 CHEVROLET COBALT spare tire

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement....... 337
Tires............................................................ 338
Winter Tires.............................................. 339
Tire Sidewall Labeling............................... 340
Tire Terminology and Denitions............... 344
Ination - Tire Pressure............................. 347
High-Speed Operation............................... 349
Tire Inspection and Rotation...................... 349
When It Is Time for New Tires.................. 351
Buying New Tires...................................... 351
Different Size Tires and Wheels................ 353
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..................... 354
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance............ 355
Wheel Replacement.................................. 355
Tire Chains............................................... 357
If a Tire Goes Flat.................................... 358
Changing a Flat Tire................................. 358
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools.......... 360
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire....................................... 364
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools...... 369
Compact Spare Tire.................................. 372Appearance Care........................................ 373
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.......... 373
Fabric/Carpet............................................. 374
Leather...................................................... 375
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces..................................... 376
Care of Safety Belts.................................. 376
Weatherstrips............................................ 376
Washing Your Vehicle............................... 377
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses................ 377
Finish Care............................................... 377
Windshield and Wiper Blades.................... 378
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels and Trim................................... 378
Tires......................................................... 379
Sheet Metal Damage................................. 380
Finish Damage.......................................... 380
Underbody Maintenance............................ 380
Chemical Paint Spotting............................ 381
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials............ 381
Vehicle Identication.................................. 382
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN)........... 382
Service Parts Identication Label............... 382
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
278

If you choose to use winter tires:
Use tires of the same brand and tread type
on all four wheel positions.
Use only radial ply tires of the same size,
load range, and speed rating as your
original equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed rating as your
original equipment tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y and ZR speed rated tires. If you choose
winter tires with a lower speed rating, never
exceed the tire’s maximum speed capability.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is molded into its
sidewall. The examples below show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a compact spare
tire sidewall.(A) Tire Size:The tire size is a combination of
letters and numbers used to dene a particular
tire’s width, height, aspect ratio, construction type
and service description. See the “Tire Size”
illustration later in this section for more detail.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
340

(A) Temporary Use Only:The compact spare
tire or temporary use tire has a tread life of
approximately 3,000 miles (5 000 km) and should
not be driven at speeds over 65 mph (105 km/h).
The compact spare tire is for emergency use
when a regular road tire has lost air and gone at.
If your vehicle has a compact spare tire, see
Compact Spare Tire on page 372andIf a Tire
Goes Flat on page 358.(B) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord and
number of plies in the sidewall and under
the tread.
(C) Tire Identication Number (TIN):The letters
and numbers following the DOT (Department of
Transportation) code is the Tire Identication
Number (TIN). The TIN shows the manufacturer
and plant code, tire size, and date the tire was
manufactured. The TIN is molded onto both sides
of the tire, although only one side may have the
date of manufacture.
(D) Maximum Cold Ination Load Limit:
Maximum load that can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to support that load.
(E) Tire Ination:The temporary use tire
or compact spare tire should be inated to
60 psi (420 kPa). For more information on tire
pressure and ination seeInation - Tire
Pressure on page 347.
(F) Tire Size:A combination of letters and
numbers dene a tire’s width, height, aspect ratio,
construction type and service description. The
letter T as the rst character in the tire size means
the tire is for temporary use only.
Compact Spare Tire Example
342

When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more. Do not
forget to check the compact spare tire, it should
be at 60 psi (420 kPa). For additional information
regarding the compact spare tire, seeCompact
Spare Tire on page 372.
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You cannot tell if your tires are properly
inated simply by looking at them. Radial tires
may look properly inated even when they are
under-inated. Check the tire’s ination pressure
when the tires are cold. Cold means your vehicle
has been sitting for at least three hours or driven
no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).Remove the valve cap from the tire valve stem.
Press the tire gage rmly onto the valve to
get a pressure measurement. If the cold tire
ination pressure matches the recommended
pressure on the Tire and Loading Information
label, no further adjustment is necessary. If the
ination pressure is low, add air until you reach
the recommended amount.
If you overll the tire, release air by pushing on
the metal stem in the center of the tire valve.
Re-check the tire pressure with the tire gage.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve
stems. They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt
and moisture.
348

The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve
more uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The
rst rotation is the most important. SeeScheduled
Maintenance on page 396.
When rotating your tires, always use the correct
rotation pattern shown here.
Do not include the compact spare tire in your tire
rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front
and rear ination pressures as shown on the
Tire and Loading Information label.Make certain that all wheel nuts are properly
tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” under
Capacities and Specications on page 390.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel nuts
become loose after time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When
you change a wheel, remove any rust or
dirt from places where the wheel attaches
to the vehicle. In an emergency, you can
use a cloth or a paper towel to do this;
but be sure to use a scraper or wire brush
later, if needed, to get all the rust or dirt
off. SeeChanging a Flat Tire on page 358.
350

Winter tires with the same speed rating as your
original equipment tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y, and ZR speed rated tires. If you choose
winter tires with a lower speed rating, never
exceed the tire’s maximum speed capability.
{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose
control while driving. If you mix tires of
different sizes, brands, or types (radial
and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a
crash. Using tires of different sizes,
brands, or types may also cause damage
to your vehicle. Be sure to use the correct
size, brand, and type of tires on all
wheels. It is all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, as it was
developed for use on your vehicle.
SeeCompact Spare Tire on page 372.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle,
the wheel rim anges could develop
cracks after many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the
wheels on your vehicle.
If you must replace your vehicle’s tires with
those that do not have a TPC Spec number,
make sure they are the same size, load range,
speed rating, and construction type (radial and
bias-belted tires) as your vehicle’s original tires.
Your vehicle’s original equipment tires are listed
on the Tire and Loading Information label.
This label is attached to the vehicle’s center pillar
(B-pillar). SeeLoading Your Vehicle on page 259,
for more information about the Tire and Loading
Information Label and its location on your vehicle.
352

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which
grades tires by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States. The grades are
molded on the sidewalls of most passenger car
tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver, or temporary use spare
tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform
to federal safety requirements and additional
General Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on the wear rate of the tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a specied government
test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would
wear one and a half (1.5) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however, and may
depart signicantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits, service practices, and differences
in road characteristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent
the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specied
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 straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
354

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you will need is located in
the trunk.
Base Models
1. Open the trunk. SeeTrunk on page 102for
more information.
2. Lift the trunk liner to access the spare tire
and tools.
360