2007 SATURN RELAY spare tire

Tires............................................................ 462
Tire Sidewall Labeling............................... 463
Tire Terminology and Denitions............... 466
Ination - Tire Pressure............................. 469
High-Speed Operation............................... 471
Tire Inspection and Rotation...................... 472
When It Is Time for New Tires.................. 473
Buying New Tires...................................... 474
Different Size Tires and Wheels................ 476
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..................... 477
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance............ 478
Wheel Replacement.................................. 478
Tire Chains............................................... 480
Accessory Inator...................................... 480
If a Tire Goes Flat.................................... 483
Changing a Flat Tire................................. 484
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools.......... 485
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire....................................... 488
Secondary Latch System........................... 495
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools...... 497
Compact Spare Tire.................................. 500Appearance Care........................................ 501
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.......... 501
Fabric/Carpet............................................. 502
Leather...................................................... 503
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces..................................... 504
Care of Safety Belts.................................. 504
Weatherstrips............................................ 504
Washing Your Vehicle............................... 505
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses................ 505
Finish Care............................................... 505
Windshield, Backglass, and
Wiper Blades......................................... 506
Aluminum Wheels...................................... 507
Tires......................................................... 507
Sheet Metal Damage................................. 508
Finish Damage.......................................... 508
Underbody Maintenance............................ 508
Chemical Paint Spotting............................ 508
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials............ 509
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
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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.
(B) TPC Spec (Tire Performance Criteria
Specication):Original equipment tires designed
to GM’s specic tire performance criteria have
a TPC specication code molded onto the sidewall.
GM’s TPC specications meet or exceed all
federal safety guidelines.
(C) DOT (Department of Transportation):
The Department of Transportation (DOT) code
indicates that the tire is in compliance with the
U.S. Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards.
(D) Tire Identication Number (TIN):The letters
and numbers following 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.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
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(E) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord and
number of plies in the sidewall and under
the tread.
(F) Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG):
Tire manufacturers are required to grade
tires based on three performance factors:
treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance.
For more information seeUniform Tire Quality
Grading on page 477.
(G) Maximum Cold Ination Load Limit:
Maximum load that can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to support that load.
(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 500andIf a Tire
Goes Flat on page 483.
Compact Spare Tire Example
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(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 469.
(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.(G) TPC Spec (Tire Performance Criteria
Specication):Original equipment tires designed
to GM’s specic tire performance criteria have
a TPC specication code molded onto the sidewall.
GM’s TPC specications meet or exceed all
federal safety guidelines.
Tire Size
The following illustration shows an example of a
typical passenger vehicle tire size.
(A) Passenger (P-Metric) Tire:The United
States version of a metric tire sizing system.
The letter P as the rst character in the tire size
means a passenger vehicle tire engineered
to standards set by the U.S. Tire and Rim
Association.
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A Tire and Loading Information label is attached to
the vehicle’s center pillar (B-pillar), below the
driver’s door latch. This label shows your vehicle’s
original equipment tires and the correct ination
pressures for your tires when they are cold.
The recommended cold tire ination pressure,
shown on the label, is the minimum amount of
air pressure needed to support your vehicle’s
maximum load carrying capacity.
For additional information regarding how much
weight your vehicle can carry, and an example
of the tire and loading information label, see
Loading Your Vehicle on page 391. How you load
your vehicle affects vehicle handling and ride
comfort, never load your vehicle with more weight
than it was designed to carry.
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 500.
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.
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Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles
(8 000 to 13 000 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your
tires as soon as possible and check wheel
alignment. Also check for damaged tires or wheels.
SeeWhen It Is Time for New Tires on page 473
andWheel Replacement on page 478for
more information.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve
more uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle.
The rst rotation is the most important. See
Scheduled Maintenance on page 522.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 518.
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{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 500.
{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 391,
for more information about the Tire and Loading
Information Label and its location on your vehicle.
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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.
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