Page 363 of 666
361 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Your vehicle is equipped with either the
tire and loading information placard
1 or
with the tire inflation pressure placard
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.The tire inflation pressure (including the
spare wheel) should be checked regular-
ly and adjusted as well as inspected for
signs of tire wear or visible damage. Use
a good quality pocket-type gauge to
check tire inflation pressure.
Do not m a ke a vis ua l ju dgm ent when de -
termining proper inflation. Radial tires
may look properly inflated even when
they are underinflated.
The tire inflation pressure should be
checked regularly, i.e. at least each time
you refuel the vehicle, and should only
be adjusted on cold tires. The preferred
interval for checking the tire inflation
pressure, however, is before each trip.
Recommended tire inflation pressureWarning
G
Follow recommended tire inflation pres-
sures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated
tires wear excessively and/or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel econo-
my, and are more likely to fail from being
overheated.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride
comfort, wear unevenly, increase stop-
ping distance, and result in sudden defla-
tion (blowout) because they are more
likely to become punctured or damaged
by road debris, potholes etc.
1. For vehicles with a gross weight capacity less
than 10 000 lbs (4 536 kg) (USA only).1
Tire and loading information placard or
tire inflation pressure placard on driver’s
door B-pillar
nf_BA.book Page 361 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 364 of 666
362 OperationTires and wheels
4
The tires can be considered cold if the
vehicle has been parked for at least
3 hours or driven less than 1 mile
(1.6 km) at an ambient temperature of
approximately 68 °F (20 °C).
Follow recommended cold tire inflation
pressures listed on vehicle placard.
Keeping the tires properly inflated pro-
vides the best handling, tread life and
riding comfort.
The pressure difference between the
tires on a single axle should not exceed
1.5 psi (10 kPa).
In addition to the placard, also consult
the tire inflation pressure table
(\2
page 628).For more information, refer to “Impor-
tant notes on tire inflation pressure”.
PlacardThe placard is located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.Tire and loading information placardTire inflation pressure placard
1 Recommended cold tire inflation
pressure
nf_BA.book Page 362 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 365 of 666
363 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
The placard lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for all load condi-
tions up to the maximum permissible
weight limits (GAWR). The tire inflation
pressures listed apply to the tires in-
stalled as original equipment.
Important notes on tire inflation
pressure
iThe data shown on the tire and loa-
ding information placard
1and on the
tire inflation pressure placard is for il-
lustrative purposes only. Tire data is
specific to each vehicle and may vary
from the data shown in the illustrati-
on below. Refer to your vehicle’s pla-
card for actual data specific to your
vehicle.
1 For vehicles with a gross weight capacity less
than 10 000 lbs (4 536 kg) (USA only).
Warning
G
If the tire inflation pressure repeatedly
drops:
\4Check the tires for punctures from
foreign objects.
\4Check to see whether air is leaking
from the valves or from around the
rim.
nf_BA.book Page 363 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 366 of 666
364 OperationTires and wheels
4
Tire temperature and tire inflation pres-
sure are also increased while driving, de-
pending on the driving speed and the
tire load.
Tire inflation pressure changes by ap-
proximately 1.5 psi (0.1 bar) per 18 °F
(10 °C) of air temperature change. Keep
this in mind when checking tire inflation
pressure where the temperature is dif-
ferent from the outside temperature.For example:
If the inside temperature is 68 °F
(20 °C) and the outside temperature is
32 °F (0 °C) then the cold tire inflation
pressure should be increased by 3 psi
(0.2 bar), which equals 1.5 psi (0.1 bar)
for every 18 °F (10 °C) for this outside
temperature condition.
Check tire inflation pressures more of-
ten if subject to a wide range of outdoor
temperatures, as tire pressures vary
with temperature changes.
Warning
G
Tire pressure may increase during opera-
tion.
Never reduce this normal pressure build
up or your tire pressure will be too low.
Underinflated tires wear excessively and/
or unevenly, adversely affect handling and
fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
nf_BA.book Page 364 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 367 of 666
365 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
The tire inflation pressure should be
checked regularly, i.e. at least each time
you refuel the vehicle. The preferred in-
terval for checking the tire inflation pres-
sure, however, is before each trip.
The tire inflation pressures specified ei-
ther on the tire and loading information
placard or on the tire inflation pressure
placard on the driver’s door B-pillar are
always cold tire inflation pressures.
Check and adjust the tire inflation pres-
sure when the tires are cold. Cold tire in-
flation pressure is defined as the tire
pressure after the vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours or driven less
than 1 mile (1.6 km) at an ambient tem-
perature of approximately 68°F (20°C).
The cold tire inflation pressure must not
exceed the maximum tire inflation pres-
sure molded into the tire side wall, see
"Tire labeling" (
\2
page 382).If you check the tire inflation pressure
when the tires are warm (the vehicle has
been driven for several miles (kilome-
ters) or sitting less than 3 hours), the
reading will be higher than the cold read-
ing. This is normal. Do not let air out to
match the specified cold tire inflation
pressure. Otherwise, the tire will be un-
derinflated.
Checking tire inflation pressure
nf_BA.book Page 365 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 368 of 666
366 OperationTires and wheels
4
Checking tire inflation pressure
manuallyFollow the steps below to achieve cor-
rect tire inflation pressure:\1
Remove the cap from the valve on
one tire.
\1
Firmly press a tire gauge onto the
valve.
\1
Read the tire inflation pressure on
the tire gauge and compare it with
the recommended tire inflation pres-
sure on the placard (
\2
page 362) lo-
cated on the driver’s door B-pillar.
Warning
G
Observe the recommended tire inflation
pressures.Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated
tires wear excessively and/or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel econo-
my, and are more likely to fail from being
overheated.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride
comfort, wear unevenly, increase stop-
ping distance, and result in sudden defla-
tion (blowout) because they are more
likely to become punctured or damaged
by road debris, potholes etc.Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the
tire and loading information placard on
the driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the
tires can overheat them, possibly causing
a blowout.
nf_BA.book Page 366 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 369 of 666
367 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
In addition to the placard also con-
sult the tire inflation pressure table
(\2
page 628).
\1
If necessary, add air to achieve the
recommended tire inflation pressu-
re.
\1
Reattach the valve cap.
\1
Repeat this procedure for each tire.
Checking tire inflation pressure elec-
tronically with the Tire Pressure Mon-
itoring System (TPMS)* (vehicles
without steering wheel buttons)
iIf you have overfilled the tire, release
tire inflation pressure by pushing the
metal stem of the valve with for ex-
ample a tip of a pen. Then recheck
the tire inflation pressure with the
tire gauge.
!
CAUTION
After inspecting or adjusting the tire
inflation pressure, always reattach
the valve cap if equipped.
This will prevent moisture and dirt
from entering the valve stem, which
could damage the valve stem.
iUSA only:
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) is equipped with a combina-
tion low tire pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale in the instrument
cluster (
\2
page 20). Depending on
how the telltale illuminates, it indi-
cates a low tire pressure condition or
a malfunction in the TPMS system it-
self:
nf_BA.book Page 367 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
Page 370 of 666
368 OperationTires and wheels
4
The TPMS only functions on wheels that
are equipped with the proper electronic
sensors. It monitors the tire inflation
pressure, as selected by the driver, in all
four tires. A warning is issued to alert
you to a decrease in pressure in one or
more of the tires. If the telltale illuminates continuous-
ly, one or more of your tires is signif-
icantly underinflated. There is no
malfunction in the TPMS.
If the telltale flashes for 60 seconds
and then stays illuminated, the TPMS
system itself is not operating proper-
ly.
iCanada only:
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) is equipped with a low tire
pressure telltale in the instrument
cluster (
\2
page 20). If the telltale il-
luminates, one or more of your tires
is significantly underinflated.
Warning
G
The TPMS does not warn you against in-
correctly selected tire inflation pressure
and does not warn you when the tire pres-
sure is not properly selected for the re-
spective vehicle load. It warns you only
when the pressure of one or more tires
decreases significantly below the refer-
ence inflationpressure which was stored at the time of
calibration of the TPMS after you inflated
the tires.
Continued
nf_BA.book Page 368 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM
