2008 DODGE SPRINTER tire size

388 OperationTires and wheels
4
1DOT
2Manufacturer’s identification mark
3Tire size
4Tire type code (tire manufacturer's op-
tion)
5Date of manufacture
The TIN may be found on one or both
sides of the tire; however, the date code
may only be on one side. Tires with white
side walls will have the full TIN including
date code located on the white side wall
side of the tire. Look for the TIN on the
outboard side of black side wall tires as
mounted on the vehicle.If the TIN is not found on the outboard
side then you will find it on the inboard
side of the tire. In this case, the tire must
be remounted. Make sure the TIN is vis-
ible on the outboard side of the tire and
if applicable that the direction of rota-
tion is correct when remounting the tire.
Rotation (spinning) direction, see "Direc-
tion of Rotation" (
\2
page 351).
iFor illustrative purposes only. The ac-
tual data on tires is specific to each
vehicle and may vary from the data
shown in the above illustration.
nf_BA.book Page 388 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

389 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
DOT (D
epartment O
f T
ransportation)
A tire branding symbol
1
which de-
notes the tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
Manufacturer’s identification markThe manufacturer’s identification
mark
2
denotes the tire manufacturer.
New tires have a mark with two symbols.
Retreaded tires have a mark with four
symbols. For more information on re-
treaded tires, see (
\2
page 341).
Tire sizeThe code
3
indicates the tire size.
Tire type codeThe code
4
may, as the manufacturer's
option, be used as a descriptive code for
identifying significant characteristics of
the tire.
Date of manufactureThe date of manufacture
5
identifies
the week and year of manufacture.
The first two figures identify the week,
starting with “01” to represent the first
full week of the calendar year. The sec-
ond two figures represent the year.
For example, "031" could represent the
3rd week of 1981 or 1991.If the date of manufacture code indicat-
ed on the tire is less than 4 figures, do
not use it.
iPrior to July 2000, tire manufactur-
ers were only required to have 1
number to represent the year in
which the tire was manufactured.
For example, "031" could represent
the 3rd week of 1981 or 1991.
nf_BA.book Page 389 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

391 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
For more information on tire load rating,
refer to "Tire size designation, load and
speed rating" (
\2
page 383).
For information on calculating total and
cargo load capacities, refer to "Tire and
loading information" (
\2
page 352).
1Maximum permissible tire inflation pres-
sure
Warning
G
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. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.Never overload them.The vehicle maximum load on the tire
must not exceed the load carrying capac-
ity of the tire on your vehicle.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
You will not exceed the tire’s load carrying
capacity if you adhere to the loading con-
ditions, tire size and cold tire inflation
pressures specified on the tire and load-
ing information placard.
Maximum tire inflation pressure
nf_BA.book Page 391 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

397 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Production options weightThe combined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing
over 5 lbs (2.3 kg) in excess of those
standard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb weight or
accessory weight, including heavy duty
brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy
duty battery, and special trim.PSI (P
ounds per S
quare I
nch)
A standard unit of measure for air pres-
sure. Another metric unit for air pres-
sure is bar or kilopascal (kPa).
Recommended tire inflation pressureRecommended tire inflation pressure for
normal driving conditions listed on the
tire and loading information placard
1 or
on the tire inflation pressure placard lo-
cated on the driver’s door B-pillar.
Provides best handling, tread life and
riding comfort.
RimA metal support for a tire or a tire and
tube assembly upon which the tire
beads are seated.
Side wallThe portion of a tire between the tread
and the bead.TIN (T
ire I
dentification N
umber)
Unique identifier which facilitates efforts
by tire manufacturers to notify purchas-
ers in recall situations or other safety
matters concerning tires and gives pur-
chases the means to easily identify such
tires. The TIN is comprised of the “man-
ufacturer’s identification mark”, “tire
size”, “tire type code” and “date of man-
ufacture”.
1. For vehicles with a gross weight capacity less
than 10 000 lbs (4 536 kg) (USA only).
nf_BA.book Page 397 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

403 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
\1
Make sure that on one axle just one
type of tire (same size, type con-
struction, load and speed rating) is
used.
Dual rear wheels:
\1
Rotate front tires by axle and the out-
er rear tire side to side if there is no
approved direction of rotation.
The tires used on dual wheel assem-
blies should be matched for wear to
prevent overloading one tire in a set.
\1
To check if tires are even, lay a
straight edge across all four tires.
For information on wheel change, see
the “Practical hints” section
(
\2
page 548).
!
CAUTION
3500 dual rear tires have only one
approved direction of rotation. This is
to accommodate the asymmetrical
design (tread pattern) of the ON/OFF
road tire and the use of Outline White
Letter (OWL) tires.
When replacing a flat tire, the spare
tire may have to be remounted on the
rim or installed at a different location
to maintain the correct placement of
the tire on the wheel relative to the
tire/wheel position on the vehicle.
For example, if the spare is used to
replace an outer rear tire it will have
to remounted on the rim so that the
wheel is dished inward.
That way the tread design of asym-
metrical tires and the white writing of
the OWL tires will maintain proper
position.
nf_BA.book Page 403 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

407 Operation
Winter driving
4
Apply the brakes regularly when making
longer journeys on gritted or salted
roads. This will have the effect of restor-
ing the brakes to their normal level of
performance.
When stopping the vehicle after travel-
ing on roads that have been salted,
check that the brakes are fully functional
before proceeding further.
Use "Class U" chains, or other traction
aids that meet SAE Type "U" specifica-
tions.Snow chai ns m us t be the p rope r si ze f or
the vehicle, as recommended by the
chain manufacturer. They should only be
driven on snow-covered roads at speeds
not to exceed 30 mph (50 km / h). Re-
move chains as soon as possible when
driving on roads without snow.Snow chains
!
CAUTION
Use snow chains on rear wheels only.
Some tire sizes do not leave ade-
quate clearance for snow chains. To
help avoid serious damage to your
vehicle or tires, use of snow chains is
not permissible with the spare wheel.
iWhen driving with snow chains, you
may wish to deactivate the ASR
(\2
page 73) before setting the vehi-
cle in motion. This will improve the
vehicle’s traction.
nf_BA.book Page 407 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

480 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...
5
Warning!
G
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure rec-
ommended by the vehicle manufacturer
on the vehicle placard or the tire inflation
pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of
a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or the tire inflation
pressure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires).
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS) that illumi-
nates a low tire pressure telltale when one
or more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as pos-
sible, and inflate them to the proper pres-
sure. Driving on a significantly
underinflated tire causes the tire to over-
heat and can lead to tire failure.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
Underinflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the ve-
hicle’s handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substi-
tute for proper tire maintenance, and it is
the driver’s responsibility to maintain cor-
rect tire pressure, even if underinflation
has not reached the level to trigger illumi-
nation of the TPMS low tire pressure tell-
tale.
Continued
nf_BA.book Page 480 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

659 Index
direction of rotation, spinning . . 351
driving instructions . . . . . . . . . . 195
important guidelines . . . . . . . . . 346
inflation pressure . . . . . . . . 361
,365
information placard . . . . . . . . . . 352
inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
load limit information . . . . . . . . . 355
load rating . . . . . . . . .383
,384
,398
loading Information . . . . . . . . . . 352
loading terminology . . . . . . . . . . 393
loading the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 351
low tire pressure indicator . . . . . 478
maximum load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
messages in the multifunction
display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
ply composition and material
used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398problems under/overinflation . . 380
,
382
radial-ply tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
retreads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
rotating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
,399
seating capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
service life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
speed rating . . . . . . . 199
,386
,398
storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
temperature . . . . . . . . 363
,364
,627
terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
TIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387,397
Tire Identification Number see TIN
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS), (USA only) . . . . . . . . . . 367
TPMS malfunction indicator . . . 478traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
,398
tread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . 349,405
Treadwear Indicator (TWI) . . . . . 196
Treadwear Indicators . . . . . . . . . 398
valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
vehicle maximum load on . . . . . 399
wear pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
winter tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Tongue Weight Ratingsee TWRTopTether
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Tow-away protection
. . . . . . . . . . .78
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