2008 DODGE SPRINTER tire pressure

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

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

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

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

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

369 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Warning (Continued)
G
Always ensure that you re-calibrate the
TPMS after you inflated the tires to the
recommended cold inflation pressure.Always adjust tire inflation pressure ac-
cording to the tire and loading information
placard on the driver’s door B-pillar.Underinflated tires wear excessively and/
or unevenly, adversely affect handling and
fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
Overinflated tires can adversely affect
handling and ride comfort, wear unevenly,
increase stopping distance, and result in
sudden deflation (blowout) because they
are more likely to become punctured or
damaged by road debris, potholes etc.The TPMS is not able to issue a warning
due to a sudden dramatic loss of pressure
(e.g. tire blowout caused by a foreign ob-
ject). In this case bring the vehicle to a
halt by carefully applying the brakes and
avoiding abrupt steering maneuvers.
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 tire and loading information plac-
ard. (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 infla-
tion pressure for those tires).
Continued
nf_BA.book Page 369 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

370 OperationTires and wheels
4
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
Warning (Continued)
G
USA only:Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS malfunction indicator is combined
with the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately 1 minute and then re-
main continuously illuminated. This se-
quence will continue upon subsequent
vehicle start-ups as long as the malfunction
exists. When the malfunction indicator is illu-
minated, the system may not be able to de-
tect or signal low tire pressure as intended.
Continued
nf_BA.book Page 370 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

371 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Reactivating the TPMSThe TPMS must be reactivated when you
have adjusted the tire inflation pressure
to a new level (e.g. because of different
load or driving conditions). The TPMS is
then recalibrated to the current tire in-
flation pressures.
Warning (Continued)
G
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a vari-
ety of reasons, including the installation
of incompatible replacement or alternate
tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS from functioning properly. Al-
ways check the TPMS malfunction telltale
after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
iIf a condition causing the TPMS to
malfunction develops, it may take up
to 10 minutes for the system to sig-
nal a malfunction using the TPMS tell-
tale flashing and illumination
sequence.
The telltale extinguishes after driving
a few minutes if the malfunction has
been corrected.
iOperating radio transmission equip-
ment (e.g. wireless headsets, two-
way radios) in or near the vehicle
could cause the TPMS to malfunction
nf_BA.book Page 371 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM