2008 PONTIAC G8 spare tire

Uniform Tire Quality
Grading...........................9-59
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance...........................9-60
Wheel Replacement..........9-61
Tire Chains.......................9-62
Tire Changing
If a Tire Goes Flat............9-62
Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit
(V8 Engine)
.....................9-64
Changing a Flat Tire
(V6 Engine).....................9-71
Removing the Spare Tire
and Tools........................9-72
Removing the Flat Tire
and Installing the
Spare Tire
.......................9-73
Storing a Flat or Spare
Tire and Tools.................9-78
Compact Spare Tire..........9-79
Jump Starting
Jump Starting...................9-80
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle.........9-84
Shift Lock Manual
Release...........................9-84
Recreational Vehicle
Towing............................9-85
Towing a Trailer................9-85
Appearance Care
Interior Cleaning................9-91
Exterior Cleaning..............9-94
Sheet Metal Damage........9-98
Finish Damage..................9-98
Underbody Maintenance. . . .9-98
Chemical Paint Spotting. . . .9-98
Vehicle Care/Appearance
Materials.........................9-99
Service
For service and parts needs, visit
your dealer/retailer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one
of these marks:
9-2 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

12. Turn the dust cap clockwise to
lock it into place.
13. For the driver side reinstall the
air cleaner/lter cover.
14. For the passenger side reinstall
the coolant bottle ller neck.
15. Reinstall the radiator support
screws.
Taillamps
A. Turn Signal Lamp
B. Stoplamp/Taillamp
C. Back-up LampTo replace one of these bulbs:
For any lamp not listed here, see
your dealer/retailer to replace.
1. Open the trunk. SeeTrunk on
page 2-10.
2. Raise the spare tire cover. See
Removing the Spare Tire and
Tools on page 9-72for more
information.
3. Turn the four convenience net
hooks securing the plastic
trunk trim counterclockwise.
4. Pull the trunk trim straight up to
remove.5. Turn the trunk lining securing
pins counterclockwise and
pull down at the same time to
remove.
6. Lower the spare tire cover.
7. Turn the bulb socket
counterclockwise to remove it
from the rear lamp housing.
8. Lightly press the bulb and turn it
counterclockwise to remove it
from the bulb holder.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-31
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

9. Push the new bulb into the
socket and turn it clockwise
to lock it into place.
10. Push the bulb socket straight in
and turn it clockwise to lock it
into place.
11. Make sure the seals are applied
to the taillamp assembly and
screws.12. Raise the spare tire cover.
13. Turn the trunk lining securing
pins clockwise to lock into
place.
14. Return the plastic trunk trim to
its original location.
15. Reinstall the plastic
retaining pins.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior LampBulb
Number
High-Beam
HeadlampH9
Low-Beam
HeadlampH11
Stoplamp/Taillamp P21/5W
Rear Turn
Signal LampPY21W
Back-up Lamp P21W
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer/retailer.
Electrical System
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
Notice:Do not add anything
electrical to your vehicle unless
you check with your
dealer/retailer rst. Some
electrical equipment can damage
your vehicle and the damage
would not be covered by your
warranty. Some add-on electrical
equipment can keep other
components from working as
they should.
Add-on equipment can drain your
vehicle’s battery, even if your vehicle
is not operating.
Your vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to add anything
electrical to your vehicle, see
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 1-30.
9-32 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into its sidewall. The
examples 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
9-40 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

(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 9-59.
(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. SeeCompact Spare
Tire on page 9-79andIf a
Tire Goes Flat on page 9-62.(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.
Compact Spare Tire Example
Vehicle Service and Care 9-41
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

(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 see
Inflation - Tire Pressure on
page 9-46.
(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.
(B) Tire Width
:The three-digit
number indicates the tire
section width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.
(C) Aspect Ratio
:A two-digit
number that indicates the tire
height-to-width measurements.For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item C of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire’s sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
(D) Construction Code
:A letter
code is used to indicate the type
of ply construction in the tire. The
letter R means radial ply
construction; the letter D means
diagonal or bias ply construction;
and the letter B means
belted-bias ply construction.
(E) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(F) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
range and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carry capacity a tire is
certied to carry. The load index
can range from 1 to 279. The
speed rating is the maximum
speed a tire is certied to carry a
load. Speed ratings range from
AtoZ.
9-42 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Tire SizeRecommended Cold Tire InationOccupant and Cargo Weight:
573 lbs (260 kg) or Less Occupant and Cargo Weight:
Up to 917 lbs (416 kg)
(Vehicle Capacity Weight)
Front Tires Rear Tires Front Tires Rear Tires
P245/45R18 96V 33 psi (230 kPa) 33 psi (230 kPa) 36 psi (250 kPa) 39 psi (270 kPa) 245/45R18 96V 36 psi (250 kPa) 36 psi (250 kPa) 36 psi (250 kPa) 39 psi (270 kPa)
245/40R19 94W 36 psi (250 kPa) 36 psi (250 kPa
)36 psi (250 kPa) 39 psi (270 kPa)
T155/80R17 111M (Compact Spare) 60 psi (420 kPa) 60 psi (420 kPa) 60 psi (420 kPa) 60 psi (420 kPa)
When to Check
Check your tires once a month
or more.
Do not forget the compact spare
tire, if your vehicle has one. It
should be at 60 psi (420 kPa).
For more information about
the vehicle’s compact spare tire,
see Compact Spare Tire on
page 9-79 . How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type
gage to check tire pressure.
You can’t tell if your tires
are properly inated simply by
looking at them. Radial tires may
look properly inated even
when they’re underinated.
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.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-47
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Tire SizeRecommended Cold Tire Ination
Occupant and Cargo Weight: 573 lbs (260 kg) or Less Occupant and Cargo Weight:
Up to 917 lbs (416 kg)
(Vehicle Capacity Weight)
Front Tires Rear Tires Front Tires Rear Tires
P245/45R18 96V 35 psi (240 kPa) 35 psi (240 kPa) 39 psi (270 kPa) 44 psi (300 kPa) 245/45R18 96V 36 psi (250 kPa) 36 psi (250 kPa) 39 psi (270 kPa) 44 psi (300 kPa)
245/40R19 94W 36 psi (250 kPa) 36 psi (250 kPa) 39 psi (270 kPa) 44 psi (300 kPa)
When you end this high-speed
driving, return the tires to the cold tire
ination pressure shown on the Tire
and Loading Information label. See
Loading the Vehicle on page 8-28
and Inflation - Tire Pressure on
page 9-46 .
Tire Pressure Monitor
System
The Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS) uses radio and sensor
technology to check tire pressure
levels. The TPMS sensors monitor
the air pressure in your vehicle’s
tires and transmit tire pressure
readings to a receiver located in the
vehicle.
Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inated to the
ination pressure recommended by
the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or tire ination pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size
indicated on the vehicle placard or
tire ination pressure label, you
should determine the proper tire
ination pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a
tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is signicantly
under-inated.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-49
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual