2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE warning
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Tires and wheels
>> Operation
193
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If a condition causing the TPMS to
malfunction develops, it may take up to
10 minutes for the system to signal a malfunc
tion using the TPMS telltale flashing and illu
mination sequence.
The telltale extinguishes after a few minutes
driving if the malfunction has been corrected.
G
Warning!
Each tire should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation
pressure recommended by the vehicle
manufacturer on the Tire and Loading
Information placard. If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size in
dicated on the Tire and Loading Informa
tion placard, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for those
tires.
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
underinflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure
telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and
inflate them to the proper pressure.
Driving on a significantly underinflated
tire causes the tire to overheat and can
lead to tire failure.
Underinflation also reduces fuel effi
ciency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping
ability. Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
underinflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low
tire pressure telltale.
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 remain
continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon subse
quent vehicle startups as long as the
malfunction exists. When the malfunction
indicator is illuminated, the system may
not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
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 pre
vent the TPMS from functioning properly.
Always check the TPMS malfunction tell
tale 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.
Page 195 of 314
Tires and wheels
194
>> Operation
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Operating radio transmission equipment
(e.g. wireless headsets, twoway radios) in or
near the vehicle could cause the TPMS to mal
function.
Restarting the TPMSThe TPMS must be restarted 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 inflation pressures.
>Using the Tire and Loading Information
placard on the driver’s door Bpillar
(page 185)
, make sure the tire inflation
pressure of all four tires is correct.
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Restart the TPMS after adjusting the tire
inflation pressure to the inflation pressure
recommended for the vehicle operating con
dition. Tire pressure should only be adjusted
on cold tires. Observe the recommended tire
inflation pressure on the Tire and Loading
Information placard on the driver’s door
Bpillar (
page 185).
1
Restarting TPMS button
G
Warning!
It is the driver’s responsibility to cali
brate the TPMS on the recommended cold
inflation pressure. Underinflated tires
affect the ability to steer or brake and
might cause you to lose control of the ve
hicle.
Page 196 of 314
Tires and wheels
>> Operation
195
>Press Restarting TPMS button1.
>The combination low tire pressure/TPMS
malfunction telltale in the instrument
cluster (
page 34) flashes for approxi
mately 5 seconds and then goes out.
After driving a few minutes the system
verifies that the current tire inflation
pressures are within the system’s specified
range. Afterwards the current tire inflation
pressures are accepted as reference
pressures and then monitored.Potential problems associated with
underinflated and overinflated tires
Underinflated tires
Underinflated tires can:
• cause excessive and uneven tire wear
• adversely affect fuel economy
• lead to tire failure from being overheated
• adversely affect handling characteristicsOverinflated tires
Overinflated tires can:
• adversely affect handling characteristics
• cause uneven tire wear
• be more prone to damage from road
hazards
• adversely affect ride comfort
• increase stopping distance
G
Warning!
Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated
tires wear excessively and/or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel econ
omy, and are more likely to fail from being
overheated.
G
Warning!
Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not overinflate tires. 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.
Page 198 of 314
Tires and wheels
>> Operation
197
General:
Depending on the design standards used, the
tire size molded into the sidewall may have no
letter or a letter preceding the tire size des
ignation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter "P" preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter "LT" preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter "T" preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only.
Tire width
Tire width1
(page 196) indicates the
nominal tire width in mm.Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio2
(page 196) is the dimen
sional relationship between tire section
height and section width and is expressed in
percentage. The aspect ratio is arrived at by
dividing section height by section width.
Tire code
Tire code3 (
page 196) indicates the tire
construction type. The "R" stands for radial
tire type. Letter "D" means diagonal or bias
ply construction; letter "B" means belted
bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a "ZR" in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see "Tire speed
rating" (
page 198)
.
Rim diameter
Rim diameter4 (
page 196) is the diameter
of the bead seat, not the diameter of the rim
edge. Rim diameter is indicated in inches (in).Tire load rating
Tire load rating5 (
page 196) is a numeri
cal code associated with the maximum load a
tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corresponds
to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs (615 kg) the
tire is designed to support.
See also "Maximum tire load" (
page 201)
where the maximum load associated with the
load index is indicated in kilograms and lbs.
G
Warning!
The tire load rating must always be at
least half of the GAWR (
page 205) of
your vehicle. Otherwise, tire failure may
result and cause an accident and/or seri
ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the
same designation, manufacturer and type
as shown on the original part.
Page 199 of 314
Tires and wheels
198
>> Operation
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Tire load rating5 (
page 196) and
Tire speed rating6 (
page 196) are also
referred to as "service description".
For additional information on tire load rating,
see "Load identification" (page 200).Tire speed rating
Tire speed rating6 (
page 196) indicates
the approved maximum speed for the tire.
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Tire load rating5 (
page 196) and
Tire speed rating6 (
page 196) are also
referred to as "service description".Summer tires
G
Warning!
Do not overload the tires by exceeding
the specified load limit as indicated on
the Tire and Loading Information placard
located on the driver’s door Bpillar.
Overloading the tires can overheat them,
possibly causing a blowout. Overloading
the tires can also result in handling or
steering problems, or brake failure.
G
Warning!
Even when permitted by law, never oper
ate a vehicle at speeds greater than the
maximum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire
failure, causing loss of vehicle control
and possibly resulting in an accident
and/or personal injury and possible
death, for you and for others.
Index
Speed rating
Q
up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
R
up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S
up to 112 mph (180 km/h)
T
up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
H
up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V
up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
W
up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
Y
up to 186 mph (300 km/h)
(Y)
above 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZR
above 149 mph (240 km/h)
Page 202 of 314
Tires and wheels
>> Operation
201
DOT (D
epartment o
f T
ransportation)
Tire branding symbol1 (
page 200) which
denotes the tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
Manufacturer’s identification mark
Manufacturer’s identification mark2
(
page 200) denotes the tire manufacturer.
New tires have a mark with two symbols.
Retreaded tires have a mark with four
symbols. For more information on retreaded
tires (
page 182).
Tire size
Code3 (page 200) indicates the tire size.
Tire type code
Code4 (page 200) may, at the option of
the manufacturer, be used as a descriptive
code for identifying significant characteris
tics of the tire.
Date of manufacture
Date of manufacture5 (
page 200)
identifies the week and year of manufacture.The first two figures identify the week, start
ing with "01" to represent the first full week of
the calendar year. The second two figures
represent the year.
For example, "3202" represents the 32nd
week of 2002.
Maximum tire load
1
Maximum tire load rating
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For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may
vary from data shown in above illustration.The maximum tire load is the maximum weight
the tires are designed to support.
For more information on tire load rating
(
page 197).
For information on calculating total and cargo
load capacities (
page 187).
G
Warning!
Do not overload the tires by exceeding
the specified load limit as indicated on
the Tire and Loading Information placard
located on the driver’s door Bpillar.
Overloading the tires can overheat them,
possibly causing a blowout. Overloading
the tires can also result in handling or
steering problems, or brake failure.
Page 203 of 314
Tires and wheels
202
>> Operation Maximum tire inflation pressure
1
Maximum permissible tire inflation
pressure
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For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may
vary from data shown in above illustration.
This is the maximum permissible tire inflation
pressure for the tire.Always follow the recommended tire inflation
pressure (
page 189) for proper tire infla
tion.Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
(U.S. vehicles)
Tire manufacturers are required to grade
tires based on three performance factors:
treadwear, traction and temperature resis
tance.
1
Treadwear
2
Traction
3
Temperature resistance
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For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may
vary from data shown in above illustration.
G
Warning!
Never exceed the max. tire inflation
pressure. Follow recommended tire
inflation pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated
tires wear excessively and/or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel econ
omy, 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
stopping distance, and result in sudden
deflation (blowout) because they are
more likely to become punctured or
damaged by road debris, potholes etc.
Page 204 of 314
Tires and wheels
>> Operation
203
Quality grades can be found, where applica
ble, on the tire sidewall between tread shoul
der and maximum section width. For example:
All passenger car tires must conform to fed
eral safety requirements in addition to these
grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and onehalf (1
1/2) 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 significantly from
the norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.Traction
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
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire’s resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel.Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure. The grade C corre
sponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law.
Treadwear
Traction
Temperature
200
AA
A
G
Warning!
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straightahead braking trac
tion tests, and does not include acceler
ation, cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
G
Warning!
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or excessive load
ing, either separately or in combination,
can cause excessive heat buildup and
possible tire failure.