
Black plate (64,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
10-64 Vehicle Care
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are a
different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, this
could affect the way the vehicle
performs, including its braking, ride
and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover.
Additionally, if the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can be affected.
{WARNING
If you add different sized wheels,
the vehicle may not provide an
acceptable level of performance
and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels
are selected. You may increase
the chance that you will crash and
suffer serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10‑62 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10‑4 for
additional information.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires
by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver, or temporary

Black plate (65,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-65
use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal 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
a half (1½) 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
–AA, A, B, C
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.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.

Black plate (68,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
10-68 Vehicle Care
Tire Chains
{WARNING
If your vehicle has P215/70R16,
P235/75R16, P265/70R17, P235/
50R18, or P265/65R18 size tires,
do not use tire chains. They can
damage your vehicle because
there is not enough clearance.
Tire chains used on a vehicle
without the proper amount of
clearance can cause damage to
the brakes, suspension, or other
vehicle parts. The area damaged
by the tire chains could cause you
to lose control of your vehicle and
you or others may be injured in a
crash.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Use another type of traction
device only if its manufacturer
recommends it for use on your
vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer's instructions. To
help avoid damage to your
vehicle, drive slowly, readjust,
or remove the device if it is
contacting your vehicle. Do not
spin the vehicle's wheels.
If you do find traction devices that
will fit, install them on the rear
tires. Notice:
If your vehicle has a tire
size other than P215/70R16, P235/
75R16, P265/70R17, P235/50R18,
or P265/65R18 use tire chains
only where legal and only when
you must. Use chains that are the
proper size for your tires. Install
them on the tires of the rear axle.
Do not use chains on the tires of
the front axle. Tighten them as
tightly as possible with the ends
securely fastened. Drive slowly
and follow the chain
manufacturer's instructions.
If you can hear the chains
contacting your vehicle, stop and
retighten them. If the contact
continues, slow down until it
stops. Driving too fast or
spinning the wheels with chains
on will damage your vehicle.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
i-6 INDEX
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii, 7-1
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
K
Keyless Entry
Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-47
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Lamps
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
LATCH System Replacing Parts After a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
Latch, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Latches, Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Lighting
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5 Lights
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-15
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Up-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-11
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
TaillampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10, 2-12
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Full-Size Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-85
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-56 Tires (cont.)
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-55
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-82
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-66
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-56
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-90
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90 Traction
Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-46
Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . 9-48
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Fluid, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-10
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Truck-Camper Loading Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-37