2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX spare wheel

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
9-8 Driving and Operating
Off-Road Driving
Vehicles with all‐wheel drive can be
used for off‐road driving. Vehicles
without all‐wheel drive should not be
driven off-road except on a level,
solid surface.
Many of the vehicle design features
that help make the vehicle more
responsive on paved roads during
poor weather conditions also help
make it better suited for off‐road use
than conventional passenger
vehicles. The vehicle does not have
features usually thought to be
necessary for extended or severe
off‐road use such as special
underbody shielding and transfer
case low gear range.
The airbag system is designed to
work properly under a wide range of
conditions, including off‐road usage.
Always wear your safety belt and
observe safe driving speeds,
especially on rough terrain.
Drinking and driving can be very
dangerous on any road and this is
certainly true for off-road driving.At the very time you need special
alertness and driving skills, your
reflexes, perceptions, and judgment
can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You could have a
serious
—or even fatal —accident
if you drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking.
Off-roading can be great fun but has
some definite hazards. The greatest
of these is the terrain itself. When
off-road driving, traffic lanes are not
marked, curves are not banked, and
there are no road signs. Surfaces
can be slippery, rough, uphill,
or downhill.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers. Failure to operate the
vehicle correctly off‐road could
result in loss of vehicle control or
vehicle rollover.
Off-roading involves some new
skills. That is why it is very
important that you read these
driving tips and suggestions to help
make off-road driving safer and
more enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
.Have all necessary maintenance
and service work done.
.Make sure there is enough fuel,
that fluid levels are where they
should be, and that the spare
tire is fully inflated.
.Be sure to read all the
information about all-wheel-drive
vehicles in this manual.
.Make sure all underbody
shields, if the vehicle has them,
are properly attached.
.Know the local laws that apply to
off-roading where you will be
driving or check with law
enforcement people in the area.
.Be sure to get the necessary
permission if you will be on
private land.

Black plate (38,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
9-38 Driving and Operating
Fuel Economy Mode
Vehicles with a 2.4L engine have a
Fuel Economy Mode. When
engaged, fuel economy mode can
improve the vehicle's fuel economy.
Press the“eco”(economy) button by
the shift lever to turn this feature on
or off. The “eco”light in the
instrument cluster will come on
when engaged. See Fuel Economy
Light on page 5‑20. A Driver Information Center (DIC)
message
“ECO MODE ON” is also
displayed. See Fuel System
Messages on page 5‑29 for more
information.
When Fuel Economy Mode is on:
.The transmission will upshift
sooner and downshift later.
.The torque converter clutch will
apply sooner and stay on longer.
.The gas pedal will be less
sensitive.
.The vehicle's computer will more
aggressively shut off fuel to the
engine under deceleration.
.The engine idle speed will
be lower.
.Driving performance is more
conservative.
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive
Vehicles with this feature always
send engine power to all four
wheels. It is fully automatic, and
adjusts itself as needed for road
conditions.
When using a compact spare tire on
an AWD vehicle, the system
automatically detects the compact
spare and disables AWD. To restore
AWD operation and prevent
excessive wear on the system,
replace the compact spare with a
full-size tire as soon as possible.
See Compact Spare Tire on
page 10‑77 for more information.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
10-2 Vehicle Care
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64 Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-66
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . 10-77
Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
10-44 Vehicle Care
To reinstall the door, insert the tabs
on the bottom of the door into the
console first, then push the door
back into its original location.
The vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the fuses, relays, and
features shown.
Instrument Panel Fuse BlockMini Fuses Usage
1 Steering Wheel DM
2 Spare
3 Spare
4 Body Control
Module 1
5 Infotainment
6 Body Control
Module 7
7 Noise Control
Module
8 Body Control
Module 4
9 Radio
10 Special Equipment
Order Battery
11 Ultrasonic Rear
Parking Assist
Module
12 Heater, Ventilation
and Air Conditioning
Battery

Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
10-56 Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS is designed to warn the
driver when a low tire pressure
condition exists. TPMS sensors are
mounted onto each tire and wheel
assembly, excluding the spare tire
and wheel assembly. The TPMS
sensors monitor the air pressure in
the vehicle's tires and transmits the
tire pressure readings to a receiver
located in the vehicle.
When a low tire pressure condition
is detected, the TPMS illuminates
the low tire pressure warning light
located on the instrument panel
cluster. If the warning light comes
on, stop as soon as possible andinflate the tires to the recommended
pressure shown on the tire loading
information label. See
Vehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑22.
At the same time a message to
check the pressure in a specific tire
appears on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. The low tire
pressure warning light and the DIC
warning message come on at each
ignition cycle until the tires are
inflated to the correct inflation
pressure. Using the DIC, tire
pressure levels can be viewed by
the driver. For additional information
and details about the DIC operation
and displays see Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑22.
The low tire pressure warning light
may come on in cool weather when
the vehicle is first started, and then
turn off as you start to drive. This
could be an early indicator that the
air pressure in the tire(s) are getting
low and need to be inflated to the
proper pressure. A Tire and Loading Information
label, attached to your vehicle,
shows the size of your vehicle's
original equipment tires and the
correct inflation pressure for your
vehicle's tires when they are cold.
See
Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9‑22, for an example of the
Tire and Loading Information label
and its location on your vehicle.
Also see Tire Pressure on
page 10‑53.
Your vehicle's TPMS can warn you
about a low tire pressure condition
but it does not replace normal tire
maintenance. See Tire Inspection
on page 10‑59, Tire Rotation on
page 10‑60 andTires on
page 10‑46.
Notice: Tire sealant materials are
not all the same. A non-approved
tire sealant could damage the Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS)
sensors. TPMS sensor damage
caused by using an incorrect tire
sealant is not covered by the
vehicle warranty.

Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-57
Always use only the GM approved
tire sealant available through
your dealer or included in the
vehicle.
TPMS Malfunction Light and
Message
The TPMS will not function properly
if one or more of the TPMS sensors
are missing or inoperable. When the
system detects a malfunction, the
low tire pressure warning light
flashes for about one minute and
then stays on for the remainder of
the ignition cycle. A DIC warning
message is also displayed. The low
tire pressure warning light and DIC
warning message come on at each
ignition cycle until the problem is
corrected. Some of the conditions
that can cause the malfunction light
and DIC message to come on are:
.One of the road tires has been
replaced with the spare tire.
The spare tire does not have a
TPMS sensor. The TPMS
malfunction light and DICmessage should go off once you
re‐install the road tire containing
the TPMS sensor.
.The TPMS sensor matching
process was started but not
completed or not completed
successfully after rotating the
vehicle's tires. The DIC message
and TPMS malfunction light
should go off once the TPMS
sensor matching process is
performed successfully. See
“TPMS Sensor Matching
Process”
later in this section.
.One or more TPMS sensors are
missing or damaged. The DIC
message and the TPMS
malfunction light should go off
when the TPMS sensors are
installed and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See your dealer
for service.
.Replacement tires or wheels do
not match your vehicle's original
equipment tires or wheels. Tires
and wheels other than those
recommended for your vehicle
could prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. See Buying
New Tires on page 10‑62.
.Operating electronic devices or
being near facilities using radio
wave frequencies similar to the
TPMS could cause the TPMS
sensors to malfunction.
If the TPMS is not functioning it
cannot detect or signal a low tire
condition. See your dealer for
service if the TPMS malfunction
light and DIC message comes on
and stays on.

Black plate (60,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
10-60 Vehicle Care
Tire Rotation
Tires should be rotated every
12 000 km (7,500 miles). See
Scheduled Maintenance on
page 11‑2.
The purpose of a regular tire
rotation is to achieve a uniform
wear for all tires on the vehicle.
This will ensure that the vehicle
continues to perform most like it
did when the tires were new.
Any time you notice unusual
wear, rotate the tires as soon as
possible and check wheel
alignment. Also check for
damaged tires or wheels.
SeeWhen It Is Time for New
Tires on page 10‑61andWheel
Replacement on page 10‑66.
When rotating the vehicle's tires,
always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Do not include the compact
spare tire in the tire rotation.
After the tires have been
rotated, adjust the front and rear
inflation pressures as shown on
the Tire and Loading Information
label. See Tire Pressure on
page 10‑53 andVehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑22. Reset the Tire Pressure Monitor
System. See
Tire Pressure
Monitor Operation on
page 10‑56.
Make certain that all wheel nuts
are properly tightened. See
“Wheel Nut Torque” under
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12‑2.
{WARNING
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the
parts to which it is fastened, can
make wheel nuts become loose
after time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When
changing a wheel, remove any
rust or dirt from places where the
wheel attaches to the vehicle. In
an emergency, use a cloth or a
paper towel to do this; but be sure
to use a scraper or wire brush
(Continued)

Black plate (61,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-61
WARNING (Continued)
later, if needed, to get all the rust
or dirt off. SeeIf a Tire Goes Flat
on page 10‑68.
Lightly coat the center of the
wheel hub with wheel bearing
grease after a wheel change or
tire rotation to prevent corrosion
or rust build-up. Do not get
grease on the flat wheel
mounting surface or on the
wheel nuts or bolts.
When It Is Time for New
Tires
Various factors, such as
maintenance, temperatures, driving
speeds, vehicle loading, and road
conditions influence when you need
new tires.
One way to tell when it is time for
new tires is to check the treadwear
indicators, which appear when the
tires have only 1.6 mm (1/16 in) or
less of tread remaining. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑59 andTire
Rotation on page 10‑60 for
additional information.
The rubber in tires age over time.
This is also true for the spare tire,
if the vehicle has one, even if it is
not being used. Multiple conditions
affect how fast this aging takes
place, including temperatures,
loading conditions, and inflation
pressure maintenance. Tires will typically need to be
replaced due to wear before they
may need to be replaced due to
age. Consult the tire manufacturer
for more information on when tires
should be replaced.
Vehicle Storage
Tires age when stored normally
mounted on a parked vehicle. Park
a vehicle that will be stored for at
least a month in a cool, dry, clean
area away from direct sunlight to
slow aging. This area should be free
of grease, gasoline, or other
substances that can deteriorate
rubber.
Parking for an extended period can
cause flat spots on the tires that
may result in vibrations while
driving. When storing a vehicle for
at least a month, remove the tires or
raise the vehicle to reduce the
weight from the tires.