2011 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Owners Manual

Black plate (51,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-51
SeeWhen It Is Time for New
Tires
on page 10‑52andWheel
Replacement
on page 10‑57.
When rotating the vehicle's tires,
always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
If the vehicle has a compact
spare tire, do not include it 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 10‑44
and Vehicle Load
Limits
on page 9‑12.
Reset the Tire Pressure Monitor
System. See Tire Pressure
Monitor Operation
on page 10‑47.
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
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
to use a scraper or wire brush
later, if needed, to get all the rust
or dirt off. SeeIf a Tire Goes Flat
on page 10‑58.
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.
Make sure the spare tire, if the
vehicle has one, is stored
securely. Push, pull, and then try
to rotate or turn the tire. If it
moves, tighten the cable. See
Tire Changing
on page 10‑69.

Black plate (52,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-52 Vehicle Care
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 10‑50andTire Rotationon page 10‑50for
additional information.
The rubber in tires ages 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.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specific tires for your vehicle.
The original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle, when it
was new, were designed to meet
General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec)
system rating. If you need
replacement tires, GM strongly
recommends that you get tires
with the same TPC Spec rating.
This way, your vehicle will
continue to have tires that are
designed to give the same

Black plate (53,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-53
performance and vehicle safety,
during normal use, as the
original tires.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec
system considers over a dozen
critical specifications that impact
the overall performance of your
vehicle, including brake system
performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire
pressure monitoring
performance. GM's TPC Spec
number is molded onto the tire's
sidewall near the tire size. If the
tires have an all‐season tread
design, the TPC Spec number
will be followed by an MS for
mud and snow. SeeTire
Sidewall Labeling
on page 10‑39
for additional information. GM recommends replacing tires
in sets of four. This is because
uniform tread depth on all tires
will help keep your vehicle
performing most like it did when
the tires were new. Replacing
less than a full set of tires can
affect the braking and handling
performance of your vehicle.
See
Tire Inspection
on page 10‑50
andTire Rotationon page 10‑50
for information on proper tire
rotation.
{WARNING
Tires could explode during
improper service. You or others
could be injured or killed if you
attempt to mount or dismount a
tire. Only your dealer or an
authorized tire service center
should mount and dismount
the tires.
{WARNING
Mixing tires could cause you
to lose control while driving.
If you mix tires of different
sizes, brands, or types (radial
and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle
properly, and you could have
a crash. Using tires of different
sizes, brands, or types may
also cause damage to your
vehicle. Be sure to use the
correct size, brand, and type
of tires on all wheels. It is all
right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, as
it was developed for use on
your vehicle. See Compact
Spare Tire
on page 10‑80.

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-54 Vehicle Care
{WARNING
If you use bias-ply tires on the
vehicle, the wheel rim flanges
could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail
suddenly, causing a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If you must replace your
vehicle's tires with those that do
not have a TPC Spec number,
make sure they are the same
size, load range, speed rating,
and construction type (radial and
bias‐belted tires) as your
vehicle's original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low‐pressure warning if non‐TPC
Spec rated tires are installed on
your vehicle. Non‐TPC Spec rated tires may give a low‐
pressure warning that is higher
or lower than the proper warning
level you would get with TPC
Spec rated tires. See
Tire
Pressure Monitor System
on
page 10‑45
.
Your vehicle's original
equipment tires are listed on the
Tire and Loading Information
label. See Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑12for more
information about the Tire and
Loading Information label and its
location on your vehicle.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are a
different size than your original
equipment wheels and tires, this
could affect the way your vehicle
performs, including its braking, ride
and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover.
Additionally, if your 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,
your 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 your vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires
on
page 10‑52and Accessories and
Modificationson page 10‑3for
additional information.

Black plate (55,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-55
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 QualityGrading (UTQG) system does
not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires,
space-saver, or temporary 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.

Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-56 Vehicle Care
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. Temperature
–A, B, C
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 corresponds to a level of
performance which all
passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and
A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum
required by law. Warning: The
temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance
The tires and wheels on the vehicle
were aligned and balanced carefully
at the factory to give the longest tire
life and best overall performance.
Adjustments to wheel alignment and
tire balancing will not be necessary
on a regular basis. However, if there
is unusual tire wear or the vehicle
pulls to one side or the other, the
alignment should be checked. If the
vehicle vibrates when driving on a
smooth road, the tires and wheels
might need to be rebalanced. See
your dealer for proper diagnosis.

Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-57
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent,
cracked, or badly rusted or
corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming
loose, the wheel, wheel bolts, and
wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it,
except some aluminum wheels,
which can sometimes be repaired.
See your dealer if any of these
conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of
wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the
same load-carrying capacity,
diameter, width, offset, and be
mounted the same way as the
one it replaces.If you need to replace any of the
wheels, wheel bolts, wheel nuts,
or Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS) sensors, replace them only
with new GM original equipment
parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts,
wheel nuts, and TPMS sensors for
the vehicle.
{WARNING
Using the wrong replacement
wheels, wheel bolts, or wheel
nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous. It could affect the
braking and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air
and make you lose control. You
could have a collision in which
you or others could be injured.
Always use the correct wheel,
wheel bolts, and wheel nuts for
replacement.Notice:
The wrong wheel can
also cause problems with bearing
life, brake cooling, speedometer
or odometer calibration,
headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, and tire
or tire chain clearance to the
body and chassis.
See If a Tire Goes Flat
on
page 10‑58for more information.
Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING
Putting a used wheel on the
vehicle is dangerous. You cannot
know how it has been used or
how far it has been driven.
It could fail suddenly and cause a
crash. If you have to replace a
wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.

Black plate (58,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-58 Vehicle Care
Tire Chains
{WARNING
Do not use tire chains. 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 the 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 the
vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer's instructions. To
help avoid damage to the vehicle,
drive slowly, readjust or remove
the device if it is contacting the
vehicle, and do not spin the
vehicle's wheels. If you do find
traction devices that will fit, install
them on the front tires.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout
while you are driving, especially if
you maintain your vehicle's tires
properly. If air goes out of a tire, it is
much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a
blowout, here are a few tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire
creates a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot off
the accelerator pedal and grip the
steering wheel firmly. Steer to
maintain lane position, and then
gently brake to a stop, well off the
road, if possible.
A rear blowout, particularly on a
curve, acts much like a skid and
may require the same correction
you would use in a skid. In any rear
blowout remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle
under control by steering the way
you want the vehicle to go.