2011 FORD EXPLORER wheel alignment

Safety practices
Driving habits have a great deal to do with your tire mileage and safety.
•Observe posted speed limits
•Avoid fast starts, stops and turns
•Avoid potholes and objects on the road
•Do not run over curbs or hit the tire against a curb when parking
WARNING:If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,do
notrapidly spin the tires; spinning the tires can tear the tire and
cause an explosion. A tire can explode in as little as three to five
seconds.
WARNING:Do not spin the wheels at over 35 mph (56 km/h).
The tires may fail and injure a passenger or bystander.
Highway hazards
No matter how carefully you drive there’s always the possibility that you
may eventually have a flat tire on the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic. This may further damage the flat tire, but
your safety is more important.
If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving, or you
suspect your tire or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your
speed. Drive with caution until you can safely pull off the road. Stop and
inspect the tires for damage. If a tire is under-inflated or damaged,
deflate it, remove wheel and replace it with your spare tire and wheel. If
you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest repair
facility or tire dealer to have the vehicle inspected.
Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side when you’re driving, the wheels may be
out of alignment. Have an authorized dealer check the wheel alignment
periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by an authorized dealer.
Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an independent rear
suspension (if equipped) may require alignment of all four wheels.
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The tires should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
Scheduled Maintenance Guidechapter) will help your tires wear more
evenly, providing better tire performance and longer tire life.
•Front-wheel drive
(FWD)/All-wheel drive (AWD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask an authorized dealer to check
for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or mechanical
problem involved before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note:After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL
Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
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•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toMaintenance product
specifications and capacitiesin this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found inscheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
•Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example; bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may
reduce fuel economy.
•Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
8–10 miles (12–16 km) of driving.
•Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to
driving on hilly terrain.
•Transmissions give their best fuel economy when operated in the top
cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.
•Four-wheel-drive operation (if equipped) is less fuel efficient than
two-wheel-drive operation.
•Close windows for high speed driving.
Maintenance and Specifications
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Scheduled Maintenance Guide
Normal Scheduled
Maintenance and Log .............429
Seats ..........................................160
child safety seats ....................216
cleaning ...................................373
climate control ........................167
easy access/easyout feature ..169
front seats .......................162, 166
heated ......................................165
memory seat ...................145, 168
second row seats ............171, 174
third row seats ........174, 176–177
Second-row power fold seat ....174
SecuriCode keyless entry
system ........................................152
SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system ........................................154
Setting the clock .........................52
Snowplowing .................................7
SOS Post Crash Alert ...............211
Spare tire
(see Changing the Tire) ...........339
Spark plugs,
specifications .....................410, 414
Special notice
ambulance conversions ..............7
utility-type vehicles ....................7
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................411
Speed control ............................103
Starting your vehicle ........267–269
jump starting ..........................354
push button start system .......270
Steering wheel
controls ....................................113
tilting .........................................94T
Temporary mobility kit .............344
Third-row power fold seat .......179
Tilt steering wheel ......................94
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....250
Tires ...........................235–236, 336
alignment ................................243
care ..........................................239
changing ..................336, 339, 341
checking the pressure ............239
inflating ...................................237
label .........................................249
replacing ..................................241
rotating ....................................244
safety practices .......................243
sidewall information ...............244
snow tires and chains ............254
spare tire .................................337
Temporary mobility kit ..........344
terminology .............................236
tire grades ...............................236
treadwear ........................235, 240
Touchscreen features
(climate) ......................................71
Towing .......................................262
recreational towing .................265
trailer towing ..........................262
wrecker ....................................357
Transmission .............................288
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....287
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................404
fluid, refill capacities ..............411
lubricant specifications ..........411
Turn signal ..................................82
Index
447
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Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)