2011 MAZDA MODEL TRIBUTE wheel alignment

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, vibrate or shake when you’re driving,
the wheels may be out of alignment. Have a qualified technician at a
Mazda 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 a qualified technician
at a Mazda dealer. Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an
independent rear suspension require alignment of all four wheels.
The tire should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
NOTE:When it is time to replace front tires with new ones, this is an
ideal time to perform an alignment. New tires should be balanced at the
time they are installed.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
Scheduled maintenancesection of theMaintenance and
Specificationschapter) will help your tires wear more evenly, providing
better tire performance and longer tire life.
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Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask a qualified technician at a
Mazda dealership 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.
Information on “P” type tires
P215/65R15 95H is an example of a
tire size, load index and speed
rating. The definitions of these
items are listed below. (Note that
the tire size, load index and speed
rating for your vehicle may be
different from this example.)
1.P:Indicates a tire, designated
by the Tire and Rim Association
(T&RA), that may be used for
service on cars, SUVs, minivans
and light trucks.
Note:If your tire size does not
begin with a letter this may mean it
is designated by either ETRTO
(European Tire and Rim Technical Organization) or JATMA (Japan Tire
Manufacturing Association).
2.215:Indicates the nominal width of the tire in millimeters from
sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the
wider the tire.
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•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 racks) may reduce
fuel economy.
•Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower 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.
•Close windows for high speed driving.
EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with various emission control components and a
catalytic converter which will enable your vehicle to comply with
applicable exhaust emission standards. To make sure that the catalytic
converter and other emission control components continue to work
properly:
•Use only the specified fuel listed.
•Avoid running out of fuel.
•Do not turn off the ignition while your vehicle is moving, especially at
high speeds.
•Have the items listed in thescheduled maintenancesection
performed according to the specified schedule.
Maintenance and Specifications
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T
Tilt steering wheel ......................52
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....167
Tires ...........................151–153, 226
alignment ................................160
care ..........................................156
changing ..................226, 229, 231
checking the pressure ............156
inflating ...................................154
label .........................................166
replacing ..................................157
rotating ....................................160
safety practices .......................159
sidewall information ...............162
snow tires and chains ............172
spare tire .........................227, 229
terminology .............................153
tire grades ...............................152
treadwear ........................152, 156
Towing .......................................180
recreational towing .................184
trailer towing ..........................180
wrecker ....................................242
Transmission
automatic operation ...............203
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....202
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................301fluid, checking and adding
(manual) .........................301, 304
fluid, refill capacities ..............309
lubricant specifications ..........309
manual operation ....................206
Trunk ...........................................71
Turn signal ..................................44
U
Universal garage door opener ....63
V
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................312
Vehicle loading ..........................172
Ventilating your vehicle ...........191
W
Warning lights (see Lights) .......12
Washer fluid ..............................274
Water, Driving through .............216
Windows
power .........................................56
rear wiper/washer .....................52
Windshield washer fluid and
wipers ..........................................51
checking and adding fluid .....274
liftgate reservoir .....................274
replacing wiper blades ...........275
Wrecker towing .........................242
Index
320
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