2011 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

409
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance sched-
ules and treadwear.
■Checking tires
New tread
Treadwear indicator
Worn tread
The location of treadwear
indicators is shown by the
“TWI” or “” marks, etc.,
molded on the sidewall of
each tire.
Check spare tire condition
and inflation pressure if not
rotated.
■Tire rotation
Rotate the tires in the order
shown.
To equalize tire wear and
extend tire life, Toyota recom-
mends that tire rotation is
carried out at the same inter-
val as tire inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire
pressure warning system
after tire rotation.
Front

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Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID codes
must be registered in the tire pressure warning computer and tire
pressure warning system must be initialized. Have tire pressure
warning valve and transmitter ID codes registered by your Toyota
dealer.
Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
●When rotating the tires on vehicles differing with front and rear
tire inflation pressures.
●When changing the tire inflation pressure by changing traveling
speed or load weight, etc.
●When changing the tire size.
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current
tire inflation pressure is set as the pressure benchmark.
■The tire pressure warning system
Your Toyota is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that
uses tire pressure warning valves and transmitters to detect low
tire inflation pressure before serious problems arise. (P. 470)

4
Maintenance and care
411 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
AVALON_U (OM41428U)■How to initialize the tire pressure warning system
Park the vehicle in safe place and turn the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch or the engine switch OFF.
While the vehicle is moving, initialization is not performed.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. (P. 514)
Make sure to adjust the tire pressure to the specified cold tire
inflation pressure level. The tire pressure warning system will
operate based on this pressure level.
Turn the “ENGINE START STOP” switch to IGNITION ON
mode (vehicles with smart key system) or the engine switch to
the “ON” position (vehicles without smart key system).
Push and hold the tire pressure
warning reset switch until the tire
pressure warning light blinks
slowly 3 times.
Vehicles with smart key system: Wait for a few minutes with
the “ENGINE START STOP” switch in IGNITION ON mode,
and then turn the “ENGINE START STOP” switch OFF.
Vehicles without smart key system: Wait for a few minutes
with the engine switch in the “ON” position, and then turn the
engine switch to the “LOCK” position.

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Registering ID codes
The tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is equipped with a
unique ID code.
When replacing a tire pressure warning valve and transmitter, it is
necessary to register the ID code of tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter. Have the ID code registered by your Toyota dealer.
■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to
expose the fabric or bulges indicating internal damage
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the
size or location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not
registered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After
about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light comes on after blinking
for 1 minute to indicate a system malfunction.

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Maintenance and care
413 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even
if they have seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■If the tread wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm) on snow tires
The effectiveness of snow tires is lost.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the replacement tire is greater than 1/2
of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the
rear axle, whichever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label. For the maximum load of the
tire, see the load limit at maximum cold
tire inflation pressure mentioned on the
sidewall of the tire. (
P. 519)

414 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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■Tire types
1 Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy roads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When
installing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2 All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to
be adequate for driving in most winter conditions, as well as for use
year round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also,
all season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performance
compared with summer tires in highway driving.
3Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using
snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same size, con-
struction and load capacity as the originally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construction. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations for possible restriction. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels. (P. 207)
■Initializing the tire pressure warning system
Initialize the tire pressure warning system with the tire inflation pressure
adjusted to the specified level.
■If you push the tire pressure warning reset switch accidentally
If initialization is performed, adjust the tire inflation pressure to the speci-
fied level and initialize the tire pressure warning system again.

4
Maintenance and care
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■When the initialization of the tire pressure warning system has
failed
Initialization can be completed in a few minutes. However, in the follow-
ing cases, the settings have not been recorded and the system will not
operate properly. If repeated attempts to record tire inflation pressure
settings are unsuccessful, have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer.
●When operating the tire pressure warning reset switch, the tire pres-
sure warning light does not flash 3 times.
●After carrying out the initialization procedure, the tire pressure warn-
ing light blinks for 1 minute then stays on after driving for about 20
minutes.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Tire pressure warning system certification
FCC ID: PAXPMV107J
FCC ID: HYQ13BCX
IC ID: 3729A-PMV107J
IC ID: 1551A-13BCX
For vehicles sold in the U.S.A.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
FCC WARNING:
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsi-
ble for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equip-
ment.
For vehicles sold in Canada
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may
not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference,
including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

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CAUTION
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents. Failure to do so
may cause damage to parts of the drive train, as well as dangerous han-
dling characteristics, which may lead to fatal injury or accidents.
●Do not mix tires of different makes, models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently constructed tires (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and winter tires.
●Do not use tires that have been used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not know how they were used previously.
■When initializing the tire pressure warning system
Do not push the tire pressure warning reset switch without first adjusting
the tire inflation pressure to the specified level. Otherwise, the tire pres-
sure warning light may not come on even if the tire inflation pressure is
low, or it may come on when the tire inflation pressure is actually normal.