2012 DODGE CHALLENGER Owners Manual

WARNING!
Limited-use spares are for emergency use only. In-
stallation of this limited-use spare tire affects vehicle
handling. With this tire, do not drive more than the
speed listed on the limit-use spare wheel. Keep
inflated to the cold tire inflation pressure listed on
your Tire and Loading Information Placard located
on the driver ’s side door opening. Replace (or repair)
the original equipment tire at the first opportunity
and reinstall it on your vehicle. Failure to do so could
result in loss of vehicle control.
Tire Spinning
When stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice conditions, do not
spin your vehicle’s wheels above 30 mph (48 km/h).
Refer to “Freeing A Stuck Vehicle” in “What To Do In
Emergencies” for further information.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause tire dam-
age or failure. A tire could explode and injure some-
one. Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels faster than
30 mph (48 km/h) for more than 30 seconds continu-
ously when you are stuck, and do not let anyone near
a spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 311

Tread Wear Indicators
Tread wear indicators are in the original equipment tires
to help you in determining when your tires should be
replaced.These indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread
grooves. They will appear as bands when the tread depth
becomes 1/16 in (2 mm). When the tread is worn to the
tread wear indicators, the tire should be replaced.
Life Of Tire
The service life of a tire is dependent upon varying
factors including, but not limited to:
•Driving style
•Tire pressure
•Distance driven
1—WornTire
2—NewTire
312 STARTING AND OPERATING

WARNING!
Tires and the spare tire should be replaced after six
years, regardless of the remaining tread. Failure to
follow this warning can result in sudden tire failure.
You could lose control and have a collision resulting
in serious injury or death.
Keep dismounted tires in a cool, dry place with as little
exposure to light as possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease, and gasoline.
Replacement Tires
The tires on your new vehicle provide a balance of many
characteristics. They should be inspected regularly for
wear and correct cold tire inflation pressure. The manu-
facturer strongly recommends that you use tires equiva-
lent to the originals in size, quality and performance
when replacement is needed. (Refer to the paragraph on
“Tread Wear Indicators”). Refer to the “Tire and Loading
Information” placard for the size designation of your tire.
The service description and load identification will be
found on the original equipment tire. Failure to use
equivalent replacement tires may adversely affect the
safety, handling, and ride of your vehicle. We recommend
that you contact your original equipment or an autho-
rized tire dealer with any questions you may have on tire
specifications or capability.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 313

WARNING!
•Do not use a tire, wheel size or rating other than
that specified for your vehicle. Some combinations
of unapproved tires and wheels may change sus-
pension dimensions and performance characteris-
tics, resulting in changes to steering, handling, and
braking of your vehicle. This can cause unpredict-
able handling and stress to steering and suspen-
sion components. You could lose control and have
a collision resulting in serious injury or death. Use
only the tire and wheel sizes with load ratings
approved for your vehicle.
•Never use a tire with a smaller load index or
capacity, other than what was originally equipped
on your vehicle. Using a tire with a smaller load
index could result in tire overloading and failure.
You could lose control and have a collision.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Failure to equip your vehicle with tires having
adequate speed capability can result in sudden tire
failure and loss of vehicle control.
CAUTION!
Replacing original tires with tires of a different size
may result in false speedometer and odometer read-
ings.
TIRE CHAINS
Use only compact chains or other traction aids that meet
SAE type “Class S” specifications. Chains must be the
proper size for the vehicle, as recommended by the chain
manufacturer. Install tire chains only on P215/65R17
using standard chains, on P225/60R18 and P235/55R18
using model 0143 (tirechaindealer.com) and on P235/
55R19 using model Z-575 (scc-chain.com).
314 STARTING AND OPERATING

NOTE:Do not use tire chains on a compact spare tire.
CAUTION!
To avoid damage to your vehicle or tires, observe the
following precautions:
•Because of restricted chain clearance between tires
and other suspension components, it is important
that only chains in good condition are used. Bro-
ken chains can cause serious damage. Stop the
vehicle immediately if noise occurs that could
indicate chain breakage. Remove the damaged
parts of the chain before further use.
•Install chains on the rear wheels as tightly as
possible and then retighten after driving about12
mile (0.8 km).
•Do not exceed 30 mph (48 km/h).
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•Drive cautiously and avoid severe turns and large
bumps, especially with a loaded vehicle.
•Use on rear wheels only.
•Do not drive for prolonged period on dry pave-
ment.
•Observe the tire chain manufacturer’s instructions
on the method of installation, operating speed,
and conditions for use. Always use the lower
suggested operating speed of the chain manufac-
turer if different from the speed recommended by
the manufacture.
NOTE: In order to avoid damage to tires, chains, and
your vehicle do not drive for a prolonged period on dry
pavement. Observe the tire chain manufacturer’s instruc-
tions on method of installation, operating speed, and
conditions for usage.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 315

Always use the lower suggested operating speed if both
the chain manufacturer and vehicle manufacturer sug-
gest a maximum speed. This notice applies to all chain
traction devices, including link and cable (radial) chains.
SNOW TIRES
Some areas of the country require the use of snow tires
during the winter. All season tires can be identified by the
M+S designation on the tire sidewall.
If you need snow tires, select tires equivalent in size and
type to the original equipment tires. Use snow tires only
in sets of four; failure to do so may adversely affect the
safety and handling of your vehicle.Snow tires generally have lower speed ratings than what
was originally equipped with your vehicle and should
not be operated at sustained speeds over 75 mph
(120 km/h). For speeds above 75 mph (120 km/h) refer to
original equipment or an authorized tire dealer for
recommended safe operating speeds, loading and cold
tire inflation pressures.
While studded tires improve performance on ice, skid
and traction capability on wet or dry surfaces may be
poorer than that of non-studded tires. Some states pro-
hibit studded tires; therefore, local laws should be
checked before using these tire types.
TIRE ROTATION RECOMMENDATIONS
Tires on the front and rear axles of vehicles operate at
different loads and perform different steering, handling,
and braking functions. For these reasons, they wear at
unequal rates.
316 STARTING AND OPERATING

These effects can be reduced by timely rotation of tires.
The benefits of rotation are especially worthwhile with
aggressive tread designs such as those on On/Off-Road
type tires. Rotation will increase tread life, help to main-
tain mud, snow, and wet traction levels, and contribute to
a smooth, quiet ride.
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals. More frequent rotation is permis-
sible if desired. The reasons for any rapid or unusual
wear should be corrected prior to rotation being per-
formed.
The suggested rotation method is the “forward-cross”
shown in the following diagram.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM (TPMS)
The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) will warn the
driver of a low tire pressure based on the vehicle recom-
mended cold placard pressure.
The tire pressure will vary with temperature by about
1 psi (6.9 kPa) for every 12°F (6.5°C). This means that
Tire Rotation
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 317

when the outside temperature decreases, the tire pressure
will decrease. Tire pressure should always be set based on
cold inflation tire pressure. This is defined as the tire
pressure after the vehicle has not been driven for at least
three hours, or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after a
three hour period. The cold tire inflation pressure must
not exceed the maximum inflation pressure molded into
the tire sidewall. Refer to “Tires – General Information” in
“Starting and Operating” for information on how to
properly inflate the vehicle’s tires. The tire pressure will
also increase as the vehicle is driven - this is normal and
there should be no adjustment for this increased pressure.
The TPMS will warn the driver of a low tire pressure if
the tire pressure falls below the low-pressure warning
limit for any reason, including low temperature effects
and natural pressure loss through the tire.
The TPMS will continue to warn the driver of low tire
pressure as long as the condition exists, and will not turnoff until the tire pressure is at or above the recommended
cold placard pressure. Once the low tire pressure warn-
ing (Tire Pressure Monitoring [TPM] Telltale Light) illu-
minates, you must increase the tire pressure to the
recommended cold placard pressure in order for the
“TPM Telltale Light” to turn off. The system will auto-
matically update and the “TPM Telltale Light” will turn
off once the system receives the updated tire pressures.
The vehicle may need to be driven for up to 20 minutes
above 15 mph (24 km/h) in order for the TPMS to receive
this information.
For example, your vehicle may have a recommended
cold (parked for more than three hours) placard pressure
of 30 psi (207 kPa). If the ambient temperature is 68°F
(20°C) and the measured tire pressure is 27 psi (186 kPa),
a temperature drop to 20°F (-7°C) will decrease the tire
pressure to approximately 23 psi (158 kPa). This tire
pressure is sufficiently low enough to turn ON the “TPM
Telltale Light.” Driving the vehicle may cause the tire
318 STARTING AND OPERATING