2013 FIAT 500 ABARTH Owners Manual

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 or the Vehicle Certification Label for
the size designation of your tire. The Load Index and
Speed Symbol for your tire will be found on the original
equipment tire sidewall. See the Tire Sizing Chart ex-
ample found in the Tire Safety Information section of this
manual for more information relating to the Load Index
and Speed Symbol of a tire.
It is recommended to replace the two front tires or two
rear tires as a pair. Replacing just one tire can seriously
affect your vehicle’s handling. If you ever replace a
wheel, make sure that the wheel’s specifications match
those of the original wheels.
It is recommended you contact your authorized tire or
original equipment studio with any questions you may
have on tire specifications or capability. Failure to use
equivalent replacement tires may adversely affect the
safety, handling, and ride of your vehicle.
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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.
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TIRE CHAINS (TRACTION DEVICES)
Due to limited clearance, tire chains or traction devices
are not recommended.
CAUTION!
Damage to the vehicle may result if tire chains are
used.
TIRE ROTATION RECOMMENDATIONS
The tires on the front and rear of your vehicle operate at
different loads and perform different steering, driving,
and braking functions. For these reasons, they wear at
unequal rates.
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 all season type
tires. Rotation will increase tread life, help to maintain
mud, snow and wet traction levels, and contribute to a
smooth, quiet ride.
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals. The reasons for any rapid or
unusual wear should be corrected prior to rotation being
performed.
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The suggested rotation method is the “rearward cross”
shown in the following diagram. This rotation pattern
does not apply to some directional tires that must not be
reversed.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS)
The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) will warn the
driver of a low tire pressure based on the vehicle recom-
mended cold tire 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
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 willTire Rotation
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also increase as the vehicle is driven - this is normal and
there should be no adjustment for this increased pres-
sure.
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, or
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 turn
off until the tire pressure is at or above the recommended
cold tire pressure on the placard. Once the low tire
pressure warning (Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale
Light) illuminates, you must increase the tire pressure to
the recommended cold tire pressure in order for the Tire
Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light to turn off. The system
will automatically update and the Tire Pressure Monitor-
ing 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) tire 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 tempera-
ture drop to 20° F (-7° C) will decrease the tire pressure to
approximately 23 psi (158 kPa). This tire pressure is suffi-
ciently low enough to turn on the Tire Pressure Monitoring
Telltale Light. Driving the vehicle may cause the tire
pressure to rise to approximately 27 psi (186 kPa), but the
Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will still be on. In
this situation, the Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light
will turn off only after the tires are inflated to the vehicle’s
recommended cold tire pressure value.
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CAUTION!
•The TPMS has been optimized for the original
equipment tires and wheels. TPMS pressures and
warnings have been established for the tire size
equipped on your vehicle. Undesirable system op-
eration or sensor damage may result when using
replacement equipment that is not of the same size,
type, and/or style. Aftermarket wheels can cause
sensor damage. Do not use aftermarket tire sealants
or balance beads if your vehicle is equipped with a
TPMS, as damage to the sensors may result.
•After inspecting or adjusting the tire pressure,
always reinstall the valve stem cap. This will
prevent moisture and dirt from entering the valve
stem, which could damage the Tire Pressure Moni-
toring Sensor.
NOTE:
•The TPMS is not intended to replace normal tire care
and maintenance, or to provide warning of a tire
failure or condition.
•The TPMS should not be used as a tire pressure gauge
while adjusting your tire pressure.
•Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire
tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
•The TPMS is not a substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver ’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressure using an accurate tire gauge, even
if under-inflation has not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale
Light.
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•Seasonal temperature changes will affect tire pressure,
and the TPMS will monitor the actual tire pressure in
the tire.
Base System
This is the TPMS warning indicator located in the
instrument cluster.
The TPMS uses wireless technology with wheel rim
mounted electronic sensors to monitor tire pressure lev-
els. Sensors, mounted to each wheel as part of the valve
stem, transmit tire pressure readings to the Receiver
Module.
NOTE:It is particularly important for you to check the
tire pressure in all of the tires on your vehicle regularly
and to maintain the proper pressure.
The TPMS consists of the following components:
•Receiver Module
•Four Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors
•Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light
Tire Pressure Monitoring Low Pressure Warnings
The Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will illumi-
nate in the instrument cluster, an audible chime will be
activated, and the “Check left or right front/rear tire
xxx.x psi” text message will display when one or more of
the four active road tire pressures are low. Should this
occur, you should stop as soon as possible, check the
inflation pressure of each tire on your vehicle, and inflate
each tire to the vehicle’s recommended cold placard
pressure value. The system will automatically update
and the Tire Pressure Monitoring Light will extinguish
once the updated tire pressures have been received. The
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vehicle may need to be driven for up to 20 minutes above
15 mph (24 km/h) to receive this information.
Check TPMS Warnings
The Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light will flash on
and off for 75 seconds and remain on solid when a system
fault is detected, and the “Tire Pressure Monitoring
Unavailable” text message will display. If the ignition key
is cycled, this sequence will repeat providing the system
fault still exists. The Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale
Light will turn off when the fault condition no longer
exists. A system fault can occur with any of the following
scenarios:
1. Jamming due to electronic devices or driving next to
facilities emitting the same radio frequencies as the
TPM sensors.
2. Installing some form of aftermarket window tinting
that affects radio wave signals.
3. Snow or ice around the wheels or wheel housings.
4. Using tire chains on the vehicle.
5. Using wheels/tires not equipped with TPM sensors.
NOTE:Your vehicle is equipped with a compact spare
wheel and tire assembly.
1. The compact spare tire does not have a tire pressure
monitoring sensor. Therefore, the TPMS will not moni-
tor the tire pressure in the compact spare tire.
2. If you install the compact spare tire in place of a road
tire that has a pressure below the low-pressure warn-
ing limit, upon the next ignition key cycle, a chime will
sound and the Tire Pressure Monitoring Telltale Light
and the “Check Tire Pressure” message will still turn
ON due to the low tire.
3. However, after driving the vehicle for up to 20 min-
utes above 15 mph (24 km/h), the Tire Pressure
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