
753
Maintenance
TYRES AND WHEELS
Tyre care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain recommended tyre
inflation pressures and stay within
the load limits and weight distribution
recommended for your vehicle. Recommended cold tyre inflation pressures All tyre pressures (including the
spare) should be checked when the
tyres are cold. “Cold Tyres” means
the vehicle has not been driven for at
least three hours or driven less than1.6 km (1 mile).
Recommended pressures must be
maintained for the best ride, top vehi-
cle handling, and minimum tyre
wear.
For recommended inflation pressure
refer to “Tyre and wheels” in section 8. All specifications (sizes and pres-
sures) can be found on a label
attached to the vehicle.
WARNING - Tyre underin-
flation
Severe underinflation (70 kPa (10 psi) or more) can lead to
severe heat build-up, causing
blowouts, tread separation andother tyre failures that can
result in the loss of vehicle con-
trol leading to severe injury or
death. This risk is much higher
on hot days and when driving
for long periods at high speeds.
OJD082005/H
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Maintenance
54
7
WARNING - Tyre inflation
Overinflation or underinflation
can reduce tyre life, adversely
affect vehicle handling, and
lead to sudden tyre failure. This
could result in loss of vehicle
control and potential injury.
CAUTION - Tyre pressure
Always observe the following:
Check tyre pressure when the tyres are cold. (After vehiclehas been parked for at leastthree hours or hasn't been driven more than 1.6 km (1mile) since startup.)
Check the pressure of your spare tyre each time youcheck the pressure of other tyres.
Never overload your vehicle. Be careful not to overload avehicle luggage rack if yourvehicle is equipped with one.
Worn, old tyres can cause accidents. If your tread isbadly worn, or if your tyreshave been damaged, replacethem.
CAUTION
Underinflation also results in excessive wear, poor handlingand reduced fuel economy.Wheel deformation also ispossible. Keep your tyre pres- sures at the proper levels. If atyre frequently needs refilling,we recommend that the sys- tem be checked by an autho-rised Kia dealer.
Overinflation produces a harsh ride, excessive wear atthe centre of the tyre tread, and a greater possibility ofdamage from road hazards.
CAUTION
Warm tyres normally exceed recommended cold tyre pres-sures by 28 to 41 kPa (4 to 6 psi). Do not release air fromwarm tyres to adjust the pres-sure or the tyres will be under- inflated.
Be sure to reinstall the tyre inflation valve caps. Withoutthe valve cap, dirt or moisturecould get into the valve core and cause air leakage. If avalve cap is missing, install anew one as soon as possible.
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755
Maintenance
Checking tyre inflation pressure
Check your tyres once a month or
more.
Also, check the tyre pressure of the
spare tyre.
How to check
Use a good quality gauge to check
tyre pressure. You can not tell if your
tyres are properly inflated simply by
looking at them. Radial tyres may
look properly inflated even when
they're underinflated.
Check the tyre's inflation pressure
when the tyres are cold. - "Cold"
means your vehicle has been sitting
for at least three hours or driven nomore than 1.6 km (1 mile).Remove the valve cap from the tyre
valve stem. Press the tyre gauge
firmly onto the valve to get a pres-
sure measurement. If the cold tyreinflation pressure matches the rec-ommended pressure on the tyre and
loading information label, no further
adjustment is necessary. If the pres-
sure is low, add air until you reachthe recommended amount.
If you overfill the tyre, release air by pushing on the metal stem in the
centre of the tyre valve. Recheck the
tyre pressure with the tyre gauge. Be
sure to put the valve caps back on
the valve stems. They help prevent
leaks by keeping out dirt and mois-
ture.
WARNING
Inspect your tyres frequently for proper inflation as well as
wear and damage. Always use
a tyre pressure gauge.
Tyres with too much or too lit- tle pressure wear unevenly
causing poor handling, loss of
vehicle control, and suddentyre failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.The recommended cold tyre
pressure for your vehicle can
be found in this manual and onthe tyre label located on the
driver's side centre pillar.
Worn tyres can cause acci- dents. Replace tyres that are
worn, show uneven wear, or
are damaged.
Remember to check the pres- sure of your spare tyre. Kia
recommends that you check
the spare every time you
check the pressure of the
other tyres on your vehicle.
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7
Tyre rotation
To equalize tread wear, it is recom- mended that the tyres be rotated
every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or
sooner if irregular wear develops.
During rotation, check the tyres for
correct balance.
When rotating tyres, check for
uneven wear and damage. Abnormal
wear is usually caused by incorrect
tyre pressure, improper wheel align-
ment, out-of-balance wheels, severe
braking or severe cornering. Look for
bumps or bulges in the tread or side
of tyre. Replace the tyre if you find
either of these conditions. Replace
the tyre if fabric or cord is visible.
After rotation, be sure to bring thefront and rear tyre pressures to spec-
ification and check lug nut tightness.
Refer to “Tyre and wheels” in section 8.Disc brake pads should be inspected
for wear whenever tyres are rotated.
✽✽ NOTICE
Rotate radial tyres that have an
asymmetric tread pattern only from
front to rear and not from right toleft.
WARNING
Do not use the compact spare tyre for tyre rotation.
Do not mix bias ply and radial ply tyres under any circum-
stances. This may cause
unusual handling characteris-tics that could result in death,
severe injury, or property
damage.
S2BLA790
S2BLA790A
CBGQ0707A
■Without a spare tyre
■
With a full-size spare tyre (if equipped)
■ Directional tyres (if equipped)
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Maintenance
Wheel alignment and tyre balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tyre
life and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tyre
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may needto be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.Tyre replacement
If the tyre is worn evenly, a tread
wear indicator will appear as a solid
band across the tread. This showsthere is less than 1.6 mm (1/16 in.) of
tread left on the tyre. Replace the
tyre when this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tyre.
CAUTION
Improper wheel weights can
damage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use only approved wheel weights.
WARNING - Replacing
tyres
Driving on worn-out tyres is very hazardous and will
reduce braking effectiveness,
steering accuracy, and trac-tion.
Your vehicle is equipped with tyres designed to provide for
safe ride and handling capa-
bility. Do not use a size andtype of tyre and wheel that is
different from the one that is
originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety
and performance of your vehi-
cle, which could lead to han-
dling failure or rollover and
serious injury. When replacing
the tyres, be sure to equip all
four tyres with the tyre and
wheel of the same size, type,
tread, brand and load-carrying
capacity.
(Continued)
OEN076053
Tread wear indicator
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7
Compact spare tyre replacement
(if equipped)
A compact spare tyre has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tyre.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tyre.The replacement compact spare tyre
should be the same size and design
tyre as the one provided with your
new vehicle and should be mountedon the same compact spare tyre
wheel. The compact spare tyre is notdesigned to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tyre wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tyre. Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim widthand offset.
(Continued)
The use of any other tyre size
or type may seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clear-
ance, stopping distance, body
to tyre clearance, snow tyre
clearance, and speedometer
reliability.
It is best to replace all four tyres at the same time. If that
is not possible, or necessary,
then replace the two front or
two rear tyres as a pair.Replacing just one tyre can
seriously affect your vehicle’shandling.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. Tyre
size can affect wheel speed.
When replacing tyres, all 4
tyres must use the same size
originally supplied with the
vehicle. Using tyres of a dif-
ferent size can cause the ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System) and
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) to work irregularly.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tyre clearance,
snow chain clearance,speedometer and odometer cal-
ibration, headlight aim and
bumper height.
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761
Maintenance
4. Tyre ply composition and material
The number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric are in the tyre. Tyre
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tyre, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
The letter "R" means radial ply con-
struction; the letter "D" means diago-
nal or bias ply construction; and theletter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.
5. Maximum permissible inflationpressure
This number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should be put in
the tyre. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure. Refer
to the Tyre and Loading Information
label for recommended inflation
pressure.
6. Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that
can be carried by the tyre. When
replacing the tyres on the vehicle,
always use a tyre that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tyre.
7. Uniform tyre quality grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tyre sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREADWEAR 200
TRACTION AA
TEMPERATURE A Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate ofthe tyre when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tyre
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tyre graded100.
The relative performance of tyres depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
because of variations in driving
habits, service practices and differ-
ences in road characteristics and cli-
mate.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle
tyres. The tyres available as standard
or optional equipment on your vehi-
cles may vary with respect to grade.
WARNING - Tyre age
Tyres degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, it is recommended that
tyres generally be replaced
after six (6) years of normal
service. Heat caused by hot cli-mates or frequent high loadingconditions can accelerate the
aging process. Failure to follow
this Warning can result in sud-
den tyre failure, which could
lead to a loss of control and an
accident involving serious
injury or death.
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Traction - AA, A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tyres ability to
stop on wet pavement as measuredunder controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tyre marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance. Temperature -A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C representing the
tyre’s resistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipate heatwhen tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratorytest wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tyre to
degenerate and reduce tyre life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tyre failure. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by the
law.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tyre is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
WARNING - Tyre temperature
The temperature grade for this
tyre is established for a tyre that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
build-up and possible sudden
tyre failure. This can cause loss
of vehicle control and serious
injury or death.
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