TIRES — GENERAL
INFORMATION
TIRE PRESSURE
Proper tire inflation pressure is essen-
tial to the safe and satisfactory opera-
tion of your vehicle. Three primary
areas are affected by improper tire
pressure:
SafetyWARNING!
Improperly inflated tires are dan-gerous and can cause collisions.
Under-inflation increases tire
flexing and can result in over-
heating and tire failure.
Over-inflation reduces a tire's ability to cushion shock. Objects
on the road and chuckholes can
cause damage that result in tire
failure.
Over-inflated or under-inflated
tires can affect vehicle handling
and can fail suddenly, resulting in
loss of vehicle control.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
Unequal tire pressures can cause steering problems. You could lose
control of your vehicle.
Unequal tire pressures from one side of the vehicle to the other can
cause the vehicle to drift to the
right or left.
Always drive with each tire in- flated to the recommended cold
tire inflation pressure.
Economy
Improper inflation pressures can
cause uneven wear patterns to de-
velop across the tire tread. These ab-
normal wear patterns will reduce
tread life resulting in a need for earlier
tire replacement. Under-inflation also
increases tire rolling resistance result-
ing in higher fuel consumption.
Ride Comfort And Vehicle
Stability
Proper tire inflation contributes to a
comfortable ride. Over-inflation pro-
duces a jarring and uncomfortable
ride. TIRE INFLATION
PRESSURES
The proper cold tire inflation pressure
is listed on the driver's side “B” Pillar
or rear edge of the driver's side door.
Some vehicles may have Supplemen-
tal Tire Pressure Information for ve-
hicle loads that are less than the maxi-
mum loaded vehicle condition. If
needed, these pressure conditions will
be found in the “Supplemental Tire
Pressure Information” section of this
manual.
The pressure should be checked and
adjusted as well as inspecting for signs
of tire wear or visible damage at least
once a month. Use a good quality
pocket-type gauge to check tire pres-
sure. Do not make a visual judgement
when determining proper inflation.
Radial tires may look properly in-
flated even when they are under-
inflated.
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CAUTION!
Do not use gasolines containing
Methanol or E-85 Ethanol. Use of
these blends may result in starting
and driveability problems and may
damage critical fuel system compo-
nents.
Ethanol
The manufacturer recommends that
your vehicle be operated on fuel con-
taining no more than 10% Ethanol.
Purchasing your fuel from a reputable
supplier may reduce the risk of ex-
ceeding this 10% limit and/or of re-
ceiving fuel with abnormal properties.
It should also be noted that an in-
crease in fuel consumption should
be expected when using Ethanol-
blended fuels, due to the lower energy
content of Ethanol.
Problems that result from using
Methanol/gasoline or E-85 Ethanol
blends are not the responsibility of the
manufacturer. While MTBE is an oxy-
genate made from Methanol, it does
not have the negative effects of
Methanol.
CAUTION!
Use of fuel with Ethanol content
higher than 10% may result in en-
gine malfunction, starting and op-
erating difficulties, and materials
degradation. These adverse effects
could result in permanent damage
to your vehicle.
Clean Air Gasoline
Many gasolines are now being
blended that contribute to cleaner air,
especially in those areas where air
pollution levels are high. These new
blends provide a cleaner burning fuel
and some are referred to as “reformu-
lated gasoline.”
The manufacturer supports these ef-
forts toward cleaner air. You can help
by using these blends as they become
available.
MMT In Gasoline
MMT is a manganese containing me-
tallic additive that is blended into
some gasoline to increase octane.
Gasoline blended with MMT provides
no performance advantage beyond gasoline of the same octane number
without MMT. Gasoline blended with
MMT reduces spark plug life and re-
duces emission system performance in
some vehicles. The manufacturer rec-
ommends that gasoline without MMT
be used in your vehicle. The MMT
content of gasoline may not be indi-
cated on the gasoline pump; therefore,
you should ask your gasoline retailer
whether or not his/her gasoline con-
tains MMT.
Materials Added To Fuel
Besides using unleaded gasoline with
the proper octane rating, gasolines
that contain detergents, corrosion and
stability additives are recommended.
Using gasolines that have these addi-
tives will help improve fuel economy,
reduce emissions, and maintain ve-
hicle performance.
Indiscriminate use of fuel system
cleaning agents should be avoided.
Many of these materials intended for
gum and varnish removal may con-
tain active solvents or similar ingredi-
ents. These can harm fuel system gas-
ket and diaphragm materials.
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