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wheels faster than 48 km/h, or for
more than 30 seconds continuously,
without stopping.
Refer to “Freeing A Stuck Vehicle” in
“What To Do In Emergencies” for fur-
ther information.WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be danger-ous. Forces generated by exces-
sive wheel speeds may cause tire
damage or failure. A tire could
explode and injure someone.
Do not spin your vehicle's wheels faster than 48 km/h, or for more
than 30 seconds continuously,
when you are stuck; and do not let
anyone near a spinning wheel, no
matter what the speed.
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 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
WARNING!
The tires and the spare tire should
be replaced after six years, regard-
less of the remaining tread. Failure
to follow this warning can result in
sudden tire failure. You could lose
control and have a collision result-
ing 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 manufacturer strongly
recommends that you use tires
equivalent to the originals in size,
quality and performance when re-
placement is needed. Please see
“Tread Wear Indicators” and “Tire
and Loading Information” placard
for the size designation of your tire.
The Load Index and Speed Symbol
for your tire will be found on the
1 — Worn Tire
2 — New Tire
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original equipment tire sidewall. See
the Tire Sizing Chart example 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
original equipment or an authorized
tire dealer with any questions you
may have on tire specifications or ca-
pability. Failure to use equivalent re-
placement tires may adversely affect
the safety, handling, and ride of your
vehicle.
NOTE: Always respect the sizes
of tires given in the Registration
Document/Certificate.
WARNING!
Do not use a tire, wheel size orrating other than that specified
for your vehicle. Some combina-
tions of unapproved tires and
wheels may change suspension
dimensions and performance
characteristics, resulting in
changes to steering, handling,
and braking of your vehicle. This
can cause unpredictable handling
and stress to steering and suspen-
sion components. You could lose
control and have a collision re-
sulting 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, 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 col-
lision.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
Failure to equip your vehicle with
tires having adequate speed capa-
bility can result in sudden tire fail-
ure 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 SAFETY
INFORMATION
Tire MarkingsNOTE:
P (Passenger) - Metric tire sizing
is based on U.S. design stan-
dards. P-Metric tires have the
letter “P” molded into the side-
wall preceding the size designa-
tion. Example: P215/65R15 95H.
European-Metric tire sizing is based on European design stan-
dards. Tires designed to this
standard have the tire size
molded into the sidewall begin-
ning with the section width. The
letter "P" is absent from this tire
size designation. Example: 215/
65R15 96H.
LT (Light Truck) - Metric tire sizing is based on U.S. design
standards. The size designation
for LT-Metric tires is the same as
for P-Metric tires except for the
letters “LT” that are molded into
the sidewall preceding the size
designation. Example:
LT235/85R16. Temporary spare tires are
spares designed for temporary
emergency use only. Temporary
high pressure compact spare
tires have the letter “T” or “S”
molded into the sidewall pre-
ceding the size designation. Ex-
ample: T145/80D18 103M.
High flotation tire sizing is based on U.S. design standards
and it begins with the tire diam-
eter molded into the sidewall.
Example: 31x10.5 R15 LT.1 — U.S. DOT
Safety Standards
Code (TIN) 4 — Maximum
Load
2 — Size Desig-
nation 5 — Maximum
Pressure
3 — Service De-
scription 6 — Treadwear,
Traction and
Temperature
Grades
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Tire Sizing Chart
EXAMPLE:
Size Designation: P= Passenger car tire size based on U.S. design standards
"....blank...." = Passenger car tire based on European design standards
LT = Light truck tire based on U.S. design standards
T or S = Temporary spare tire
31 = Overall diameter in inches (in)
215 = Section width in millimeters (mm)
65 = Aspect ratio in percent (%)
— Ratio of section height to section width of tire
10.5 = Section width in inches (in)
R = Construction code
— "R" means radial construction
— "D" means diagonal or bias construction
15 = Rim diameter in inches (in)
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EXAMPLE:
Service Description: 95= Load Index
— A numerical code associated with the maximum load a tire can carry
H = Speed Symbol
— A symbol indicating the range of speeds at which a tire can carry a load corresponding to its
load index under certain operating conditions
— The maximum speed corresponding to the speed symbol should only be achieved under speci-
fied operating conditions (i.e., tire pressure, vehicle loading, road conditions, and posted speed
limits)
Load Identification: "....blank...." = Absence of any text on the sidewall of the tire indicates a Standard Load (SL) tire
Extra Load (XL) = Extra load (or reinforced) tire
Light Load (LL) = Light load tire
C, D, E, F, G = Load range associated with the maximum load a tire can carry at a specified pressure
Maximum Load— Maximum load indicates the maximum load this tire is designed to carry
Maximum Pressure— Maximum pressure indicates the maximum permissible cold tire inflation pressure for this tire
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Tire Identification Number
(TIN)
The TIN may be found on one or both
sides of the tire, however, the datecode may only be on one side. Tires
with white sidewalls will have the full
TIN, including the date code, located
on the white sidewall side of the tire.
Look for the TIN on the outboard sideof black sidewall tires as mounted on
the vehicle. If the TIN is not found on
the outboard side, then you will find it
on the inboard side of the tire.
EXAMPLE:
DOT MA L9 ABCD 0301
DOT = Department of Transportation
— This symbol certifies that the tire is in compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation tire safety
standards and is approved for highway use
MA = Code representing the tire manufacturing location (two digits)
L9 = Code representing the tire size (two digits)
ABCD = Code used by the tire manufacturer (one to four digits)
03 = Number representing the week in which the tire was manufactured (two digits)
—03 means the 3rd week.
01 = Number representing the year in which the tire was manufactured (two digits)
—01 means the year 2001
— Prior to July 2000, tire manufacturers were only required to have one number to represent the year in
which the tire was manufactured. Example: 031 could represent the 3rd week of 1981 or 1991
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Tire Terminology And Definitions
TermDefinition
B-Pillar The vehicle B-Pillar is the structural member of the body located be-
hind the front door.
Cold Tire Inflation Pressure Cold tire inflation pressure is defined as the tire pressure after the ve-
hicle has not been driven for at least 3 hours, or driven less than 1
mile (1.6 km) after sitting for a three hour period. Inflation pressure is
measured in units of PSI (pounds per square inch) or kPa (kilopas-
cals).
Maximum Inflation Pressure The maximum inflation pressure is the maximum permissible cold tire
inflation pressure for this tire. The maximum inflation pressure is
molded into the sidewall.
Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pres-
sure Vehicle manufacturer's recommended cold tire inflation pressure as
shown on the tire placard.
Tire Placard A paper label permanently attached to the vehicle describing the vehi-
cle’s loading capacity, the original equipment tire sizes and the recom-
mended cold tire inflation pressures.
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Tire Loading And Tire
Pressure
Tire And Loading Information
Placard Location
NOTE: The proper cold tire infla-
tion pressure is listed on the driv-
er’s side B-Pillar or the rear edge
of the driver's side door.Tire And Loading Information
Placard
This placard tells you important
information about the:
1) number of people that can be
carried in the vehicle
2) total weight your vehicle can
carry
3) tire size designed for your ve-
hicle
4) cold tire inflation pressures for
the front, rear, and spare tires.
Loading
The vehicle maximum load on the tire
must not exceed the load carrying ca-
pacity of the tire on your vehicle. You
will not exceed the tire's load carrying
capacity if you adhere to the loading
conditions, tire size, and cold tire in-
flation pressures specified on the Tire
and Loading Information placard and
in the “Vehicle Loading” section of
this manual. NOTE: Under a maximum loaded
vehicle condition, gross axle
weight ratings (GAWRs) for the
front and rear axles must not be
exceeded. For further information
on GAWRs, vehicle loading, and
trailer towing, refer to “Vehicle
Loading” in this section.
To determine the maximum loading
conditions of your vehicle, locate the
statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never ex-
ceed XXX lbs or XXX kg” on the Tire
and Loading Information placard.
The combined weight of occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue
weight (if applicable) should never
exceed the weight referenced here.
Tire Placard Location
258