2013 LINCOLN MKZ Owners Manual

Customer action required
Possible cause
Low tire pressure
warning light
1. Make sure tires are at the proper
pressure. See Inflating your tires in
this chapter. 2. After inflating your
tires to the manufacturer’s recom-
mended pressure as shown on the
Tire Label (located on the edge of
driver ’s door or the B-Pillar), the
vehicle must be driven for at least
two minutes over 20 mph (32 km/
h) before the light turns off.
Tire(s) under-inflated
Solid warning
light
Repair the damaged road wheel and
tire assembly and reinstall it on the
vehicle to restore system function-
ality. For a description on how the
system functions, refer to When your
temporary spare tire is installed in
this section.
Spare tire in use
If the tires are properly inflated and
the spare tire is not in use but the
light remains on, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
TPMS malfunction
Repair the damaged road wheel and
tire assembly and reinstall it on the
vehicle to restore system function-
ality. For a description on how the
system functions, refer to When your
temporary spare tire is installed in
this section.
Spare tire in use
Flashing warning
light
If the tires are properly inflated and
the spare tire is not in use but the
light remains on, contact your
authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
TPMS malfunction
302
Wheels and Tires

When Inflating your Tires
When putting air into your tires (such
as at a gas station or in your garage),
the tire pressure monitoring system
may not respond immediately to the
air added to your tires.
It may take up to two minutes of
driving over 20 mph (32 km/h) for the
light to turn off after you have filled
your tires to the recommended
inflation pressure
How Temperature Affects your
Tire Pressure
The tire pressure monitoring system
monitors tire pressure in each
pneumatic tire. While driving in a
normal manner, a typical passenger
tire inflation pressure may increase
approximately 2 to 4 psi (14 to 28
kPa) from a cold start situation. If the
vehicle is stationary overnight with the
outside temperature significantly
lower than the daytime temperature,
the tire pressure may decrease
approximately 3 psi (21 kPa) for a drop
of 30°F (17°C) in ambient
temperature. This lower pressure
value may be detected by the TPMS
as being significantly lower than the
recommended inflation pressure and
activate the TPMS warning light for
low tire pressure. If the low tire
pressure warning light is on, visually
check each tire to verify that no tire is
flat. (If one or more tires are flat, repair
as necessary.) Check air pressure in
the road tires. If any tire is
under-inflated, carefully drive the
vehicle to the nearest location where
air can be added to the tires. Inflate
all the tires to the recommended
inflation pressure.
303
Wheels and Tires

TIRE CARE
Important information for
245/40R19 low-profile tires and
wheels If your vehicle is equipped
with 245/40R19 tires, they are
low-profile tires. These tires and
wheels are designed to give your
vehicle a sport appearance. With
low-profile tires, you may notice an
increase in road noise and faster tire
wear, depending on road conditions
and driving styles. Due to their design,
low-profile tires and wheels are more
prone to road damage from potholes,
rough or unpaved roads, car wash rails
and curb contact than standard tires
and wheels.
Note: Your vehicle ’s warranty does not
cover these types of damage. Tires
should always be kept at the correct
inflation pressures and extra caution
should be taken when operating on
rough roads to avoid impacts that
could cause wheel and tire damage.
Information About Uniform
Tire Quality Grading Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires. The
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
.
These Tire Quality Grades are
determined by standards that the
United States Department of
Transportation has set.
Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires. They
do not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires, space-saver
or temporary use spare tires, light
truck or LT type tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12
inches or limited production tires as
defined in Title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 575.104 (c)(2).
U.S. Department of Transportation
Tire quality grades:
The U.S.
Department of Transportation
requires Ford Motor Company to give
you the following information about
tire grades exactly as the government
has written it.
304
Wheels and TiresE142542

Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half (1
½) times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their
use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service
practices, and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction AA A B C
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or peak
traction characteristics. The traction grades, from highest to
lowest are AA, A, B, and C. The grades
represent the tire
’s ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance. Temperature A B C WARNING
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible
tire failure. The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B and C, representing the
tire
’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
139. Grades B and A represent higher
levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
305
Wheels and Tires

Glossary of Tire Terminology
•
Tire label: A label showing the OE
(Original Equipment) tire sizes,
recommended inflation pressure
and the maximum weight the
vehicle can carry.
• Tire Identification Number
(TIN): A number on the sidewall
of each tire providing information
about the tire brand and
manufacturing plant, tire size and
date of manufacture. Also referred
to as DOT code.
• Inflation pressure:
A measure of
the amount of air in a tire.
• Standard load:
A class of
P-metric or Metric tires designed
to carry a maximum load at 35 psi
[37 psi (2.5 bar) for Metric tires].
Increasing the inflation pressure
beyond this pressure will not
increase the tire ’s load carrying
capability.
• Extra load: A class of P-metric or
Metric tires designed to carry a
heavier maximum load at 41 psi
[43 psi (2.9 bar) for Metric tires].
Increasing the inflation pressure
beyond this pressure will not
increase the tire ’s load carrying
capability.
• kPa:
Kilopascal, a metric unit of
air pressure.
• PSI:
Pounds per square inch, a
standard unit of air pressure. •
Cold tire pressure:
The tire
pressure when the vehicle has
been stationary and out of direct
sunlight for an hour or more and
prior to the vehicle being driven for
1 mile (1.6 km).
• Recommended inflation
pressure:
The cold inflation
pressure found on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label
(affixed to either the door hinge
pillar, door-latch post, or the door
edge that meets the door-latch
post, next to the driver's seating
position), or Tire Label located on
the B-Pillar or the edge of the
driver ’s door.
• B-pillar:
The structural member
at the side of the vehicle behind
the front door
• Bead area of the tire: Area of the
tire next to the rim.
• Sidewall of the tire:
Area
between the bead area and the
tread.
• Tread area of the tire: Area of the
perimeter of the tire that contacts
the road when mounted on the
vehicle.
• Rim:
The metal support (wheel)
for a tire or a tire and tube
assembly upon which the tire
beads are seated.
306
Wheels and Tires

Information Contained on the
Tire Sidewall
Both U.S. and Canada Federal
regulations require tire manufacturers
to place standardized information on
the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes
the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT
Tire Identification Number for safety
standard certification and in case of
a recall.
Information on P Type Tires
P215/65R15 95H is an example of a
tire size, load index and speed rating.
The definitions of these items are
listed below. (Note that the tire size,
load index and speed rating for your
vehicle may be different from this
example.) A.
P: Indicates a tire, designated by
the Tire and Rim Association (T&RA),
that may be used for service on cars,
SUVs, minivans and light trucks. Note:
If your tire size does not begin with a
letter this may mean it is designated
by either ETRTO (European Tire and
Rim Technical Organization) or
JATMA (Japan Tire Manufacturing
Association).
B. 215:
Indicates the nominal width of
the tire in millimeters from sidewall
edge to sidewall edge. In general, the
larger the number, the wider the tire.
C. 65: Indicates the aspect ratio which
gives the tire's ratio of height to width.
D. R:
Indicates a radial type tire.
E. 15:
Indicates the wheel or rim
diameter in inches. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to purchase
new tires to match the new wheel
diameter.
F. 95:
Indicates the tire's load index.
It is an index that relates to how much
weight a tire can carry. You may find
this information in your owner ’s
manual. If not, contact a local tire
dealer.
Note: You may not find this
information on all tires because it is not
required by federal law.
307
Wheels and TiresH
I
J
KL
M
A
B
CDEFG
E142543

G.
H: Indicates the tire's speed rating.
The speed rating denotes the speed
at which a tire is designed to be driven
for extended periods of time under a
standard condition of load and
inflation pressure. The tires on your
vehicle may operate at different
conditions for load and inflation
pressure. These speed ratings may
need to be adjusted for the difference
in conditions. The ratings range from
81 mph (130 km/h) to 186 mph (299
km/h). These ratings are listed in the
following chart.
Note: You may not find this
information on all tires because it is not
required by federal law. Speed rating - mph
(km/h)
Letter
rating
81 mph (130 km/h)
M
87 mph (140 km/h)
N
99 mph (159 km/h)
Q
106 mph (171 km/h)
R
112 mph (180 km/h)
S
118 mph (190 km/h)
T
124 mph (200 km/h)
U
130 mph (210 km/h)
H
149 mph (240 km/h)
V Speed rating - mph
(km/h)
Letter
rating
168 mph (270 km/h)
W
186 mph (299 km/h)
Y
Note: For tires with a maximum speed
capability over 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacturers sometimes use the
letters ZR. For those with a maximum
speed capability over 186 mph (299
km/h), tire manufacturers always use
the letters ZR.
H. U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN):
This begins with the
letters DOT and indicates that the tire
meets all federal standards. The next
two numbers or letters are the plant
code designating where it was
manufactured, the next two are the
tire size code and the last four
numbers represent the week and year
the tire was built. For example, the
numbers 317 mean the 31st week of
1997. After 2000 the numbers go to
four digits. For example, 2501 means
the 25th week of 2001. The numbers
in between are identification codes
used for traceability. This information
is used to contact customers if a tire
defect requires a recall.
I. M+S or M/S:
Mud and Snow, or
AT:
All Terrain, or
AS:
All Season.
308
Wheels and Tires

J.
Tire Ply Composition and
Material Used: Indicates the number
of plies or the number of layers of
rubber-coated fabric in the tire tread
and sidewall. Tire manufacturers also
must indicate the ply materials in the
tire and the sidewall, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
K. Maximum Load: Indicates the
maximum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by the tire.
Refer to the Safety Compliance
Certification Label (affixed to either
the door hinge pillar, door-latch post,
or the door edge that meets the
door-latch post, next to the driver's
seating position), for the correct tire
pressure for your vehicle.
L. Treadwear, Traction and
Temperature Grades: •
Treadwear
The treadwear grade
is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test
course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half
times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.
• Traction:
The traction grades,
from highest to lowest are AA, A,
B, and C. The grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
• Temperature:
The temperature
grades are A (the highest), B and
C, representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled conditions
on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel.
309
Wheels and Tires