7-48
Maintenance
All specifications (sizes and pres-
sures) can be found on a label
attached to the driver’s side centerpillar
Recommended cold tire infla- tion pressures
All tire pressures (including the
spare) should be checked when the
tires are cold. “Cold tires” means the
vehicle has not been driven for at
least three hours or driven less thanone mile (1.6 km).
Warm tires normally exceed recom-
mended cold tire pressures by 4 to 6
psi (28 to 41 kPa). Do not release air
from warm tires to adjust the pres-sure or the tires will be under-inflat-
ed. For recommended inflation pres-
sure, refer to “Tire and Wheels” inchapter 8.Recommended pressures must
be maintained for the best ride,
vehicle handling, and minimum
tire wear.
Over-inflation or under-inflation
can reduce tire life, adversely
affect vehicle handling, and
lead to sudden tire failure that
could result in loss of vehicle
control resulting in an accident.
Severe under-inflation can lead
to severe heat build-up, causing
blowouts, tread separation andother tire failures that can result
in the loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident. This
risk is much higher on hot days
and when driving for long peri-ods at high speeds.
WARNING
OLMB083004
7-49
7
Maintenance
Check tire inflation pressure
Check your tires, including the spare
tire, once a month or more.
How to check
Use a good quality tire pressure
gauge to check tire pressure. You
can not tell if your tires are properly
inflated simply by looking at them.
Radial tires may look properly inflat-
ed when they are under-inflated.
Remove the valve cap from the tire
valve stem. Press the tire gauge firm-
ly onto the valve to get a pressure
measurement. If the cold tire inflationpressure matches the recommendedpressure on the tire and loading
information label, no further adjust-
ment is necessary. If the pressure is
low, add air until you reach the rec-
ommended pressure. to put the valve
caps back on the valve stems.
Without the valve cap, dirt or mois-
ture could get into the valve core and
cause air leakage. If a valve cap is
missing, install a new one as soon as
possible If you overfill the tire, release air bypushing on the metal stem in the
center of the tire valve. Recheck the
tire pressure with the tire gauge. Be
sure to put the valve caps back on
the valve stems. Without the valve
cap, dirt or moisture could get into
the valve core and cause air leakage.
If a valve cap is missing, install a new
one as soon as possible.
Under-inflation results in exces-
sive wear, poor handling and
reduced fuel economy. Wheel
deformation is also possible.
Keep your tire pressures at the
proper levels. If a tire frequently
needs refilling, have it checked
by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
Over-inflation produces a harsh
ride, excessive wear at the cen-
ter of the tire tread, and a
greater possibility of damage
from road hazards.
CAUTION
7-50
Maintenance
Tire rotation
To equalize tread wear, HYUNDAI recommends that the tires be rotated
every 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or
sooner if irregular wear develops.
During rotation, check the tires for
correct balance.
When rotating tires, check for uneven
wear and damage. Abnormal wear is
usually caused by incorrect tire pres-
sure, improper wheel alignment, out-
of-balance wheels, severe braking or
severe cornering. Look for bumps or
bulges in the tread or side of tire.
Replace the tire if you find either of
these conditions. Replace the tire if
fabric or cord is visible. After rotation,
be sure to bring the front and rear tire
pressures to specification and check
lug nut tightness (proper torque is
65-79 lb.ft [9-11 kg.m]).Disc brake pads should be inspected
for wear whenever tires are rotated.
✽✽NOTICE
Rotate radial tires that have an
asymmetric tread pattern only from
front to rear and not from right to
left.
Do not use the compact spare
tire for tire rotation.
Do not mix bias ply and radial
ply tires under any circum-
stances. This may cause
unusual handling characteris-
tics that may cause loss of
vehicle control resulting in anaccident.
WARNING
OLMB073075
OLMB073076
■ Without a spare tire
■ Directional tires (if equipped)
7-51
7
Maintenance
Wheel alignment and tire bal- ance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
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.
Tire replacement
If the tire is worn evenly, a tread wear indicator will appear as a solid band
across the tread. This shows there isless than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread
left on the tire. Replace the tire when
this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tire.
OLMB073027
Tread wear indicator
Improper wheel weights can
damage your vehicle’s alu-
minum wheels. Use only
approved wheel weights.
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of DEATH or
SERIOUS INJURY:
Replace tires that are worn,
show uneven wear, or are dam-
aged. Worn tires can cause loss
of braking effectiveness, steer-
ing control, and traction.
Always replace tires with the
same size as each tire that was
originally supplied with this
vehicle. Using tires and wheelsother than the recommended
sizes could cause unusual han-
dling characteristics, poor vehi-
cle control, or negatively affect
your vehicle’s Anti-Lock BrakeSystem (ABS) resulting in aserious accident.
Tires degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, HYUNDAI recommendsthat tires be replaced after six
(6) years of normal service.
(Continued)
WARNING
7-52
Maintenance
Compact spare tire replacement
A compact spare tire has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tire.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tire.The replacement compact spare tire
should be the same size and design
tire as the one provided with your
new vehicle and should be mountedon the same compact spare tire
wheel. The compact spare tire is notdesigned to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tire wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tire.
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.
Tire traction
Tire traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tires, tires that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tires should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. To reduce the possibility of
losing control, slow down whenever
there is rain, snow or ice on the road.
(Continued)
Heat caused by hot climates or frequent high loading condi-
tions can accelerate the aging
process. Failure to follow this
warning may cause sudden tire
failure, which could lead to a
loss of vehicle control resultingin an accident.
The original tire should be repaired or replaced as soon as
possible to avoid failure of the
spare and loss of vehicle con-
trol resulting in an accident. The
compact spare tire is for emer-
gency use only. Do not operate
your vehicle over 50 mph (80km/h) when using the compact
spare tire.
WARNING
7-53
7
Maintenance
Tire maintenance
In addition to proper inflation, correct wheel alignment helps to decrease
tire wear. If you find a tire is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check thewheel alignment.
When you have new tires installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tire life. Additionally, a tire should
always be rebalanced if it is removedfrom the wheel.
Tire sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tire and also provides
the tire identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. TheTIN can be used to identify the tire incase of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or brand name is
shown.
2. Tire size designation
A tire’s sidewall is marked with a tire
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tires for your car. The following
explains what the letters and num-
bers in the tire size designationmean.Example tire size designation:
(These numbers are provided as an
example only; your tire size designa-
tor could vary depending on your
vehicle.) 225/55R18 105T
225 - Tire width in millimeters.
55 - Aspect ratio. The tire’s section
height as a percentage of its width.
R - Tire construction code (Radial).
18 - Rim diameter in inches.
105 - Load Index, a numerical code associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry.
T - Speed Rating Symbol. See the speed rating chart in this section
for additional information.
OLMB073028
1
1
2
34
5,6
7
7-54
Maintenance
Wheel size designation
Wheels are also marked with impor-
tant information that you need if you
ever have to replace one. The follow-
ing explains what the letters and
numbers in the wheel size designa-tion mean.
Example wheel size designation:6.5JX18
6.5 - Rim width in inches.J - Rim contour designation.
18 - Rim diameter in inches.
Tire speed ratings
The chart below lists many of the dif-
ferent speed ratings currently being
used for passenger car tires. The
speed rating is part of the tire size
designation on the sidewall of the
tire. This symbol corresponds to that
tire's designed maximum safe oper-ating speed.
3. Checking tire life (TIN : TireIdentification Number)
Any tires that are over six years old,
based on the manufacturing date,(including the spare tire) should be
replaced by new ones. You can find
the manufacturing date on the tire
sidewall (possibly on the inside of the
wheel), displaying the DOT Code.
The DOT Code is a series of num-
bers on a tire consisting of numbers
and English letters. The manufactur-
ing date is designated by the last four
digits (characters) of the DOT code.
DOT : XXXX XXXX OOOO
The front part of the DOT means a
plant code number, tire size and
tread pattern and the last four num-
bers indicate week and year manu-
factured.
For example:
DOT XXXX XXXX 1613 represents
that the tire was produced in the 16th
week of 2013.
Speed
Rating
Symbol Maximum Speed
S 112 mph (180 km/h) T 118 mph (190 km/h)
H 130 mph (210 km/h) V 149 mph (240 km/h) Z Above 149 mph (240 km/h)
7-55
7
Maintenance
4. Tire ply composition andmaterial
The number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric in the tire. Tire
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tire, 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 infla-tion pressure
This number is the greatest amountof air pressure that should be put in
the tire. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure. Refer
to the Tire 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 tire. When
replacing the tires on the vehicle,
always use a tire that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tire.
7. Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREAD wear 200
TRACTION AA
TEMPERATURE A
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate ofthe tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment 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.
These grades are molded on the
sidewalls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on your vehicle
may vary with respect to grade.