Tires 9-18 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C, representing the tire’s resistance to thegeneration of heat and
its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor la
boratory test wheel.
Sustained high temper
ature can cause the
material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can leadto sudden tire failure. The grade C corre- sponds to a level of performance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Fed- eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels ofperformance on the labora
tory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
N00939300815
Proper tire inflation pres
sure is essential for
the safe and satisfactory operation of your vehicle. The wrong tire
pressure will cause
problems in three major areas: Safety Too little pressure increases flexing in the tire and can cause tire failure. Too muchpressure can cause a tire to lose its ability to cushion shock. Objects on the road and potholes could then cause tire damage thatmay result in tire failure.
Economy The wrong tire pressu
re can cause uneven
wear patterns in the tire tread. These abnormal wear patter
ns will reduce the
tread life, and the tire will have to bereplaced sooner. Too little pressure also
makes it harder for
the tire to roll, and this uses up more fuel. Ride comfort and vehicle stability The superior riding e
xperience built into
your vehicle partly depends on the correct tire pressure. Too much pressure gives an uncomfortable and ja
rring ride. Too little
pressure feels as if
your vehicle is slow to
respond. Unequal tire pressure
s can make steering
your vehicle uneven and unpredictable.
The tire pressure for your vehicle under nor- mal driving conditions is listed on the placard attached to the driver’s door sill.(Refer to “Tire and loading information plac- ard” on page 11-3.) The recommended infl
ation pressures under
normal driving conditions should be used for the tires listed below.
Tire pressures should be checked, and adjusted if necessary, at least once a month.Pressures should be checked more often whenever weather temperatures change severely, becaus
e tire pressures change with
outdoor temperatures. The pressures listed are always “cold in
flation pressure”.
Cold inflation pressure is measured after thevehicle has been parked
for at least three
hours or is driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after having been parked for three hours. Cold inflation pressure must not go above the maximum values molded into the tire side-wall. After driving seve
ral miles, your tire
inflation pressure may increase 2 to 6 psi (14 to 41 kPa) from the cold inflation pressure.Do not let air out of the tires to get back to the specified cold pressure, or your tires will be too low.Check your tires each time you refuel. If one tire looks lower than the others, check the pressure for all of them.You should also take the following safety pre- cautions:
TemperatureTire inflation pressures
Item
Tire size
Front
Rear
Normal tire
P215/70R16 P225/55R18
240 KPA, 35 PSI
240 KPA, 35 PSI
Compact spare wheel
T155/90D16
420 KPA, 60
PSI
Item
Tire size
Front
Rear
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