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739
Maintenance
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 width
and offset.Tyre traction
Tyre traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tyres, tyres that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tyres 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.
Tyre maintenance
In addition to proper inflation, correct
wheel alignment helps to decrease
tyre wear. If you find a tyre is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check the
wheel alignment.
When you have new tyres installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tyre life. Additionally, a tyre should
always be rebalanced if it is removed
from the wheel.Tyre sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tyre and also provides
the tyre identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. The
TIN can be used to identify the tyre in
case of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand nameManufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
I030B04JM
1
1
2
34
5,6
7
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tyre clearance,
snow chain clearance,
speedometer and odometer cal-
ibration, headlight aim and
bumper height.
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741
Maintenance
3. Checking tyre life (TIN : Tyre Identification Number) Any tyres that are over 6 years,
based on the manufacturing date,
tyre strength and performance,
decline with age naturally (even
unused spare tyres). Therefore, the
tyres (including the spare tyre)
should be replaced by new ones. You
can find the manufacturing date on
the tyre sidewall (possibly on the
inside of the wheel), displaying the
DOT Code. The DOT Code is a
series of numbers on a tyre consist-
ing of numbers and English letters.
The manufacturing date is designat-
ed by the last four digits (characters)
of the DOT code.DOT : XXXX XXXX OOOOThe front part of the DOT means a
plant code number, tyre size and
tread pattern and the last four num-
bers indicate week and year manu-
factured.
For example:
DOT XXXX XXXX 1615 represents
that the tyre was produced in the
16th week of 2015.
4. Tyre ply composition and materialThe number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric are in the tyre. Tyre
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tyre, 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 the
letter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.
5. Maximum permissible inflationpressureThis number is the greatest amount
of air pressure that should be put in
the tyre. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure. Refer
to the Tyre and Loading Information
label for recommended inflation
pressure.6. Maximum load ratingThis number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that
can be carried by the tyre. When
replacing the tyres on the vehicle,
always use a tyre that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tyre.7. Uniform tyre quality grading Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tyre sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREADWEAR 200
TRACTION AA
TEMPERATURE A
WARNING - Tyre age
Tyres degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, it is recommended that
tyres generally be replaced
after six (6) years of normal
service. Heat caused by hot cli-
mates or frequent high loading
conditions can accelerate the
aging process. Failure to follow
this Warning can result in sud-
den tyre failure, which could
lead to a loss of control and an
accident involving serious
injury or death.
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Maintenance42
7Tread wearThe tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tyre when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tyre
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tyre graded
100.
The relative performance of tyres
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
because of variations in driving
habits, service practices and differ-
ences in road characteristics and cli-
mate.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle
tyres. The tyres available as standard
or optional equipment on your vehi-
cles may vary with respect to grade.
Traction - AA, A, B & C The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tyres ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tyre marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance.
Temperature -A, B & C The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B and C representing the
tyre’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high tempera-
ture can cause the material of the
tyre to degenerate and reduce tyre
life, and excessive temperature can
lead to sudden tyre failure. Grades B
and A represent higher levels of per-
formance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by
the law.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to
this tyre is based on straight-
ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
WARNING - Tyre
temperature
The temperature grade for this
tyre is established for a tyre that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
build-up and possible sudden
tyre failure. This can cause loss
of vehicle control and serious
injury or death.
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