PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
4935-6. Driving tips
5
Driving
■Tire chain installation
Observe the following precautions when installing and removing chains:
● Install and remove tire chains in a safe location.
● Install tire chains on the front tires only. Do not install tir e chains on the rear
tires.
● Install tire chains on front tires as tightly as possible. Reti ghten chains after
driving 1/4 - 1/2 mile (0.5 - 1.0 km).
● Install tire chains following the instructions provided with th e tire chains.
■ Consumption of fuel and electricity
In cold temperatures, resistance of the parts of a vehicle (tra nsmission, tires,
etc.) generally increases, resulting in increase of energy cons umption. As a
result, fuel economy is likely to decrease.
Consumption of fuel and electricity of this vehicle is also lik ely to become
worse in cold temperatures.
WARNING
■ Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of acciden ts.
Failure to do so may result in a loss of vehicle control and ca use death or
serious injury.
● Use tires of the specified size.
● Maintain the recommended level of air pressure.
● Do not drive in excess of 75 mph (120 km/h), regardless of the type of
snow tires being used.
● Use snow tires on all, not just some wheels.
■ Driving with tire chains
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of acciden ts.
Failure to do so may result in the vehicle being unable to be d riven safely,
and may cause death or serious injury.
● Do not drive in excess of the speed limit specified for the tir e chains being
used, or 30 mph (50 km/h), whichever is lower.
● Avoid driving on bumpy road surfaces or over potholes.
● Avoid sudden acceleration, abrupt steering, sudden braking and shifting
operations that cause sudden engine braking.
● Slow down sufficiently before entering a curve to ensure that v ehicle con-
trol is maintained.
● Do not use LDA (Lane Departure Alert with steering control).
■ When parking the vehicle
When parking the vehicle without applying the parking brake, ma ke sure to
chock the wheels. If you do not chock the wheels, the vehicle m ay move
unexpectedly, possibly resulting in an accident.
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
6037-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough t o
expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage.
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or c annot be properly repaired due to the size
or location of a cut or other damage.
If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire press ure warning valve and transmitt er is not reg-
istered, the tire pressure warni ng system will not work properly. A f t e r d r i v -
ing for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blink s for 1
minute and stays on to indi cate a system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified techni cian even
if it has seldom or never been u sed or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make sure to chec k tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of t he replacement tire is greater than 1/2
of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axl e or the
rear axle, whichever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label. For the maximum load of the tire,
see the load limit at maximum cold tire
inflation pressure mentioned on the
sidewall of the tire. ( P. 7 2 8 )
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
6057-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not oper-
ate properly
●In the following cases, the tire pressure warning system may no t operate
properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are used.
• When a replacement tire is used, the system may not operate cor-
rectly due to the structure of the replacement tire.
• A tire has been replac ed with a tire that is not of the specif ied size.
• Tire chains etc . are equipped.
• An auxiliary-supported ru n-flat tire is equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is instal led.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the
wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extremely higher than the sp ecified
level.
• If wheel without the tire pressure warning valve and transmitt er is
used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmi tters is
not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio stat ion, large
display, airport or other facilit y that generates strong radio waves or
electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or
other wireless communication device
●When the vehicle is parked, the time taken for the warning to s tart or go
off could be extended.
●When tire inflation pressure declines rapidly for example when a tire has
burst, the warning may not function.
■The initialization operation
●Make sure to carry out initializ ation after adjusting the tire inflation pres-
sure.
Also, make sure the tires are co ld before carrying out initialization or tire
inflation pressure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the power switch off during ini tialization,
it is not necessary to press the reset swit ch again as initialization will
restart automatically when the power switch has been turned to ON
mode for the next time.
●If you accidentally press the reset switch when initialization is not neces-
sary, adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level when the
tires are cold, and cond uct initialization again.
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
6077-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
For vehicles sold in Canada
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to parts of the drive train as well as
dangerous handling characteristics, which may lead to an accide nt
resulting in death o r serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different ma kes, models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of re markably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other th an those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently constructed tires (radial, bias-belted o r bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have b een used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not kn ow how they were used previous ly.
■When initializing the tire pressure warning system
Do not initialize the tire press ure warning system without firs t adjusting
the tire inflation pressure to t he specified level. Otherwise, the tire pres-
sure warning light may not come on even if the tire inflation p ressure is
low, or it may come on when the tire inflation pressure is actu ally nor-
mal.
609
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
Tire inflation pressure
The recommended cold tire infla-
tion pressure and tire size are dis-
played on the tire and loading
information label. (P. 723)
Tire inflation pressure
612
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Wheels
When replacing wheels, care should be taken to ensure that they are
equivalent to those removed in load capacity, diameter, rim wid th and
inset
*.
Replacement wheels are available at your Toyota dealer.
*: Conventionally referred to as “offset”.
Toyota does not recommend using the following:
● Wheels of different sizes or types
● Used wheels
● Bent wheels that hav e been straightened
● Use only Toyota wheel nuts and wrenches designed for use with
your aluminum wheels.
● When rotating, repairing or changi ng your tires, check that the
wheel nuts are still tight afte r driving 1000 miles (1600 km).
● Be careful not to damage the aluminum wheels when using tire
chains.
● Use only Toyota genuine balance we ights or equivalent and a plas-
tic or rubber hammer when balancing your wheels.
If a wheel is bent, cracked or heavily corroded, it should be
replaced. Otherwise, the tire may separate from the wheel or
cause a loss of handling control.
Wheel selection
Aluminum wheel precautions
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
6137-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■When replacing wheels
The wheels of your vehicle are equipped with tire pressure warn ing
valves and transmitters that allow the tire pressure warning sy stem to
provide advance warning in the event of a loss in tire inflatio n pressure.
Whenever wheels are replaced, tir e pressure warning valves and trans-
mitters must be installed. ( P. 601)
WARNING
■When replacing wheels
●Do not use wheels that are a different size from those recommen ded in
the Owner’s Manual, as this may result in a loss of handling control.
●Never use an inner tube in a leaking wheel which is designed fo r a
tubeless tire. Doing so may resu lt in an accident, causing death or seri-
ous injury.
■When installing the wheel nuts
●Never use oil or grease on the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
Oil and grease may cause the wheel nuts to be excessively tight ened,
leading to bolt or disc wheel damage. In addition, the oil or g rease can
cause the wheel nuts to loosen and the wheel may fall off, caus ing an
accident and resulting in death or serious injury. Remove any oil or
grease from the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
■Use of defective wheels prohibited
Do not use cracked or deformed wheels.
Doing so could cause the tire to leak air during driving, possibly causing
an accident.
●Be sure to install the wheel nuts with
the tapered ends facing inward.
Installing the nuts with the tapered
ends facing outward can cause the
wheel to break and eventually cause
the wheel to come off while driving,
which could lead to an accident
resulting in death o r serious injury.Tapered
portion
6688-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS PRIME_OM_OM47D13U_(U)
WARNING
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation p ressure
label (tire and load information label). (If your vehicle has t ires of a dif-
ferent size than the size indica ted on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label [tire and load information label], you should de termine
the proper tire inflation p ressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS -tire pressure warning system) that
illuminates a low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning light) when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated. Acco rdingly,
when the low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning ligh t) illumi-
nates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as possible , and
inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread lif e, and may
affect the vehicle’s handl ing and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) is not a sub-
stitute for proper tire maintena nce, and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached
the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale (tire
pressure warning light).
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS (tire pressure warn-
ing system) malfunction indicato r to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS (tire pressure warning system) mal func-
tion indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure
warning light). When the system detects a malfunction, the tell tale will
flash for approximately one mi nute and then remain continuously illumi-
nated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle star t-ups
as long as the malfunction exists . When the malfunction indicator is illu-
minated, the system may not be able to detect or signal low tir e pres-
sure as intended.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunctions may occur for a vari-
ety of reasons, including the installation of replacement or al ternate tires
or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS (tire pressure w arning
system) from functioning properly. Always check the TPMS (tire pres-
sure warning system) malfunction telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the replacement or alter-
nate tires and wheels allow the TPMS (tire pressure warning sys tem) to
continue to function properly.