The temporary spare tire has a tread life
of less than 5,000 km (3,000 miles). The
tread life may be shorter depending on
driving conditions.
The temporary spare tire is for limited
use, however, if the tread wear
solid-band indicator appears, replace the
tire with the same type of temporary
spare (page 6-33).
NOTE
Tires degrade over time, even when they
are not being used on the road. It is
recommended that tires generally be
replaced when they are 6 years or older.
Heat caused by hot climates or frequent
high loading conditions can accelerate the
aging process. You should replace the
spare tire when you replace the other road
tires due to the aging of the spare tire. The
period in which the tire was manufactured
(both week and year) is indicated by a
4-digit number.
Refer to Tire Labeling on page 8-23.
▼ Replacing a Wheel
WA R N I N G
Always use wheels of the correct size on
your vehicle:
Using a wrong-sized wheel is dangerous.
Braking and handling could be affected,
leading to loss of control and an accident.
CAUTION
A wrong-sized wheel may adversely
affect:
Tire fit
Wheel and bearing life
Ground clearance
Snow-chain clearance
Speedometer calibration
Headlight aim
Bumper height
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
NOTE
When replacing a wheel, make sure the
new one is the same as the original
factory wheel in diameter, rim width,
and offset (inset/outset).
For details, contact an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
Proper tire balancing provides the best
riding comfort and helps reduce tread
wear. Out-of-balance tires can cause
vibration and uneven wear, such as
cupping and flat spots.
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
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Water Marks
Occurrence
Rain, fog, dew, and even tap water can
contain harmful minerals such as salt and
lime. If moisture containing these minerals
settles on the vehicle and evaporates, the
minerals will concentrate and harden to
form white rings. The rings can damage
your vehicle's finish.
Prevention
It is necessary to wash and wax your
vehicle to preserve it s finish according to
the instructions in this section. These steps
should be taken immediately after you find
water marks on your vehicle's finish.
Paint Chipping
Occurrence
Paint chipping occurs when gravel thrown
in the air by another vehicle's tires hits
your vehicle.
How to avoid paint chipping
Keeping a safe distance between you and
the vehicle ahead reduces the chances of
having your paint chipped by flying
gravel.
NOTE
The paint chipping zone varies with the
speed of the vehicle. For example, when
traveling at 90 km/h (56 mph), the paint
chipping zone is 50 m (164 ft).
In low temperatures a vehicle's finish
hardens. This increases the chance of
paint chipping.
Chipped paint can lead to rust forming
on your Mazda. Before this happens,
repair the damage by using Mazda
touch-up paint according to the
instructions in this section. Failure to
repair the affected area could lead to
serious rusting and expensive repairs.
Follow all label and container directions
when using a chemical cleaner or polish.
Read all warnings and cautions.
▼ Maintaining the Finish
Wa s h i n g
CAUTION
Before lifting the windshield wiper blades
off the windshield, always follow the
procedure for moving the windshield
wiper blades. Otherw ise, a wiper blade,
wiper arm, or the hood could be
damaged.
Refer to the Replacin g Windshield Wiper
Blades (page on 6-22) section for the
procedure on how to move the
windshield wiper blades to the service
position.
When the wiper lever is in the AUTO
position and the ignition is switched ON,
the wipers may move automatically in
the following cases:
If the windshield above the rain sensor
is touched or wiped with a cloth.
If the windshield is struck with a hand
or other object from either outside or
inside the vehicle.
Maintenance and Care
Appearance Care
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5–Door
Perform the removal procedure in reverse.
Maintenance
Always keep the jack clean.
Make sure the moving parts are kept
free from dirt or rust.
Make sure the screw thread is
adequately lubricated.
▼Spare Tire
Your Mazda has a temporary spare tire.
The temporary spare tire is lighter and
smaller than a conventional tire, and is
designed only for emergency use and
should be used only for VERY short
periods. Temporary spare tires should
NEVER be used for long drives or
extended periods.
WA R N I N G
Do not install the temporary spare tire on
the front wheels (driving wheels):
Driving with the temporary spare tire on
one of the front driving wheels is
dangerous. Handling will be
affected. You
could lose control of the vehicle, especially
on ice or snow bound roads, and have an
accident. Move a regular tire to the front
wheel and install the temporary spare tire
to the rear.
CAUTION
When using the temporary spare tire,
driving stability may decrease compared
to when using only the conventional tire.
Drive carefully.
To avoid damage to the temporary spare
tire or to the vehicle, observe the
following precautions:
Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph).
Avoid driving over obstacles. Also, do
not drive through an automatic car
wash. This tire's diameter is smaller
than a conventional tire, so the ground
clearance is reduced.
Do not use a tire chain on this tire
because it will not
fit properly.
Do not use your temporary spare tire
on any other vehicle, it has been
designed only for your Mazda.
Use only one temporary spare tire on
your vehicle at the same time.
To remove the spare tire
4–Door
1. Remove the trunk mat.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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Antitheft wheel lug nuts cannot be
installed on a steel wheel spare tire. When
installing a temporary spare tire, use one
of the original lug nuts in place of the
locking lug nut. The original lug nuts are
stored inside your Mazda.
1. Antitheft lug nut
2. Special key
To remove an antitheft lug nut
1. Obtain the special key for the antitheftlug nut.
2. Place the special key on top of the
antitheft lug nut, and be sure to hold
the key square to it. If you hold the key
at an angle, you may damage both key
and nut. Do not use a power impact
wrench.
3. Place the lug wrench on top of the key and apply pressure. Turn the wrench
counterclockwise.
To install the antitheft lug nut
1. Place the special key on top of the nut, and be sure to hold the key square to it.
If you hold the key at an angle, you
may damage both key and nut. Do not
use a power impact wrench.
2. Place the lug wrench on top of the
special key, apply pressure, and turn it
clockwise.
Nut tightening torque
N·m (kgf·m, ft·lbf) 108―147 (12―14,
80―108)
▼Mounting the Spare Tire
1. Remove dirt and grime from the
mounting surfaces of the wheel and
hub, including the hub bolts, with a
cloth.
WARNING
Make sure the mounting surfaces of the
wheel, hub and lug nuts are clean
before changing or replacing tires:
When changing or replacing a tire, not
removing dirt and grime from the
mounting surfaces of the wheel, hub
and hub bolts is dangerous. The lug
nuts could loosen while driving and
cause the tire to come off, resulting in
an accident.
2. Mount the spare tire.
3. Install the lug nuts with the beveled edge inward; tighten them by hand.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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(Vehicles without flat tire hold-down
bolt)
1. Secure the damaged tire to thevehicle using the spare tire
hold-down bolt removed when
removing the spare tire.
9. Place the trunk mat (4-door) orluggage mat (5-door) on the damaged
tire.
10. Remove the tire blocks and store thetools and jack.
11. Check the inflation pressure. Refer to Tires on page 9-9.
12. Have the flat tire repaired or replaced
as soon as possible.
13. After repairing or replacing the flat
tire, install the wheel cover (vehicles
with steel wheels) or center cap
(vehicles with alumi num wheels) using
the following procedure.
(Wheel cover)
1. Align the notch on the wheel cover with the tire valve of the wheel and
install the whee l cover to the
wheel.
1. Notch
2. Tire valve
CAUTION
Always align the notch on the wheel
cover with the tire valve of the
wheel. Otherwise, it could cause
damage to the wheel cover and the
tire valve.
(Center cap)
1. Align the center cap with the center hole of the wheel and install the
center cap to the wheel.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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WA R N I N G
Do not drive with any tires that have
incorrect air pressure:
Driving on tires with incorrect air pressure
is dangerous. Tires with incorrect pressure
could affect handling and result in an
accident. When you check the regular tires'
air pressure, check the spare tire, too.
NOTE
To prevent the jack and tool from rattling,
store them properly.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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WA R N I N G
Do not drive the vehicle at high speeds if
the TPMS warning light turns on or flashes:
Driving the vehicle at high speeds while the
TPMS warning light is turned on or flashing
is dangerous because the brake
performance and the steering wheel
operability will be reduced. If the vehicle is
driven at high speeds or the brakes are
suddenly applied, it could lead to an
accident. Gradually apply the brakes to
lower the vehicle's speed.
Do not ignore the TPMS warning light
when it is turned on or flashing:
Continuing to drive the vehicle while
ignoring the illumination/flashing of the
TPMS warning light is dangerous because a
tire may burst which could lead to an
accident. Take appropriate measures as
soon as possible.
NOTE
While the TPMS is learning the tire
positions, such as immediately after a tire
position has been changed, the tire
pressure at the tire position prior to it
being changed is displayed until the
system completes the learning. For this
reason, the tire pressures displayed for the
tire positions may be different from the
actual tire pressures at the tire positions.
Action to be taken
Adjust the tire pressu res to the appropriate
pressures.
Refer to Tire Inflation Pressure on page
6-31.
CAUTION
Adjust the tire pressures while the tires
are cool. Because the air pressure in the
tires
fluctuates depending on the
temperature, before adjusting the tire
pressures, let the vehicle sit for an hour or
drive it only within a 1.6 km (1 mile)
distance. If the tire pressures are adjusted
while the tires are warm, the tire
pressures may decrease below the specified air pressure after cooling down
which could turn on the warning light. In
addition, because the air pressure in the
tires decreases when the ambient
temperature is low, if the ambient
temperature increases, an illuminated
TPMS warning light may turn off. Under
any circumstances, always adjust the tire
pressures while the tires are cool.
After adjusting the tire pressures, the
TPMS warning light turns off. If the TPMS
warning light does not turn off, drive the
vehicle at a speed of about 25 km (16
mph) or faster for 3 minutes or longer
and make sure the warning light turns
off.
If the TPMS warning light remains on
even after adjusting th e tire pressures, one
of the tires may have a puncture.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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Uniform Tire Quality
Grading System (UTQGS)
▼ Uniform Tire Quality Grading
System (UTQGS)
This information relates to the tire grading
system developed by the U.S. National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration for
grading tires by tread wear, traction, and
temperature performance.
▼ Tr e a d We a r
The tread wear grade is a comparative
rating based on the we
ar 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-a-half 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 because of variations in
driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and
climate.
▼ Traction-AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. These 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.
WA R N I N G
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on braking (straight ahead) traction
tests and does not include acceleration
cornering (turning), hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
▼Temperature-A, B, C
The temperature grades A (the highest), B,
and C, represent 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
temperatures can lead to sudden tire
failure.
Grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger vehicle
tires must meet under the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades
B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the la
boratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
Customer Information and Reporting Safety Defects
Uniform Tire Quality G rading System (UTQGS)
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