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Tires 9-12 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
N00939201693
It is important to familiarize yourself with the following terms:Cold tire pressure:
WA R N I N G Never disconnect the battery while the engine is running, or you could damagethe vehicle’s electrical parts. Never short-circuit the battery. This could cause it to overheat and be damaged. Keep sparks, cigarette
s, and flames away
from the battery because the battery couldexplode. Electrolyte (battery acid) is made of corro- sive diluted sulfuric acid. If it spills on nearby parts, it can crack, stain, or dis- color them. And if it gets on your skin orin your eyes, it can cause burns or blind- ness. Please observe the following han- dling instructions:• If electrolyte gets on plastic parts orother nearby parts, wipe it off with a softcloth or chamois soak
ed in a solution of
water and neutral detergent then imme- diately rinse the affected parts withplenty of water.• If electrolyte gets on your hands orclothes, rinse thoroughly with water. If electrolyte gets in
your eyes, flush them
with water immediately and get immedi-ate medical attention.
Open doors and wind
ows in any closed
space where you may be charging or working with the battery. Always wear protective clothing and gog- gles when working with the battery, or have a skilled automobi
le technician do it.
If you are quick-charging your battery, first disconnect the battery cables. In order to prevent a short-circuit, be sure to disconnect the negative (-) terminal first, and reconnect it last. Battery posts, termin
als and related acces-
sories contain lead
and lead compounds.
Wash hands after handling.NOTE
Check each battery terminal for corrosion. You can stop more corrosion by washing with a solution of baking soda and water. Grease the posts and cl
amps after cleaning or
tightening them. Check to see that the battery is securely installed and cannot be
moved. Also check
each terminal for tightness. If you will not be driv
ing your vehicle for a
long period of time, re
move the battery and
store it in a place where the battery fluid willnot freeze. The batter
y only should be stored
with a full charge. Before cleaning the ba
ttery, tighten all the
filler port caps to keep
dirt and moisture out.
WA R N I N G
Tires
WA R N I N GDriving with tires that are worn, damaged or improperly inflated is dangerous.These type tire
conditions will
adversely affect vehicle perfor- mance.These type tire conditions can also cause a tread separation or blowout which may resultin an accident causing serious injury or death.Tires, including spare tire,degrade over time with age even when they are not beingused. It is recommended that tires over 6 years generally bereplaced even if damage is not obvious.
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Tires
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-13
9
•The measured pressure after the vehicle has been parked for at least three hours, or•The measured pressure when the vehicle is driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after having beenparked for three hours.
Maximum pressure: the maximumpermissible cold tire inflationpressure for this tire.Recommended inflation pressure:the inflation pressure for optimumtire performance.Intended outboard sidewall:•The sidewall that contains awhitewall, bears white lettering or bears manufacturer, brand, and/or model name molding thatis higher or deeper than the same molding on the other sidewall of the tire,or
•The outward facing sidewall ofan asymmetrical tire that has a particular side that must always face outward when mounted on avehicle.
Passenger car tire: a tire intendedfor use on passenger cars, multi-purpose passenger vehicles, and trucks that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000pounds or less.Light truck (LT) tire: a tire desig-nated by its manufacturer as pri-marily intended for use on lightweight trucks or multipurpose passenger vehicles.Tread: portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.Tread rib: a tread section running circumferentially around a tire.Tread separation: pulling away ofthe tread from the tire carcass.Carcass: the tire structure, excepttread and sidewall rubber which, when inflated, bears the load.Sidewall: portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Section width: the linear distancebetween the exteriors of the side- walls of an inflated tire, excluding elevations due to labeling, decora-tion, or protective bands.Bead: the part of the tire that ismade of steel wires, wrapped orreinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.Ply: a layer of rubber-coated par- allel cords.Cord: the strands
forming the plies
in the tire.Rim: a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon which the tire beads are seated.Rim diameter: nominal diameter of the bead seat.Groove: the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
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Tires 9-14 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
EXAMPLE: P215/65R15
EXAMPLE: 95H
Tire Markings 1- Size Designation 2- Service Description3- Maximum Load 4- Maximum Pressure 5- U.S. DOT Safety Standards
Code (TIN)
6- Treadwear, Traction and Tem-
perature Grades
Size Designation P
Passenger car tire size based on U.S.A. design standards
215
Section width in millimeters (mm)
65
Aspect ratio in percent (%) Ratio of section height to section width of tire.
R
Construction code • “R” means radial construc- tion. • “D” means diagonal or bias construction.
15 Rim diameter in inches (in)
NOTE
European/Japanese metric tire sizing is based on European/Jap- anese design standards. Tiresdesigned to these standards have the tire size molded into the sidewall beginning with the sec-tion width. The letter “P” is absent from this tire size desig- nation.Example: 215/65R15 96H.
LT (Light Truck) -metric tiresizing is based on U.S.A. design standards. The size designation for LT-metric tires is the same asfor P-metric tires except for the letters “LT” that are molded into the sidewall preceding the sizedesignation. Example: LT235/85R16.Temporary spare tires are highpressure compact spares designed for temporary emer-gency use only. Tires designed to this standard have the letter “T” molded into the sidewallpreceding the si
ze designation.
Example: T145/80D18 103M.
Service Description 95
Load index A numerical code associ- ated with the maximum load a tire can carry.
NOTE
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Tires
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-15
9
Maximum load indicates the maxi- mum load this tire is designed to carry.
Maximum Pressure indicates the maximum permissible cold tire infla- tion pressure for this tire. The TIN may be found on one or both sides of the tire but the datecode may only be on one side. Look for the TIN on the outboard side of tires as mounted on the vehicle. If theTIN is not found on the outboard side then you will find it on the inboard side of the tire.
EXAMPLE: DOT MA L9 ABCD 1504
H
Speed symbol A symbol indicating the range of speeds at which a tire can carry a load corre- sponding to its
load index
under certain operating con- ditions. The maximum speed corre-sponding to the speed sym- bol should only be achieved under specified operating conditions. (i.e. tire pressure, vehicle loading, road condi- tions and posted speed lim-its)
Maximum Load
WA R N I N GOverloading of your tire is dangerous. Overloading can cause tire failure, affect vehi- cle handling, and increaseyour stopping distance. Use tires of the recommended load capacity for your vehicle.Never overload them.
Maximum Pressure Tire Identification Number (TIN)
DOT
Department of Transporta- tion This symbol certifies that the tire is in compliance with the U.S.
Department
of Transportation tire safety standards, and is approved for highway use.
MA
Code representing the tire manufacturing location. (2 digits)
L9 ABCD
Code representing the tire size. (2 digits) Code used by tire manufac-turer. (1 to 4 digits)
15
Number representing the week in which
the tire was
manufactured. (2 digits)
04
Number representing the year in which the tire was manufactured. (2 digits)
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Tires 9-16 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of thetire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test course. For example, a tiregraded 150 would wear one and one- half (1
1/2) times as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditionsof their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, servicepractices and differences in road characteristic
s and climate.
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on speci- fied government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction perfor-mance. The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C, representing thetire’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 tireto degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C cor-responds to a level of performance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehi-cle Safety Standard No. 109. GradesB and A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required bylaw.
N00939302037
Proper tire inflation pressure is essential for the safe and satisfactory operation of your vehicle. The wrongtire pressure will cause problems in three major areas:SafetyToo little pressure increases flex- ing in the tire and can cause tirefailure. Too much pressure can cause a tire to lose its ability to cushion shock.
Objects on the
road and potholes could then cause tire damage that may result in tire failure.Economy The wrong tire pressure can cause uneven wear patterns in the tiretread. These abnormal wear pat- terns will reduce the tread life, and the tire will have to be replacedsooner.Too little pressure also makes it harder for the tire to roll, and this uses up more fuel.
Treadwear, Traction and Temper- ature Grades Treadwear Tr a c t i o n
Temperature
Tire inflation pressures
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Vehicle care and maintenance 9-17
9
Ride comfort and vehicle stability The superior riding experience built into your vehicle partly depends on the correct tire pres-sure. Too much pressure gives an uncomfortable and jarring ride. Too little pressure feels as if yourvehicle is slow to respond. Unequal tire pressures can make steering your vehicle uneven andunpredictable.
The tire pressure for your vehicle under normal driving conditions is listed on the placard attached to the driver’s door sill.(Refer to “Tire and loading informa- tion placard” on page 11-3.)
The recommended inflation pres- sures under normal driving condi- tions 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, because tire pres-sures change with outdoor tempera- tures. The pressures listed are always “cold inflation pressure”.
Cold inflation pressure is measured after the vehicle has been parked for at least three hours or is driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after havingbeen parked for three hours. Cold inflation pres
sure must not go
above the maximum values moldedinto the tire sidewall. After driving several miles, your tire inflation pres- sure may increase 2 to 6 psi (14 to 41kPa) 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 thanthe others, check the pressure for all of them. You should also take the followingsafety precautions:Keep your tires inflated to the rec-ommended pressures. (See the tireand loading information placard attached to the driver’s door sill.)Stay within the recommended load limits.
Item
Tire size
Front
Rear
Nor- mal tire
165/65R
14
240 kPa, 35
psi
240 kPa, 35
psi
175/55R
15
220 kPa, 32
psi
220 kPa, 32
psi
Com- pact spare wheel
T115/70 D14
420 kPa, 60 psi
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Tires 9-18 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
Make sure that the weight of any load in your vehicle is evenly dis- tributed.Drive at safe speeds.After filling your tires to the cor-rect pressure, check them for dam- age and air leaks. Be sure toreinstall the caps on the valve stems.
N00939601512 N00939701207
The following maintenance steps are recommended:
Check tire pressures regularly.Have regular maintenance done on the wheel balance and front and rear suspension alignment.Rotate your tires regularly as described in the “Tire rotation” section on page 9-18.
N00939801240
Tread wear indicators are built into the origi- nal equipment tires on
your vehicle to help
you know when your tires should be replaced. Many states have la
ws requiring that you
replace your tires at this point. These indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread grooves and will appear when the
tire tread is worn down to 1/16 inch (1.6 mm).When the bands appear next to one another in two or more places
, replace your tires.
N00939901586
To even out the wear on your tires and make them last
longer, Mitsubi-
shi Motors Corporation recommendsthat you rotate your tires at the mile- age listed in the “WARRANTY AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL”.However, the timing for tire rotation may vary according to your vehicle condition, road surface conditions,and your own personal driving hab- its. Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your tires as soon as pos-sible. When rotating tires, check for uneven wear, damage, and wheel
Replacing tires and wheels
CAUTION Avoid using different size tires from the one listed and the combined use of different types of tires, as this can affect driving safety.Refer to “Tires and wheels” on page 11-5. Only Mitsubishi Motors Genuine wheels should be used. Use of another type of
wheel risks air leaks
and sensor damage, as
it will not be possible
to install the tire pressure sensor properly.
Tire maintenance
Tread wear indicator 1- Location of the tread wear indicator 2- Tread wear indicator
NOTE
Tire wear indicators ca
n have different marks
and locations depending
on the tire manufac-
turer.
Tire rotation
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Tires
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-19
9
alignment. Abnormal wear is usually caused by a wrong tire pressure, wheels that are not aligned properly, wheels that are out-of-balance, orsevere braking. Check with an authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer or a repair facility ofyour choice to find out the reason for uneven tread wear. The first tire rotation is the most important one. It will allow all your tires to wear evenly.Tires that do not have arrows showing rotation direction Front Tires that have arrows
showing rotation direc-
tion Front
CAUTIONA compact spare tire can beinstalled temporarily in place of a tire that has been removed dur- ing the tire rotation. However, itmust not be included in the regu- lar tire rotation sequence.
CAUTIONIf the tires have arrows (A) indi- cating the correct direction of rotation, swap the front and rear tires on the left-hand side of thevehicle and the front and rear tires on the right-hand side of the vehicle separately. Keepeach tire on its original side of the vehicle. When installing the tires, make sure the arrows pointin the direction in which the wheels will turn when the vehi- cle moves forward. Any tirewhose arrow points in the wrong direction will not perform to its full potential.
Front
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