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MAINTENANCE
MAINTENANCE
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Tire Service Life
The life of your tires is dependent on many factors, including driving habits,
road conditions, vehicle loading, inflation pressure, maintenance history,
speed, and environmental conditions (even when the tires are not in use).
In addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance, it is
recommended that you have annual inspections performed once the tires
reach five years old. All tires, including the spare, should be removed from
service after 10 years from the date of manufacture, regardless of their
condition or state of wear.
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Winter Tires
If driving on snowy or frozen roads, mount all season tires marked “M+S”,
snow tires, or tire chains; reduce speed and maintain sufficient distance
between vehicles when driving. For winter tires, select the size and load
ranges that are the same as the original tires, and mount them to all four
wheels.
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Tire Chains
Install tire chains on the front tires only. Because your vehicle has limited
tire clearance, we strongly recommend using the following chains:
Cable-type: SCC Radial Chain SC1040
Mount chains as tightly as you can and make sure that they do not touch the
brake lines or suspension.
Traction devices that are the wrong size or improperly installed can damage
your vehicle’s brake lines, suspension, body, and wheels. Stop driving if they
are hitting any part of the vehicle.
NOTICE
Using the wrong chains, or not properly installing chains, can damage the
brake lines and cause a crash in which you can be seriously injured or
killed.
Follow all instructions in this guide regarding the selection and use of tire
chains.
WARNING
Tire Labeling
The tires that came on your vehicle have a number of markings. Those you
should be aware of are described below.
Here is an example of what each marking means:
P215/50R17 94V
P: tire type (passenger vehicle)
215: tire width in millimeters
50: aspect ratio (tire section height as a
percentage of its width)
r: tire construction code (radial)
17: rim diameter in inches
94: load index (code indicating maximum
load tire can carry)
v: speed symbol (code indicating
maximum speed rating)
Tire size
Tire
identification
number (TIN)
Maximum
tire load
Maximum
tire pressure
Tire size
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Tire Identification Number (TIN)
The tire identification number (TIN)
is a group of numbers and letters
that look like the example shown.
TIN is located on the sidewall of
the tire.
DOT B97R FW6X 2209
DOT: This indicates that the tire meets all
requirements of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
B97R: Manufacturer’s identification mark
FW6X: Tire type code
22 09: Date of Transportation
Year
Week
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Glossary of Tire Terminology
Cold Tire Pressure –
The tire air pressure when the vehicle has been parked
for at least three hours or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Load Rating –
The maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given
inflation pressure.
Maximum Inflation Pressure –
The maximum tire air pressure that the tire
can hold.
Maximum Load Rating –
The load rating for a tire at the maximum
permissible inflation pressure for that tire.
Recommended Inflation Pressure –
The cold tire inflation pressure
recommended by the manufacturer.
Treadwear Indicators (TWI) –
The projections within the principal grooves
designed to give a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread.
