R O U T I N E M A I N T E N A N C E
14-14
Safety First-Basic Tire Maintenance
Properly maintained tires improve the steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying capability of your
vehicle. Under-inflated tires and overloaded vehicles are a major cause of tire failure. Therefore, as
mentioned above, to avoid flat tires and other types of tire failure, you should maintain proper tire
pressure, observe tire and vehicle load limits, avoid road hazards, and regularly inspect your tires.
Finding Your Vehicle’s Recommended Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire information placards and vehicle certification labels contain information on tires and load limits.
These labels indicate the vehicle manufacturer’s information including:
•
Recommended tire size
•
Recommended tire inflation pressure
•
Vehicle capacity weight (VCW—the maximum occupant and cargo weight a vehicle is designed
to carry)
•
Front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR—the maximum weight the axle systems are
designed to carry)
For motor homes:
Both placards and certification labels are permanently attached in the rear closet. You
can also find the recommended tire pressure and load limit for your vehicle in the vehicle owner’s manual.
Understanding Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire inflation pressure is the level of air in the tire that provides it with load-carrying capacity and affects
the overall performance of the vehicle. The tire inflation pressure is a number that indicates the amount of
air pressure—measured in pounds per square inch (psi)—a tire requires to be properly inflated. (You will
also find this number on the vehicle information placard expressed in kilopascals (kPa), which is the
metric measure used internationally).
Vehicle manufacturers determine this number based on the vehicle’s design load limit, that is, the greatest
amount of weight a vehicle can safely carry and the vehicle’s tire size. The proper tire pressure for your
vehicle is referred to as the “recommended cold inflation pressure.” (As you will read below, it is difficult
to obtain the recommended tire pressure if your tires are not cold.)
Because tires are designed to be used on more than one type of vehicle, tire manufacturers list the
“maximum permissible inflation pressure” on the tire sidewall. This number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire under normal driving conditions.
Checking Tire Pressure
It is important to check your vehicle’s tire pressure at least once a month for the following reasons:
Summary of Contents for Allegro Bus 2011
Page 8: ...G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N 1 1 GENERAL INFORMATION Chapter 1 ...
Page 15: ......
Page 16: ...D R I V I N G S A F E T Y I N S T R U C T I O N S 2 1 Driving Safety Instructions Chapter 2 ...
Page 27: ......
Page 28: ...H E A T I N G A I R C O N D I T I O N I N G 3 1 Heating Air Conditioning Chapter 3 ...
Page 37: ......
Page 68: ......
Page 69: ...C A B I N E T S F U R N I T U R E 5 1 Cabinets Furniture Chapter 5 ...
Page 74: ......
Page 75: ...S T R U C T U R A L F E A T U R E S 6 1 Structural Features Chapter 6 ...
Page 77: ......
Page 78: ...E L E C T R I C A L F E A T U R E S 7 1 Electrical Features Chapter 7 ...
Page 94: ......
Page 95: ...S L I D E O U T F E A T U R E S 8 1 Slide Out Features Chapter 8 ...
Page 99: ......
Page 100: ...E X T E R I O R F E A T U R E S 9 1 Exterior Features Chapter 9 ...
Page 107: ......
Page 108: ...I N T E R I O R F E A T U R E S 10 1 Interior Features Chapter 10 ...
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Page 113: ...P L U M B I N G B A T H F E A T U R E S 11 1 Plumbing Bath Fixtures Chapter 11 ...
Page 126: ......
Page 127: ...C O N S T R U C T I O N F E A T U R E S 12 1 Construction Features Chapter 12 ...
Page 129: ......
Page 130: ...W I N D O W S A W N I N G S V E N T S D O O R S 13 1 Windows Awnings Vents Doors Chapter 13 ...
Page 136: ......
Page 137: ...R O U T I N E M A I N T E N A N C E 14 1 Routine Maintenance Chapter 14 ...
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Page 180: ...M A I N T E N A N C E D A T A C H A R T S 15 1 Maintenance Data Charts Chapter 15 ...
Page 189: ...M A I N T E N A N C E D A T A C H A R T S 15 10 ...