tires Alfa Romeo 4C Spider 2016 Owner's Manual

Air Bag Warning Light
The light should come on and remain on for four to eight
seconds as a bulb check when the ignition is first cycled
to ON. If the light is not lit during starting, see your
authorized dealer. If the light stays on, flickers, or comes
on while driving, have the system checked by an autho-
rized dealer.
Defroster
Check operation by selecting the defrost mode and place
the blower control on high speed. You should be able to
feel the air directed against the windshield. See your
authorized dealer for service if your defroster is inoper-
able.
Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit the foot well of
your vehicle. Use only floor mats that leave the pedal
area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so thatthey cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread. Inspect the tread and sidewall for
cuts and cracks. Check the wheel nuts for tightness.
Check the tires for proper pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights and
exterior lights while you work the controls. Check turn
signal and high beam indicator lights on the instrument
panel.
70 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

•Mechanical interference (e.g washing the vehicle, rain,
strong wind, hail) may cause the sensor to detect a
non-existent obstacle (“echo interference”).
• The presence of ultrasonic systems (e.g. pneumatic
brake systems of trucks or pneumatic drills) near the
vehicle could alter the signals sent by the sensor.
• The variation in sensor position, caused by variation in
ride (due to suspension component wear), changing
tires, overloaded vehicle, or tuning that lowers the
vehicle, for example, may affect parking sensor system
performance. NOTE:The sensor must be free from mud, dirt snow or
ice in order for the system to operate correctly. Be careful
not to scratch or damage the sensors while cleaning them.
Avoid using dry, rough or hard cloths. The sensors must be
washed using clean water, with the addition of car sham-
poo if necessary. When using special washing equipment
such as high pressure jets or steam cleaning, clean the
sensors very quickly keeping the jet more than 4 in (10 cm)
away. Also, do not apply stickers to the sensors.
CAUTION!
• The Parking Sensor system is only a parking aid
and it is unable to recognize every obstacle, includ-
ing small obstacles. Parking curbs might be tem-
porarily detected or not detected at all. Obstacles
located above or below the sensors will not be
detected when they are in close proximity
(Continued)
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 107

Yellow Telltale Indicator Lights
Tire Pressure Monitoring Indicator Light
Yellow TelltaleLight What It Means
Tire Pressure Monitoring Indicator Light
The warning light switches on and a message is displayed to indicate that the tire pressure
is lower than the recommended value and/or that slow pressure loss is occurring. In these
cases, optimal tire duration and fuel consumption may not be guaranteed.
Should one or more tires be in the condition mentioned above, the display will show the
indications corresponding to each tire in sequence.
IMPORTANT: Do not continue driving with one or more
flat tires as handling may be compromised. Stop the
vehicle, avoiding sharp braking and steering. Repair
immediately using the dedicated tire repair kit and
contact your authorized dealership as soon as possible.
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 pressure label. If your
vehicle has tires of a different size than the size indicated
on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, you
should determine the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 131

As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale 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 life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for proper
tire maintenance, 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.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is notoperating properly. The TPMS malfunction indicator is
combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, the sys-
tem may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure
as intended. TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle, to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.
132 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

CAUTION!
The TPMS has been optimized for the original
equipment tires and wheels. TPMS pressures and
warning have been established for the tire size
equipped on your vehicle. Undesirable system opera-
tion or sensor damage may result when using re-
placement equipment that is not of the same size,
type, and/or style. Aftermarket wheels can cause
sensor damage. Using aftermarket tire sealants may
cause the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
sensor to become inoperable. After using an after-
market tire sealant it is recommended that you take
your vehicle to an authorized dealership to have your
sensor function checked.
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 133

▫Shallow Standing Water .................193
 PARKING BRAKE ..................... .195
 BRAKE SYSTEM ...................... .197
 ESC (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL)
SYSTEM ............................ .197
▫ System Activation .....................199
▫ System Intervention ...................199
▫ Electronic Brake Distribution System (EBD) . . .199
▫ Four-Wheel Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) . . .199
▫ Cornering Brake Control System (CBC) ......201
▫ Drag Torque Control System (DTC) ........201
▫ AntiSlip Regulation System (ASR) .........202
▫ Hill Start Assist (HSA) ..................203 ▫
Hydraulic Brake Assistant System (HBA) . . . .204
▫ Electronic Q2 System (E-Q2) .............205
▫ Ready Alert Brake System (RAB) ..........205
 TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION .............206
▫ Tire Markings ....................... .206
▫ Tire Identification Number (TIN) ...........209
▫ Tire Terminology And Definitions ..........211
▫ Tire Loading And Tire Pressure ...........212
 TIRES — GENERAL INFORMATION ........217
▫ Tire Pressure ....................... .217
▫ Tire Inflation Pressures .................218
▫ Tire Pressures For High Speed Operation . . . .220
▫ Radial Ply Tires ..................... .220
174 STARTING AND OPERATING

▫Tire Types .......................... .221
▫ Run Flat Tires — If Equipped .............223
▫ Spare Tires — If Equipped ...............223
▫ Tire Spinning ....................... .226
▫ Tread Wear Indicators ..................226
▫ Life Of Tire ........................ .227
▫ Replacement Tires .....................228
 TIRE CHAINS (TRACTION DEVICES) .......229
 TIRE ROTATION RECOMMENDATIONS .....230
 TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM
(TPMS) ............................. .231
▫ Base System ........................ .233
▫ General Information ...................236 
FUEL REQUIREMENTS — 1750 Turbo .......236
▫ Reformulated Gasoline .................237
▫ Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends ..............237
▫ E-85 Usage In Non-Flex Fuel Vehicles .......238
▫ MMT In Gasoline .....................238
▫ Materials Added To Fuel ................238
▫ Fuel System Cautions ...................239
▫ Carbon Monoxide Warnings .............240
 ADDING FUEL/SMART FUEL .............241
 TRAILER TOWING .....................244
 RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.) ...................244
▫ Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle . .244
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 175

•Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles.
• Replace tires when tread wear indicators first become
visible.
• Keep tires properly inflated.
• Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Limited Slip
Differential (LSD) that reduces, but does not eliminate,
the amount of wheel slip across a given axle for im-
proved handling.
DRIVING THROUGH WATER
Driving through water more than a few inches/
centimeters deep will require extra caution to ensure
safety and prevent damage to your vehicle.
Flowing/Rising Water
WARNING!
Do not drive on or across a road or path where water
is flowing and/or rising (as in storm run-off). Flow-
ing water can wear away the road or path’s surface
and cause your vehicle to sink into deeper water.
Furthermore, flowing and/or rising water can carry
your vehicle away swiftly. Failure to follow this
warning may result in injuries that are serious or
fatal to you, your passengers, and others around you.
Shallow Standing Water
Although your vehicle is capable of driving through
shallow standing water, consider the following Cautions
and Warnings before doing so.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 193

WARNING!(Continued)
hydroplaning. ESC also cannot prevent collisions
resulting from loss of vehicle control due to inap-
propriate driver input for the conditions. Only a
safe, attentive, and skillful driver can prevent col-
lisions.The capabilities of an ESC equipped ve-
hicle must never be exploited in a reckless or
dangerous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er ’s safety or the safety of others.
• Vehicle modifications, or failure to properly main-
tain your vehicle, may change the handling charac-
teristics of your vehicle, and may negatively affect
the performance of the ESC system. Changes to the
steering system, suspension, braking system, tire
type and size or wheel size may adversely affect
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
ESC performance. Improperly inflated and un-
evenly worn tires may also degrade ESC perfor-
mance. Any vehicle modification or poor vehicle
maintenance that reduces the effectiveness of the
ESC system can increase the risk of loss of vehicle
control, vehicle rollover, personal injury and death.
The ESC system uses sensors installed on the vehicle to
determine the trajectory that the driver intends to follow
and compares it with the vehicles effective trajectory.
When the real trajectory deviates from the desired trajec-
tory, the ESC system intervenes to counter the vehicles
understeer or oversteer.
• Oversteer: occurs when the vehicle is turning more
than it should according to the angle of the steering
wheel.
198 STARTING AND OPERATING

The system’s pump motor runs during an ABS stop to
provide regulated hydraulic pressure. The pump motor
makes a low humming noise during operation, which is
normal.
The ABS includes an amber ABS Warning Light. When
the light is illuminated, the ABS is not functioning. The
system reverts to standard non-anti-lock brakes. Turning
the ignition Off and On again may reset the ABS if the
fault detected was only momentary.
WARNING!
•When the ABS intervenes and you feel the brake
pedal pulsating, do not reduce the pressure, but
hold it down firmly and confidently; in doing so
you will brake in the shortest distance possible,
depending on the current road conditions.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•For maximum efficiency of the braking system, a
bedding-in period of about 311 miles (500 km) is
required: during this period it is advisable to avoid
sharp, repeated and prolonged braking.
• If the ABS intervenes, this indicates that the grip of
the tires on the road is nearing its limit: you must
slow down to a speed compatible with the avail-
able grip.
• The ABS can’t overrule the natural laws of physics,
and can’t increase the grip available according to
the condition of the road.
• The ABS cannot prevent accidents, including those
due to excessive speed on corners, driving on
low-grip surfaces or aquaplaning.
• The capability of the ABS must never be tested
irresponsibly and dangerously, in such a way as to
(Continued)
200 STARTING AND OPERATING