PONTIAC GRAND AM 2003 Owners Manual

Treadwear Temperature - A, B, C
The
treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear 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
(1.5) 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
due
to 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. Those 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. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics. The
temperature grades are
A (the highest), B, and C,
representing 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 temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade
C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance
on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
5-58

Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory
to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are
not needed. However,
if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the
wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer
if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new ~hppl shnulc! hae the qqme inauj-carryin~
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted
the same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new
GM
original equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for your vehicle. Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel
bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous.
It could affect the braking and
handling
of your vehicle, make your tires lose
air and make you lose control. You could have a collision in which you or others could be
injured. Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts and wheel nuts for replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.
See
Changing a flat Tire on page 5-62 for more
information.
5-59

Used Replacement Wheels Tire Chains
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can’t know how it’s been used or
how far it’s been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
If you have to
replace a wheel, use a new
GM original
equipment wheel.
If your vehicle has P225/50R16 size tires, don’t
use tire chains, there’s not enough clearance.
Tire chains used on a vehicle without the proper amount of clearance can cause damage
to the brakes, suspension or other vehicle
parts. The area damaged by the tire chains
could cause
you to lose control of your vehicle
and you or others may be injured in
a crash.
Use another type of traction device only
if its
manufacturer recommends it for use on your
vehicle and tire
size combination and road
conditions. Follow that manufacturer’s instructions.
To help avoid damage to your
vehicle, drive slowly, readjust or remove the device if it’s contacting your vehicle, and don’t
spin your wheels.
If you do find traction devices that will fit,
install them on the front tires.
5-60

Notice: If your vehicle has a tire size other than
P225/50R16 size tires, use tire chains only where
legal and only when you must. Use only
SAE Class
“S” type chains that are the proper size for your
tires. Install them on the front tires and tighten them
as tightly as possible with the ends securely
fastened. Drive slowly and follow the chain
manufacturer’s instructions.
If you can hear the
chains contacting your vehicle, stop and retighten
them.
If the contact continues, slow down until
it stops. Driving too fast
or spinning the wheels with
chains on will damage your vehicle.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air
goes out of a tire, it’s much more likely
to leak out
slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout”, here are
a few tips about what
to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly. Steer
to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use
in a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle
to go, It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop - well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment
to change a flat tire safely.
5-6 1

Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to
a level place. Turn on your
hazard warning flashers.
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The
vehicle can slip
off the jack and roll over you
or other people. You and they could be badly
injured. Find a level place to change your tire.
To help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transaxle shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST
(1) or REVERSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move, you can put blocks at
the front and
rear
of the tire farthest away from the one
being changed. That would be the tire on other side of the vehicle, at the The following steps
will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
5-62

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need is in the trunk.
1. Pull the carpeting from
the floor of the trunk.
I Turn the center retainer
nut on the compact spare
tire cover
counterclockwise to
remove it.
2. Lift and remove the cover. See Compact Spare
Tire on page
5-71 later in this section for more
information about the compact spare.
3. Turn the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove
it. Then lift off the
spacer and remove the
compact spare tire.
4. Remove the jack and wheel wrench from the trunk.
Your vehicle’s jack and wheel wrench are stored in
a foam tray. Remove the band around the jack.
5-63

A
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench
(6).
1. If your vehicle has a wheel cover or hubcap that
has plastic wheel nut caps, then loosen the plastic
nut caps (you may need to use the wheel wrench
to loosen them). Do not pry off wheel covers
or center caps that have plastic wheel nut caps.
Then remove the wheel cover or center cap.
5-64

2. Then use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel
nuts. Don’t remove them yet.
/ \-
18 inches (46 cm)
3. Position the jack and raise the jack head until it fits
firmly into the notch in the vehicle’s frame nearest
the flat tire. Put the compact spare tire near you.
Getting under a vehicle when
it is jacked up is
dangerous.
If the vehicle slips off the jack you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get
under
a vehicle when it is supported only by
a jack.
5-65

Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall.
To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to fit the
jack
lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.
4. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough
off the
ground
so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire
to fit underneath the wheel well.
5. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
6. Remove the flat tire.
7. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel
bolts,
mounting surfaces
and spare wheel.
5-66

Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which
it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become
lccse after a time. The wheel could
come
off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
the places where the wheel attaches to the
vehicle.
In an emergency, you can use a cloth
or
a paper towel to do this; but be sure to use
a scraper or wire brush later, if you need to,
to
get all the rust or dirt off.
1
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If
could fall
off, causing a serious accident.
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8. Install the compact spare tire.
9. Put the wheel nuts back on with the rounded end of
the nuts toward the wheel. Tighten each nut by
hand until the wheel is held against the hub.
5-67