wheel BUICK RIVIERA 1993 Owner's Guide

I Place the spare on the
wheel
.mounting
surface.
' Replace the wheel nuts with
the rounded-end of the nuts
toward the wheel. Tighten'
each nut by hand
until the
wheel
is held against the ' -
hub.
, counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
Lower the vehicle
by rotating the wheel wrench
/r CAUTIO'N:
Never use ail or grease on studs 1 nuts. If you
d,o, the nuts might !corne l~oose. Your w,heel
muld fall 'off, causing a serious accident.

Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a criss-cross
sequence as
shown. A CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become
loose and even come
off. This could lead to an
accident. Be sure to use the correct wheel nuts.
If you have to replace them, be sure to get the
right kind.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to
100
ft. Ibs. (140.m).
Don't try to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It won't fit. Store the.whee1 cover
in the trunk until
you have the flat tire repaired
or replaced.

Don’t use your compact spare on some other vehicle.
And don’t mix^ your compact spare or wheel with other
wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
and its
wheel together.
A CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire, or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden .stop or collision,
loose equipment could strike someone. Store all
these in the proper place.
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L I
If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or
Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels. The method known
as “rocking”
can help
you get out when you’re stuck, but you must
use caution.
A CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode and you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle
can overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible.
Don’t spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h)
as shown on the speedometer.

When to Check: Check your tires once a month or
more.
Don’t forget your compact spare tire. It should be at
60
psi (420 kPa).
I
How to Check: Use a good quality pocket-type gage to
check tire pressure. Simply looking at the tires will not
tell you the pressure, especially
if you have radial tires --
which may look properly inflated even if they’re
underinflated.
If your tires have valve caps, be sure to put them back on. They help prevent leaks .by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
Tire Inspection and Rotation
To make your tires last longer, have them inspected and
rotated at the mileages recommended
in the
Maintenance, Schedule. See “Scheduled Maintenance
Services”
in the Index.
r-
Use this rotation pattern.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear inflation pressure
as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that all wheel nuts are
properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque”
in the
Index.

Buying New .Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
:the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
:get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way,
*your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by a
“MS’,
(for mud and snow).
;If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
!.TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load rdnge, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
, A CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control
while driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and ‘bias-belted tires), the
1 vehicle may not handle properly, and you cou’ ’
have a crash. Be sure to use the same size ana
type tires on all four wheels.
It’s
all right to drive with your compact spa
though. It was developed for use
on your
vehicle.
~1
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles~ sold.in the United States.)
Treadwear
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
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(1 1/2) 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 - A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest are: A, B,
and C. They 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 braking (straight-ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature - A, B, C
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
whicrall 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
I
excessive loading, either separately or in combination, !
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
Those grade
b are molded on the sidewalls of passenger
car tires.
While the tires available as standard or optional
equipment on General Motors vehicles may vary with
respect to these grades, all such tires meet General
Motors performance standards and have been approved
for use
on General Motors vehicles. All passenger type
(P Metric) tires must conform to Federal safety
requirements in addition to these grades.
249

Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance w.
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to have your wheels
aligned again. 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.
If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the wheel, wheel bolts,
and wheel nuts should be replaced. If the wheel leaks air
out, replace it (except some aluminum wheels, which
can sometimes be repaired). See your Buick dealer if
any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Eachnew wheel should have the same load carrying
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 Buick
model.
'1250

I
A CAUTION:
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. I
Used Keplacement Wheels
I
A CAUTION:
Putting a used eel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can’t know how
it’s been used
or how many miles it’s been driven.
It could fail
suddenly and cause an accident. If you have to
replace a wheel use a new
GM original
equipment wheel.
251
-

Aluminum Wheels
If your Buick has these, don’t use chrome polish on
them. Use wax after you clean them. Also, don’t use
abrasive cleaners or cleaning brushes
on them -- you
could damage the protective coating.
White Sidewall Tires
Your Buick dealer has a GM White Sidewall Tire
Cleaner. You can
use a stiff brush with it.
257