BUICK SKYLARK 1993 Owners Manual

Loading Your Vehicle
TIRE-LOADI',NG INFORMATION
OCCUPANTS
, VEHICLE CAP. WT.
FRT. CTR.
RR. TOTAL LBS. KG
MAX
... LOADING & GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT- XXX COLD 'TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE .R.TG PSI/KPa
FRT.
,., : 3. ~
RR.
SPA.
IF TlRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PSI28KPa
SEE OWNER'S MANUAL
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
11)mp .$$##,::
.. ~ c . ., . 'Lj . - .,.
,::.,,: - -i, y- . e,; 2-.,- .- .
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found
on the rear edge of the driver's door tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight
and includes the weight of all occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
,~,,
- -
:.I.
' I
F >
MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
:.r .~,. a. DATE GVWR' GAWR FRT GAWR RR (1 . -. i < .
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CA5LE US. FED.ERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY, BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS IN EFFECT
ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE..
The other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver's door.
It tells you the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle, called the GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants,
fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle,
or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front or rear
axle.

And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread it
out. Don’t carry more than 132 pounds
(60 kilograms)
in your trunk.
A CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR or the maximum front and rear GAWRs. If
you do, parts on your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle handles. These
could cause you to
lose control. Also, $
overloading can shorten the life of youi-vehicle.
If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages, or anything else
-- they will go as fast
as the vehicle goes.
If you have to stop or turn quickly,
or if there is
a crash, they’ll keep going.
A CAUTION:
I
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike and I
injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a
crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle.
In a trunk, put them as far forward as you
can. Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops
of the seats.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure
it whenever you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
’
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Tires
We don’t make tires. Your new vehicle comes with high
quality tires made by a leading tire manufacturer. These
tires are warranted by the tire manufacturers and their
warranties are delivered with every new Buick. If your
spare tire is a different brand than your road tires, you
will have a tire warranty folder from each of these
manufacturers.
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Inflation - Tire Pressure I
I
I
The Tire-Loading Information label which is located on
the rear edge
of the driver’s door shows the correct
inflation pressures
for your tires, when they’re cold,
“Cold” means your vehicle has been sitting for at least
three hours or driven no more than
a mile.
overinflation is all right. it’s not. If your tires d
have enough air (underinflation) you can get:
0 Too much flexin
0 Too much heat
Tire overloadi
0 Bad wear
0 Bad handlin
0 Bad fuel ec
If your tires have too
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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 Pa).
How tco 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. 1
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. 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.
243

When It% Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is
to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires
have only
2/32 inch (1.6
mm) or less of tread
remaining.
You need a new tire if
You can see the indicators at three places around
0 You can see cord or fabric showing through the tire’s
0 The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord or fabric.
0 The tire has a bump, bulge or split. the tire.
rubber.

The tire has a puncture, cut, or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
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 range, 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 vehicle
may not handle properly, and you could have a
crash. Be sure to use the same size and type
tires on all wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed for limited use on your
vehicle.
I
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
245

(1 112) 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.
’Ikaction - 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
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.
Those grades 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.
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.
. which all passenger car tires must meet under the
246

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.
Each new 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.
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
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
earing life, brake cooling,
peedQmeter/Qdometer
cali
im, bumper height, vehicl
nd tire or tire chain clearance to the body an
, 247

I Cleaning products can be hazardous. Some are
toxic. Others can. burst into flame if you strike a
match or get them on a
hot part of the vehicle.
Some are dangerous if you breathe their fumes
in a closed space. When you use anything in a
container to clean your Buick, be sure to follow
the instructions. And always open your doors or
windows when you're cleaning the inside.
I
lj
/I 1/ - Never use these to clean your vehicle:
Gasoline ..-I
il Benzene
Naphtha
0 Carbon Tetrachloride
Acetone
0 Paint Thinner
Turpentine
Lacquer Thinner
0 Nail Polish Remover
They can all be hazardous
-- some more than
others
-- and they can all damage your vehicle,
too.