tires Lexus ES350 2008 Owner's Guide

390
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
ES350_U_(L/O_0708)
■The compact spare tire
●The compact spare tire is identified by the label TEMPORARY USE ONLY on
the tire sidewall.
Use the compact spare tire temporarily only in an emergency.
●Make sure to check the tire pressure of the compact spare tire. (→P. 415)
■When using the compact spare tire
As the compact spare tire is not equipped with the tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter, low inflation pressure of the spare tire will not be warned. Also, if you
replace the compact spare tire after the tire pressure warning light comes on, the
light remains on.
■If you have a flat front tire on a road covered with snow or ice (vehicles with com-
pact spare tire)
Install the compact spare tire on the rear of the vehicle. Perform the following steps
and fit tire chains to the front tires.
Replace a rear tire with the compact spare tire.
Replace the flat front tire with the tire removed from the rear of the vehi-
cle.
Fit tire chains to the front tires.
■After completing the tire change
The tire pressure warning system must be reset. ( →P. 3 1 8 )
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3

5
When trouble arises
391
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
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CAUTION
■Using the tire jack
Improper use of the tire jack may lead to death or injuries due to the vehicle sud-
denly falling off the jack.
●Do not use the tire jack for any purpose other than replacing tires or installing and
removing tire chains.
●Only use the tire jack that comes with this vehicle for replacing a flat tire.
Do not use it on other vehicles, and do not use other tire jacks for replacing tires
on this vehicle.
●Always check that the tire jack is securely set to the jack point.
●Do not put any part of your body under the vehicle supported by a jack.
●Do not start or run the engine while your vehicle is supported by the jack.
●Do not raise the vehicle while someone is in it.
●When raising the vehicle, do not put an object on or under the jack.
●Do not raise the vehicle to a height greater than that required to replace the tire.
●Use a jack stand if it is necessary to get under the vehicle.
Take particular care when lowering the vehicle to ensure that no one working on or
near the vehicle may be injured.
■Replacing a flat tire
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of death or serious injury.
●Never use oil or grease on the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
The oil or grease can cause the wheel nuts to loosen, causing a serious accident.
Remove any oil or grease on the wheel bolts or wheel nuts.
●Have the wheel nuts tightened with a torque wrench to 10.5 kgf•m (103 N•m, 76
ft•lbf) as soon as possible after changing wheels.
Failure to follow these precautions could cause the nuts to loosen and the wheels
may fall off, which could lead to an accident causing death or serious injury.

392
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
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CAUTION
■When using the compact spare tire
●Remember that your compact spare tire is specifically designed for use with your
vehicle. Do not use your compact spare tire on another vehicle.
●Do not use two compact spare tires simultaneously.
●Replace the compact spare tire with a standard tire as soon as possible.
●Avoid sudden acceleration, deceleration and braking, as well as sharp cornering.
■Speed limit when using the compact spare tire
Do not drive at speeds in excess of 50 mph (80 km/h) when a compact spare tire is
installed on the vehicle.
The compact spare tire is not designed for driving at high speeds. Failing to observe
this precaution may lead to an accident causing death or serious injury.

5
When trouble arises
393
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
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NOTICE
■Do not drive the vehicle with a flat tire.
Do not continue driving with a flat tire.
Driving even a short distance with a flat tire can damage the tire and the wheel
beyond repair.
■When replacing the tires
When removing or fitting the wheels, tires or the tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter, contact your Lexus dealer as the tire pressure warning valve and trans-
mitter may be damaged if not handled correctly.
■To avoid damaging the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
Do not use liquid sealants on flat tires.
■Be careful when driving over bumps with the compact spare tire installed on the
vehicle.
The vehicle becomes lower when driving with the compact spare tire compared to
when driving with standard tires. Be careful when driving over uneven road sur-
faces.
■Driving with tire chains and the compact spare tire
Do not fit tire chains to the compact spare tire.
Tire chains may damage the vehicle body and adversely affect driving performance.

5
When trouble arises
405
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
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If the vehicle becomes stuck
CAUTION
■When attempting to free a stuck vehicle
If you choose to rock the vehicle back and forth to free it, make sure the surround-
ing area is clear, to avoid striking other vehicles, objects or persons. The vehicle
may also lunge forward or lunge back suddenly as it becomes free. Use extreme
caution.
■When shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may cause an
accident and result in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■To avoid damaging the transmission and other components
●Avoid spinning the wheels and do not rev the engine.
●If the vehicle remains stuck after trying these procedures, the vehicle may require
towing to be freed.
Carry out the following procedures if the tires spin or the vehicle becomes
stuck in mud, dirt, or snow.
●Stop the engine. Set the parking brake and put the shift lever in P.
● Remove the mud, snow, or sand from around the stuck tire.
● Place wood, stones or some other material to help provide trac-
tion under the tires.
● Restart the engine.
● Carefully apply the accelerator to free the vehicle.

415
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
ES350_U_(L/O_0708)
Tires and wheelsType A
Ti r e s i z eP215/55R17 93V
Tire inflation pressure
(Recommended cold tire inflation
pressure)
Driving under normal conditions Front:
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Rear:
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Spare:
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
When driving at high speeds above 100 mph
(160 km/h), in countries where such speeds are
permitted by law, add 4.3 psi (30 kPa, 0.3 kgf/
cm
2 or bar) to the front tires and rear tires.
Never exceed the maximum cold tire inflation
pressure indicated on the tire sidewall.
Towing a trailer
Front:
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Rear:
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Spare:
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Wheel size17 × 7J
Wheel nut torque76 ft•lbf (103 N•m, 10.5 kgf•m)

416
6-1. Specifications
ES350_U_(L/O_0708)Ty p e B
Ti r e s i z eP215/55R17 93V,
T155/70D17 110M (spare)
Tire inflation pressure
(Recommended cold tire inflation
pressure)
Driving under normal conditions
Front:
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)*
Rear:
30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)*
Spare:
60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
*:When driving at high speeds above 100 mph (160 km/h), in countries where such
speeds are permitted by law, add 4.3 psi
(30 kPa, 0.3 kgf/cm
2 or bar) to the front
tires and rear tires. Never exceed the max-
imum cold tire inflation pressure indicated
on the tire sidewall.
Towing a trailer Front:
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Rear:
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm
2 or bar)
Wheel size17 × 7J, 17 × 4T (spare)
Wheel nut torque76 ft•lbf (103 N•m, 10.5 kgf•m)

422
6-1. Specifications
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Tire size (→ P. 4 2 3 )
DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN) (→ P. 4 2 3 )
Location of treadwear indicators (→ P. 4 2 4 )
Tire ply composition and materials
Plies are layers of rubber-coated parallel cords. Cords are the strands
which form the plies in a tire.
Radial tires or bias-ply tires
A radial tire has RADIAL on the sidewall. A tire not marked RADIAL is a
bias-ply tire.
TUBELESS or TUBE TYPE
A tubeless tire does not have a tube and air is directly filled in the tire. A
tube type tire has a tube inside the ti re and the tube maintains the air pres-
sure.
Load limit at maximum cold tire inflation pressure ( →P. 4 2 6 )
Maximum cold tire inflation pressure (→ P. 4 2 6 )
This means the pressure to which a tire may be inflated.
Uniform tire quality grading
For details, see “Uniform tire quality grading” that follows.
Summer tire or all season tire (→ P. 321)
An all season tire has “M+S” on the sidewall. A tire not marked “M+S” is a
summer tire.
TEMPORARY USE ONLY (→ P. 390)
A compact spare tire is identified by the phrase “TEMPORARY USE
ONLY” molded into its sidewall. This tire is designed for temporary emer-
gency use only.

425
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
ES350_U_(L/O_0708)■
DOT quality grades
All passenger vehicle tires must conform to Federal Safety Require-
ments in addition to these grades. Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width.
For example: Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
■Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (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 sign ificantly from the norm due to varia-
tions in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteris-
tics and climate.
■ Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C, and
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) trac-
tion.

426
6-1. Specifications
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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 fail-
ure.
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 grades for this tire are 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.
Glossary of tire terminology
Tire related termMeaning
Cold tire inflation pres-
sureTire pressure when the vehicle has been parked for
three hours or more, or has not been driven more
than 1 mile or 1.5 km under that condition
Maximum inflation pres-
sureThe maximum cold inflated pressure to which a tire
may be inflated, shown on the sidewall of the tire
Recommended inflation
pressureCold tire inflation pressure recommended by a man-
ufacturer
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those standard
items which may be replaced) of automatic transmis-
sion, power steering, power brakes, power windows,
power seats, radio and heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-installed equipment
(whether installed or not)