MAZDA MODEL MX-5 RF 2017 Owners Manual (in English)

6–33
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
CAUTION
  Be careful not to allow the rubber
ring shown in the ¿ gure to be
scratched or damaged.
  If the rubber ring detaches, reattach it
before inserting a new battery.
Rubber ring
Ty r e s
For reasons of proper performance, safety,
and better fuel economy, always maintain
recommended tyre inÀ ation pressures and
stay within the recommended load limits
and weight distribution.
WARNING
Using Different Tyre Types:
Driving your vehicle with different
types of tyres is dangerous. It could
cause poor handling and poor braking;
leading to loss of control.
Except for the limited use of the
temporary spare tyre, use only the same
type tyres (radial, bias-belted, bias-type)
on all four wheels.
Using Wrong-Sized Tyres:
Using any other tyre size than what is
speci¿ ed for the vehicle (page 9-8 )
is dangerous. It could seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clearance,
tyre clearance, and speedometer
calibration. This could cause you to
have an accident. Use only tyres that
are the correct size speci¿ ed for the
vehicle.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–34
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Ty r e I nÀ ation Pressure
WARNING
Always inÀ ate the tyres to the correct
pressure:
OverinÀ ation or underinÀ ation of tyres
is dangerous. Adverse handling or
unexpected tyre failure could result in
a serious accident.
Refer to Tyres on page 9-8 .
Use only a Mazda-genuine tyre valve
cap:
Use of a non-genuine part is dangerous
as the correct tyre air pressure cannot
be maintained if the tyre valve becomes
damaged. If the vehicle is driven under
this condition, the tyre air pressure
will decrease which could result in a
serious accident. Do not use any part
for the tyre valve cap that is not a
Mazda-genuine part.
Inspect all tyre pressures monthly when
the tyres are cold. Maintain recommended
pressures for the best ride, handling, and
minimum tyre wear.
Refer to the speci¿ cation charts (page
9-8 ).
(With tyre pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tyre pressure,
initialization of the tyre pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-143 .
NOTE

 Always check tyre pressure when
tyres are cold.
  Warm tyres normally exceed
recommended pressures. Do not
release air from warm tyres to adjust
the pressure.
  UnderinÀ ation can cause reduced
fuel economy, uneven and
accelerated tyre wear, and poor
sealing of the tyre bead, which
will deform the wheel and cause
separation of tyre from rim.
  OverinÀ ation can produce a harsh
ride, uneven and accelerated tyre
wear, and a greater possibility of
damage from road hazards.
 Keep your tyre pressure at the correct
levels. If one frequently needs
inÀ ating, have it inspected.
Tyre Rotation
WARNING
Rotate tyres periodically:
Irregular tyre wear is dangerous. To
equalize tread wear for maintaining
good performance in handling and
braking, rotate the tyres every 10,000
km (6,250 miles), or sooner if irregular
wear develops.
During rotation, inspect them for correct
balance.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–35
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
NOTE
Because your vehicle is not equipped
with a spare tyre, you cannot do a tyre
rotation safely with the jack that comes
with your vehicle. Have an expert
repairer, we recommend an Authorised
Mazda Repairer perform tyre rotation.
Do not include (TEMPORARY USE ONLY)
spare tyre in rotation.Forward
Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:
 


 Incorrect tyre pressure



 Improper wheel alignment



 Out-of-balance wheel



 Severe braking
After rotation, inÀ ate all tyre pressures to
speci¿ cation (page 9-8 ) and inspect the
wheel nuts for tightness.
(With tyre pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tyre pressure,
initialization of the tyre pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-143 .
CAUTION
Rotate unidirectional tyres and radial
tyres that have an asymmetrical tread
pattern or studs only from front to rear,
not from side to side. Tyre performance
will be reduced if rotated from side to
side.
(With limited-slip differential)
Do not use the following:
 
 Tyres not of the designated size 
 Tyres of different sizes or types at the
same time
  Tyres not suf¿ ciently inÀ ated
If these instructions are not followed,
the rotation of the left and right wheels
will be different and will thus apply
a constant load on the limited-slip
differential.
This will cause a malfunction.
Replacing a Tyre
WARNING
Always use tyres that are in good
condition:
Driving with worn tyres is dangerous.
Reduced braking, steering, and traction
could result in an accident.
Replace all four tyres at the same time:
Replacing just one tyre is dangerous.
It could cause poor handling and poor
braking resulting in loss of vehicle
control. Mazda strongly recommends
that you replace all four tyres at the
same time.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–36
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
*Some models.
If a tyre wears evenly, a wear indicator
will appear as a solid band across the
tread.
Replace the tyre when this happens.
New treadTread wear indicator
Worn tread
You should replace the tyre before the
band crosses the entire tread.
(With tyre pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tyre pressure,
initialization of the tyre pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-143 .
Replacing a Wheel
WARNING
Always use wheels of the correct size
on your vehicle:
Using a wrong-sized wheel is
dangerous. Braking and handling
could be affected, leading to loss of
control and an accident.
CAUTION
A wrong-sized wheel may adversely
affect:
 
 Tyre ¿ t 
 Wheel and bearing life 
 Ground clearance 
 Snow-chain clearance 
 Speedometer calibration 
 Headlight aim 
 Bumper height 
 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System *
NOTE

 When replacing a wheel, make
sure the new one is the same as the
original factory wheel in diameter,
rim width, and offset (inset/outset).
  For details, contact an expert
repairer, we recommend an
Authorised Mazda Repairer.
Proper tyre balancing provides the best
riding comfort and helps reduce tread
wear. Out-of-balance tyres can cause
vibration and uneven wear, such as
cupping and À at spots.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

MEMO
6–37
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–38
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Light Bulbs
6
15
1316
15234
1011141012789
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–39
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
*Some models.
Headlights (Low beam)
Headlights (High beam)
Running lights
Position lights
Front direction indicator lights
Side direction indicator lights
Brake lights
Rear direction indicator lights
Tail lights
Reverse lights
Rear fog light (Left-hand drive model) *
Rear fog light (Right-hand drive model) *
High-mount brake light
Number plate lights
Overhead light
Boot light
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–40
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
CAUTION
When removing the lens or lamp unit
using a À athead screwdriver, make
sure that the À athead screwdriver does
not contact the interior terminal. If
theÀ athead screwdriver contacts the
terminal, a short circuit may occur.
NOTE
  To replace the bulb, contact an
expert repairer, we recommend an
Authorised Mazda Repairer.
  Use the protective cover and carton
for the replacement bulb to dispose
of the old bulb promptly and out of
the reach of children.
Replacing Exterior Light Bulbs
Headlights, Running lights (LED type),
Position lights, High-mount brake light,
Brake lights, Tail lights
The LED bulb cannot be replaced as a
single unit because it is an integrated unit.
The LED bulb has to be replaced with
the unit. We recommend an Authorised
Mazda Repairer when the replacement is
necessary.
Running lights (Bulb type)
1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,
and the headlight switch is off.
2. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer
and remove the retainers.
Removal
Installation
3. Turn the screw anticlockwise and
remove it, and then partially peel back
the mudguard.
4. Turn the socket and bulb assembly
anticlockwise and remove it.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–41
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
5. Disconnect the bulb from the socket.
6. Install the new bulb in the reverse order
of the removal procedure.
Front direction indicator lights
1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,
and the headlight switch is off.
2. If you are changing the right bulb, start
the engine, turn the steering wheel
all the way to the right, and turn off
engine. If you are changing the left
bulb, turn the steering wheel to the left.
3. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer
and remove the retainers, and then
partially peel back the mudguard.
Removal
Installation
4. Disconnect the connector from the unit
by pressing the tab on the connector
with your ¿ nger and pulling the
connector rearward.
5. Turn the socket and bulb assembly
anticlockwise and remove it.
6. Disconnect the bulb from the socket.
7. Install the new bulb in the reverse order
of the removal procedure.
Side direction indicator lights
1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,
and the headlight switch is off.
2. If you are changing the right bulb, start
the engine, turn the steering wheel
all the way to the right, and turn off
engine. If you are changing the left
bulb, turn the steering wheel to the left.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD

6–42
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
3. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer
and remove the retainers, and then
partially peel back the mudguard.
Removal
Installation
4. Remove the unit by pressing the tab on
the unit with your ¿ nger and pulling the
unit forward.
5. Detach the electrical connector from
the unit by pulling it to the rear.
6. Install the new side direction indicator
unit in the reverse order of the removal
procedure.
Rear direction indicator lights
1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,
and the headlight switch is off.
2. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer
and remove the retainers and the boot
end trim.
Removal
Installation
3. Disconnect the connector from the unit
by pressing the tab on the connector
with your ¿ nger and pulling the
connector downward.
/:A(.'',A'FKVKQPKPFD