wheel alignment MAZDA MODEL TRIBUTE 2009 Owners Manual (in English)

Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side, vibrate or shake when you’re driving,
the wheels may be out of alignment. Have a qualified technician at a
Mazda dealer check the wheel alignment periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by a qualified technician
at a Mazda dealer. Front wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an
independent rear suspension require alignment of all four wheels.
The tire should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
NOTE:When it is time to replace front tires with new ones, this is an
ideal time to perform an alignment. New tires should be balanced at the
time they are installed.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
Scheduled maintenance section of theMaintenance and
Specifications chapter) will help your tires wear more evenly, providing
better tire performance and longer tire life.
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Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask a qualified technician at a
Mazda dealership to check for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire
imbalance or mechanical problem involved before tire rotation.
Note: Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note: After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL
Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
Information on “P” type tires
P215/65R15 95H is an example of a
tire size, load index and speed
rating. The definitions of these
items are listed below. (Note that
the tire size, load index and speed
rating for your vehicle may be
different from this example.)
1. P:Indicates a tire, designated
by the Tire and Rim Association
(T&RA), that may be used for
service on cars, SUVs, minivans
and light trucks.
Note: If your tire size does not
begin with a letter this may mean it
is designated by either ETRTO
(European Tire and Rim Technical Organization) or JATMA (Japan Tire
Manufacturing Association).
2. 215: Indicates the nominal width of the tire in millimeters from
sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the
wider the tire.
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Habits
•Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
• Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
• Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
• Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
• Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
• Slow down gradually.
• Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
• Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
• Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
• You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
• Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
• Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
• Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
• Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
• Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
• Use recommended engine oil. Refer to Maintenance product
specifications and capacities in this chapter.
• Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in scheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
• Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
• Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
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Roof rack .....................................64
S
Safety defects, reporting ..........246
Safety restraints ............93, 97–101Belt-Minder ...........................103
extension assembly ................102
for adults ...........................98–100
for children .............................124
Occupant Classification
Sensor ........................................95
seat belt maintenance ............140
warning light and
chime ...............................102–103
Safety restraints - LATCH
anchors ......................................132
Safety seats for children ..........128
Safety Compliance
Certification Label ....................296
Satellite Radio (if equipped) .....19
Satellite Radio Information ........32
Scheduled Maintenance ...........253
Seat Belt Maintenance .............140
Seat belts
(see Safety restraints)..93, 97–101
Seats ............................................82 child safety seats ....................128
heated ........................................88
SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system ..........................................77
Servicing your vehicle ..............259
Setting the clock .........................19
Side-curtain airbags system
(if equipped) .............118, 120–121
Snowplowing .................................7
Spark plugs, specifications .......295 Special notice
ambulance conversions ..............7
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................293
Speed control ..............................57
Starting your
vehicle ........................178–179, 181 jump starting ..........................228
Steering wheel tilting .........................................50
Stereo CD-MP3 .....................................19
T
Tilt steering wheel ......................50
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) Tires, Wheels and Loading ....159
Tires ...................................143–144 alignment ................................152
care ..........................................148
changing ..........................218, 220
checking the pressure ............148
inflating ...................................145
label .........................................158
replacing ..................................149
rotating ....................................152
safety practices .......................151
sidewall information ...............154
snow tires and chains ............164
spare tire .........................216, 218
terminology .............................145
tire grades ...............................144
treadwear ........................144, 148
Towing .......................................171 recreational towing .................176
trailer towing ..........................171
wrecker ....................................234
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Index
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