tires NISSAN ALTIMA 2012 Owner's Manual

CHANGING WHEELS AND TIRES
Tire rotation
NISSAN recommends rotating the tires
every 7,500 miles (12,000 km) .
See “Flat tire” in the “In case of emer-
gency” section of this manual for tire re-
placing procedures.
As soon as possible, tighten the
wheel nuts to the specified torque
with a torque wrench.Wheel nut tightening torque:
83 ft-lb (113 N·m)
The wheel nuts must be kept tight-
ened to specifications at all times. It
is recommended that wheel nuts be
tightened to specification at each
tire rotation interval.

●The original tires have built-in
tread wear indicators. When the
wear indicators are visible, the
tire(s) should be replaced.
● Tires degrade with age and use.
Have tires, including the spare,
over 6 years old checked by a
qualified technician because
some tire damage may not be ob-
vious. Replace the tires as neces-
sary to prevent tire failure and
possible personal injury.
● Improper service of the spare tire
may result in serious personal in-
jury. If it is necessary to repair the
spare tire, contact a NISSAN
dealer.
● For additional information re-
garding tires, refer to “Important
Tire Safety Information” (US) or
“Tire Safety Information”
(Canada) in the Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet.Replacing wheels and tires
When replacing a tire, use the same size, tread
design, speed rating and load carrying capacity
as originally equipped. Recommended types and
sizes are shown in “Wheels and tires” in the
“Technical and consumer information” section of
this manual.

●Do not install a damaged or deformed
wheel or tire even if it has been re-
paired. Such wheels or tires could have
structural damage and could fail with-
out warning.
● The use of retread tires is not
recommended.
● For additional information regarding
tires, refer to “Important Tire Safety In-
formation” (US) or “Tire Safety Informa-
tion” (Canada) in the Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet.
Wheel balance
Unbalanced wheels may affect vehicle handling
and tire life. Even with regular use, wheels can get
out of balance. Therefore, they should be bal-
anced as required.
Wheel balance service should be per-
formed with the wheels off the vehicle.
Spin balancing the wheels on the vehicle
could lead to mechanical damage. ●
For additional information regarding
tires, refer to “Important Tire Safety
Information” (US) or “Tire Safety Infor-
mation” (Canada) in the Warranty In-
formation Booklet.
Care of wheels
● Wash the wheels when washing the vehicle
to maintain their appearance.
● Clean the inner side of the wheels when the
wheel is changed or the underside of the
vehicle is washed.
● Do not use abrasive cleaners when washing
the wheels.
● Inspect wheel rims regularly for dents or
corrosion. Such damage may cause loss of
pressure or poor seal at the tire bead.
● NISSAN recommends waxing the road
wheels to protect against road salt in areas
where it is used during winter.
Spare tire (TEMPORARY USE ONLY
spare tire)
Observe the following precautions if the TEM-
PORARY USE ONLY spare tire must be used.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or
involved in an accident:

WHEELS AND TIRES

5. Determine the combined weight ofluggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not
safely exceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculated in
Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this re-
duces the available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity of your vehicle.
Before driving a loaded vehicle, confirm
that you do not exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) or the Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR) for your vehicle.
See “Measurement of weights” later in
this section.
Also check tires for proper inflation pres-
sures. See the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion label.LOADING TIPS
● The GVW must not exceed GVWR
or GAWR as specified on the
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification
label.
● Do not load the front and rear axle to
the GAWR. Doing so will exceed the
GVWR.

DOT (Department of Transportation) Quality
Grades: All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements 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 one-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 significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction AA, A, B and C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the
tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as mea-
sured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.

Sunroof......................2-46
Sunroof (see Moonroof) .............2-46
Sun visors ....................3-28
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-56, 2-14
Supplemental front impact air bag system . . .1-50
Supplemental restraint system Information and warning labels .......1-56
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-41
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .........1-41
Switch Autolight switch ...............2-31
Automatic power window switch ......2-45
Fog light switch ...............2-34
Hazard warning flasher switch .......2-34
Headlight and turn signal switch ......2-29
Headlight control switch ..........2-31
Power door lock switch ............3-5
Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch .....................2-29
Turn signal switch ..............2-34
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off
switch .....................2-36
Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-28
T
Tachometer ....................2-5
Temperature gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Theft (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-27, 3-3, 5-10
Three-way catalyst ................5-2 Tire
Flat tire .....................6-2
Spare tire ................6-4, 8-49
Tire and Loading Information label .....9-11
Tire chains ..................8-46
Tire placard ..................9-11
Tire pressure .................8-38
Tire rotation ..................8-47
Types of tires .................8-45
Uniform tire quality grading .........9-24
Wheels and tires ...............8-38
Wheel/tire size .................9-8
Tire pressure Low tire pressure warning light .......2-12
Tire

Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . .5-3
Towing Flat towing ..................9-23
Towing load/specification ..........9-19
Tow truck towing ...............6-11
Trailer towing .................9-16
Transceiver HomeLink Universal Transceiver ......2-51
Transmission Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) fluid ..................8-13
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-12
Driving with manual transmission ......5-17
Shift selector lock release ..........5-16
Travel (See registering your vehicle in another
country) ......................9-9
Trip odometer ...................2-4
Trunk access through the rear seat .......1-8
Trunk lid lock opener lever ............3-23
Trunk light ....................2-50
Turn signal switch ................2-34 U
Uniform tire quality grading ...........9-24
USB interface Audio file operation ..........4-67, 4-69
Video file operation .............4-70
V
Vanity mirror ...................3-29
Variable voltage control system .........8-18
Vehicle dimensions and weights .........9-8
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off switch . . .2-36
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) system .....5-26
Vehicle identification ...............9-9
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
(Chassis number) .................9-9
Vehicle identification number (VIN) plate . . . .9-9
Vehicle loading information ...........9-12
Vehicle recovery .................6-14
Vehicle security system .............2-26
Vehicle security system
(NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-27, 3-3, 5-10
Ventilators ....................4-18
Visors .......................3-28
V
oice recognition system ...........4-117
W
Warning Air bag warning light .........1-56, 2-14
Anti-lock brake warning light ........2-11
Battery charge warning light ........2-11
10-6

Brake warning light.............2-11
Engine oil pressure warning light ......2-12
Hazard warning flasher switch .......2-34
Low fuel warning light ........2-13, 2-24
Low tire pressure warning light .......2-12
Low windshield-washer fluid warning
light ......................2-24
Passenger air bag and status light .....1-51
Seat belt warning light ............2-14
Vehicle security system ...........2-26
Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders ...................2-10
Warning labels (for SRS) ..........1-56
Warning lights ..................2-10
Washer switch Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-28
Weights (See dimensions and weights) .....9-8
Wheels and tires .................8-38
Wheel/tire size ...................9-8
When traveling or registering your vehicle in
another country ..................9-9
Windows Locking passengers’ windows .......2-45
Power rear windows .............2-45
Power windows ...............2-43
Rear power windows ............2-45
Windshield-washer fluid .............8-15
Windshield wiper and washer switch .....2-28
Wiper Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-28
Wiper blades .................8-21
10-7