spare wheel PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1996 User Guide

Don’t include the compact spare tire in your
tire rotation.
After the tires
have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear
inflation pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that all wheel nuts are
properly tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” in the Index.
I
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to’ which
it is fastened, can make wheel nuts become loose
after a time. The wheel could come off and cause
an accident,
When you change a wheel, remove
any rust or
dirt from places where the wheel
attach.& to the vehicle. In an emergency, you can
use
a cloth or a paper towel to do this; but be
sure to use a scraper or wire brush later, if
you need to, to get all the rust or dirt off.
(See “Changing a Flat Tire” in the.Index.)

When It’s The 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 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.
You need
a new tire if any of the following statements
are true: . .. 1. .. . .. ...
You can see the indicators at three or more places
.. . ‘ : __ .I
around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s
rubber.
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord or fabric.
The tire has a. bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that can’t be
repaired well because of the size or location of the damage.
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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 an
“MS”
I>>.,.. ,.. ;: (for mud and snow). A. . > ..
I ‘, -. 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.
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.
Using tires
of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. 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 use on your vehicle.
.
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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.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does
not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters
of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger cars and light trucks may vary with respect
to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
I , conditions on a specified government test course. For
example,
a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half
(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.
Traction -- A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are 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 (straightahead) 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 co’nditions 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 performame
which all passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109.
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Seatback FoldingRe ar
.................................. 1-6
Front Latches
................................. 1-6
Reclining Front
.............................. 1 1-4
Seats Four-Way Manual
............................. 1-2
Fully Articulating Sport
......................... 1-3
Lumbar Control
............................... 1-3
Manual Front
............................... 1 - 1
Power ........... .................. 1-2
Restraint Systems
....... ................ 1-1
Seat Controls .................................. 1 - 1
Securing a Child Restraint
...................... 1-32
Second Gear, Automatic Transmission
.............. 2-29
Second Gear, Manual Transmission
............ 2-32, 2-33
Second-Gear Start
.............................. 2-3 1
Service ......................................... 6-1
Bulletins, Ordering ............................ 8- 1 1
En~neSoonLight ............................ 2-83
Manuals, Ordering ............................ 8-11
Parts Identification Label
....................... 6-62
Publications, Ordering
......................... 8- 11
Work, Doing Your Own ......................... 6-1
Service and Appearance Care ...................... 6-1
Service and Owner Publications ................... 8- 11
Service Publications .............................. 8- 11
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Pontiac ........... 1-25
Shi€tLever
.................................... 2-27
Shift Speeds .................................... 2-34
Shifting
Automatic Transmission ....................... 2-27
Sheet
Metal Damage
............................ 6-60
Into Park (P)
................................. 2-37
Out pf Park .................................. 2-39 Shifting.
Manual Transmission
............... 2-3 1. 2.33
Signaling Turns
................................ 2-44
Sixth Gear, Manual Transmission
.................. 2-33
Skidding
...................................... 4-14
Skip Shift Light
................................ 2-34
Sound Equipment, Adding
........................ $3-21
Spare Tire, Compact ............................. 5-40
Specifications and Capacities ...................... 6-69
Specifications, Engine
........................... 6-69
SRS
......................................... l-19
Speech
Impaired, Customer Assistance ............... 8-4
Speedometer ................................... 2-75
Sportseat
....................................... 1-3
Stains, Cleaning
................................ 6-55
Standard Differential. Rear Axle
................... 6-26
Starting Your Engine
.................. 2-23,2-24, 2-25
Starter
Switch Check
............................ 7-41
Steam
............... .................... 5-13
Steering
Column Lock Check ........................ 7-42
Power
...................................... 4-10
Tips
......................................... 4-10
Wheel Touch Controls ......................... 3-20
In Emergencies ............................... 4-11
Wheel, Tilt .................................. 2-43
Storage Areas
.................................. 2-57
Storage, Vehicle
................................ 6-37
Sunshades, T-Top ............................... 2-64
Supplemental Restraint
.......................... 1-19
Symbols, Vehicle .................................. v
Synchronization ................................. 2-7
Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
.................. 5-42
Sunvisors
.................................... 2-60
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Tachometer .................................. 2-75
TapePlayerCare
............................... 3-22
Temperature Control. Climate Control System
......... 3-1
Theft-Deterrent Th
......................................... 2-11
Arming Method
.............................. 2- 19
Arming Verification
........................... 2- 19
Feature,
CD Player ............................ 3- 18
Vehicle and Content
........................... 2-12
Thermostat
.................................... 6-30
Third Gear, Automatic Transmission
................ 2-29
Third Gear, Manual Transmission .............. 2-32, 2-33
Tilt Steering Wheel
............................. 2-43
Time, Setting the
................................ 3-6
Tire Chains
.................................... 6-52
TireLoading ................................... 4-29
Tire-Loading Information Label
......... , .......... 4-29
Tires
......................................... 6-45
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-5 1
Buying
New ................................. 6-49
Chains
..................................... 6-52
ChangingaFlat .............................. 5-27
Cleaning
.................................... 6-59
Compact Spare
............................... 5-40
Inflation .................................... 6-46
Inflation Check
............................... 7-39
Inspection and Rotation ........................ 6-47
Loading
.................................... 4-29
Pressure
.................................... 6-46
Temperature ................................. 6-50
Traction .................................... 6-50
Treadwe ar ................................... 6-50
Uniform Quality Grabg
....................... 6-50
THEFTLOCK"
................................ 3-18
Wear
Indicamrs
.............................. 6-48
Wheel Replacement
............................ 6-51
When
It's Time for New ....................... 6-48
TopStrap ..................................... 1-33
TorqueLock
................................... 2-39
Torque, Wheel Nut
......................... 5-37, 6-69
Towing Your Vehicle
............................. 5-7
Traction Control
Off Button ............................. 4-9
Control System
................................ 4-8
Control System Warning Light
... ........... 2-80
Brakes ................................... 4-35
Driving on Grades
............................. 4-37
Drivingwith
................................. 4-36
Hitches
..................................... 4-35
Maintenance When Towing
..................... 4-38
Parking
on Hills .............................. 4-37
SafetyChains
................................ 4-35
Tongueweight
............................... 4-34
Total Weight
on Tires .......................... 4-34
Towing
..................................... 4-31
Turnsignals
................................. 4-37
Weight
..................................... 4-33
Automatic
................................... 4-20
Manual
..................................... 6-24
Transmitters, Remote Lock Control
.................. 2-5
Transportation, Courtesy
.......................... 8-7
Trip Odometer ................................. 2-75
T-Top Sunshades ............................... 2-64
Transmitter Range
............................... 2-6
TowingaTr~ler ................................ 4-31
Trailer
Transmission
9-10
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