tire type PONTIAC GRAND AM 2003 Owners Manual

Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far
enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front
in your inside mirror, activate your right lane
change signal and move back into the right lane.
(Remember that your right outside mirror is convex.
The vehicle you just passed may seem
to be
farther away from you than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it
may be slowing down or starting to turn.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little
to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has
asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid,
too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force.
And In the acceleratlon
skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
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A B
If you’re using a weight-carrying hitch or a
weight-distributing hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should
weigh
10-15 percent of the total loaded trailer
weight
(6).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and
then the tongue, separately, to see
if the weights
are proper. ii iney aren’i, you may be abie to get tnem
right simply by moving some items around in the
trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the upper limit
for cold tires. You’ll find these numbers on the
Certification label at the rear edge of the driver’s door or
see
Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-35. Then be
sure you don’t go over the GVW limit for your vehicle,
including the weight of the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are
a few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here
are some rules
to follow:
The rear bumper on your vehicle is not intended for
hitches. Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to it. Use only a
frame-mounted hitch that does not attach
to the
bumper.
0 Will vou have to make any holes in the body of
your vehicle when you install a trailer hitch? If
you do, then be sure to seal the holes later when
you remove the hitch.
If you don’t seal them, deadly
carbon monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get
into your vehicle. See
Engine Exhaust on
page 2-33. Dirt ana water can, too.
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Inflation -- Tire Pressure
The Tire-Loading Information label, which is on the rear
edge of the driver’s door, shows the correct inflation
pressures for your tires when they’re cold. “Cold” means
your vehicle has been sitting for at least three hours
or driven no more than
1 mile (1.6 km).
Notice: Don’t let anyone tell you that underinflation
or overinflation is
all right. It’s not. If your tires
don’t have enough air (underinflation), you can get
the following:
Too much flexing
0 Too much heat
Tire overloading
Bad wear
@ Bad handling
0 Bad fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (overinflation), you
can get the following:
0 Unusual wear
Bad handling
Rough ride
0 Needless damage from road hazards
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Don’t forget your compact spare tire.
It should be at
60 psi (420 kPa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t tell
if your tires are properly inflated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inflated even when they’re underinflated.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
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When It Is Time 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
remainina.
You need a new tire
if any of the following statements
are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more places
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
around the tire.
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.
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”
(for mud and snow).
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.
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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.
I
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
I
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
I
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
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
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.
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Used Replacement Wheels Tire Chains
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can’t know how it’s been used or
how far it’s been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
If you have to
replace a wheel, use a new
GM original
equipment wheel.
If your vehicle has P225/50R16 size tires, don’t
use tire chains, there’s not enough clearance.
Tire chains used on a vehicle without the proper amount of clearance can cause damage
to the brakes, suspension or other vehicle
parts. The area damaged by the tire chains
could cause
you to lose control of your vehicle
and you or others may be injured in
a crash.
Use another type of traction device only
if its
manufacturer recommends it for use on your
vehicle and tire
size combination and road
conditions. Follow that manufacturer’s instructions.
To help avoid damage to your
vehicle, drive slowly, readjust or remove the device if it’s contacting your vehicle, and don’t
spin your wheels.
If you do find traction devices that will fit,
install them on the front tires.
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Notice: If your vehicle has a tire size other than
P225/50R16 size tires, use tire chains only where
legal and only when you must. Use only
SAE Class
“S” type chains that are the proper size for your
tires. Install them on the front tires and tighten them
as tightly as possible with the ends securely
fastened. Drive slowly and follow the chain
manufacturer’s instructions.
If you can hear the
chains contacting your vehicle, stop and retighten
them.
If the contact continues, slow down until
it stops. Driving too fast
or spinning the wheels with
chains on will damage your vehicle.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air
goes out of a tire, it’s much more likely
to leak out
slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout”, here are
a few tips about what
to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly. Steer
to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use
in a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle
to go, It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently
brake
to a stop - well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment
to change a flat tire safely.
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We have quick, easy access to telephone numbers of
the following additional services depending
on your
needs:
Hotels
Glass replacement
Tire repair facilities
Rental vehicle or taxis
Airports or train stations
Police, fire departments or hospitals
In many instances, mechanical failures are covered
under Pontiac’s comprehensive warranty. However,
when other services are utilized, our advisors will explain
any payment obligations you might incur.
For prompt and efficient assistance when calling, please
provide the following information
to give the advisor:
Location of vehicle
Telephone number of your location
Vehicle model, year and color
Mileage of vehicle
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Pontiac reserves the right to
limit services or
reimbursement
to an owner or driver when, in Pontiac’s
judgement, the claims become excessive in frequency
or type of occurrence.
While we hope you never have the occasion
to use our
service, it
is added security while traveling for you
and your family. Remember, we’re only a phone call
away. Pontiac Roadside Assistance:
1 -800-ROADSIDE
or 1-800-762-3743, text telephone
(TTY) users, call
1-888-889-2438.
Canadian Roadside Assistance
Vehicles purchased in Canada have an extensive
Roadside Assistance program accessible from anywhere
in Canada or the United States. Please refer
to the
Warranty and Owner Assistance Information book.
Courtesy Transportation
Pontiac has always exemplified quality and value in its
offering
of motor vehicles. To enhance your ownership
experience, we and our participating dealers are
proud
to offer Courtesy Transportation, a customer
support program for new vehicles.
0 Vehicle license plate number
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