flat tire SATURN ASTRA 2009 Owners Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: SATURN, Model Year: 2009, Model line: ASTRA, Model: SATURN ASTRA 2009Pages: 314, PDF Size: 1.94 MB
Page 186 of 314
When It Is Time for
New Tires.......................9-54
Buying New Tires.............9-54
Different Size Tires and
Wheels............................9-56
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading...........................9-57
Wheel Alignment and
Tire Balance....................9-58
Wheel Replacement..........9-59
Tire Chains.......................9-60
Tire ChangingIf a Tire Goes Flat............9-60
Changing a Flat Tire.........9-61
Removing the Spare Tire
and Tools........................9-62
Removing the Flat Tire
and Installing the
Spare Tire
.......................9-63
Storing a Flat or Spare
Tire and Tools.................9-66
Compact Spare Tire..........9-68
Jump Starting
Jump Starting...................9-69
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle.........9-73
Recreational Vehicle
Towing............................9-73
Towing a Trailer................9-73
Appearance Care
Interior Cleaning................9-73
Exterior Cleaning..............9-76
Sheet Metal Damage........9-79
Finish Damage..................9-79
Underbody Maintenance. . . .9-80
Chemical Paint Spotting. . . .9-80
Service
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer/retailer. You will
receive genuine Saturn parts
and Saturn-trained and supported
service people.
Genuine Saturn parts have one of
these marks.
9-2 Vehicle Service and Care
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Page 227 of 314
(A) Tire Ply Material:The type
of cord and number of plies in the
sidewall and under the tread.
(B) Temporary Use Only
:The compact spare tire or
temporary use tire has a tread
life of approximately 3,000 miles
(5 000 km) and should not be
driven at speeds over 50 mph
(80 km/h). The compact spare
tire is for emergency use when a
regular road tire has lost air
and gone at. If your vehicle
has a compact spare tire.SeeCompact Spare Tire on
page 9-68andIf a Tire
Goes Flat on page 9-60.
(C) Tire Identi cation Number
(TIN)
:The letters and numbers
following the DOT (Department
of Transportation) code is
the Tire Identi cation Number
(TIN). The TIN shows the
manufacturer and plant code,
tire size, and date the tire
was manufactured. The TIN is
molded onto both sides of the
tire, although only one side may
have the date of manufacture.
(D) Maximum Cold In ation
Load Limit
:Maximum load
that can be carried and
the maximum pressure needed
to support that load.
(E) Tire In ation
:The temporary
use tire or compact spare tire
should be in ated to 60 psi
(420 kPa). For more information
on tire pressure and in ation
seeInflation - Tire Pressure on
page 9-47.(F) Tire Size
:A combination of
letters and numbers de ne a
tire’s width, height, aspect ratio,
construction type, and service
description. The letter T as
the rst character in the tire size
means the tire is for temporary
use only.
(G) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Speci cation)
:Original
equipment tires designed to
GM’s speci c tire performance
criteria have a TPC speci cation
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM’s TPC speci cations meet
or exceed all federal safety
guidelines.
Compact Spare Tire Example
Vehicle Service and Care 9-43
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Use this pattern when rotating
the vehicle tires. Do not include
the compact spare tire in the
tire rotation.
{CAUTION
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on
the parts to which it is
fastened, can make wheel
bolts become loose after time.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
The wheel could come off and
cause a crash. When you
change a wheel, remove any
rust or dirt from places where
the wheel attaches to the
vehicle using a scraper or
wire brush.
Installing wheels with a good
metal-to-metal contact at
the mounting surfaces is
necessary to prevent wheel
bolts from becoming loose.
To prevent corrosion or
rust build-up, lightly coat the
wheel hub center and the
cone-shaped surface of each
wheel bolt with wheel bearing
grease, after a wheel change.SeeChanging a Flat Tire on
page 9-61for information
on installing the tire and wheel
assembly. Also see “Wheel
Bolt Torque” underCapacities
and Specifications on page 10-2.
Adjust the front and rear
tires to the recommended
cold tire in ation pressure
shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label.
SeeInflation - Tire Pressure
on page 9-47andLoading the
Vehicle on page 8-30.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-53
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Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent,
cracked or badly rusted or corroded.
If the wheel bolts keep coming
loose, the wheel and wheel bolts
should be replaced. If the wheel
leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can
sometimes be repaired). See your
dealer/retailer if any of these
conditions exist.
Your dealer/retailer will know the
kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the
same load-carrying capacity,
diameter, width, offset and be
mounted the same way as the
one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of the
wheels or wheel bolts, replace them
only with new GM original equipment
parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel and wheel bolts
for the vehicle.{CAUTION
Using the wrong replacement
wheels or wheel bolts on your
vehicle can be dangerous. It could
affect the braking and handling of
the vehicle, make the tires lose air
and make you lose control of
the vehicle. You could have a
collision in which you or others
could be injured. Always use the
correct wheel and wheel bolts for
replacement.
Notice:The wrong wheel can
also cause problems with bearing
life, brake cooling, speedometer
or odometer calibration,
headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, and tire
or tire chain clearance to the
body and chassis.
SeeChanging a Flat Tire on
page 9-61for more information.
Used Replacement Wheels
{CAUTION
Putting a used wheel on the
vehicle is dangerous. You cannot
know how it has been used or
how far it has been driven.
It could fail suddenly and cause a
crash. If you have to replace a
wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-59
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Tire Chains
{CAUTION
Do not use tire chains. There is
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 the 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 the
vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer’s instructions. To
help avoid damage to the vehicle,
drive slowly, readjust or remove
the device if it is contacting the
vehicle, and do not spin the
vehicle’s wheels. If you do nd
traction devices that will t,
install them on the front tires.
Tire Changing
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout
while you are driving, especially if
you maintain your vehicle’s tires
properly. If air goes out of a tire, it is
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 at tire creates
a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot off
the accelerator pedal and grip
the steering wheel rmly. 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
would 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.{CAUTION
Lifting a vehicle and getting under
it to do maintenance or repairs is
dangerous without the appropriate
safety equipment and training. If a
jack is provided with the vehicle,
it is designed only for changing a
at tire. If it is used for anything
else, you or others could be badly
injured or killed if the vehicle slips
off the jack. If a jack is provided
with the vehicle, only use it for
changing a at tire.
If a tire goes at, the next part
shows how to use the jacking
equipment to change a at tire
safely.
9-60 Vehicle Service and Care
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