spare tire SATURN VUE 2009 User Guide

CAUTION (Continued)
When you change a wheel,
remove any rust or dirt from
places where the wheel attaches
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 needed, to get all the rust or dirt
off. SeeChanging a Flat Tire on
page 5-64.
When It Is Time for New
Tires
Various factors, such as
maintenance, temperatures, driving
speeds, vehicle loading, and
road conditions inuence when
you need new tires.One way to tell when it is time for
new tires is to check the treadwear
indicators, which will appear when
the tires have only 1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread remaining.
You need new tires if any of the
following statements are true:
You can see the indicators at
three or more places 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 cannot be
repaired well because of the size
or location of the damage.
The rubber in tires degrades over
time, even if they are not being
used. This is also true for the spare
tire, if the vehicle has one. Multiple
conditions affect how fast this
aging takes place, including
temperatures, loading conditions,
and ination pressure maintenance.
With proper care and maintenance
tires typically wear out before
they degrade due to age. If you are
unsure about the need to replace
the tires as they get older, consult
the tire manufacturer for more
information.
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Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specic tires for your vehicle. The
original equipment tires installed
on your vehicle, when it was new,
were designed to meet General
Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specication (TPC Spec) system
rating. If you need replacement
tires, GM strongly recommends
that you get tires with the same
TPC Spec rating. This way, your
vehicle will continue to have tires
that are designed to give the
same performance and vehicle
safety, during normal use, as the
original tires.
GM’s exclusive TPC Spec
system considers over a dozen
critical specications that impact
the overall performance of your
vehicle, including brake system
performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressuremonitoring performance. GM’s
TPC Spec number is molded
onto the tire’s sidewall near the
tire size. If the tires have an
all-season tread design, the TPC
Spec number will be followed by
an MS for mud and snow. See
Tire Sidewall Labeling on
page 5-44for additional
information.
GM recommends replacing tires
in sets of four. This is because
uniform tread depth on all tires
will help keep your vehicle
performing most like it did when
the tires were new. Replacing
less than a full set of tires can
affect the braking and handling
performance of your vehicle. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-56for information on
proper tire rotation.{CAUTION
Mixing tires could cause you
to lose control while driving. If
you mix tires of different sizes,
brands, or types (radial and
bias-belted tires), the vehicle
may not handle properly, and
you could have a crash. Using
tires of different sizes, brands,
or types may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be
sure to use the correct size,
brand, and type of tires on all
wheels. It is all right to drive
with your compact spare
temporarily, as it was
developed for use on your
vehicle. SeeCompact Spare
Tire on page 5-71.
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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
(NHTSA), 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
(UTQG) system does not apply to
deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver, or temporaryuse 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
conditions on a specied
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear one and a half (1.5)
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 signicantly from
the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices,
and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, 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 measured under controlled
conditions on specied
government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
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Removing the Spare Tire
and Tools
To access the spare tire:
1. Open the liftgate.
2. Push the levers on the load oor.3. Lift the load oor and hang the
hook to the tailgate opening.
4. Remove the tire protector foam.5. Remove the wheel retainer bolt
holding down the spare tire by
turning it counterclockwise.
6. Remove the compact spare tire.
SeeCompact Spare Tire on
page 5-71for more information.
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The tools are located between the
compact spare tire and the
liftgate. To access the tools:
A. Tool Bag
B. Wing-bolt
C. Jack
1. Remove the wing-bolt (B) from
the jack.
2. Remove the jack (C) and tool
bag (A).3. Remove the straps holding the
bag containing the wheel wrench
and extension jack handle.
Remove the wheel wrench and
extension jack handle from
the bag.
The tools you will be using include:
A. Tool Bag
B. Jack
C. Wheel Wrench
D. Extension Jack HandleRemoving the Flat Tire
and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Do a safety check before
proceeding. SeeChanging a Flat
Tire on page 5-64for more
information.
2. Use the wheel wrench to loosen
all the wheel nuts. Do not remove
them yet.
3. Attach the wheel wrench to the
jack bolt head and rotate the
wheel wrench clockwise to raise
the lift head a little.
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4. Position the lift head at the jack
location nearest the at tire. Make
sure all of the jack lift head is
touching the jacking ange under
the body. Do not place the jack
under a body panel. The lower
body panel has an arrow to aid in
locating the jacking location.
5. Put the compact spare tire
near you.6. Raise the vehicle by turning
the jack handle clockwise. Raise
the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room
for the road tire to be removed.
{CAUTION
Getting under a vehicle when it is
jacked up is dangerous. If the
vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed.
Never get under a vehicle when it
is supported only by a jack.
{CAUTION
Raising your vehicle with the jack
improperly positioned can damage
the vehicle and even make the
vehicle fall. To help avoid
personal injury and vehicle
damage, be sure to t the jack lift
head into the proper location
before raising the vehicle.
Service and Appearance Care 5-67
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{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.
Notice:Make sure that the jack
lift head is in the correct
position or you may damage your
vehicle. The repairs would not
be covered by your warranty.
7. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
8. Remove the at tire.9. Remove any rust or dirt from the
wheel bolts, mounting surfaces
and spare wheel.
{CAUTION
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the
parts to which it is fastened, can
make wheel nuts become loose
after time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When
changing a wheel, remove any
rust or dirt from places where the
wheel attaches to the vehicle. In
an emergency, use a cloth or a
paper towel to do this; but be sure
to use a scraper or wire brush
later, if needed, to get all the rust
or dirt off. SeeChanging a Flat
Tire on page 5-64.
10. Place the compact spare tire on
the wheel-mounting surface.11. Reinstall the wheel nuts. Tighten
each nut by hand until the wheel
is held against the hub.
{CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on bolts
or nuts because the nuts might
come loose. The vehicle’s wheel
could fall off, causing a crash.
12. Lower the vehicle by turning the
jack handle counterclockwise.
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Storing a Flat or Spare
Tire and Tools
{CAUTION
Storing a jack, a tire, or other
equipment in the passenger
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place.
To store the at or spare tire and
tools, do the following:
1. Place the wheel wrench into the
bag and use the straps to secure
the bag to the fully collapsed jack.2. Install the jack between the back
of the trunk and the compact
spare tire and secure with the
wing bolt.
3. Reverse Steps 1 through 3 under
Removing the Spare Tire and
Tools on page 5-65to replace
the oor and lock in place.
4. Place the at, or damaged tire,
face down, on the bottom of
the spare tire compartment.
Before
After
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5. Remove the disk (A) from the
retainer bolt. Turn the disk (A)
over and place it back on
the retainer bolt.
Return the disk back to its original
position after removing the at tire
from the spare tire compartment
and before storing the spare tire.
6. Place the wheel retainer bolt
onto the wheel stow rod and
tighten by turning it clockwise.
The compact spare is for temporary
use only. Replace the compact spare
tire with a full-size tire as soon as
possible.Compact Spare Tire
{CAUTION
Driving with more than one
compact spare tire at a time could
result in loss of braking and
handling. This could lead to a
crash and you or others could be
injured. Use only one compact
spare tire at a time.
The compact spare tire was fully
inated when the vehicle was
new, however, it can lose air after a
time. Check the ination pressure
regularly. It should be 60 psi
(414 kPa).
After installing the compact spare
on your vehicle, you should stop as
soon as possible and make sure
your spare tire is correctly inated.
The compact spare is intended to
perform well at speeds up to 50 mph
(80 km/h), so you can nish your tripand have your full-size tire repaired
or replaced where you want. Replace
your spare with a full-size tire as
soon as you can.
Notice:When the compact spare
is installed, do not take the vehicle
through an automatic car wash
with guide rails. The compact
spare can get caught on the rails
which can damage the tire, wheel
and other parts of the vehicle.
Do not use your compact spare on
other vehicles.
Do not mix your compact spare tire
or wheel with other wheels or tires.
Keep your spare tire and its wheel
together.
Notice:Tire chains will not t
the compact spare. Using them
can damage the vehicle and can
damage the chains too. Do not use
tire chains on the compact spare.
Service and Appearance Care 5-71
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Owner Checks and
Services
These owner checks and services
should be performed at the intervals
specied to help ensure vehicle
safety, dependability, and emission
control performance. Your
dealer/retailer can assist with these
checks and services.
Be sure any necessary repairs are
completed at once. Whenever
any uids or lubricants are added to
the vehicle, make sure they are
the proper ones, as shown in
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 6-13.
At Each Fuel Fill
It is important to perform these
underhood checks at each fuel fill.
Engine Oil Level Check
Notice:It is important to check
the engine oil regularly and
keep it at the proper level. Failure
to keep the engine oil at the
proper level can cause damage to
the engine not covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Check the engine oil level and add
the proper oil if necessary. See
Engine Oil on page 5-14.
Engine Coolant Level Check
Check the engine coolant level
and add DEX-COOL®coolant
mixture if necessary. SeeEngine
Coolant on page 5-22.
Windshield Washer Fluid
Level Check
Check the windshield washer uid
level in the windshield washer
uid reservoir and add the proper
uid if necessary.
At Least Once a Month
Tire Ination Check
Inspect the vehicle’s tires and make
sure they are inated to the correct
pressures. Do not forget to check the
spare tire. SeeInflation - Tire
Pressure on page 5-49. Check to
make sure the spare tire is stored
securely. SeeChanging a Flat Tire
on page 5-64.
Tire Wear Inspection
Tire rotation may be required for
high mileage highway drivers prior to
the Engine Oil Life System service
notication. Check the tires for
wear and, if necessary, rotate the
tires. SeeTire Inspection and
Rotation on page 5-56.
6-10 Maintenance Schedule
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