tires TOYOTA PRIUS 2018 (in English) Owner's Manual

PRIUS_OM_OM47B89U_(U)
4214-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing snow tires
Request repairs or replacement of snow tires from Toyota dealers or legiti-
mate tire retailers.
This is because the removal and attachment of snow tires affects the opera-
tion of the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters.
■ Fitting tire chains
The tire pressure warning valves and transmitters may not function correctly
when tire chains are fitted.

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7Maintenance and care
7-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 582
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 588
7-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ................... 591
General maintenance........ 594
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs......................... 597
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions ..................... 598
Hood ................................. 601
Positioning a floor jack ...... 603
Engine compartment ......... 604
Tires .................................. 618
Tire inflation pressure ....... 628
Wheels .............................. 631
Air conditioning filter.......... 634
Hybrid battery (traction battery) air intake vent .... 637
Wiper rubber replacement .................... 642
Electronic key battery........ 646
Checking and replacing fuses ............................... 649
Headlight aim .................... 652
Light bulbs......................... 654

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7-1. Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■Handling the decorative resin parts (for vehicles equipped with 17-
inch tires)
●Make sure to observe the following when handling wheels equipped
with decorative resin parts. Failure to observe these precautions may
result in damage to the decorative resin parts or wheels.
• Do not remove the decorative resin parts
When decorative resin parts removal is necessary, contact your Toyota
dealer.
●
If there is rattling in the decorative resin parts, or strange sounds from
the wheel area when driving, have your wheels inspected at your Toy-
ota dealer.
■ When using an automatic car wash (vehicles with rain-sensing wind-
shield wipers)
Set the wiper switch to the off position.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO” the wipers may operate and the wiper
blades may be damaged.
• Do not hold the tire by the decora- tive resin parts to lift up or carry the
tire.

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7-2. Maintenance
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood• Does the engine hood lock system work prop-erly?
Fluid leaks• There should not be any signs of fluid leakageafter the vehicle has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or exces-sively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to the
maintenance schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wipers/
rear window wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any signs
of cracking, splitting, wear, contamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield/
rear window without streaking or skipping.
WARNING
■If the hybrid system is operating
Turn the hybrid system off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation
before performing maintenance checks.

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7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Tires
Check if the treadwear indicators are showing on the tires. Also check
the tires for uneven wear, such as excessive wear on one side of the
tread.
Check the spare tire (if equipped) condition and pressure if not
rotated.
New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator
The location of treadwear indicators is shown by a “TWI” or “ \b” mark,
etc., molded into the sidewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance sched-
ules and treadwear.
Checking tires
1
2
3

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6197-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
Rotate the tires in the order shown.
To equalize tire wear and extend tire life, Toyota recommends that tire
rotation is carried out at the same interval as tire inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure warning system after tire rota-
tion.
Tire rotation
Vehicles without full-size spare
tireVehicles with full-size spare
tire
FrontFront

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7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and tr ansmitters to detect low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise.
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a warning light. ( →P. 676)
The compact spare tire is not equip ped with a tire pressure warning
valve and transmitter.
◆Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pr essure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( →P. 621)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized when the
tire inflation pressure is cha nged such as when changing trav-
elling speed or load weight.
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
Tire pressure warning system

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7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to
expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage.
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size
or location of a cut or other damage.
If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not reg-
istered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After driv-
ing for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blinks for 1
minute and stays on to indicate a system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even
if it has seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make su re to check tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the re placement tire is greater than 1/2
of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the
rear axle, whichever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label. For the maximum load of the tire,
see the load limit at maximum cold tire
inflation pressure mentioned on the
sidewall of the tire. ( →P. 758)
BTO62EP049

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6237-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy ro ads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When install-
ing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to
be adequate for driving in most winter conditions as well as for use
year-round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also, all
season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performance com-
pared with summer tires in highway driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using
snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same size, con-
struction and load capacity as the or iginally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construction. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations fo r possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels. ( →P. 418)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tire s as snow tires is lost.
■Low profile tires (vehicles with 17-inch tires)
Generally, low profile tires will wear mo re rapidly and tire grip perfor-
mance will be reduced on snowy and/ or icy roads when compared to
standard tires.
Be sure to use snow tires or tire chains on snowy and/or icy roads and
drive carefully at a speed appropriate for road and weather conditions.

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7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not oper-
ate properly
●In the following cases, the tire pressure warning system may not operate
properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are used.
• When a replacement tire is used , the system may not operate cor-
rectly due to the structure of the replacement tire.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the specified size.
• Tire chains etc. are equipped.
• An auxiliary-supported run- flat tire is equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is installed.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extremely higher than the specified level.
• If wheel without the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is
used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters is not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio station, largedisplay, airport or other facility that generates strong radio waves or
electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or other wireless communication device
●When the vehicle is parked, the time taken for the warning to start or go
off could be extended.
●When tire inflation pressure declines rapidly for example when a tire has
burst, the warning may not function.
■The initialization operation
●Make sure to carry out in itialization after adjusting the tire inflation pres-
sure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold be fore carrying out initialization or tire
inflation pressure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the po wer switch off during initialization,
it is not necessary to press the reset switch again as initialization will
restart automatically when the powe r switch has been turned to ON
mode for the next time.
●If you accidentally press the reset s witch when initialization is not neces-
sary, adjust the tire inflation pressu re to the specified level when the
tires are cold, and conduct initialization again.