TOYOTA PRIUS PHV 2012 Owners Manual

621
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
Fuel infor mation
■Fuel tank opening fo r unleaded gasoline
To help prevent incorrect fueling, your vehicle has a fuel tank opening that
only accommodates the special nozzle on unleaded fuel pumps.
■ Gasoline quality
In very few cases, driveability problems may be caused by the brand of gas-
oline you are using. If driveability problems persist, try changing the brand of
gasoline. If this does not correct the problem, consult your Toyota dealer.
You must only use unleaded gasoline in your vehicle.
Select octane rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher. Use
of unleaded gasoline with an octane rating lower than 87 may result
in engine knocking. Persistent kno cking can lead to engine damage.
At minimum, the gasoline you use should meet the specifications
of ASTM D4814 in the U.S.A. and CGSB3.5-M93 in Canada.

622 6-1. Specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
■Gasoline quality standards
● Automotive manufacturers in the U.S.A., Europe and Japan have devel-
oped a specification for fuel quality called the World-Wide Fuel Charter
(WWFC), which is expected to be applied worldwide.
● The WWFC consists of four categories that are based on required emis-
sion levels. In the U.S., category 4 has been adopted.
● The WWFC improves air quality by lowering emissions in vehicle fleets,
and improves customer satisfaction through better performance.
■ Recommendation of the use of gaso line containing detergent additives
● Toyota recommends the use of gasoline that contains detergent additives
to avoid the build-up of engine deposits.
● All gasoline sold in the U.S.A. contains minimum detergent additives to
clean and/or keep clean intake systems, per EPA’s lowest additives con-
centration program.
● Toyota strongly recommends the use of Top Tier Detergent Gasoline. For
more information on Top Tier Detergent Gasoline and a list of marketers,
please go to the official website www.toptiergas.com.
■ Recommendation of the use of cleaner burning gasoline
Cleaner burning gasoline, including reformulated gasoline that contains oxy-
genates such as ethanol or MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) is available in
many areas.
Toyota recommends the use of cleaner burning gasoline and appropriately
blended reformulated gasoline. These types of gasoline provide excellent
vehicle performance, reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.

623
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
■
Non-recommendation of the use of blended gasoline
● If you use gasohol in your vehicle, be sure that it has an octane rating no
lower than 87.
● Toyota does not recommend the use of gasoline containing methanol.
■ Non-recommendation of the use of gasoline containing MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane enhancing additive called MMT (Methyl-
cyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl).
Toyota does not recommend the use of gasoline that contains MMT. If fuel
containing MMT is used, your emission control system may be adversely
affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp on the instrument cluster may come on. If
this happens, contact your Toyota dealer for service.
■ If your engine knocks
● Consult your Toyota dealer.
● You may occasionally notice light knocking for a short time while acceler-
ating or driving uphill. This is normal and there is no need for concern.
●Use only gasoline containing a maxi-
mum of 10% ethanol.
DO NOT use any flex-fuel or gasoline
that could contain more than 10% etha-
nol, including from any pump labeled
E15, E30, E50, E85 (which are only
some examples of fuel containing more
than 10% ethanol).DO NOT use gasoline
containing more than
10% ethanol.
(15% ethanol)
(50% ethanol)
(85% ethanol)

624 6-1. Specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
NOTICE
■Notice on fuel quality
● Do not use improper fuels. If improper fuels are used, the engine will be
damaged.
● Do not use leaded gasoline.
Leaded gasoline can cause damage to your vehicle’s three-way catalytic
converters causing the emission control system to malfunction.
● Do not use gasohol other than the type previously stated.
Other gasohol may cause fuel system damage or vehicle performance
problems.
● Using unleaded gasoline with an octane number or rating lower than the
level previously stated will cause persistent heavy knocking.
At worst, this will lead to engine damage.
■ Fuel-related p oor driveability
If poor driveability is encountered after using a different type of fuel (poor hot
starting, vaporization, engine knocking, etc.), discontinue the use of that type
of fuel.
■ When refueling with gasohol
Take care not to spill gasohol. It can damage your vehicle’s paint.
■ Notice about fuel
For plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel may remain in the tank for a long time and
undergo changes in quality depending on the how the vehicle is used.
Refuel at least 5.3 gal. (20 L, 4.4 Imp.gal.) of fuel every 6 months (refuel a
total of at least 5.3 gal. [20 L, 4.4 Imp.gal.] over a 6-month period), as this
may affect components of the fuel system or the gasoline engine.

625
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
Tire infor mation
Typical tire symbols
Tire size( P. 627)
DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN) ( P. 626)
Location of treadwear indicators ( P. 476)
Tire ply composition and materials
Plies are layers of rubber-coated parallel cords. Cords are the
strands which form the plies in a tire.
Summer tires or all season tires ( P. 481)
An all season tire has “M+S” on the sidewall. A tire not marked
“M+S” is a summer tire.
Radial tires or bias-ply tires
A radial tire has “RADIAL” on the sidewall. A tire not marked
“RADIAL” is a bias-ply tire.
TUBELESS or TUBE TYPE
A tubeless tire does not have a tube and air is directly put into the
tire. A tube type tire has a tube inside the tire and the tube main-
tains the air pressure.

626 6-1. Specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
Typical DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN)DOT symbol
*
Tire Identification Number
(TIN)
Tire manufacturer’s identifica-
tion mark
Tire size code
Manufacturer’s optional tire
type code (3 or 4 letters)
Manufacturing week
Manufacturing year
*: The DOT symbol certifiesthat the tire conforms to
applicable Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards.
Load limit at maximum cold tire inflation pressure ( P. 481)
Maximum cold tire in flation pressure ( P. 619)
This means the pressure to which a tire may be inflated.
Uniform tire quality grading
For details, see “Uniform Tire Quality Grading” that follows.

627
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
Tire size
■ Typical tire size information
The illustration indicates typical tire size. Tire use
(P = Passenger car,
T = Temporary use)
Section width (millimeters)
Aspect ratio
(tire height to section width)
Tire construction code
(R = Radial, D = Diagonal)
Wheel diameter (inches)
Load index (2 digits or 3 digits)
Speed symbol
(alphabet with one letter)
■ Tire dimensions
Section width
Tire height
Wheel diameter

628 6-1. Specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
Tire section namesBead
Sidewall
Shoulder
Tread
Belt
Inner liner
Reinforcing rubber
Carcass
Rim lines
Bead wires
Chafer

629
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
This information has been prepared in accordance with regulations
issued by the National Highway Tr affic Safety Administration of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
It provides the purchasers and/or prospective purchasers of Toyota
vehicles with information on uniform tire quality grading.
Your Toyota dealer will help answ er any questions you may have as
you read this information.
■ DOT quality grades
All passenger vehicle tires mu st conform to Federal Safety
Requirements in addition to these grades. 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
■ Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a speci-
fied government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1 - 1/2)
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. Performance may diff er significantly from the norm due
to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.

630 6-1. Specifications
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
■Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C,
and they represent the tire’s ab ility to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled cond itions 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
(straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turn-
ing) traction.
■ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, represent-
ing the tire’s resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a speci-
fied 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.
Grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the labo-
ratory test wheel than the minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grades of a tire assume that it is properly
inflated and not overloaded.
Excessive speed, underinflation, or excessive loading, either sepa-
rately or in combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire fail-
ure.