winter tires TOYOTA YARIS 2010 3.G Owners Manual

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
Winter driving tips
Carry out the necessary preparations and inspections before driving
the vehicle in winter. Always drive the vehicle in a manner appropri-
ate to the prevailing weather conditions.
■Pre-winter preparations
●Use fluids that are appropriate to the prevailing outside tem-
peratures.
• Engine oil
• Engine coolant
• Washer fluid
●Have a service technician inspect the level and specific grav-
ity of battery electrolyte.
●Have the vehicle fitted with four snow tires or purchase a set
of tire chains for the front tires.
Ensure that all tires are the same size and brand, and that chains
match the size of the tires.
■Before driving the vehicle
Perform the following according to the driving conditions.
●Do not try to forcibly open a window, scrape an outside rear
view mirror surface or move a wiper or outside rear view mir-
ror that is frozen. Pour warm water over the frozen area to
melt the ice. Wipe away the water immediately to prevent it
from freezing.
●To ensure proper operation of the climate control system fan,
remove any snow that has accumulated on the air inlet vents
in front of the windshield.
●Remove any ice that has accumulated on the vehicle chassis.
●Periodically check for and remove any excess ice or snow
that may have accumulated in the wheel well or on the
brakes.

268 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■If the tread wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm) on snow tires
The effectiveness of snow tires is lost.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the replacement 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.
■Tire types
1 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 roads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When
installing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2 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
compared with summer tires in highway driving.
3Snow 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 originally 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 for possible restriction. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels. (P. 169)
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. 364).

270 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
CAUTION
■Tire pressure warning system operation
The tire pressure warning system may not provide warning immediately
if a tire bursts or if sudden air leakage occurs.
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents. Failure to do so
may cause damage to parts of the drive train, as well as dangerous han-
dling characteristics, which may lead to an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different makes, models or tread patterns. Also, do
not mix tires of remarkably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently constructed tires (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and winter tires.
●Do not use tires that have been used on another vehicle.
●Do not use tires if you do not know how they were used previously.