Wheels and Tires: Description and Operation
Wheels And TiresWARNING: Do not mix different types of tires, such as radial, bias or bias-belted, on the same vehicle except in emergencies (temporary spare usage). Vehicle handling can be seriously affected and can result in loss of control.
Factory-installed tires and wheels are designed to operate satisfactorily with loads up to and including full-rated load capacity when inflated to recommended inflation pressures.
Correct tire pressure and driving techniques have an important influence on tire life. Heavy cornering, excessively rapid acceleration and unnecessary sharp braking increase tire wear.
Replacement tires should follow the recommended:
- Ore sizes.
- speed rating.
- load range.
- radial construction type.
Use of any other tire size or type may seriously affect:
- ride.
- handling.
- speedometer/odometer calibration.
- vehicle ground clearance.
- tire clearance between the body and chassis.
- wheel bearing life.
- brake cooling.
New wheels need to be installed when:
- bent.
- dented.
- heavily rusted.
- leaking.
- they have elongated wheel hub bolt holes.
- they have excessive lateral or radial runout.
The vehicle uses a one-piece cone wheel nut.
Wheel and tire assemblies are attached by six non-centering wheel nuts.
The spare tire is mounted under the frame. The valve stem should be on the top side of the tire to reduce the possibility of accidental valve stem air leakage.
To equalize tire wear, rotate the tires periodically.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
NOTE: The vehicle is equipped with a light blue-colored tire pressure sensor. When installing new components, use only this tire pressure sensor.
TPMS will not operate correctly if black-colored tire pressure sensors are installed.
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) includes:
- a TPMS module, integral to the Vehicle Security Module (VSM)
- four road wheel-mounted tire pressure sensors with aluminum valve stems
- an instrument cluster indicator
- a message center
The vehicle is available with an optional TPMS. The system monitors the air pressure in the four road tires with wheel-mounted tire pressure sensors. The sensors transmit Radio Frequency, (RF) signals to the TPMS module by using the valve stem as an antenna. These transmissions are sent approximately every 60 seconds when the vehicle speed exceeds 32 Km/h (20 mph). The TPMS module compares each tire pressure sensor transmission against a pressure limit. If the TPMS module determines that the tire pressure has exceeded the low or high limit, the TPMS module communicates on the controller area network (CAN) to the instrument cluster, illuminates the TPMS indicator and displays the appropriate message center (if equipped). Refer to Tire Pressure Monitoring System for TPMS fault diagnosis and repair.