All Season Tires; Summer Tires; Snow Tires; Radial-Ply Tires - Hyundai sonata Owner's Manual

Maintenance

All Season Tires

HYUNDAI specifies all season
tires on some models to provide
good performance for use all year
round, including snowy and icy
road conditions. All season tires
are identified by ALL SEASON and/
or M+S (Mud and Snow) on the tire
sidewall. Snow tires have better
snow traction than all season tires
and may be more appropriate in
some areas.

Summer Tires

HYUNDAI specifies summer tires on
some models to provide superior
performance on dry roads. Summer
tire performance is substantially
reduced in snow and ice. Summer
tires do not have the tire traction
rating M+S (Mud and Snow) on
the tire side wall. If you plan to
operate your vehicle in snowy or icy
conditions, HYUNDAI recommends
the use of snow tires or all season
tires on all four wheels.

Snow Tires

If you equip your car with snow
tires, they should be the same size
and have the same load capacity as
the original tires. Snow tires should
be installed on all four wheels;
otherwise, poor handling may result.
Snow tires should carry 4 psi (28 kPa)
more air pressure than the pressure
recommended for the standard
tires on the tire label on the driver's
side of the center pillar, or up to the
maximum pressure shown on the tire
sidewall, whichever is less. Do not
drive faster than 75 mph (120 km/h)
when your vehicle is equipped with
snow tires.
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Radial-Ply Tires

Radial-ply tires provide improved
tread life, road hazard resistance
and smoother high speed ride. The
radial-ply tires used on this vehicle
are of belted construction, and are
selected to complement the ride
and handling characteristics of your
vehicle.
Radial-ply tires have the same load
carrying capacity, as bias-ply or
bias belted tires of the same size,
and use the same recommended
inflation pressure. Mixing of radial-
ply tires with bias-ply or bias belted
tires is not recommended. Any
combinations of radial-ply and bias-
ply or bias belted tires when used
on the same vehicle will seriously
deteriorate vehicle handling. The
best rule to follow is: Identical pairs
of radial-ply tires should always be
used as a set for the front tires and a
set for the rear tires.
Longer wearing tires can be more
susceptible to irregular tread wear.
It is very important to follow the tire
rotation interval in this chapter to
achieve the tread life potential of
these tires. Cuts and punctures in
radial-ply tires are repairable only in
the tread area, because of sidewall
flexing. Consult your tire dealer for
radial-ply tire repairs.
WARNING
Do not mix bias ply and radial ply
tires under any circumstances.
This may cause unusual handling
characteristics that may cause loss
of vehicle control resulting in an
accident.