Buying New Tires - Suzuki 2008 XL7 Owner's Manual

• The tire has a bump, bulge, or split.
• The tire has a puncture, cut, or other
damage that cannot be repaired well
because of the size or location of the
damage.
The rubber in tires degrades over time,
even if they are not being used. This is also
true for the spare tire, if your vehicle has
one. Multiple conditions affect how fast this
aging takes place, including temperatures,
loading conditions, and inflation pressure
maintenance. With proper care and main-
tenance tires will typically wear out before
they degrade due to age. If you are unsure
about the need to replace your tires as
they get older, consult the tire manufac-
turer for more information.

Buying New Tires

The original equipment tires installed on
your vehicle, when it was new, were
designed to meet the Tire Performance
Criteria Specification (TPC spec) system
rating. If you need replacement tires,
Suzuki strongly recommends that you get
tires with the same TPC Spec rating. This
way, your vehicle will continue to have tires
that are designed to give the same perfor-
mance and vehicle safety, during normal
use, as the original tires.
The exclusive TPC Spec system considers
over a dozen critical specifications that
impact the overall performance of your
vehicle, including brake system perfor-
mance, ride and handling, traction control,
and tire pressure monitoring performance.
The TPC Spec number is molded onto the
tire's sidewall near the tire size. If the tires
have an all-season tread design, the TPC
spec number will be followed by a MS, for
mud and snow. Refer to "Tire Sidewall
Labeling" in this section for additional infor-
mation.
We recommend replacing tires in sets of
four. This is because uniform tread depth
on all tires will help keep your vehicle per-
forming most like it did when the tires were
new. Replacing less than a full set of tires
can affect the braking and handling perfor-
mance of your vehicle. Refer to "Tire
Inspection and Rotation" in this section for
information on proper tire rotation.
WARNING
Mixing tires could cause you to lose
control while driving. If you mix tires
of different sizes, brands, or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and
you could have a crash. Using tires
of different sizes, brands, or types
may also cause damage to your vehi-
cle. Be sure to use the correct size,
brand, and type of tires on all wheels.
It is all right to drive with your com-
pact spare temporarily, as it was
developed for use on your vehicle.
Refer to "Compact Spare Tire" in this
section.
SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
WARNING
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehi-
cle, the wheel rim flanges could
develop cracks after many miles of
driving. A tire and/or wheel could fail
suddenly, causing a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on
your vehicle.
If you must replace your vehicle's tires with
those that do not have a TPC Spec num-
ber, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating, and construction
type (radial and bias-belted tires) as your
vehicle's original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire pressure monitor-
ing system may give an inaccurate low-
pressure warning if Non-TPC Spec rated
tires are installed on your vehicle. Non-
TPC Spec rated tires may give a low-pres-
sure warning that is higher or lower than
the proper warning level you would get
with TPC Spec rated tires. Refer to "Tire
Pressure Monitor System" in this section.
Your vehicle's original equipment tires are
listed on the Tire and Loading Information
Label. Refer to "Loading Your Vehicle" in
"Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle"
in the "Driving Your Vehicle" section, for
more information about the Tire and Load-
ing Information Label and its location on
your vehicle.
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