Dodge Intrepid Service Manual page 733

22 - 18 TIRES/WHEELS
TIRES (Continued)
Install wheel on vehicle, and progressively tighten
the 5 wheel nuts to a torque of 135 N·m (100 ft. lbs.).
Fig. 27 Tire Repair Area
1 - REPAIRABLE AREA
CLEANING - TIRES
Before delivery of a vehicle, remove the protective
coating on the tires with white sidewalls or raised
white letters. To remove the protective coating, apply
warm water and let it soak for a few minutes. After-
wards, scrub the coating away with a soft bristle
brush. Steam cleaning may also be used to remove
the coating.
CAUTION: DO NOT use gasoline, mineral oil, oil-
based solvent or a wire brush for cleaning.
WHEELS
DESCRIPTION
Original equipment wheels are designed for proper
operation at all loads up to the specified maximum
vehicle capacity.
All models use steel or cast aluminum drop center
wheels. Every wheel has raised sections between the
rim flanges and rim drop well called safety humps
(Fig. 28) .
Initial inflation of the tires forces the bead over
these raised sections. In case of air loss the raised
sections help hold the tire in position on the wheel
until the vehicle can be brought to a safe stop.
Cast aluminum wheels require special balance
weights to fit on the rim flange of the wheel and spe-
cial wheel clamps for the alignment equipment.
Fig. 28 Safety Rim
1 - FLANGE
2 - RIDGE
3 - WELL
The wheel studs and nuts are designed for specific
wheel applications and must be replaced with equiv-
alent parts. Do not use replacement parts of lesser
quality or of a substitute design. All aluminum and
some steel wheels have wheel stud nuts with an
enlarged nose. This enlarged nose is necessary to
ensure proper retention of the wheels.
Before installing a wheel, remove any buildup of
corrosion on the wheel mounting surface.
WARNING: INSTALLING WHEELS WITHOUT GOOD
METAL-TO-METAL CONTACT COULD CAUSE LOOS-
ENING OF WHEEL LUG NUTS. THIS COULD
ADVERSELY AFFECT THE SAFETY AND HANDLING
OF YOUR VEHICLE.
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - WHEEL
INSPECTION
Inspect wheels for:
• Excessive runout
• Dents, cracks or irregular bends
• Damaged wheel stud (lug) holes
• Air Leaks
NOTE: Do not attempt to repair a wheel by hammer-
ing, heating or welding.
If a wheel is damaged, an original equipment
replacement wheel should be used. When obtaining
replacement wheels, they should be equivalent in
load carrying capacity. The diameter, width, offset,
pilot hole and bolt circle of the wheel should be the
same as the original wheel.
LH