Owner Maintenance; Maintenance and Care- Page 436

6–44

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

 Replacing  a  Tire

WARNING

  Always use tires that are in good 
condition:

  Driving with worn tires is dangerous. 
Reduced braking, steering, and 
traction could result in an accident.
  

  Replace all four tires at the same time:

  Replacing just one tire is dangerous. It 
could cause poor handling and poor 
braking resulting in loss of vehicle 
control. Mazda strongly recommends 
that you replace all four tires at the 
same time.

  If a tire wears evenly, a wear indicator will 
appear as a solid band across the tread.
  Replace the tire when this happens.

New tread

Tread wear indicator

Worn tread

  You should replace the tire before the band 
crosses the entire tread.

(With tire pressure monitoring system)

  After adjusting the tire pressure, 
initialization of the tire pressure 
monitoring system is necessary to make 
the system operate normally.
  Refer to Tire Pressure Monitoring System 
Initialization on page  4-129 .

   NOTE

  Tires degrade over time, even when 
they are not being used on the road. It 
is recommended that tires generally be 
replaced when they are 6 years or older. 
Heat caused by hot climates or frequent 
high loading conditions can accelerate 
the aging process. You should replace the 
spare tire when you replace the other road 
tires due to the aging of the spare tire. The 
period in which the tire was manufactured 
(both week and year) is indicated by a 
4-digit number.
  Refer to Tire Labeling on page  8-24 .

 Temporary  Spare  Tire

            Inspect  the  temporary  spare  tire  at  least 
monthly to make sure it is properly 
infl ated and stored.

   NOTE

  The temporary spare tire condition 
gradually deteriorates even if it has not 
been used.

  The temporary spare tire is easier to 
handle because of its construction which 
is lighter and smaller than a conventional 
tire. This tire should be used only for an 
emergency and only for a short distance.

  Use the temporary spare tire only until the 
conventional tire is repaired, which should 
be as soon as possible.
  Refer  to  Tires  on  page   9-8 .