Owner Maintenance; Maintenance and Care- Page 386

6–42

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

   NOTE

y

  Always check tire pressure when tires 

are cold.

y

  Warm tires normally exceed 

recommended pressures. Do not release 
air from warm tires to adjust the 
pressure.

y

  Underinfl ation can cause reduced fuel 

economy, uneven and accelerated tire 
wear, and poor sealing of the tire bead, 
which will deform the wheel and cause 
separation of tire from rim.

y

  Overinfl ation can produce a harsh ride, 

uneven and accelerated tire wear, and a 
greater possibility of damage from road 
hazards.

  Keep your tire pressure at the correct 

levels. If one frequently needs infl ating, 
have it inspected.

 Tire  Rotation

WARNING

  Rotate  tires  periodically:

  Irregular tire wear is dangerous. To 
equalize tread wear for maintaining 
good performance in handling and 
braking, rotate the tires every 12,000 
km (7,500 miles). However Mazda 
recommends to rotate every 8,000 km 
(5,000 miles) to help increase tire life 
and distribute wear more evenly.
  Refer to Scheduled Maintenance on 
page   6-4 .
  

  During rotation, inspect them for correct 
balance.

D o not include (TE MP ORA RY  USE  ON LY ) 
spare tire in rotation.

Forward

  Also, inspect them for uneven wear and 
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused 
by one or a combination of the following:

y

 Incorrect tire pressure

y

 Improper wheel alignment

y

 Out-of-balance wheel

y

 Severe braking

  After  rotation,  infl ate all tire pressures to 
specifi cation (page  9-9 ) and inspect the lug 
nuts for tightness.
  After adjusting the tire pressure, 
initialization of the tire pressure 
monitoring system is necessary to make 
the system operates normally.
  Refer to Tire Pressure Monitoring System 
Initialization on page  4-64 .

CAUTION

  Rotate unidirectional tires and radial 
tires that have an asymmetrical tread 
pattern or studs only from front to rear, 
not from side to side. Tire performance 
will be reduced if rotated from side to 
side.