1996 Toyota Avalon Owners Manual - Page 180

Replacing wheels WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS Aluminum wheel precautions S After driving your vehicle the first 1600 km (1000 miles), check that the wheel nuts are tight. If you have rotated, repaired, or changed your tires, check that the wheel nuts are still tight after driving 1600 km (1000 miles). When using tire chains, be careful not to damage the aluminum wheels. Use only the Toyota wheel nuts and wrench designed for your aluminum wheels. When balancing your wheels, use only Toyota balance weights or equivalent and a plastic or rubber hammer. As with any wheel, periodically check your aluminum wheels for damage. If damaged, replace immediately. ! CAUTION S Do not exceed 50 km/h (30 mph) or the chain manufacturer's recommended speed limit, whichever is lower. S Drive carefully avoiding bumps, holes, and sharp turns, which may cause the vehicle to bounce. S Avoid sharp turns or locked-wheel braking, as use of chains may adversely affect vehicle handling. If you have wheel damage such as bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the wheel should be replaced. If you fail to replace damaged wheels, the tire may slip off the wheel or they may cause loss of handling control. WHEEL SELECTION When replacing wheels, care should be taken to ensure that the wheels are replaced by ones with the same load capacity, diameter, rim width, and offset. Correct replacement wheels are available at your Toyota dealer. A wheel of a different size or type may adversely affect handling, wheel and bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer/ odometer calibration, stopping ability, headlight aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clearance, and tire or snow chain clearance to the body and chassis. Replacement with used wheels is not recommended as they may have been subjected to rough treatment or high mileage and could fail without warning. Also, bent wheels which have been straightened may have structural damage and therefore should not be used. Never use an inner tube in a leaking wheel which is designed for a tubeless tire. S S S S S 174