Ford Falcon. Manual - part 37

204-04-1 

Wheels and Tyres 

204-04-1

SECTION : 204-04 Wheels and Tyres

VEHICLE APPLICATION : 2003.0 BA Falcon
CONTENTS  

PAGE

SPECIFICATIONS

 Specifications  .........................................................................................................................204-04-2

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION

  Wheels and Tyres  ..................................................................................................................204-04-3

 Wheels 

 

.................................................................................................................................204-04-3

 Tyres 

 

....................................................................................................................................204-04-3

  Safety Precautions   ..............................................................................................................204-04-3

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING

  Wheels and Tyres   .................................................................................................................204-04-4

  Inspection and Verification  ...................................................................................................204-04-4

 Symptom 

Chart 

 

....................................................................................................................204-04-5

 Component 

Tests 

 

.................................................................................................................204-04-6

GENERAL PROCEDURES

  Straightening Wheels, Rims or Components  .........................................................................204-04-8

  Wheel and Tyre Assembly Balancing   ...................................................................................204-04-8

REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

 Wheel   ....................................................................................................................................204-04-9

 Tyre  ........................................................................................................................................204-04-9

204-04-2 

Wheels and Tyres 

204-04-2

SPECIFICATIONS

Torque Specifications

Description

Nm

Wheel Nuts

135

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204-04-3 

Wheels and Tyres 

204-04-3

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION

Correct tyre pressure and driving techniques have an

Wheels and Tyres

important influence on tyre life. Heavy cornering,

excessively rapid acceleration and unnecessary sharp

Wheels

braking, increase tyre wear.

The road wheels are of the double safety rim type.

To equalize tyre wear, the tyres should be rotated at

They may be steel or aluminium according to the

recommended intervals.

model variant. It is essential that correct wheel nuts

are used at all times.

 WARNING: Never run the engine with one

wheel off the ground, for example, when changing

Steel Wheels

a tyre. The wheel(s) resting on the ground could

Steel wheels are fitted with wheel covers that must be cause the vehicle to move. Failure to follow these

removed to access the wheel nuts.

instructions may result in personal injury.

The wheel nuts are conventional conical nuts.

 WARNING: The tyre and wheel must always

Aluminium Wheels

be correctly matched. It is very important to

determine the size of each component before any

The aluminium wheels are protected against corrosion

assembly operations commence. Failure to adhere

by a special coating. Care must be taken when either

to these instructions can result in an explosive

replacing a tyre or fitting wheel balance weights not to

separation and cause serious bodily injury or

chip or score this protective coating.

death.

Tyres

 WARNING: Aftermarket aerosol tyre sealants

Radial tyres are fitted as standard equipment to all

are extremely flammable. Always question the

models. For tyre data refer to the decal attached to

customer to make sure these products have not

the lock face of the right hand front door.

been used. Failure to follow these instructions

Tyre Care

may result in personal injury.

It is essential that the recommended inflation

 WARNING: Aftermarket wheel assemblies

pressures are always maintained. Radial ply tyres

may not be compatible with the vehicle. Use of

may appear underinflated at the correct

incompatible wheel assemblies can result in

recommended pressures.This is normal and they

equipment failure and possible injury. Use only

should never be inflated beyond the recommended

approved wheel assemblies. Failure to follow

pressures.

these instructions may result in personal injury.

Tyre Pressures

 WARNING: Use only wheels and wheel nuts

The tyre pressures quoted are cold pressures. In this

that have been designed for the vehicle.

context, the tyre temperature is considered ‘hot’ after

Aftermarket wheels or wheel nuts may not fit or

extended motoring at speed. Under certain extreme

function correctly. Failure to follow these

conditions of operation, a tyre may require up to one

instructions may result in personal injury.

hour at rest before it can be considered ‘cold’.

 WARNING:  Always wear safety goggles or a

Tyre Wear

face shield when performing any work with the

If irregular wear is noticed, check the wheel bearings

tyre and wheel assemblies. Failure to follow these

and front suspension ball joints for excess play and

instructions may result in personal injury.

also check the front suspension geometry.

 CAUTION: Reduce the air pressure as much

Safety Precautions

as possible by pushing the valve core plunger in

prior to removing the valve core. Avoid working in

 WARNING: Do not mix different types of tyres a position in which the face or body is directly

on the same vehicle such as radial, bias, or

over a tyre in which there is pressure.

bias-belted tyres except in emergencies

When carrying out any inspection or repair

(temporary spare usage), because vehicle

procedures on wheels and tyres, follow the preceding

handling may be seriously affected and may result

safety precautions.

in loss of control. Failure to follow these

instructions may result in personal injury.
Factory-installed tyres and wheels are designed to

operate satisfactorily with loads up to and including

full-rated load capacity when inflated to recommended

inflation pressures.

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204-04-4 

Wheels and Tyres 

204-04-4

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING

It is mandatory to use only the tyre sizes

Wheels and Tyres

recommended on the tyre chart attached to the

vehicle. Larger or smaller tyres can damage the

Inspection and Verification

vehicle, affect driveability, and require changing the

speedometer calibration. Make sure wheel size and

 WARNING: Do not balance the wheels and

offsets match those recommended for the tyre in use.

tyres while they are still mounted on the vehicle.

1.  Inspect for signs of uneven wear that can indicate

Possible tyre disintegration or differential failure

a need for balancing, rotation, suspension

can result, causing serious injury and extensive

alignment, or damaged steering components.

component damage. Use off-vehicle wheel and

2.  Check tyres for:

tyre balancer only. Failure to follow these

instructions may result in personal injury.

cuts

Be sure to follow the warnings when carrying out

stone bruises

inspection and verification.

abrasions

Road Test

blisters
embedded objects

Verify the customer concern by carrying out a road

test on a smooth road. If any vibrations are apparent,

3.  Tread wear indicators are moulded into the

refer to Section 100-04.

bottom of the tread grooves. Install a new tyre

when the indicator bar becomes visible.

To maximize tyre performance, inspect for signs of

incorrect inflation and uneven wear, which can

Match Mounting Tyres

indicate a need for balancing, rotation, or a

suspension alignment.

Match mounting is a technique used to reduce radial

runout. Excessive runout is a source of vibration,

Correct tyre pressure and driving techniques have an

shimmy and poor handling concerns. Use the

important influence on tyre life. Heavy cornering,

following steps to reduce radial runout:

excessively rapid acceleration and unnecessary sharp

braking increase tyre wear.

1.  Mark the wheel at the same point as the mark

previously made when measuring the tyre runout.

Replacement tyres should follow the recommended:

2.  Dismount the tyre and remount it 180 degrees on

tyre sizes

the wheel so the original mark on the tyre is

speed rating

opposite the mark on the wheel.

load range

3.  Inflate the tyre to specification.

tyre construction type

4.  Measure the radial runout with Radial Runout

Use of any other tyre size or type may seriously

Gauge at the center of the tread face. If the radial

affect:

runout is reduced to acceptable guidelines, the

tyre can be used. If the radial runout remains

ride

excessive, check the wheel runout.

handling
speedometer/odometer calibration

Tyre Drift Diagnosis

vehicle ground clearance

Drift is the deviation of the vehicle from a straight path

tyre clearance between the body and chassis

on a level road with no pressure on the steering

wheel. Drift can be caused by:

wheel bearing life

incorrect wheel alignment

brake cooling

dragging brakes

Wheels need to be replaced when:

incorrect/uneven tyre pressure

bent

defective tyres

dented

If defective tyres are suspected in a drift condition,

cracked

use the following steps to determine the defective

heavily corroded

tyre:

leaking

1.  Rotate the two front tyres. For additional

they have elongated wheel hub bolt holes

information, refer to Wheel and Tyre in this

section.

they have excessive lateral or radial runout

2.  Road test the vehicle. If the vehicle drifts to the

Wheel and tyre assemblies are attached by five wheel

opposite direction, one of the front tyres is at fault.

nuts

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