Toyota Camry (2018 year). Manual - part 110

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6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance

When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:

●

The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.

●

You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to

expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage

●

A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size

or location of a cut or other damage

If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.

■

Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID codes of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitters are not

registered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. In this

case, after driving for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light will

blink for approximately 1 minute and then illuminate to indicate a system

malfunction.

■

Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even

if it has seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.

■

Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation

pressure checks. Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of

your routine of daily vehicle checks.

■

Low profile tires (vehicles with 18 or 19-inch wheels)
Generally, low profile tires will wear more rapidly and tire grip perfor-

mance will be reduced on snowy and/or icy roads when compared to

standard tires. Be sure to use snow tires on snowy and/or icy roads and

drive carefully at a speed appropriate for road and weather conditions.

■

Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the replacement tire is greater than 1/2

of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the

rear axle, whichever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification

Label. For the maximum load of the tire,

see the load limit at maximum cold tire

inflation pressure mentioned on the

sidewall of the tire. (

→P. 554)

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Tire types

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Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway

driving under dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same

traction performance as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for

driving on snow-covered or icy roads. For driving on snow-covered

roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When install-

ing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.

●

All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to

be adequate for driving in most winter conditions as well as for use

year-round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate traction

performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also, all

season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performance com-

pared with summer tires in highway driving.

●

Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using

snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same size, con-

struction and load capacity as the originally installed tires. Since your

vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow

tires also have radial construction. Do not install studded tires without

first checking local regulations for possible restrictions. Snow tires

should be installed on all wheels. (

→P. 345)

■

If the tread on snow tires wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost.

■

Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not oper-
ate properly

●

In the following situations, the tire pressure warning system may not

operate properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are used. 

• If a tire has been replaced with a tire that is not an OE (Original

Equipment) tire.

• If a tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the specified size.

• If tire chains, etc. are installed.

• If a window tint that affects radio wave signals is installed.

• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the

wheels or wheel housings.

• If the tire inflation pressure is much higher than the specified level.

• If wheels not equipped with tire pressure warning valve and transmit-

ter are used.

• If the ID codes of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitters are

not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.

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Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• When driving near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio

station, large display, airport or other facility that generates strong

radio waves or electrical noise

• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or

other wireless communication device

Vehicles with a tire inflation pressure display function: If tire position

information is not correctly displayed due to the radio wave conditions,

the display may be corrected by changing the location of the vehicle as

the radio wave conditions may change.

●

When the vehicle is stopped, the time taken for the warning to start or

turn off may be longer.

●

When the inflation pressure of a tire drops rapidly, for example when a

tire has burst, the warning may not operate.

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Initialization procedure

●

Make sure to perform the initialization procedure after adjusting the tire

inflation pressure.

Also, make sure the tires are cold before performing the initialization

procedure or adjusting the tire inflation pressure.

●

If the engine switch is turned to the “LOCK” position (vehicles without a

smart key system) or off (vehicles with a smart key system) during ini-

tialization, it is not necessary to restart the initialization procedure from

the beginning as it will begin automatically when the engine switch is

turned back to the “ON” position (vehicles without a smart key system)

or IGNITION ON mode (vehicles with a smart key system).

●

If initialization has accidentally been started when it is not necessary,

adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level when the tires are

cold and then perform the initialization procedure again.

●

Vehicles with a tire inflation pressure display function: While the position

of each tire is being determined and the inflation pressures are not being

displayed on the multi-information display, if the inflation pressure of a

tire drops, the tire pressure warning light will come on.

■

Warning performance of the tire pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure warning system will change in accor-

dance with the conditions under which it was initialized. For this reason,

the system may give a warning even if the tire pressure does not reach a

low enough level, or if the pressure is higher than the pressure that was

adjusted to when the system was initialized.

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If the tire pressure warning system is not initialized properly



Vehicles without a tire inflation pressure display function

Initialization can be completed in a few minutes. However, in the following

cases, the settings have not been recorded and the system will not oper-

ate properly. If repeated attempts to record tire inflation pressure settings

are unsuccessful, have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer.

●

If initialization is attempted and the tire pressure warning light does not

blink 3 times.

●

If, when the vehicle has been driven for about 20 minutes after perform-

ing initialization, the tire pressure warning light blinks for approximately

1 minute and then illuminates.



Vehicles with a tire inflation pressure display function

●

In the following situations, initialization may take longer than usual to be

completed or may not be possible. (Usually, the vehicle will need to be

driven for approximately 10 to 30 minutes to complete initialization.) 

If initialization is not complete after driving approximately 30 minutes,

continue driving for a while.
• If the vehicle is driven on an unpaved road, it may take longer to com-

plete initialization.

• If the vehicle is backed up while performing initialization, data col-

lected during initialization will be cleared and it will take longer than

normal to complete.

• If the vehicle is driven in heavy traffic or another situation where other

vehicles are driven close by, it may take time for the system to recog-

nize the tire pressure warning valve and transmitters of your vehicle

over those of other vehicles.

If initialization is not complete after driving for approximately 1 hour,

park the vehicle in a safe place for approximately 20 minutes and then

drive the vehicle again.

●

In the following situations, initialization will not be started or was not

completed properly and the system will not operate properly. Perform

the initialization procedure again.
• If, when attempting to start initialization, the tire pressure warning light

does not blink 3 times.

• If, when the vehicle has been driven for about 20 minutes after per-

forming initialization, the tire pressure warning light blinks for approxi-

mately 1 minute and then illuminates.

●

If initialization cannot be completed after performing the above proce-

dure, contact your Toyota dealer.