Chevrolet Cobalt Owners Manual: Buying New Tires

GM has developed and matched specific tires for your vehicle. The original equipment tires installed on your vehicle, when it was new, were designed to meet General Motors Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec) system rating. If you need replacement tires, GM strongly recommends that you get tires with the same TPC Spec rating.

This way, your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed to give the same performance and vehicle safety, during normal use, as the original tires.

GM's exclusive TPC Spec system considers over a dozen critical specifications that impact the overall performance of your vehicle, including brake system performance, ride and handling, traction control, and tire pressure monitoring performance. GM's TPC Spec number is molded onto the tire's sidewall near the tire size. If the tires have an all-season tread design, the TPC Spec number will be followed by an MS for mud and snow. See Tire Sidewall Labeling for additional information.

GM recommends replacing tires in sets of four.

This is because uniform tread depth on all tires will help keep your vehicle performing most like it did when the tires were new. Replacing less than a full set of tires can affect the braking and handling performance of your vehicle.

See Tire Inspection and Rotation for information on proper tire rotation.

WARNING:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes, brands, or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not handle properly, and you could have a crash.

Using tires of different sizes, brands, or types may also cause damage to your vehicle.

Be sure to use the correct size, brand, and type of tires on all wheels. It is all right to drive with your compact spare temporarily, as it was developed for use on your vehicle.

See Compact Spare Tire.

WARNING:
If you use bias-ply tires on the vehicle, the wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the wheels on the vehicle.

If you must replace your vehicle's tires with those that do not have a TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size, load range, speed rating, and construction type (radial and bias-belted tires) as your vehicle's original tires.

Vehicles that have a tire pressure monitoring system could give an inaccurate low-pressure warning if non-TPC Spec rated tires are installed on your vehicle. Non-TPC Spec rated tires may give a low-pressure warning that is higher or lower than the proper warning level you would get with TPC Spec rated tires. See Tire Pressure Monitor System.

Your vehicle's original equipment tires are listed on the Tire and Loading Information Label.

See Loading the Vehicle, for more information about the Tire and Loading Information Label and its location on your vehicle.