Ford E-350 (2012 year). Manual — part 37

• Do not run over curbs or hit the tire against a curb when parking

WARNING: If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc., do
not rapidly spin the tires; spinning the tires can tear the tire and

cause an explosion. A tire can explode in as little as three to five
seconds.

WARNING: Do not spin the wheels at over 35 mph (56 km/h).
The tires may fail and injure a passenger or bystander.

Highway hazards

No matter how carefully you drive there’s always the possibility that you
may eventually have a flat tire on the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic. This may further damage the flat tire, but
your safety is more important.

If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving, or you
suspect your tire or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your
speed. Drive with caution until you can safely pull off the road. Stop and
inspect the tires for damage. If a tire is under-inflated or damaged,
deflate it, remove wheel and replace it with your spare tire and wheel. If
you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest repair
facility or tire dealer to have the vehicle inspected.

Tire and wheel alignment

A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side when you’re driving, the wheels may be
out of alignment. Have an authorized dealer check the wheel alignment
periodically.

Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by an authorized dealer.
Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an independent rear
suspension (if equipped) may require alignment of all four wheels.

The tires should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.

Tire rotation

Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
Scheduled Maintenance chapter) will help your tires wear more evenly,
providing better tire performance and longer tire life.

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• Rear-wheel drive (RWD)

vehicles/Four-wheel drive (4WD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)

Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.

Note: If your tires show uneven wear ask an authorized dealer to check
for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or mechanical
problem involved before tire rotation.

Note: Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.

Note: After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.

WARNING: If the tire label shows different tire pressures for
the front and rear tires and the vehicle is equipped with TPMS

(tire pressure monitoring system), then the settings for the TPMS
sensors need to be updated. Always perform the TPMS reset procedure
after tire rotation. If the system is not reset, it may not provide a low
tire pressure warning when necessary. See the TPMS reset procedure
in this chapter.

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• Dual rear wheel (DRW) vehicles –

Six tire rotation

If your vehicle is equipped with dual
rear wheels it is recommended that
the front and rear tires (in pairs) be
rotated only side to side. We do not
recommend splitting up the dual
rear wheels. Rotate them side to
side as a set/pair. After tire rotation,
inflation pressures must be adjusted
for the tires new positions in
accordance with vehicle
requirements.

Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.

Note: If your tires show uneven wear ask your authorized dealer to
check for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or
mechanical problem involved before tire rotation.

Note: Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.

Note: After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.

INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL

Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.

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Information on “P” type tires

P215/65R15 95H is an example of a
tire size, load index and speed
rating. The definitions of these
items are listed below. (Note that
the tire size, load index and speed
rating for your vehicle may be
different from this example.)

1. P: Indicates a tire, designated by
the Tire and Rim Association
(T&RA), that may be used for
service on cars, SUVs, minivans and
light trucks.

Note: If your tire size does not
begin with a letter this may mean it
is designated by either ETRTO
(European Tire and Rim Technical Organization) or JATMA (Japan Tire
Manufacturing Association).

2. 215: Indicates the nominal width of the tire in millimeters from
sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In general, the larger the number, the
wider the tire.

3. 65: Indicates the aspect ratio which gives the tire’s ratio of height to
width.

4. R: Indicates a “radial” type tire.

5. 15: Indicates the wheel or rim diameter in inches. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to purchase new tires to match the new wheel
diameter.

6. 95: Indicates the tire’s load index. It is an index that relates to how
much weight a tire can carry. You may find this information in your
owner’s guide. If not, contact a local tire dealer.

Note: You may not find this information on all tires because it is not
required by federal law.

7. H: Indicates the tire’s speed rating. The speed rating denotes the
speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended periods of
time under a standard condition of load and inflation pressure. The tires
on your vehicle may operate at different conditions for load and inflation
pressure. These speed ratings may need to be adjusted for the difference
in conditions. The ratings range from 81 mph (130 km/h) to 186 mph
(299 km/h). These ratings are listed in the following chart.

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