Black plate (83,1)Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual (Include Mex) - 2012Vehicle Care 10-83The rubber in tires ages over time.This also applies for the spare tire,if the vehicle has one, even if it isnever used. Multiple conditionsincluding temperatures, loadingconditions, and inflation pressuremaintenance affect how fast agingtakes place. Tires will typically needto be replaced due to wear beforethey may need to be replaceddue to age. Consult the tiremanufacturer for more informationon when tires should be replaced.Vehicle StorageTires age when stored normallymounted on a parked vehicle.Park a vehicle that will be stored forat least a month in a cool, dry, cleanarea away from direct sunlight toslow aging. This area should be freeof grease, gasoline, or othersubstances that can deterioraterubber.Parking for an extended period cancause flat spots on the tires thatmay result in vibrations whiledriving. When storing a vehicle forat least a month, remove the tiresor raise the vehicle to reduce theweight from the tires.Buying New TiresGM has developed and matchedspecific tires for the vehicle. Theoriginal equipment tires installedwere designed to meet GeneralMotors Tire Performance CriteriaSpecification (TPC Spec) systemrating. When replacement tires areneeded, GM strongly recommendsbuying tires with the same TPCSpec rating.GM's exclusive TPC Spec systemconsiders over a dozen criticalspecifications that impact theoverall performance of the vehicle,including brake systemperformance, ride and handling,traction control, and tire pressuremonitoring performance. GM's TPCSpec number is molded onto thetire's sidewall near the tire size.If the tires have an allseason treaddesign, the TPC Spec numberwill be followed by MS for mudand snow. See Tire SidewallLabeling on page 1068, foradditional information.GM recommends replacing all thetires at the same time. Uniform treaddepth on all tires will help tomaintain the performance of thevehicle. Braking and handlingperformance may be adverselyaffected if all the tires are notreplaced at the same time.See Tire Inspection on page 1080and Tire Rotation on page 1081.