83
OVERVIEW REPAIRSOPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
TIRE REPLACEMENT To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single tread
configuration from a single manufacturer.
The manufacturer of your MINI tests and
approves wheel and tire combinations.
Do not use retreaded tires, since
driving safety may be impaired. This
is due to the possible variations in casing
structures and, in some cases, to their
extreme age, which can lead to a decrease
in their durability.
Traction AA A B C
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform
to Federal Safety Requirements in
addition to these grades.< Tread wearThe tread wear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and one-half (1 g) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.TractionThe traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C.
Those grades represent the tire's ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified govern-
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning, or
peak traction characteristics.< TemperatureThe temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to a sudden flat tire. The grade C
corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Car Safety Stan-
dard No. 109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the labora-
tory test wheel than the minimum required
by law.
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire
failure.< Uniform Tire Quality Grading Quality grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Tread wear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
EVERYTHING FROM A TO Z
134
inflation pressure 80
M+S tires 85
replacement 83
safety tires 80,
84,
85,
110
snow chains 85
storage 84
temperature 83
the right choice 84
tread 82
winter tires 85
with emergency running
properties, see Safety
tires 80,
84,
85,
110
Tools 100
Torque 120
Tow bar 115
Tow fitting 115
Tow socket for tow
fittings 115
Towing 115
with bar 115
with Continuously Variable
automatic Transmission
(CVT) 116
Towing eyelets 115 Tow-starting 115,
116
with Continuously Variable
automatic Transmission
(CVT) 116
Tow-starting and towing 115
Traction 83
Trailer nose weight 122
Transmission 45
Transmission fault,
Continuously Variable
automatic Transmission
(CVT) 48
Transporting children
safely 38
Tread wear 83
Trip odometer 55
Turn signal indicators 17,
49
bulb replacement 102
U
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading 83
V
Vanity mirror 36
bulb replacement 105
illuminated 36
Vehicle
battery 124
decommissioning 96
dimensions 121
exterior finish 94
operating 42
settings 41
washing 94
weight 122
Vehicle Memory 41
Ventilation 66
draft-free 66,
69
W
Warning lamp 15
Warning triangle 113
Washer systems 89
Washer/wiper system 51
Waste container 70
Water on roadways
deep water 77
Wearing safety belt 16,
35
Weights 122 Wheel and tire
combinations 84
Wheel stud
wrench 100,
106,
107
Wheelbase 121
Width 121
Windows, convenience
feature 25
Windshield heating
automatic climate
control 68
heating and climate
control 65
Windshield washer
system 51,
89
filling 89
Windshield wipers 51,
100
care 95
replacing 100
Winter tires 85
all-season tires 85
safety tires 84,
85
Wiper/washer system 51
Work in the engine
compartment 86
