2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID ESP

414 6-1. Specifications
■Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a speci-
fied government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1.5) 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, servic e practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
■ Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C,
and they represen t the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled cond itions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking
(straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning)
traction.
■ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, represent-
ing the tire's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a speci-
fied indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degen-
erate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure.
Grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the labora-
tory test wheel than the minimum required by law.

417
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
Tire related termMeaning
Bead The part of the tire that is made of steel wires,
wrapped or reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim
Bead separation A breakdown of the bond between components in
the bead
Bias ply tire A pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that
extend to the beads are laid at alternate angles
substantially less than 90 degrees to the center-
line of the tread
Carcass The tire structure, except tread and sidewall rub-
ber which, when inflated, bears the load
Chunking The breaking away of pieces of the tread or side-
wall
Cord The strands forming the plies in the tire
Cord separation The parting of cords from adjacent rubber com-
pounds
Cracking Any parting within the tread, sidewall, or innerliner
of the tire extending to cord material
CT A pneumatic tire with an inverted flange tire and
rim system in which the rim is designed with rim
flanges pointed radially inward and the tire is
designed to fit on the underside of the rim in a
manner that encloses the rim flanges inside the
air cavity of the tire
Extra load tire A tire designed to operate at higher loads and at
higher inflation pressures than the corresponding
standard tire
Groove The space between two adjacent tread ribs
Innerliner The layer(s) forming the inside surface of a tube-
less tire that contains the inflating medium within
the tire
Innerliner separation The parting of the innerliner from cord material in
the carcass

419
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
Tire related termMeaning
Ply separation A parting of rubber compound between adjacent
plies
Pneumatic tire A mechanical device made of rubber, chemicals,
fabric and steel or other materials, that, when
mounted on an automotive wheel, provides the
traction and contains the gas or fluid that sustains
the load
Radial ply tire A pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that
extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90
degrees to the centerline of the tread
Reinforced tire A tire designed to operate at higher loads and at
higher inflation pressures than the corresponding
standard tire
Section width The linear distance between the exteriors of the
sidewalls of an inflated tire, excluding elevations
due to labeling, decoration, or protective bands
Sidewall That portion of a tire between the tread and bead
Sidewall separation The parting of the rubber compound from the cord
material in the sidewall
Snow tire A tire that attains a traction index equal to or
greater than 110, compared to the ASTM-E 1136
Standard Reference Test Tire, when using the
snow traction test as described in ASTM F-1805-
00, Standard Test Method for Signal Wheel Driv-
ing Traction in a Straight Line on Snow-and Ice-
Covered Surfaces, and which is marked with an
Alpine Symbol (
) on at least one sidewall
Te s t r i m The rim on which a tire is fitted for testing, and
may be any rim listed as appropriate for use with
that tire