2010 CADILLAC DTS tire type

Passing
Passing another vehicle on a two-lane road can bedangerous. To reduce the risk of danger while passing:
•Look down the road, to the sides, and to crossroads
for situations that might affect a successful pass.If in doubt, wait.
•Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and
lines that could indicate a turn or an intersection.Never cross a solid or double-solid line on your sideof the lane.
•Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass. Doing so can reduce your visibility.
•Wait your turn to pass a slow vehicle.
•When you are being passed, ease to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about whathappens when the three control systems — brakes,steering, and acceleration — do not have enough frictionwhere the tires meet the road to do what the driverhas asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steerand constantly seek an escape route or area ofless danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonablecare suited to existing conditions, and by not overdrivingthose conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to the vehicle’s threecontrol systems. In the braking skid, the wheels are notrolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much speedor steering in a curve causes tires to slip and losecornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too muchthrottle causes the driving wheels to spin.
Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid onlythe acceleration skid. If the traction control system isoff, then an acceleration skid is best handled by easingyour foot off the accelerator pedal.
If the vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off theaccelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you wantthe vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,the vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready fora second skid if it occurs.
If the vehicle has StabiliTrak®, the system may beactive. SeeStabiliTrak®System on page 5-5.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, slowdown and adjust your driving to these conditions.
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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle tractionand affect your ability to stop and accelerate. Alwaysdrive slower in these types of driving conditionsand avoid driving through large puddles anddeep-standing or flowing water.
{WARNING:
Wet brakes can cause crashes. They might not
work as well in a quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or a
car/vehicle wash, lightly apply the brake pedal until
the brakes work normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
Driving through flowing water could cause your
vehicle to be carried away. If this happens, you
and other vehicle occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be very cautious about
trying to drive through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water can build up underyour vehicle’s tires so they actually ride on thewater. This can happen if the road is wet enough andyou are going fast enough. When your vehicle ishydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.The best advice is to slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet weather driving tipsinclude:
•Allow extra following distance.
•Pass with caution.
•Keep windshield wiping equipment in good shape.
•Keep the windshield washer fluid reservoir filled.
•Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 6-46.
•Turn off cruise control.
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Hitches
It is important to have the correct hitch equipment.Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are afew reasons why the right hitch is needed. Here are somerules to follow:
•The rear bumper on the vehicle is not intended for
hitches. Do not attach rental hitches or otherbumper-type hitches to it. Use only a frame-mountedhitch that does not attach to the bumper.
•Will any holes be made in the body of the vehicle
when the trailer hitch is installed? If there are, thenbe sure to seal the holes later when the hitch isremoved. If the holes are not sealed, dirt, water, anddeadly carbon monoxide (CO) from the exhaust canget into the vehicle. SeeEngine Exhaust onpage 3-34for more information.
Safety Chains
Always attach chains between the vehicle and thetrailer. Cross the safety chains under the tongue of thetrailer to help prevent the tongue from contactingthe road if it becomes separated from the hitch.Instructions about safety chains may be provided by thehitch manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer.Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for attachingsafety chains and do not attach them to the bumper.Always leave just enough slack so the rig can turn.Never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
Because the vehicle has StabiliTrak®, do not tap intothe vehicle’s hydraulic brake system. If you do,both brake systems will not work well, or at all.
Be sure to read and follow the instructions for the trailerbrakes so they are installed, adjusted and maintainedproperly.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.Get to know the rig before setting out for the openroad. Get acquainted with the feel of handling andbraking with the added weight of the trailer. And alwayskeep in mind that the vehicle you are driving is nowlonger and not as responsive as the vehicle is by itself.
Before starting, check all trailer hitch parts andattachments, safety chains, electrical connectors, lamps,tires and mirror adjustments. If the trailer has electricbrakes, start the vehicle and trailer moving andthen apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be surethe brakes are working. This checks the electricalconnection at the same time.
During the trip, check occasionally to be sure that theload is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakesare still working.
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Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is molded into itssidewall.
(A) Tire Size:The tire size is a combination ofletters and numbers used to define a particulartire’s width, height, aspect ratio, construction typeand service description. See the “Tire Size”illustration later in this section for more detail.
(B) TPC Spec (Tire Performance CriteriaSpecification):Original equipment tires designedto GM’s specific tire performance criteria havea TPC specification code molded onto the sidewall.GM’s TPC specifications meet or exceed allfederal safety guidelines.
(C) DOT (Department of Transportation):TheDepartment of Transportation (DOT) codeindicates that the tire is in compliance with theU.S. Department of Transportation Motor VehicleSafety Standards.
(D) Tire Identification Number (TIN):The lettersand numbers following the DOT code are theTire Identification Number (TIN). The TIN showsthe manufacturer and plant code, tire size,and date the tire was manufactured. The TIN ismolded onto both sides of the tire, althoughonly one side may have the date of manufacture.
Passenger Car Tire Example
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(E) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord andnumber of plies in the sidewall and underthe tread.
(F) Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG):Tiremanufacturers are required to grade tiresbased on three performance factors: treadwear,traction and temperature resistance. For moreinformation seeUniform Tire Quality Grading onpage 6-67.
(G) Maximum Cold Inflation LoadLimit:Maximum load that can be carried and themaximum pressure needed to support thatload. For information on recommended tirepressure seeInflation - Tire Pressure on page 6-54andLoading the Vehicle on page 5-18.
(A) Temporary Use Only:The compact spare tireor temporary use tire has a tread life ofapproximately 3,000 miles (5 000 km) and shouldnot be driven at speeds over 65 mph (105 km/h).The compact spare tire is for emergency use whena regular road tire has lost air and gone flat.SeeSpare Tire on page 6-90andIf a Tire GoesFlat on page 6-70.
Compact Spare Tire Example
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(B) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord andnumber of plies in the sidewall and under thetread.
(C) Tire Identification Number (TIN):The TireIdentification Number (TIN). The TIN showsthe manufacturer and plant code, tire size, anddate the tire was manufactured. The TIN is moldedonto both sides of the tire, although only oneside may have the date of manufacture.
(D) Maximum Cold Inflation LoadLimit:Maximum load that can be carried and themaximum pressure needed to support thatload. SeeInflation - Tire Pressure on page 6-54andLoading the Vehicle on page 5-18.
(E) Tire Inflation:The temporary use tire orcompact spare tire should be inflated to 60 psi(420 kPa). For more information on tire pressureand inflation seeInflation - Tire Pressure onpage 6-54andSpare Tire on page 6-90.
(F) Tire Size:A combination of letters andnumbers define a tire’s width, height, aspect ratio,construction type and service description. Theletter T as the first character in the tire size meansthe tire is for temporary use only.
(G) TPC Spec (Tire Performance CriteriaSpecification):Original equipment tires designedto GM’s specific tire performance criteria havea TPC specification code molded onto the sidewall.GM’s TPC specifications meet or exceed allfederal safety guidelines.
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(A) Tire Size:The tire size code is a combinationof letters and numbers used to define a particulartire’s width, height, aspect ratio, constructiontype and service description. See the “Tire Size”illustration later in this section for more detail.
(B) TPC Spec (Tire Performance CriteriaSpecification):Original equipment tires designedto GM’s specific tire performance criteria havea TPC specification code molded onto the sidewall.GM’s TPC specifications meet or exceed allfederal safety guidelines.
(C) Dual Tire Maximum Load:Maximum loadthat can be carried and the maximum pressureneeded to support that load when used in a dualconfiguration.
(D) DOT (Department of Transportation):TheDepartment of Transportation (DOT) codeindicates that the tire is in compliance with theU.S. Department of Transportation Motor VehicleSafety Standards.
(E) Tire Identification Number (TIN):The lettersand numbers following DOT code are the TireIdentification Number (TIN). The TIN showsthe manufacturer and plant code, tire size, anddate the tire was manufactured. The TIN is moldedonto both sides of the tire, although only oneside may have the date of manufacture.
Light Truck Tire Example
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(F) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord andnumber of plies in the sidewall and underthe tread.
(G) Single Tire Maximum Load:Maximum loadthat can be carried and the maximum pressureneeded to support that load when used as asingle. For information on recommendedtire pressure seeInflation - Tire Pressure onpage 6-54.
Tire Size
The following illustration shows an example of atire size.
(A) P-Metric Tire:The United States version of ametric tire sizing system. The letter P as thefirst character in the tire size means a passengervehicle tire engineered to standards set by theU. S. Tire and Rim Association.
(B) Tire Width:The three-digit number indicatesthe tire section width in millimeters from sidewallto sidewall.
(C) Aspect Ratio:A two-digit number thatindicates the tire height-to-width measurements.For example, if the tire size aspect ratio is60, as shown in item C of the illustration, it wouldmean that the tire’s sidewall is 60 percent ashigh as it is wide.
(D) Construction Code:A letter code is used toindicate the type of ply construction in the tire.The letter R means radial ply construction;the letter D means diagonal or bias plyconstruction; and the letter B means belted-biasply construction.
(E) Rim Diameter:Diameter of the wheel ininches.
(F) Service Description:These charactersrepresent the load index and speed rating of thetire. The load index represents the load carrycapacity a tire is certified to carry. The speedrating is the maximum speed a tire is certified tocarry a load.
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