2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC tires

miles (kilometers) at low speeds in the 3 hour period before the tire
pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with standard equipment including the
maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, air conditioner, and addi-
tional weight of optional equipment.
Extra load tire
A tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation pres-
sures than the corresponding standard tire.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
The load-carrying capacity of a single axle system, measured where
the tire contacts the ground.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
The maximum loaded weight of the vehicle.
Groove
The space between 2 adjacent tread ribs.
Load rating (code)
The maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given inflation
pressure. You may not find this information on all tires because it is
not required by law.
Maximum load rating
The load rating for a tire at the maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure for that tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
The total of:
Curb weight.
Accessory weight.
Vehicle capacity weight.
Production options weight.
Maximum (permissible) inflation pressure
The maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be inflated.
Also called “maximum inflation pressure.”

Normal occupant weight
Means 150 lbs (68 kilograms) times the number of occupants seated
in the vehicle up to the total seating capacity of your vehicle.
Occupant distribution
The placement of passengers in a vehicle.
Outer diameter
The diameter of a new, properly inflated tire.
Overall width
Total width measured at the exterior sidewalls of an inflated tire, in-
cluding the additional width of labeling, decorations, or protective
bands or ribs.
Passenger car tire
A tire intended for use on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger
vehicles, and trucks, that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
of 10,000 pounds or less.
Ply
A layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
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, pro-
vides the traction and contains the gas or fluid that sustains the load.
Production options weight
The combined weight of installed regular production options weighing
over 5 lbs (2.3 kg) more than the standard items they replace, and not
previously considered as curb weight or accessory weight. These
include, for example, heavy-duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy-duty battery, and special trim.
Radial ply tires
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.

Recommended inflation pressure
The tire pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer for a tire
of a specified size that has not been driven for more than a couple of
miles (kilometers) at low speeds in the 3 hour period before the tire
pressure is measured or adjusted.
Reinforced tire
A tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation pres-
sures than the corresponding standard tire.
Rim
The outer edge of a wheel upon which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter
The nominal diameter of the wheel's tire bead seating surface. If you
change your wheel size, to wheels of a different diameter, you will
have to purchase new tires to match the new wheels.
Rim size
Designation means rim diameter and width.
Rim type designation
The industry or manufacturer's designation for a rim by style or code.
Rim width
The nominal distance between wheel rim flanges.
Section width
The linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of an inflat-
ed tire, excluding elevations due to labeling decoration, or protective
bands.
Sidewall
The portion of a tire between the bead and the tread.
Sidewall separation
The parting of the rubber compound from the cord material in the
sidewall.

Speed rating (letter code)
A standardized letter code indicating the maximum speed at which a
tire is designed to be driven for extended periods of time. The ratings
range from 93 mph or 150 km/h (“P”) to 186 mph or (300 km/h) “Y”.
The speed rating letter code, where applicable, is molded on the tire
sidewall. You may not find this information on all tires because it is
not required by law.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
A system that detects when at least one of a vehicle's tires is underin-
flated and illuminates a low tire-pressure warning light.
Tread
The portion of a tire that normally touches the road.
Tread rib
A tread section running circumferentially around a tire.
Tread separation
Tire failure caused by the tread pulling away from the tire carcass.
Tread wear indicators (TWI)
Raised areas within the main tread grooves that show, visually, when
tires are worn and near the end of their useful life ⇒ page 261.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
A tire information system developed by the U.S. National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that is designed to help buyers
compare tires. UTQG is not a safety rating, nor is it a guarantee that a
tire will last for a certain number of miles or perform a certain way. It
gives tire buyers more information to compare with factors such as
price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. Under UTQG, tires
are graded by the tire manufacturers in 3 areas: tread wear, traction
and temperature resistance. UTQG information is molded into the tire
sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
A tire's serial number. It begins with the letters “DOT” (“Department of
Transportation”) and indicates that the tire meets all federal stand-
ards. The next 2 numbers or letters indicate the plant where the tire

was manufactured. The last 4 numbers represent the week and year
of manufacture.
For example, the numbers 1709 mean that the tire was produced in
the 17th week of 2009. Any other numbers are marketing codes used
by the tire manufacturer. This information is used to help identify af-
fected consumers if a tire defect requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
The total rated cargo, luggage and passenger load. Passenger load is
150 lbs (68 kilograms) times the vehicle's total seating capacity (as
listed on the label inside the driver door).
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
The load on an individual tire that is determined by taking each axle's
share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight (GAWR) and dividing
by 2.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
The load on an individual tire that is determined by taking each axle's
share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and normal occupant
weight (distributed according to the table below) and dividing by 2.
Wheel size designation
Wheel rim diameter and width.
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for
various designated seating capacities

Designated seating
capacity, number of
occupants
Vehicle normal load,
number of occu-
pants
Occupant distribu-
tion in a normally
loaded vehicle
2, 3, or 4 2 2 in front
5 3 2 in front, 1 in back

Tires and vehicle load limits

There are limits to the load any vehicle or any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can damage important parts of the vehicle. Overloading
can also lead to blowout, sudden loss of pressure or other tire failure
that can cause loss of control.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers depends on making
sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes every-
body and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR).
The GVWR includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory-
installed and other accessories, a full tank of fuel, oil, coolant and
other fluids plus maximum load. The maximum load includes the
number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry (seating
capacity) with an assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each passen-
ger at a designated seating position and the total weight of any lug-
gage in the vehicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch
and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part
of the vehicle weight. At altitudes above 3000 ft (1000 m), combined
towing weight (vehicle plus trailer) must be reduced by 10% for every
3000 ft (1000 m).
The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) is the maximum load that
can be carried at each of the vehicle's 2 axles (by the front or rear
tires). GVWR and GAWR are listed on the safety compliance label on
the driver door jamb. Because there is an upper limit to your vehicle's
total weight (GVWR), the weight of whatever is being carried (includ-
ing the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is also limited. More passengers, or passengers who are heav-
ier than the assumed 150 lbs (68 kg), mean that less weight can be
carried as luggage or other cargo. The tire pressure label on your
Volkswagen also lists the maximum combined weight of all of the oc-
cupants and luggage or other cargo that the vehicle can carry.

WARNING
Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious personal injury, and even death.
Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to car-
ry will prevent the vehicle from handling properly and increase
the risk of the loss of vehicle control.
The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be
able to stop the vehicle in a safe distance.
Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail sudden-
ly, including a blowout and sudden deflation, causing loss of
control and a crash.
Always make sure that the total load being transported – in-
cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of a
loaded trailer – does not make the vehicle heavier than the ve-
hicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
Determining the correct load limit

Treadwear
The treadwear 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 (Treadwear-value 150) would wear
one-and-one-half (1 1/2) 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.
Traction
The 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 government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance ⇒ .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C representing
the tire's resistance to the generation of heat, and its ability to dissi-
pate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified in-
door laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to de-
generate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passen-
ger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of perfor-
mance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law
⇒ .
WARNING
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.