2016 LINCOLN MKS Owners Manual

TIRE CARE
Information About Uniform Tire
Quality Grading
Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires. The
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For
example: Treadwear 200 Traction
AA Temperature A. These Tire Quality Grades are
determined by standards that the
United States Department of
Transportation has set.
Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires. They
do not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires, space-saver
or temporary use spare tires, light
truck or LT type tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12
inches or limited production tires as
defined in Title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 575.104 (c)(2).
U.S. Department of
Transportation Tire quality
grades:
The U.S. Department of
Transportation requires Ford Motor
Company to give you the following
information about tire grades
exactly as the government has
written it. 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
would wear 1 ½ 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.
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Traction AA A B C
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. The traction grades, from highest to
lowest are AA, A, B, and C. The
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 A B C WARNING
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. The 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 sudden tire
failure. The grade C corresponds to
a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 139. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required
by law.
Glossary of Tire Terminology
•
Tire label: A label showing the
original equipment tire sizes,
recommended inflation pressure
and the maximum weight the
vehicle can carry.
• Tire Identification Number:
A
number on the sidewall of each
tire providing information about
the tire brand and manufacturing
plant, tire size and date of
manufacture. Also referred to as
DOT code.
• Inflation pressure:
A measure
of the amount of air in a tire.
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•
Standard load: A class of
P-metric or Metric tires designed
to carry a maximum load at set
pressure. For example: For
P-metric tires 35 psi (2.4 bar) or
36 (2.5 bar) depending on tire
size and for Metric tires 36 psi
(2.5 bar). Increasing the inflation
pressure beyond this pressure
will not increase the tire ’s load
carrying capability.
• Extra load:
A class of P-metric
or Metric tires designed to carry
a heavier maximum load at 42
psi (2.9 bar). Increasing the
inflation pressure beyond this
pressure will not increase the
tire ’s load carrying capability.
• kPa:
Kilopascal, a metric unit of
air pressure.
• PSI:
Pounds per square inch, a
standard unit of air pressure. •
Cold tire pressure:
The tire
pressure when the vehicle has
been stationary and out of direct
sunlight for an hour or more and
prior to the vehicle being driven
for 1 mile (1.6 km).
• Recommended inflation
pressure:
The cold inflation
pressure found on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label
(affixed to either the door hinge
pillar, door-latch post, or the door
edge that meets the door-latch
post, next to the driver's seating
position), or Tire Label located
on the B-Pillar or the edge of the
driver ’s door.
• B-pillar:
The structural member
at the side of the vehicle behind
the front door
• Bead area of the tire:
Area of
the tire next to the rim.
• Sidewall of the tire:
Area
between the bead area and the
tread. •
Tread area of the tire:
Area of
the perimeter of the tire that
contacts the road when mounted
on the vehicle.
• Rim:
The metal support (wheel)
for a tire or a tire and tube
assembly upon which the tire
beads are seated.
Information Contained on the
Tire Sidewall
Both United States and Canada
Federal regulations require tire
manufacturers to place
standardized information on the
sidewall of all tires. This information
identifies and describes the
fundamental characteristics of the
tire and also provides a U.S. DOT
Tire Identification Number for safety
standard certification and in case of
a recall.
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Information on P Type Tires
P215/65R15 95H is an example of a
tire size, load index and speed rating.
The definitions of these items are
listed below. (Note that the tire size,
load index and speed rating for your
vehicle may be different from this
example.) A.
P: Indicates a tire, designated by
the Tire and Rim Association, that
may be used for service on cars,
sport utility vehicles, minivans and
light trucks. Note:
If your tire size
does not begin with a letter this may
mean it is designated by either the
European Tire and Rim Technical
Organization or the Japan Tire
Manufacturing Association.
B. 215:
Indicates the nominal width
of the tire in millimeters from
sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the
wider the tire.
C. 65:
Indicates the aspect ratio
which gives the tire's ratio of height
to width.
D. R:
Indicates a radial type tire.
E. 15:
Indicates the wheel or rim
diameter in inches. If you change
your wheel size, you will have to
purchase new tires to match the
new wheel diameter. F.
95:
Indicates the tire's load index.
It is an index that relates to how
much weight a tire can carry. You
may find this information in your
owner ’s manual. If not, contact a
local tire dealer.
Note: You may not find this
information on all tires because it is
not required by federal law.
G. H:
Indicates the tire's speed
rating. The speed rating denotes the
speed at which a tire is designed to
be driven for extended periods of
time under a standard condition of
load and inflation pressure. The tires
on your vehicle may operate at
different conditions for load and
inflation pressure. These speed
ratings may need to be adjusted for
the difference in conditions. The
ratings range from 81 mph (130
km/h) to 186 mph (299 km/h).
These ratings are listed in the
following chart.
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J
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M
A
B
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Note:
You may not find this
information on all tires because it is
not required by federal law. mph ( km/h)
Letter
rating
81 mph (130 km/h)
M
87 mph (140 km/h)
N
99 mph (159 km/h)
Q
106 mph (171 km/h)
R
112 mph (180 km/h)
S
118 mph (190 km/h)
T
124 mph (200 km/h)
U
130 mph (210 km/h)
H
149 mph (240 km/h)
V mph ( km/h)
Letter
rating
168 mph (270 km/h)
W
186 mph (299 km/h)
Y
Note: For tires with a maximum
speed capability over 149 mph (240
km/h), tire manufacturers sometimes
use the letters ZR. For those with a
maximum speed capability over 186
mph (299 km/h), tire manufacturers
always use the letters ZR.
H. U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number: This begins with the
letters DOT and indicates that the
tire meets all federal standards. The
next two numbers or letters are the
plant code designating where it was
manufactured, the next two are the
tire size code and the last four
numbers represent the week and
year the tire was built. For example,
the numbers 317 mean the 31st week
of 1997. After 2000 the numbers go
to four digits. For example, 2501 means the 25th week of 2001. The
numbers in between are
identification codes used for
traceability. This information is used
to contact customers if a tire defect
requires a recall.
I.
M+S or M/S:
Mud and Snow, or
AT:
All Terrain, or
AS:
All Season.
J. Tire Ply Composition and
Material Used:
Indicates the
number of plies or the number of
layers of rubber-coated fabric in the
tire tread and sidewall. Tire
manufacturers also must indicate
the ply materials in the tire and the
sidewall, which include steel, nylon,
polyester, and others.
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K.
Maximum Load: Indicates the
maximum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by the
tire. See the Safety Compliance
Certification Label (affixed to either
the door hinge pillar, door-latch
post, or the door edge that meets
the door-latch post, next to the
driver's seating position), for the
correct tire pressure for your vehicle.
L. Treadwear, Traction and
Temperature Grades:
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•
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 would
wear one and one-half times as
well on the government course
as a tire graded 100.
• Traction: The traction grades,
from highest to lowest are AA, A,
B, and C. The 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 dissipate
heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel.
M. Maximum Inflation Pressure:
Indicates the tire manufacturers'
maximum permissible pressure or
the pressure at which the maximum
load can be carried by the tire. This
pressure is normally higher than the
vehicle manufacturer's
recommended cold inflation
pressure which can be found on the
Safety Compliance Certification
Label (affixed to either the door
hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the
door edge that meets the door-latch
post, next to the driver's seating
position), or Tire Label which is
located on the B-Pillar or the edge
of the driver ’s door. The cold
inflation pressure should never be
set lower than the recommended
pressure on the vehicle label.
The tire suppliers may have
additional markings, notes or
warnings such as standard load or
radial tubeless. Additional Information
Contained on the Tire Sidewall
for LT Type Tires
Note:
Tire Quality Grades do not
apply to this type of tire. 276
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LT type tires have some additional
information beyond those of P type
tires; these differences are
described below.
A.
LT: Indicates a tire, designated
by the Tire and Rim Association,
that is intended for service on light
trucks.
B. Load Range and Load Inflation
Limits:
Indicates the tire's
load-carrying capabilities and its
inflation limits.
C. Maximum Load Dual lb (kg) at
psi (kPa) cold:
Indicates the
maximum load and tire pressure
when the tire is used as a dual;
defined as four tires on the rear axle
(a total of six or more tires on the
vehicle).
D. Maximum Load Single lb (kg)
at psi (kPa) cold:
Indicates the
maximum load and tire pressure
when the tire is used as a single;
defined as two tires (total) on the
rear axle. Information on T Type Tires
T145/80D16 is an example of a tire
size.
Note:
The temporary tire size for your
vehicle may be different from this
example. Tire Quality Grades do not
apply to this type of tire. T type tires have some additional
information beyond those of P type
tires; these differences are
described below:
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