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Tire Service Life
The life of your tires is dependent on many factors, including driving h\
abits, road
conditions, vehicle loading, inflation pressure, maintenance history, speed, and
environmental conditions (even when the tires are not in use).
In addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance,\
it is
recommended that you have annual inspections performed once the tires re\
ach
five years old. All tires, including the spare, should be removed from\
service after
10 years from the date of manufacture, regardless of their condition or \
state of
wear.
Winter TiresIf driving on snowy or frozen roads, mount all season tires marked “M\
+S”, snow
tires, or tire chains; reduce speed; and maintain sufficient distance \
between
vehicles when driving. For winter tires, select the size and load ranges\
that are the
same as the original tires, and mount them to all four wheels.
Tire ChainsInstall tire chains on the front tires only. Because your vehicle has limited tire
clearance, we strongly recommend using the following chains:
Cable-type: SCC Radial Chain SC1036
Mount chains as tightly as you can, and make sure that they do not touch\
the
brake lines or suspension.
Traction devices that are the wrong size or improperly installed can dama\
ge your
vehicle’s brake lines, suspension, body, and wheels. Stop driving if they are hitting
any part of the vehicle.
NOTICE Using the wrong chains, or not properly installing chains, can damage th\
e
brake lines and cause a crash in which you can be seriously injured or k\
illed.
Follow all instructions in this guide regarding the selection and use of\
tire
chains.
WARNING
Tire Labeling
The tires that came on your vehicle have a number of markings. Those you\
should be aware of are described below.
Here is an example of what each marking means:
215/50R17 94V
•
215: tire width in millimeters
•
50: aspect ratio (tire section height as a
percentage of its width)
•
r: tire construction code (radial)
•
17: rim diameter in inches
•
94: load index (code indicating maximum
load tire can carry)
•
v: speed symbol (code indicating maximum
speed rating)
Tire Identification Number (TIN)
The tire identification number
(TIN) is a group of numbers
and letters that look like the
example below. TIN is located
on the sidewall of the tire.
Glossary of Tire TerminologyCold Tire Pressure – The tire air pressure when the vehicle has been
parked for at least three hours or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Load
rating – The maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given
inflation pressure.
Maximum Inflation Pressure – The maximum tire air pressure that the\
tire
can hold.
Maximum Load
rating – The load rating for a tire at the maximum
permissible inflation pressure for that tire.
recommended Inflation Pressure – The cold tire inflation pressure \
recommended by the manufacturer.
T
readwear Indicators (TWI) – The projections within the principal gr\
ooves
designed to give a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread\
.
Tire size
Tire
identi cation
number (TIN)
Maximum
tire load
Maximu m
tire pressure
Tire siz e
DOT B97R FW6X 2209
DOT: This indicates that the tire meets all
requirements of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
B97R: Manufacturer’s identi cation mark
FW6X: Tire type code
22 09: Date of Transportation
Year
Week
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DOT Tire Quality Grading
The tires on your vehicle meet all U.S. Federal Safety requirements. All tires are
also graded for treadwear, traction, and temperature performance according
to Department of Transportation (D
oT) standards. The following explains these
gradings.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire sidewall betwee\
n tread
shoulder and maximum section width.
For example:
Treadwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety
requirements in
addition to these grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of th\
e 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 1/2) tim\
es 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, servi\
ce 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 government test surfaces of asphalt and concre\
te. A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance.
WARNING: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead
braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering, hy\
droplaning,
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 w\
hen tested
under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test whee\
l. Sustained
high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and re\
duce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. Th\
e 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 laboratory test wheel th\
an the
minimum required by law.
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 b\
uildup
and possible tire failure.