a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
Low -profile tires can wear out faster than stand
ard tires.
Summer tires are not su itable for cold weather,
snow or b lack ice. If you are driving in these con
ditions, use winter or all season tires
¢ page 349.
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
- Traction AA AB C
- T emperature ABC
Qual ity grades can be found where app licable on
the t ire side wa ll between tread shou lde r and
maximum sect ion w idth
¢page 334, fig. 274.
For e xample : Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem
pe rature
A .
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread w ear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov
ernment test course.
F or example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one ha lf
(1 1/2) times as well on the govern
ment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significant ly from the norm due to
variations in driving hab its, service practices and
d ifferences i n road characteristics and climate.
Tracti on
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the tire's
ab ility to stop on wet pavement as measured un
der controlled conditions on specified govern
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
¢ _& .
Temper ature
The temperature grades are A (the h ighest), B,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
Wh eel s
generat ion of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained h igh temperature can cause the mate
ria l 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 per form
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades Band A represe nt higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum requ ired by law.
A WARNING c,...._ -
The tract ion grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, co r
nering, hyd roplaning or pea k traction cha rac
terist ics.
A WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded . Excessive speed, underinfla
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
i n comb inat ion, can cause heat bu ildup and
possib le tire fai lure.
A WARNING
-Temperature grades apply to tires that are
properly inflated and not over or under inflat
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
.
should be checked monthly when cold and inflat-
ed to the i nflat io n pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the veh icle placard or
t ir e infla tion p ressure labe l. (If your ve hicle has
ti res of a different size t han t he si ze ind icated on
IIJi,-
351
