WARNING!(Continued)
Pull over to a safe area as soon as possible and inspect the tires for
signs of bulges, blisters, or separations. Seek roadside assistance or
change the damaged tire with your spare tire.
If you experience a blowout or a sudden tire failure, the following
information should be helpful:
•When the tire failure occurs, you may hear a loud noise, or feel a
vibration, and/or the vehicle may pull toward the side of the failed
tire. Do not abruptly brake or turn.
•Maintain steady pressure on the accelerator pedal.
•Hold the steering wheel firmly and steer to maintain your lane
position.
•Find a safe place to pull off the road and allow the vehicle to gradually
decelerate. Apply light braking as required to stop safely.
•Gradually pull over to the shoulder and come to a stop. Look for a
damaged tire on your vehicle.
•Seek roadside assistance or change the damaged tire with your spare
tire.
•Have all of your tires and the vehicle thoroughly inspected by a tire
professional.
TIRE ROTATION
The purpose for rotating tires is to achieve more uniform wear for all tires
on a vehicle. Your tires should be thoroughly examined on a lift by a tire
dealer for any abnormalities. If tires show uneven treadwear, ask the
service person to check and/or correct any vehicle wheel alignment or
other mechanical problem before rotation.
The following rotation patterns are acceptable. Please refer to your
vehicle Owner ’s Manual for rotation advice.
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Tires may be marked with one of these speed symbols: M, N, P, Q, R, S,
T, U, H, V, W, Y, or (Y) to identify the particular tire’s speed rating.
Additionally, the letter Z may appear in the size designation.
When purchasing or replacing speed-rated tires, make sure to:
•Use the ranking in the following chart to compare the speed symbols
of all the tires.
•Follow the vehicle manufacturer ’s recommendations, if any, concern-
ing the use of speed-rated tires.
To avoid reducing the speed capability of the vehicle, replace a speed-
rated tire only with another tire having at least the same or higher speed
rating. Remember, the “top speed” of the “lowest rated” tire on the car
cannot be exceeded without risk of tire failure.
The letter symbols and corresponding design speeds are:
Speed-Rated Symbol Speed Category
M Up to 81 mph (130 km/h)
N Up to 87 mph (140 km/h)
P Up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q Up to 99 mph (160 km/h)
R Up to 106 mph (170 km/h)
S Up to 112 mph (180 km/h)
T Up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
U Up to 124 mph (200 km/h)
H Up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V Up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
W Up to 168 mph (270 km/h)*
Y Up to 186 mph (300 km/h)*
ZR Over 149 mph (240 km/h)**
(Y) Over 186 mph (300 km/h)**
* Any tire with a speed capability above 149 mph (240 km/h) can, at the
tire manufacturer ’s option, include a “Z” in the size designation (e.g.,
245/40ZR18). If the load index and the speed symbol are not included,
the tire manufacturer must be consulted for the maximum speed capa-
bility (P245/40ZR18 speed capability is greater than 149 mph
[240 km/h]). If a service description is included with the size description,
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the speed capability is limited by the speed symbol in the service
description (i.e., 235/45ZR17 97W = maximum speed 168 mph
[270 km/h]).
** Although no upper limit speed is specified, the indicated tires
nonetheless have limited rated speed capability. Call 888–529-8200 Pacific
Time for a referral for more technical information.
mNOTICE!
Tire speed symbols do not imply that vehicles can be safely driven at the
maximum speed for which the tire is rated, particularly under adverse road
and weather conditions, or if the vehicle has unusual characteristics. Never
operate a vehicle in an unsafe or unlawful manner.
TIRE SPINNING
WARNING!
Spinning a tire to remove a vehicle stuck in mud, snow, or wet grass
can be dangerous. This could cause serious personal injury or death to
a bystander or passenger and extensive vehicle damage. A tire
spinning at a speedometer reading above 35 miles per hour (55 km/h)
can reach a speed capable of disintegrating a tire with explosive force
within a matter of seconds. Under some conditions, a tire may be
spinning at twice the speed shown on the speedometer. Never spin a
tire above a speedometer reading of 35 mph (55 km/h). Never allow
anyone to stand near or directly behind the spinning tire. Do not spin
if a drive wheel is off the ground.
TOWING OR USE OF SLIDE-IN TRUCK CAMPERS
If you are towing a trailer or using a slide-in truck camper, refer to your
vehicle Owner ’s Manual.
WINTER (SNOW) TIRES
Winter driving presents special challenges for vehicle
handling. The use of winter tires, studs, and chains, while
improving traction performance in snow and ice, requires
additional caution and care with regard to braking, corner-
ing, and speed. It is important to drive with care not only
on snow and ice, but on dry and wet roads as well.
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REPLACEMENT TIRES FOR LIGHT TRUCKS – P-METRIC VS.
LT-TRUCK
Tire installers should exercise extreme caution when replacing tires on
light trucks.
The maximum load capacity stamped on the sidewall of a P-metric tire is
reduced by a factor of 1.1 when used on a light truck, a sport utility
vehicle, or a trailer.
WARNING!
P-metric and LT-metric tires are not necessarily interchangeable.
P-metric and LT-metric tires follow completely different Load/
Inflation tables and are designed to carry different loads at different
pressures.
LT-metric tires carry their load at higher inflation pressures and do
not always have adequate load capacity to replace P-metric tires of
the same size.
After reducing a P-metric tire’s load rating by dividing by 1.1 for
fitment on a Light Truck, the P-metric tire may not offer sufficient
load capacity to replace an LT-metric tire of the same size.
Contact your Nitto dealer or Nitto Technical Service for help
determining how to choose a proper replacement size.
Driving with underinflated or overloaded tires may result in
immediate tire failure, which can cause an accident and could lead
to serious personal injury or death.
When a P-metric or metric tire is installed on a light truck (SUV, pickup,
minivan), the load rating is reduced by dividing by 1.1. (This load
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reduction factor is prescribed by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
(FMVSS) and is based on the expectation that passenger-type tires may
experience more severe loading and usage conditions when applied to
light trucks.) For example, 305/50R20 has a maximum load capacity of
3086 lbs. If this tire is fitted to a light truck, the actual allowable load for
the tire is 2805 lbs. (3086 lbs. divided by 1.1).
Consult the load and inflation charts that can be found at
www.nittotire.com. Contact Nitto Technical Service with any tire re-
placement questions:
888-529-8200
Pacific Time.
VEHICLES WITH MODIFIED SUSPENSION
WARNING!
ROLLOVER HAZARD
Large-diameter tires and modified suspensions that increase ground
clearance will alter vehicle handling.
•The vehicle may become more likely to roll over.
•Braking distances may increase.
•Slower speeds may be required to maintain control.
Drive with extreme caution until you become familiar with how
your vehicle handles. Always wear your seat belt.
Some modifications may be illegal in your state. Consult your
Owner ’s Manual, the instructions for this product, and state law
before modifying your vehicle.
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•Treadwear - The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire tested under controlled conditions on a specified
government test track. For example, a tire graded 200 would wear
twice as long on the government course as a tire graded 100. It is
wrong to link treadwear grades with your projected tire mileage. The
relative performance of the tires depends upon the actual conditions of
their use and may vary due to driving habits, service practices,
differences in road characteristics, and climate.
•Traction - The traction grades from highest to lowest are AA, A, B, and
C, and they represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
mNOTICE!
The traction grade assigned to tires is based on locked braking (straight
ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning) traction.
•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. Sustained high temperatures
can cause the materials 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 that 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.
WARNING!
The temperature grade 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. This can cause an accident, which
could lead to serious personal injury or death.
•DOT Quality Grades - All passenger car tires must conform to federal
requirements in addition to these grades.
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Limited Warranty at the time of purchase. The information contained in
the registration card is an important means to notify you in the event of
a product recall.
If you prefer, you may register your tires on our web page at
www.nittotire.comand select “Tire Registration.” Be prepared to pro-
vide the name and address of the dealer, the quantity of tires, and the
DOT serial numbers from the sidewall of the tires.
IMPORTANT! If self-registering tires, make sure to include all letters and
numbers (up to 12 digits) following the letters “DOT” on the tire’s
sidewall near the bead. If you see only four letters next to the letters
“DOT”, look on the other side of the tire for the full DOT number.
FOR SERVICE ASSISTANCE OR INFORMATION
For service assistance or information, contact your nearest Nitto dealer.
If you need assistance, please contact your authorized Nitto retailer. To
locate an authorized Nitto dealer, use our dealer locator at
www.nittotire.com, or contact Nitto Consumer Relations at:
NITTO TIRE U.S.A. INC.
PO BOX 6064
Cypress, California 90630-6064
888-529-8200Pacific TimeNITTO TIRE
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