10-22Technical and consumer information
DOT (Department Of Transportation) Qual-
ity Grades: All passenger car tires must
conform to federal safety requirements in
addition to these grades.
Quality grades can be found where applic-
able on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
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 ex-
ample, a tire graded 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 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 character-
istics and climate.
TRACTION AA, A, B AND C
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 as-
phalt and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking trac-
tion tests, and does not include accel-
eration, cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
TEMPERATURE A, B AND C
The temperature grades 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 tempera-
ture can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of perfor-
mance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor VehicleSafety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of performance on
the laboratory test wheel than 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, under-inflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in combina-
tion, can cause heat build-up and possi-
ble tire failure.
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
