- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo-
ry." Old used tires may have been dam-
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tires of the same type, size (rolling cir-
cumference) and the same tread pattern.
Driving with different tires reduces vehi-
cle handling and can lead to a loss of
control.
- If the spare tire is not the same as the
tires that are mounted on the vehicle -
for example with winter tires - only use
the spare tire for a short period of time
and drive with extra care. Refit the nor-
mal road wheel as soon as safely possi-
ble.
- Never drive faster than the maximum
speed for which the tires on your vehicle
are rated because tires that are driven
faster than their rated speed can fail
suddenly.
- Overloading tires cause heat build-up,
sudden tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation and loss of control.
- Temperature grades apply to tires that
are properly inflated and not over or un-
derinflated .
- For technical reasons it is not always
possible to use wheels from other vehi-
cles - in some cases not even wheels
from the same vehicle model.
- If you install wheel trim discs on the ve-
hicle wheels, make sure that the air flow
to the brakes is not blocked. Reduced air-
flow to the brakes can them to overheat,
increasing stopping distances and caus-
ing a collision.
(D Note
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
possible to use the wheel rims from oth-
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve-
Tires and wheels 261
hicle (for example winter tires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare tire for a
short period of time only and drive with
extra care. Replace the flat tire with the
tire matching the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap .
The valves could get damaged .
@) For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old tires in accordance with the
local requirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B C
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width
~ page 258,
fig. 212.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA,
Temperature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder-
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades .
Tread wear
The tread wear 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 (11/2) 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, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, serv-
ice practices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the .,..
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