Wheels
For example: Tread wea r 200 , Traction AA, Tem -
pe rature
A.
All passenge r ca r tires m ust conform to Federa l
Safety Requi rements in addition to these g rades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparat ive rat ing
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
unde r co nt rolled conditions o n a specified gov -
e rnmen t t est co urse.
For example, a tir e graded 150 would wear one
and one ha lf (1 1/2) t imes as well on the gove rn-
ment course as a tire g raded 10 0.
The relative performance of t ires depends upon
the actual condi t ions of their use, howeve r, and
may depart significant ly from the norm due to
va riat ions in d riving hab its, service pra ctices and
d ifferences in roa d char act erist ics and clim ate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, Band
C. Those grades represent the t ire's
ab ility to stop on wet pavement as meas ur ed un-
de r contro lled condi t ions o n specified gove rn-
men t tes t su rfa ces of asp ha lt and conc ret e. A t ire
mar ked C may have poor tr ac t ion pe rforma nce
q _&.,
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (t he highest), B,
and C, rep resent ing the ti re' s resistan ce to t he
gener ation of hea t a nd its abili t y t o d iss ipate
heat when tested unde r controlled condi t ions on
a specified ind oor laboratory test whee l.
Susta ined hig h t em perature can cause t he ma t e-
rial of t he t ire to dege nerate and redu ce t ire life,
an d excess ive temperatu re can lead to sudden
tire fai lu re
q .&..
The gr ad e C corresponds to a leve l of perfor m-
a nce wh ich all passenge r car t ires mus t mee t un-
der t he Fede ra l Mot or Vehicle Safety Standar d
No. 109 . Grades Band A represent higher leve ls
of perfo rmance on the labo rato ry test w heel than
the min imum required by law.
218
A WARNING
-
The tract io n grade assigned to this t ire is
based on straight-a head braking traction
tes t s, a nd does not include acceleration, cor-
ne ring, hydr oplaning or pea k tr ac t ion cha rac-
teris ti cs.
A WARNING
The tem perat ur e grade fo r t his t ire is estab-
lishe d fo r a t ire t hat is p ro perly infl at ed and
not overloaded . Excessive speed, under infla -
tion, or excessive loa di ng, either separate ly or
in comb inat ion, can cause heat bu ildup and
possib le t ire fai lure.
A WARNING
-
-
Tempe rature grades app ly to t ires that are
proper ly inflated a nd not over or under inflat-
ed .
Tire pressure monitoring
system
ill General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if prov ided),
shou ld be checked monthly when cold and inflat-
ed to the inflat ion press ure recommended by the
vehicle manufacture r on the veh icle placard or
ti re infla t ion pressure labe l. (If your ve hicle has
t ires of a diffe rent size t han t he size ind icated on
t he vehicle placard or t ire inflat io n press ure la -
bel, you sho uld dete rm ine the proper tir e infla-
tion press ure for t hose tires) .
As a n added safety featu re, you r vehicle has been
equipped wit h a t ire press ure mon itor ing system
(TPMS) t hat illumi nat es a low tire pressure t ell -
ta le w hen one or mo re of your tires is significant -
ly under -inflated. According ly, w hen the low ti re
pressure telltale illum inates, you sho uld stop and
check your t ires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a sign ifi-
cant ly under -inflated t ire ca uses the t ire to over -
heat and ca n lead to tire fa ilure . Under-inflation
also red uces fue l eff iciency a nd t ire tread life,
and may affect t he ve hicle's handling a nd st op-
ping ability.
II>-
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