C Onsum Er Inform Ation - Mercedes-Benz 300 SE 1993 Owner's Manual

C onsum er Inform ation

This has been prepared as re­
quired of all m anufacturers of
passenger cars under T itle 49,
Code of U.S. Federal R egulations,
Part 575 pursuant to the '' N at­
ional Traffic and M otor V ehicle
Safety Act of 196 6 " .
U niform Tire Quality Grading
Refer to the tire sidew all for the
specific tire grades for the tires
with w hich this vehicle is
equipped.
All passenger car tires m ust co n ­
form to federal safety req uire ­
m ents in addition to these grades.
T readw ear
The treadw ear grade is a co m ­
parative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under
controlled co nditions on a sp e c i­
fied governm ent test course. For
exam ple, a tire graded 150 w ould
w ear one and one-half (
tim es as well on the governm ent
course as a tire graded 100. The
relative perform ance of tires de­
pends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart sign ifican tly from the norm
due to va riatio n s in d riving habits,
service practices and differences
in road ch aracte ristics and
clim ate.
Traction "A ", " B " , " C "
The traction grades, from highest
to lowest, are " A " , " B " , and " C " ,
and they represent the tire 's a bi­
lity to stop on w et pavem ent as
m easured under controlled c o n ­
d itions on specified governm ent
test surfaces of asphalt and co n ­
crete. A tire m arked " C " m ay have
poor traction perform ance.
W arning!
The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on braking
(straight ahead ) traction tests
and does not include c o rn e r­
ing (turning) traction.
Tem perature " A " , " B " , " C "
/ )
The tem perature grades are " A "
1 1 2
(the highest), " B " , and " C " , re­
presenting 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 w heel. Sustained high tem pe­
rature can cause the m aterial of
the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive tem pera­
ture can lead to sudden tire fa il­
ure. The grade " C " corresponds
to a level of perform ance w hich all
passenger car tires m ust m eet
under the Federal M otor V ehicle
Safety Standard No. 109. G rades
" B " and " A " represent higher
levels of perform ance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
m inim um required by law.
W arning!
The tem p e ratu re grade for this
tire is established for a tire
that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive
speed , u nderinflation, or ex­
cessive loading, eith er sep a­
rately or in com bination, can
cause excessive heat build up
and possible tire failure.
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