C Onsum Er Inform Ation - Mercedes-Benz C 230 1998 Owner's Manual

C onsum er Inform ation

This has been prepared as re­
quired of all m anufacturers of
passenger cars under Title 49,
Code of U.S. Federal Regulations,
Part 575 pursuant to the "National
Traffic and M otor Vehicle Safety
Act of 1966" .
Uniform Tire Q uality Grading
Refer to the tire sidew all for the
specific tire grades for the tires with
which this vehicle is equipped.
All passenger car tires m ust con­
form to federal safety requirem ents
in addition to these grades.
Tread w ear
The treadw ear grade is a co m ­
parative rating based on the w ear
rate of the tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified
governm ent test course. For exam ­
ple, a tire graded 150 would w ear
one and one-half (11/ 2 ) tim es as
well on the governm ent course as
a tire graded 100. The relative per­
form ance of tires depends upon
the actual conditions of th eir use,
however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics 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 ability
to stop on wet pavem ent as m eas­
ured under controlled conditions on
specified governm ent test surfaces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
m arked "C " may 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 cornering
(turning) traction.
Tem perature "A " , " B", "C"
The tem perature grades are "A "
(the highest), " B" , and "C" , re­
presenting the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its abili­
ty to dissipate heat when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified indoor laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high tem perature
can cause the m aterial of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive tem perature can
lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade "C " corresponds to a level of
perform ance which all passenger
car tires m ust m eet under the
Federal M otor V ehicle Safety
Standard N o.109. G rades " B" and
"A " represent higher levels of
perform ance on the laboratory test
w heel than the m inim um required
by law.
W arning!
The tem p eratu re grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
o verloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, o r excessive
loading, eith er separately o r in
com bination, can cause
excessive heat build up and
possible tire failure.
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