Uniform Tire Quality Grading; Treadwear; Traction “A”, “B”, “C; Temperature “A”, “B”, “C" - Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Owner's Manual

Consumer Information

This has been prepared as required of
all manufacturers of passenger cars
under Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal
Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the
"National Traffic and Motor Vehicle
Safety Act of 1966".

Uniform Tire Quality Grading

Relevant tire grade information on tire
sidewalls.
All passenger car tires must conform
to federal safety requirements. In
addition, consumer information on
treadwear, traction and temperature
must be provided.

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 example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and a half
(1V ) times as well on the government
2
course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends
upon the 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
characteristics and climate.
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 pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified
governm ent test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked "C" may
have poor traction performance.
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 of "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 condi­
tions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high tem peratu­
re can cause the material 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 performance
which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades "B"
and "A " represent higher levels of
performance in the laboratory test
than the minimum required by law.
W arning!
The tem perature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not over­
loaded. Excessive speed, under­
inflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in com bina­
tion, can cause excessive heat
build up and possible tire failure.
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