Kia Soul 2020 Owner's Manual page 455

Maintenance
WARNING
Tire age
Replace tires within the recom -
mended time frame. Failure to
replace tires as recommended can
result in sudden tire failure, which
could lead to a loss of control and an
accident.
4. Tire ply composition and mate
rial
The number of layers or plies of
rubber- coated fabric in the tire.
Tire manufacturers also must indi -
cate the materials in the tire, which
include steel, nylon, polyester, and
others. The letter "R" means radial
ply construction; the letter "D"
means diagonal or bias ply con -
struction; and the letter "B" means
belted-bias ply construction.
5. Maximum permissible inflation
pressure
This number is the greatest amount
of air pressure that should be put in
the tire. Do not exceed the maxi -
mum permissible inflation pressure.
Refer to "Tire and loading informa -
tion label" on page 5-143 for rec -
ommended inflation pressure.
6. Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that
7 40
can be carried by the tire. When
replacing the tires on the vehicle,
always use a tire that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tire.
7. Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi -
-
mum section width.
For example:
• TREADWEAR 200
• TRACTION AA
• TEMPERATURE A
Tires degrade over time, even when
they are not being used. Regardless
of the remaining tread, we recom -
mend that tires be replaced after
approximately six (6) years of nor -
mal service. Heat caused by hot cli -
mate or frequent high loading
conditions can accelerate the aging
process.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara -
tive rating based on the wear rate
of the tire when tested under con -
trolled conditions on a specified
government test course. For exam -
ple, a tire graded 150 would wear
one-and-a-half times (1 ) as well
on the government course as a tire
graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
Tires and wheels