Volkswagen Golf 2021 Owner's Manual page 296

Safety Administration (NHTSA) that
is designed to help buyers compare
tires. UTQG is not a safety rating, nor
is it a guarantee that a tire will last
for a certain number of miles or per-
form a certain way. It gives tire buy-
ers more information to compare
with factors such as price, brand loy-
alty and dealer recommendations.
Under UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in 3 areas: tread
wear, traction and temperature re-
sistance. UTQG information is mold-
ed into the tire sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number
(TIN)
A tire's serial number. It begins with
the letters "DOT" ("Department of
Transportation") and indicates that
the tire meets all federal standards.
The next 2 numbers or letters indi-
cate the plant where the tire was
manufactured. The last 4 numbers
represent the week and year of
manufacture.
For example, the numbers
1709 mean that the tire was pro-
duced in the 17th week of 2009. Any
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various desig-
nated seating capacities
Designated seating ca-
pacity, number of occu-
pants
2, 3, or 4
5
294 Tires and wheels
other numbers are marketing codes
used by the tire manufacturer. This
information is used to help identify
affected consumers if a tire defect
requires a recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
The total rated cargo, luggage and
passenger load. Passenger load is
150 lbs (68 kilograms) times the ve-
hicle's total seating capacity (as list-
ed on the label inside the driver
door).
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
The load on an individual tire that is
determined by taking each axle's
share of the maximum loaded vehi-
cle weight (GAWR) and dividing by 2.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
The load on an individual tire that is
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determined by taking each axle's
share of the curb weight, accessory
weight, and normal occupant weight
(distributed according to the table
below) and dividing by 2.
Wheel size designation
Wheel rim diameter and width.
Vehicle normal load,
number of occupants
2
3
Occupant distribution in
a normally loaded vehi-
cle
2 in front
2 in front, 1 in back