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212
T ire s and w heel s
- For technical reasons, it is not generally
poss ible to use the whee l rims from oth-
er vehicles. This can hold true for wheels
of the same vehicle type.
- If the spare tire is different from the
tires that you have mounted on your ve-
hicle (for examp le winter t ires or wide
profile tires), then use the spare t ire for a
sho rt period of time only and drive with
extra care . Replace the flat tire with the
tire match ing the others on your vehicle
as soon as possible.
- Never drive without the valve stem cap.
The valves could get dam aged.
@
For the sake of the environment
Dispose of old t ires in accordance with the
local req uirements.
Uniform tire quality grading
- Tread wear
- Traction AA A B (
- Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire side wall between tread shoulder
and maximum sect ion width ¢ page 209,
fig. 154 .
For example:
Tread wear
200 ,
Traction
AA,
Temperature
A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Feder -
al Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rat ing
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a spec ified
government test course.
For example, a t ire graded 150 would wear
one and one half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative perfo rma nce of ti res depends
upon t he actua l conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depa rt significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits , se rv-
ice pract ices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, Band
C.
Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A t ire marked C may have poor
traction performance
¢
,&.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest),
B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi-
pate heat when tested under controlled condi-
tio ns on a specified indoor laboratory test
whee l.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
mater ial of the tire to degenerate and reduce
t ire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden t ire failure
¢
,&.
The grade C corresponds to a level of perform-
ance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand -
ard No. 109 . Grades Band A represent higher
levels of perfo rmance on the laborato ry test
whee l than t he minimum requ ired by law.
A
WARNING
The t raction grade assigned to t his t ire is
based on st raight -ahead braking trac t ion
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning or pea k t raction
characterist ics.
A
WARNING
i-
-
The temperature grade for this tire is es-
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed, un-
derinflation, or excessive load ing, either
se parately or in combinat ion, can cause
heat buildup and possib le tire failure.
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