Ti res and wheels
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim
.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components
in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire
.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire pressure recom-
mended by the vehic le manufac-
turer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more
t
han a couple of miles (kilo-
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire
pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve-
hicle with standard equipment
in-
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, air condi
-
tioning and additiona
l
weight of
op
t
ional equipment.
Extra load tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in-
2
56
flation pressures than t he corre-
sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "XL",
"xl"
,
"EXTRA LOAD"
,
or "RF" on
the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR"
)
means the load-carrying capacity
of a single axle system
,
measured
at the tire-ground
interfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
("GVWR")
means the max im um total loaded
weight of the vehicle
.
Groove
means the space between two ad-
jacent tread ribs
.
Load rating (code)
means the max imum load tha
t
a
tire is rated
t
o carry for a given in-
flation pressure. You may not find
this informat ion on all tires be-
cause it is not required by law
.
Maximum load rating
means the load rating for a tire at
t
he maximum permissible infla-
tion pressure for that tire
.
Maximum loaded vehicle
weight
means the sum of: