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248
Tires and wheels
- Never mount used ti res on your vehicle if
you a re not su re of their "previous histo-
ry." Old used ti res may have been dam -
aged even though the damage can not be
seen that can lead to sudden t ire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means t he comb ined we ight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au t oma t ic tra nsmission, power st ee rin g,
power brakes, power windows, power sea t s,
ra dio, and heater, to t he extent that these
items a re avai lab le as factory -installed equ ip-
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means t he ratio of the he igh t to the w idt h of
the tir e in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in-
d icate a low sidewall fo r improve d st eer ing re -
sponse and better overall handlin g on dry
pavement.
Bead
means t he pa rt of the ti re t hat is m ade of
st eel wires, wra pped o r reinforce d by ply cord s
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond between
compo nents in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means t he tire pressure recommende d by the
ve hicle manufact urer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of m iles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the t hree hour period before t he tire pressure
is measu red or adjusted.
- If you notice un usua l vibration or if t he
veh icle pulls to one side when driving, a l-
ways sto p as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and ti res for dam-
age.
Curb weight
means th e we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment includ ing t he max imum
capa city of fuel, oil, a nd coola nt , a ir cond i-
tioni ng a nd addi t ion a l weig ht of option al
equipmen t.
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operat e at higher loads
and at high er inflation pressures than the cor-
respondi ng standa rd tire . Ext ra load tires may
be iden tifie d as "XL ", "xl", "EXTRA LO AD", or
"RF" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carry ing capacity of a s ingle
axle system, measure d at the tire-ground in-
te rfaces .
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t he vehicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs .
Load rat ing (code)
me a ns t he maximum load t hat a tir e is rate d
to carry fo r a given inflation press ure. You
may not fi nd this information on all tires be-
cause it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me an s t he load rati ng fo r a t ire at t he m axi-
mum pe rm issi ble inflation pressure for that
t ire.
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