Storing Tires; Cleaning - SMART for two coupé Operator's Manual

Tires and wheels
138
Treadwear indicator : appears as a solid
band across the tread.

Storing tires

! Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry
place with as little exposure to light as
possible. Protect tires from contact with
oil, grease and fuels.
Cleaning tires
! Never use a round nozzle to power wash
tires. The intense jet of water can result
in damage to the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
The Uniform Tire Quality Grading is a U.S.
Government requirement designed to give
drivers consistent and reliable informa-
tion regarding tire performance. Tire
manufacturers are required to grade tires
based on three performance factors: tread-
wear :, traction ;, and temperature
resistance =. Although not a Government
of Canada requirement, all tires made for
sale in North America have these grades
branded on the sidewall.
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual
data on tires are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
Quality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear Traction
200 AA
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified U.S. government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
1
and one-half (1 / ) times as well on the
2
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from
the norm due to variations in driving hab-
its, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
Traction
G WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature
A