Tire Chains; Uniform Tire Quality Grading - Lotus 2005 Elise Owner's Handbook Manual

ding.

Tire Chains

In extreme weather conditions, Lotus approves the fit-
ment of Pewag Neon X3 - NX373 snow chains, used only
in conjunction with winter Tires (see above) and fitted
only on the rear wheels. Close attention should be paid
to the fitting and tensioning instructions supplied with the
chains, and the chains should be removed as soon as
road conditions allow.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading

Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum section
width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system de-
veloped by the United States National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, which grades Tires by treadwear,
traction and temperature performance (This applies only
to cars sold in the United States).
The grades are moulded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car Tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow
Tires, space-saver or temporary use spare Tires, Tires
with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30
cm), or to some limited-production Tires.
While the Tires available on Lotus cars may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform to federal
safety requirements.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half
(1.5) times as well on the 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 habits, service practices, and differences in road
120
oh_croft_InD.indd 120 20/05/2004 07:59:10