Tire Traction; Tread Wear Indicators - Chevrolet 1970 Owner's Manual

Tires
The factory installed tires on your car
are selected to provide the best all
aroun? tire performance for all normal
operation. When inflated as recom-
mended in the tire inflation placard
affixed to . the left door of your ve-
hicle, they have the load carrying
capacity to operate satisfactorily at all
loads up to and including the full rated
load specified on that placard at all
normal highway speeds. In addition,
for those owners who prefer the ut-
most in comfort, optional tire infla-
tion pressures may be used when
loads of five passengers or less are
carried.
For the added convenience of
owners, many Chevrolet Dealers are
equipped to handle tire warranty ad-
justments on certain makes of tires
provided on 1970 Chevrolet vehicles.
Tire Traction
A decrease in driving, cornering,
and braking traction occurs when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road surface. Driv-
ing practices and car speed should be
adjusted to the road conditions.
When driving on wet or slushy
roads, it is possible for a wedge of
water to build up between the tire
and road surface. This phenomenon,
known as hydroplaning, may cause
partial or complete loss of traction
which adversely affects vehicle
con~
trol and stopping ability. To reduce the
possibility of traction loss, the follow-
ing precautions should be observed:
1. Slow down during rainstorms or
when roads are slushy.
2. Slow down if road has standing
water or puddles.
3. Replace tires when tread wear in-
dicators are visible.
4. Keep tires properly inflated.
54
Tread Wear Indicators
The original equipment tires on your
Chevrolet incorporate built-in tread
wear indicators to assist you in deter-
mining when your tires have been
worn to the point of needing replace-
ment. These indicators are molded
into the bottom of the tread grooves
and will appear as
1f2
inch wide bands
when tire tread depth becomes 1116 of
an inch. When the indicators appear
in two or more adjacent grooves, tire
replacement due to tread wear is rec-
ommended.
TREAD
STILL GOOD
--
TREAD
WORN OUT