Uniform Tire Quality Grading - Mitsubishi MIRAGE Service Manual

Consumer information (For vehicles sold in U.S.A.)
Consumer information (For
vehicles sold in U.S.A.)
This information is provided in compliance
with the requirements of the National High-
way Traffic Safety Administration, Depart-
ment of Transportation. It provides the
purchasers and/or prospective purchasers
with information on reporting safety defects.

Uniform tire quality grading

DOT quality grades - All passenger vehicle
tires must conform to Federal Safety Require-
10
ments in addition to these grades. The spe-
cific grade rating in each grade category is
shown on the side wall of the tires on your
vehicle.
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 one-half
1
(1 / ) times as well on the government course
2
as a tire graded 100. The relative performance
of tires depends upon the actual conditions of
10-2 Customer assistance/Reporting Safety Defects
their use, however, and may depart signifi-
cantly from the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices and differ-
ences in road characteristics and climate.
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Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
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, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
I n f o r ma t i o n P r o v i d e d b y :
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure. The grade C corre-
sponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
WARNING
 The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or excessive load-
ing, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire
failure.
Reporting Safety Defects
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in addi-
tion to notifying Mitsubishi Motors
North America, Inc.
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the