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flat tires. These actions, along with other care and maintenance activities, can also:
•
Improve vehicle handling
•
Help protect you and others from avoidable breakdowns and
accidents
•
Improve fuel economy
•
Increase the life of your tires
This booklet presents a comprehensive overview of tire safety, including information on the
following topics:
•
Basic tire maintenance
•
Uniform Tire Quality Grading System
•
Fundamental characteristics of tires
•
Tire safety tips
Use this information to make tire safety a regular part of your vehicle maintenance routine.
Recognize that the time you spend is minimal compared with the inconvenience and safety
consequences of a flat tire or other tire failure.
Safety First–Basic Tire Maintenance
Properly maintained tires improve the steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying
capability of your vehicle. Underinflated tires and overloaded vehicles are a major cause of
tire failure. Therefore, as mentioned above, to avoid flat tires and other types of tire failure,
you should maintain proper tire pressure, observe tire and vehicle load limits, avoid road
hazards, and regularly inspect your tires.
Finding Your Vehicle's Recommended Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire information placards and vehicle certification labels contain information on tires and load
limits. These labels indicate the vehicle manufacturer's information including:
•
Recommended tire size
•
Recommended tire inflation pressure
•
Vehicle Capacity Weight (VCW–the maximum occupant and cargo weight a vehicle is
designed to carry)
•
Front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR– the maximum weight the axle
systems are designed to carry).
Both placards and certification labels are permanently attached to the trailer near the left
front.
Understanding Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire inflation pressure is the level of air in the tire that provides it with load-carrying capacity
and affects the overall performance of the vehicle. The tire inflation pressure is a number that
indicates the amount of air pressure– measured in pounds per square inch (psi)–a tire requires
to be properly inflated. (You will also find this number on the vehicle information placard
expressed in kilopascals (kpa), which is the metric measure used internationally.)
Summary of Contents for Gooseneck
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