If you suspect a tire defect:
X
Reduce vehicle speed.
X
Stop the vehicle as soon as possible.
X
Check the wheels and tires for damage.
If you find no signs of damage, have the
wheels and tires checked at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Indicator
:
shows which position the bar
marking (arrow) for tread wear is integrated
into the tire tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire
tread. They are visible once a tread depth of
approximately
á
in (1.6 mm) has been
reached. If this is the case, the tire is so worn
that it must be replaced.
Obtaining information on tires
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. government specifications. Their pur-
pose is to provide drivers with uniform reli-
able information on tire performance data.
Tire manufacturers must grade tires using
three performance factors:
:
Treadwear grade
;
Traction grade
=
Temperature grade
These regulations do not apply to Canada.
Nevertheless, all tires sold in North America
are provided with the corresponding quality
grading markings on the sidewall of the tire.
Quality grades can be found, where applica-
ble, on the tire sidewall between the tread
shoulder and maximum tire width.
Example:
R
Treadwear grade: 200
R
Traction grade: AA
R
Temperature grade: A
All passenger car tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
i
The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values
in the illustration.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
U.S. government course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half
times as well on the government test track as
a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, ser-
vice practices and differences in road char-
acteristics and climate conditions.
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.
Obtaining information on tires
133
>>
Maintenance
and
care
.
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