8
CONSUMER INFORMATION, REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS & BINDING ARBITRATION OF WARRANTY CLAIMS
14
Temperature A, B, C - The tempera-
ture 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 con-
trolled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material of
the tire to degenerate and reduce tire
life, and excessive temperature can
lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal 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.
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 pave-
ment as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction per-
formance.
!
WARNING:
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead brak-
ing traction tests, and does not in-
clude acceleration, cornering, hy-
droplaning, or peak traction charac-
teristics.
I130B04A-AATTire Quality Grading
Department of Transportation quality
grades - All passenger vehicle tires
must conform to Federal Safety Stan-
dards in addition to these grades. These
quality grades are molded on the
sidewall.
Treadwear - The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course. For example, a
tire graded 150 would wear one and a
half (1 - 1/2) 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 varia-
tions in driving habits, service prac-
tices and differences in road character-
istics and climate.
