175
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
■Before driving the vehicle
Perform the following according to the driving conditions.
● D
o not try to forcibly open a w indow or move a wiper that is fro-
zen. Pour warm water over the frozen ar
ea to melt the ice. Wipe
away the water immediately to prevent it from freezing.
● T
o ensure proper operation of the climate control system fan,
remove any snow that has accumulated on the air inlet vents in
front of the windshield.
● R
emove any ice that has accumul ated on the vehicle chassis.
● P
eriodically check for and remove any excess ice or snow that
may have accumulated in the wheel well or on the brakes.
■ When driving the v
ehicle
Accelerate the vehicle slowly and dr iv
e at a reduced speed suitable
to road conditions.
■ When parking the v
ehicle
Park the vehicle and move the shift lever to “P” without setting the
parking br
ake. The parking brake ma y freeze up, preventing it from
being released.
496
6-1. Specifications
■Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative r
ating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controll ed 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 de pends upon the actual conditions of
their
use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to varia -
tions in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteris-
tics and climate.
■ Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lo
west, are AA, A, B and C, and
they represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled condit ions 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 tir
e is based on braking
(straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning) trac-
tion.
■ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing
the tir
e'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 material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire fail -
ure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car
tir
es must meet under the Federal Mo tor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum r
equired by law.
