Wheels and tires  
					Mobility  
					Traction AA A B C  
					Temperature A B C  
					car tires must meet under the Federal Motor  
					Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades Band  
					A represent higher levels of performance on  
					the laboratory test wheel than the minimum re‐  
					quired by law.  
					All passenger car tires must conform to Fed‐  
					eral Safety Requirements in addition to these  
					grades.  
					Temperature grade for this tire  
					Treadwear  
					The temperature grade for this tire is es‐  
					tablished for a tire that is properly inflated and  
					not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla‐  
					tion, or excessive loading, either separately or  
					in combination, can cause heat buildup and  
					possible tire failure.  
					The treadwear grade is a comparative rating  
					based on the wear rate of the tire when tested  
					under controlled conditions on a specified gov‐  
					ernment test course. For example, a tire  
					graded 150 would wear one and one-half, 1 g,  
					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 signifi‐  
					cantly from the norm due to variations in driv‐  
					ing habits, service practices and differences in  
					road characteristics and climate.  
					If necessary, have the vehicle towed.◀  
					RSC – Run-flat tires  
					Run-flat tires, refer to page 204, are labeled  
					with a circular symbol containing the letters  
					RSC marked on the sidewall.  
					M+S  
					Traction  
					Winter and all-season tires with better cold  
					weather performance than summer tires.  
					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.  
					Tire tread  
					Summer tires  
					Do not drive with a tire tread depth of less than  
					0.12 in/3 mm.  
					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.  
					There is an increased danger of hydroplaning if  
					the tire tread depth is less than 0.12 in/3 mm.  
					Winter tires  
					Temperature  
					Do not drive with a tire tread depth of less than  
					0.16 in/4 mm.  
					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 ma‐  
					terial 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  
					Below a tread depth of 0.16 in/4 mm, tires are  
					less suitable for winter operation.  
					201  
					Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 386 - II/15