Tires, Wheels and Loading -> UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING for Your Ford Focus 4 Door Second Generation (2004-2010)

Tires, Wheels and Loading  
INFORMATION ABOUT UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING  
New vehicles are fitted with tires  
that have a rating on them called  
Tire Quality Grades. The Quality  
grades can be found where  
applicable on the tire sidewall  
between tread shoulder and  
maximum section width. For  
example:  
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A  
These Tire Quality Grades are determined by standards that the United  
States Department of Transportation has set.  
Tire Quality Grades apply to new pneumatic tires for use on passenger  
cars. They do not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,  
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with nominal rim  
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or limited production tires as defined in  
Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 575.104(c)(2).  
U.S. Department of Transportation-Tire quality grades: The U.S.  
Department of Transportation requires Ford Motor Company to give you  
the following information about tire grades exactly as the government  
has written it.  
Treadwear  
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of  
the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified  
government test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one  
and one-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 variations in driving habits, service practices, and  
differences in road characteristics and climate.  
Traction AA A B C  
The traction grades, from highest to lowest are AA, A, B, and C. The  
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.  
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2007 Focus (foc)  
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)  
USA (fus)  
Tires, Wheels and Loading  
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.  
Temperature A B C  
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 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.  
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that  
is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed,  
underinflation, or excessive loading, either separately or in  
combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.  
TIRES  
Tires are designed to give many thousands of miles of service, but they  
must be maintained in order to get the maximum benefit from them.  
Glossary of tire terminology  
Tire label: A label showing the OE (Original Equipment) tire sizes,  
recommended inflation pressure and the maximum weight the vehicle  
can carry.  
Tire Identification Number (TIN): A number on the sidewall of  
each tire providing information about the tire brand and  
manufacturing plant, tire size and date of manufacture. Also referred  
to as DOT code.  
Inflation pressure: A measure of the amount of air in a tire.  
Standard load: A class of P-metric or Metric tires designed to carry a  
maximum load at 35 psi [37 psi (2.5 bar) for Metric tires]. Increasing  
the inflation pressure beyond this pressure will not increase the tire’s  
load carrying capability.  
115  
2007 Focus (foc)  
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)  
USA (fus)