TOWING A TRAILER
FLAT TOWING
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
Do not tow a trailer with your vehicle.
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is typically used when towing
a vehicle behind a recreational vehicle,
such as a motor home.
DOT (Department Of Transportation) Qual-
ity Grades: All passenger car tires must
conform to federal safety requirements in
addition to these grades.
Quality grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
CAUTION
•
Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe reduction gear
damage.
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature
A
•
•
DO NOT tow this vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground (flat towing).
TREADWEAR
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, 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 actual conditions of their use how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
For emergency towing procedures
refer to “Towing your vehicle” in the
“In case of emergency” section of this
manual.
9-14 Technical and consumer information
English 
