Get Tires and wheels -> UTQG classification Guide for Volkswagen Jetta 4 Door Sixth Generation (2011-2018)

WARNING

Overloading a vehicle can cause loss of vehicle control, a crash or other accident, serious

personal injury, and even death.

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Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle

from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of vehicle control.

The brakes on a vehicle that has been overloaded may not be able to stop the vehicle in a

safe distance.

Tires on a vehicle that has been overloaded can fail suddenly, including a blowout and

sudden deflation, causing loss of control and a crash.

Always make sure that the total load being transported – including the weight of a trailer

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hitch and the tongue weight of a loaded trailer – does not make the vehicle heavier than the

vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

Determining the correct load limit

ꢀ Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNINGS

Never overload tires. The following example illustrates how to determine the combined weight of all

vehicle occupants and luggage or other vehicle payloads. Never overload the vehicle!

Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit:

Locate the statement “THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO SHOULD

NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX LBS” on your vehicle's placard (tire inflation pressure

label).

Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your

vehicle.

Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kg or XXX lbs.

The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.

For example, if the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lb. passengers

in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400-

750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs.)

Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That

weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in

Step 4.

If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle.

Consult this Manual to determine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage capacity

of your vehicle.

Check the tire sidewall to determine the load index specified for the tire.

UTQG classification

ꢀ Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNINGS

Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG): Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire

sidewall between the tread shoulder and maximum section width. Example:

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Treadwear (number)

Traction: AA, A, B or C

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Temperature: A, B or C

For example: Treadwear 200, Traction AA, Temperature A.

All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.

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 (Treadwear-value 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

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 ⇒ꢀ

Temperature

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 ⇒ꢀ

WARNING

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.

WARNING

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 and wheels -> UTQG classification for Your Volkswagen Jetta 4 Door Sixth Generation (2011-2018)

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