FORD 1999 Taurus - Manual (Page 246)

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Information About Tire Quality Grades
New vehicles are fitted with tires that have their
Tire Quality Grade (described below) molded into
the tire’s sidewall. 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 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 A B C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A,
B, and C, and they 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.
File:11fnmc8.ex
Update:Thu Jun 20 14:28:32 1996